Thursday, October 31, 2019
Community Health Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Community Health Nursing - Essay Example state of Columbia. It is the major center for researches and development. Maryland is known as third largest nexus in the field. Demographic Data Total Population 5,615,727 In Maryland, Asthma is a disease from which Marylandââ¬â¢s people are suffering. Asthma is a curable chronic lung disease categorized by inflammation of the excuses mucus secretion, reversible airway and constriction. This bounding of the airway outputs in decreased airflow that may cause effects of coughing, wheezing and tightness of the chest, and patientââ¬â¢s usually safe difficulty in breathing. Asthma attacks on both adults and children and is considered as the most common chronic disease of in early ages. In 2007, around 9.6 million (13.1%) U.S. children under 18 years had been suffered from asthma at some stage in their whole life. Approximately 6.7 million (9.1%) children recently had diagnosed with asthma. An estimated 24.4 million (11.0%) U.S. mature population have been identified with asthma dur ing their lifecycle, and around 16.2 million (7.3%) currently suffering from asthma. In the end of 2006, asthma was considered responsible for 443,600 hospitalizations countrywide (Bule & Golosinsky, 2006). In 2002, the Maryland State Legislature announced the MACP in statute. This mandate, In conjunction with the CDC funding, has published the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), and the MACP to facilitate leadership for minimizing morbidity and mortality because of asthma in Maryland, specifically for its most valuable populations. Fig 1: Current Asthma Prevalence Windshield Survey A windshield survey depends on the observation of data instead of asking direct questions from the participants. It needs to develop survey questions and getting answers of them. A windshield survey was performed in a posh area of Maryland. There were hundreds of multi story houses with a very short distance (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2000). The target audience was between the ages of 30-45 and the survey focused on their income, free access to the hospital and good medicine availability issues. The main issue was peopleââ¬â¢s income, access to medical center and ability to bear doctorââ¬â¢s fee. There are hundreds of popular names who expired due to improper care of themselves. Education and prevention is required in order to spend a healthy and disease free life (Pleis & Lethbridge-Cejku, 2009). PO 1). Decision making is an integral part of nursing. Quick and strong decision making skills help a lot in nursing practice. One should be capable of quick decision and an absolute of judgment for finding the best options for his patients. Clinical judgment is considered one of the vital and essential skills for nursing. In the community, as there is a very short list of people who can afford doctorââ¬â¢s fees and medical treatment charges. Nurses should be more accurate and fast in decision making for the community people. PO 2) Communic ation and excellent people skills are required for nursing. There are several collaborative techniques like ability to answer questions and advice; nurses spend more time with patients than a doctor. Patients are always curious to know and discuss about their disease so nurses must have ability to co-operate with them at every stage of their disease. PO 5) Accountability helps in identifying and recognizing the
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Historic Fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Historic Fiction - Essay Example The story spins around the life of Edmond Dantes, starting out from the years of his youth and innocence and develops as Dantesââ¬â¢ life takes new turns. Dumas has chosen to start the story with feelings of hope and ambition, only to turn these feelings around as Dantes is conspired against. Eventually Dantes is sent to the Chateau dââ¬â¢Iif, a notorious prison that has the ability to break down even the most potent of men. The innocent Dantes is shown as trusting of his comrades but essentially he is betrayed by the very people that he chooses to trust. The image of an innocent Dantes is something that everyone in the audience can relate to. This is true since human beings have a tendency to associate themselves with innocence and to declare themselves absolvent under most circumstances. Typically, the average human being feels more sinned against than sinned by. This is something that people can associate with regardless of the age that they themselves belong to. Dumas has m anipulated this aspect of human nature adeptly in order to make the story relevant to all kinds of audiences. This aspect has been replicated in order to produce wide appeal for the story being penned. Another notable aspect of Dumasââ¬â¢ work is the development of the plot once Dantes is inside the dreaded Chateau dââ¬â¢Iif. Dantes transforms from a God fearing Christian filled with hope for justice into a godless wretch who breeds nothing but hate and revenge. The actions carried out by Dantes such as his etching out the days in prison on the walls of his cell portray Dumasââ¬â¢ skill of involving the audience. Dantes etches days as long as he carries some hope of justice but he stops when he realizes that justice is not about to arrive. The overall creation of this sub climax inside the story signifies a strong technique used by Dumas ââ¬â he uses outwards
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Improve your paragraphs by varying the complexity of your sentences
Improve your paragraphs by varying the complexity of your sentences Exercise name: 1 Exercise type Input Copyright info Instruction In this module you will: learn about how to revise your argument through re-outlining, learn how to improve your paragraphs by varying the complexity of your sentences, learn how to eliminate wordiness review where the passive voice is appropriate, reflect on your word choice practise proofreading your text for punctuation. Module 15: Revising academic writing Exercise name: 2a Intro Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction NA Many students think of writing as a process that ends when they take the last sheet of paper out of the printer. This is not entirely true. Good writers make thorough, and, when necessary, radical revisions. There are three steps to be carried when revising your paper: Reoutlining, that is re-examining the structure of your argument Re-examining thestyle of your prose Proofreading, that is checking the check the correctness of your paper Exercise name: 2b Reoutlining Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction Reoutlining You may have begun your project with an outline. Re-outlining, that is, writing an outline on the basis of what you have written, helps you see if you have achieved your goal. Compare your two outlines, and ask yourself the following questions: Have I made the thesis or focus clear? Are the ideas and details arranged in the most effective order? Have I divided the text into appropriate segments? Have I made clear the connections between the segments? Do I use appropriate cohesive markers to relay the connection of thoughts? Do I have sufficient support, sufficient evidence for my assertions? Do I have any irrelevant information? Do I need to rewrite my introduction or conclusion? Exercise name: 2c Removing tangents Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction NA Removing tangents Every sentence in your paper should advance your argument, whether by presenting your thesis, introducing subsidiary points, explaining logical relationships between points, presenting and explaining textual evidence, or drawing conclusions. In other words, if you elaborate on an interesting idea, which does not, however, directly advance your argument, you are going off on a tangent. Tangents may be acceptable in some forms of informal writing, e.g. letters, but they are inacceptable in academic English. Here, arguments have to be linear. Anything else is a filler and should be removed. For example, in a paper on Shakespeares imagery, you would not include biographical information about his family, unless this information is directly and clearly related to your argument about Shakespeares imagery. Exercise name: 3 Removing tangents Exercise type MC V1 Copyright info NA Embedded Pop-up text included. See next page! Instruction Click on ââ¬Å"Read Textâ⬠to view the results of a history students re-outlining of a paper on the origins of the World War One. Then, decide which entries below are tangents to the students thesis. [C] Platos political theories [] Bank failures in Germany [] French democracy vs German autocracy [C] Economic repercussions of World War I [] Naval race between Great Britain and German [C] Pre-War European Art Embedded Pop-Up Text to 3 Outline: History dissertation proposal The Origins of World War I I Introduction Thesis: World War I was started by a number of factors which had their origin in the natural rivalries between the European countries II Economic rivalries A. Grain tariffs in Germany and France B. Economic repercussions of World War One III Political rivalries A. French Democracy vs German autocracy B. Platos political theories IV Military rivalries A. The ââ¬Å"naval raceâ⬠between Great Britain and Germany B. Triple Entente vs. Triple Alliance V Pre-War European Art A. Impressionism B. Expressionism VI Conclusion war was inevitable Exercise name: 4a Re-examining at the sentence level Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction NA The overall structure of your paper is very important. So, too, is the organization at the sentence level. As you become an experienced writer, the more you will develop your own prose style, your own distinctive patterns of sentence length and structure. While you are developing your style, remember that there are two bad habits to watch out for: Too many simple subject-verb-object sentences in a row Though a few such sentences can be useful to punctuate longer ones, long strings of them tend to sound unintelligent. If you spot a long sequence of simple, short sentences, try to link sentences together by relating their ideas to one another. Spaghetti sentences At the opposite extreme, some writers write overly long and complex sentences in the belief that this is a convention of academic writing. A few very long sentences can be effective in an argument. However, if most of your prose is made up of very long sentences even if they are carefully structured your argument will be weakened. Exercise name: 4b Using the active voice over the passive voice Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction NA Using the active voice over the passive voice Study the two sentences below. Which sentence do you find to be clearer? Passive: The survey was returned by the subjects by email. Active: The subjects returned to survey by email. Most readers would prefer the second sentence as sentences written in the active voice are generally easier to understand. This is because the actor and the action are clearer. This does not mean that one should avoid writing in the passive voice entirely. The passive important when putting an emphasis on the object in a sentence or in situations where the subject is not known. For example: The subjects were observed over an eight year period. The test dogs were given three large doses of the chemical. Exercise name: 4c Avoiding impersonal ââ¬Å"itâ⬠Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction NA Good writers avoid sentences with phrases that begin with ââ¬Å"itâ⬠. Instead, they attempt to clarify the action and focus on actors and actions. Phrases like ââ¬Å"It is suggestedâ⬠or ââ¬Å"It may be recalledâ⬠can often be deleted in favour of the known subject. For example: In the report it is suggested that good nutrition is the key to happiness BETTER: The report suggests that good nutrition is the key to happiness It may be recalled that this topic is discussed in Chapter 2 in greater detail. BETTER: Chapter 2 discusses this topic in greater detail. Stopped here need to replace an exercise Exercise name: 5 Sentence structure extremes Exercise type MC V1 Copyright info Instruction [] Paragraph contains too many short sentences. [] Paragraph two has too many spaghetti sentences. [C] The first sentence of paragraph 1 would be better as: ââ¬Å"As a result of the Prime Ministers remarks, the audience, composed exclusively of diplomats, believe that this governments position would be similar to that of its predecessor â⬠[C] The first sentence of paragraph 2 would be better as: A greenhouse is a building made out of glass where plants grows. [C] The last sentence of paragraph 1 would be better as: ââ¬Å"The Prime Minister failed to understand the gravity of the situation. He acted as if this problem could simply be ignored.â⬠[C] The last two sentence of paragraph 2 could be better if combined to ââ¬Å"The retained radiation heats the earths atmosphere and keeps the planet warm.â⬠Not a very challenging exercise, since all of the reformulated sentences are supposed to be better. Rollover Text 1 Impressions formed from the remarks of the Prime Minister, difficult enough as they were to understand, only confirmed the audience, which was composed exclusively of members of the diplomatic corps, in its belief that the government, which had only been in office for a short while, would not take a stance differing from that of the previous administration, which most of the diplomats found depressing, although they had not liked the previous government. The Prime Minster, however, failing to grasp the gravity of the situation, acted as if this problem, which will certainly accompany his administration for the duration of its term, could simply be ignored. Rollover Text 2 A greenhouse is a building where plants grow. A greenhouse has transparent glass. The glass allows the sunlight to enter, but does not allow the heat inside to escape. The same effect occurs on the earth. The earths atmosphere functions like the glass. The suns radiation passes through the atmosphere to heat the earths surface. The earths surface then produces infrared radiation. This radiation has a longer wavelength than that of sunlight. This radiation rises into the atmosphere where gases such as carbon dioxide, prevent the infrared radiation from escaping into space. These gases are called greenhouse gases. They control how much infrared radiation escapes the atmosphere. The retained radiation heats the earths atmosphere. This radiation keeps the planet warm. Exercise name: 6 Passive and active sentences Exercise type Drag to Category Correct answers in bold. Copyright info NA Instruction Drag the sentences where it would be appropriate to rewrite in an active form to the appropriate box (passive voice, active voice) [The water was poured into the test tube.] [Nuclear power plants are opposed by many voters.] [Reductions of up to 80% in heat and mass transfer coefficients were measured.] [In my department the advice on clear English has been disregarded.] [In the 19th century a fundamental belief in God was taken for granted by most people.] [A reduction in nuclear weapons was proposed by a number of states.] [Each subject was given three injections] [The rats were fed a protein-free diet for 21 days.] [Appropriate use of passive voice] [Sentence should be reformulated in the active voice] Exercise name: 7 Removing impersonal ââ¬Å"itâ⬠and ââ¬Å"thereâ⬠Exercise type Copyright info Instruction In the text written by Giddens it is said that peer pressure among teenagers can lead to violence. [According to Giddens peer pressure among teenagers can lead to violence. This does not mean that it should be prohibited to write about or to show pictures of the celebrities in the mass media. [Writing about or showing pictures of celebrities in the mass media should not necessarily be prohibited.] It is guaranteed that there is freedom of expression in Germany. [Freedom] [of] [expression [ [is] [guaranteed] in [Germany] It certainly seems that Shakespeare intended to suggest that Macbeth was weaker than his wife. [S. certainly suggested that Macbeth was weaker than his wife.] Are we allowed to design connect it exercises where you have almost twice as many options on the right-hand side than on the left? All the other exercise types dont really work with these sentences. My first association was a missing words or text checker exericse, but that wouldnt work here. What did Jeffrey originally want the learner to do here? Exercise name: 8 Find the actor and agent Exercise type Text MC (Là ¼ckentext mit DropDown) Correct answer always bold. Copyright info NA Instruction Find the actor and action for each sentence below. Actor Action In several books it is described how Mahler screamed at the musicians in his orchestra. [books, Mahler, musicians] [describe, scream, play music] It will be beneficial for the Physics Department to expand its internet facilities as more and more communication is web-based. [Physics Department, internet, web-based] [benefit, expand, communicate] It is hoped by both parties that further delays can be avoided. [It, both parties, delay] [hope, delay, avoid] It has been decided by the government of Great Britain that it should make an approach to the World Bank with a view to the possible granting of a loan. [Great Britain, government of Great Britain, World Bank] [decide, approach, grant] It is now incumbent on the United Nations to focus its attention on tasks of the highest priority in order to achieve success within the parameters of its goal expectations. [The United Nations, tasks, goals] [focus, achieve, expect] A recommendation was made by the European Parliament that consideration be given by the Member States to a simplification of the award procedure. [recommendation, European Parliament, Member States) [recommend, consider, simplify] The foregoing table is intended to assist readers in understanding the costs and expenses that the university will bear directly or indirectly. [Table, readers, costs] [intend, assist, understand] Exercise name: 9 Reformulate the sentences Exercise type Unscramble sentences Copyright info NA Instruction Unscramble the improved version of sentences from the previous exercise [Several books] [describe] [how] [Mahler] [screamed] [at] [the] [musicians] [in] [his] [orchestra]. [The United Nations] [must] [now] [turn] [to top-priority] tasks] [in order to] [reach] [its] goals]. [This table] [describes] [the] universitys] [costs] [and] [expenses]. [The European Parliament] [recommended] [that] [the member states] [consider] [simplifying] [the award procedure]. [The Physics Department] [should] [expand] [its] [internet facilities] [to meet] [the growing need]. [Both parties] [hope] [to avoid] [further] [delays]. [Great Britains] [government] [has] [decided] [to ask] [the World Bank] [for] [a loan]. Exercise name: 10a Selecting the right words Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction NA In 1944, George Orwell came up with a number of rules for writing well. One of these rules is: ââ¬Å"Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.â⬠For example: The Ministry of State has reached the conclusion that it should make an application to the Federal government with a view to the possible granting of a loan Could be cut down to: The Ministry of State has concluded that it should ask the Federal government for a loan. and The experiment had to be postponed because of the unfavourable climatic conditions. Could be rewritten as: The experiment was postponed because of the bad weather. Citation: George Orwell, ââ¬Å"Politics and the English Languageâ⬠Exercise name: 10b Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction NA Finding the right word is one of the most important tasks of good writing. Use words accurately, with precision, and avoid gobbledygook and jargon. When revising, look for phrases and words that dont stand up to scrutiny. Generally speaking, it is a good rule to use the more common and simpler word if no loss in meaning is involved. For example: Stratford is the locality where Shakespeare was born. Better: Stratford is the place where Shakespeare was born. Below is a list from the ââ¬Å"Plain Englishâ⬠website of simpler, more common words which may be used in place of words which may at first sound more ââ¬Å"academicâ⬠ascertain find out axiomatic obvious endeavour try expedite hasten, speed up facilitate make easier, help formulate work out, devise, form for the reason that because locality place optimum best, greatest, most strategize plan www.plainenglish.co.uk (The ââ¬Å"Plain Englishâ⬠campaign was begun by a British civil servant inspired by Orwell.) Exercise name: 10c Commas Exercise type Input Copyright info NA Instruction NA After you have done the work of reorganizing your structure and of editing your style, you need to proofread. It is very important for that first impression that you make no mistakes in spelling or punctuation. Some of the most common mistakes that can be quickly caught are commas after introductory elements and semi-colons between two complete sentences. Remember the rules: A comma is generally used after an introductory element, especially if this element is long or if the speaker would normally pause at this point in speech. Remembering what Berlin was like in spring, she looked forward to returning. When mentioning a word for the first, a comma is placed in front of any abbreviations, acronyms of that word. [Give an example, e.g. with GNP] However, a comma is misplaced if it comes between the verb and its object. This mistake is especially common before ââ¬Å"thatâ⬠Incorrect: I doubt, that she understands how to use commas correctly. Correct: I doubt that she understands how to use commas correctly. Exercise name: 11 Exercise type Text checker Copyright info NA Instruction It is axiomatic (obvious) that English has become the worlds most spoken language in science, politics and commerce. It was difficult to ascertain (find out) from the corpora whether the women use more deictic expressions than men. Berlin is the capital of Germany for the reason that (because) it was once the capital of Prussia. The optimum (best) advertising strategy is often only discovered after extensive market research. Subjects who utilize (use) â⬠¦ the library correctly will help facilitate (speed up) your work. Adding this chemical will expedite (speed up) the reaction. Exercise name: 12 Comm
Friday, October 25, 2019
Microsoft: Trust or Antitrust? :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument
Microsoft: Trust or Antitrust? "Oh, come on, just trust me." Those six simple words have been the pleadings of many when, for whatever reason, they find themselves in a situation, where others don't give their actions or claims any credibility. They have nothing left to fall upon, except the hope that they can be thought of as trustworthy, and that others are willing to give them an opportunity. This is the situation Microsoft has found itself in, and in response, they have launched "Trustworthy Computing," a campaign to help gain credibility and respect in the marketplace. Why, you might ask, is a company that controls 90 percent of its market worried about public perception? Why would such a major influence in the computer industry shut down production of new software, in an attempt to correct countless errors? Why did Bill Gates hire Wieden and Kennedy, the advertising agency that gave us such things as the Nike Swoosh, to change Microsoft's public image? It is because the people at Microsoft have realized that consumers use their software not because they want to, but because they have no other choice. As I sit here writing my paper in Microsoft Word, listening to a CD play in Windows Media Player, surfing the internet for sources in Microsoft Internet Explorer, all parts of my Windows XP setup, it might seem that Microsoft has itself entrenched in my life and that of the computer industry. Yet, the powers that be at Microsoft aren't just sitting around watching their MS Office licensing fees come in, they've sounded the alarm. "There must have been a moment of crisis, either they were feeling insecure, or Microsoft was putting pressure on them," Erik Adigard, a former consultant for Microsoft, suggests. The root of the problem may be, as Sara Basse observed, "Programmers and system designers are often overconfident too, and do not give enough thought to the potential consequences of errors or poor design." Those oversights are the reason that Microsoft shut down most of its production of programs, and instead shifted resources to correct bugs and errors in pre-existing programs. One might then, wonder why Microsoft has sold programs with errors, and instead of taking the time to correct the mistakes of past versions, they have moved on to completely new concepts. It appears that Microsoft has gotten the message from its consumers. They have begun unprecedented disclosures of their codes to their competitors, so that they are better able to integrate their programs into Windows.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Recruitment, selection and training in the service sector Essay
1. Introduction Organisations have changed and are changing as a result of a focus on the customers. It is now recognized that meeting customer needs is the base of any successful organisation. There may be a pressure to improve shareholders value, increase profit but it has recognized that the key is to achieve these objectives is to satisfy the customers. As W R Scott (1987) pointed out ââ¬ËHowever, organisations are not closed systems, sealed off from their environments but are open to and dependent on flows of personnel and resources from outside.ââ¬â¢ Managers need to understand their customers in order to meet those customersââ¬â¢ needs better. To meet customer needs as well as possible a company needs to provide goods and services: â⬠¢At lower cost â⬠¢At maximum customer satisfaction â⬠¢With competitive advantages. The guest satisfaction starts at recruitment with: â⬠¢Recruit the right staff â⬠¢Train and motivate them â⬠¢Empower them to deliver guest satisfaction â⬠¢Appraise, develop and incentive them. 2. Service industry characteristics The service industry is special because: â⬠¢The service is delivered by people to people â⬠¢The service is produced and consumed at the same time â⬠¢Customerââ¬â¢s perception of service quality linked to morale of front-line staff. Characteristics of services: â⬠¢Perishability â⬠¢Contact dependency â⬠¢Inseparability â⬠¢Variability â⬠¢Lack of ownership â⬠¢Intangibility â⬠¢Simultaneity As Macken (1997) suggests: ââ¬ËRecruiting people who are wrong for the organisation can lead to increased labour turnover, increased costs for the organisation, and lowering of morale in the existing workforce.ââ¬â¢ 3. The Recruitment and Selection process The process of recruitment and selection are closely linked. Both activities are directed towards obtaining employees with the requisite competencies and attitudes, and recruitment activities lay the groundwork for the selection process by providing the pool of applicants from whom the selectors may choose. According to Foot and Hook (2008, p.142-143) Recruitment can be defined as: â⬠¢All activities directed towards locating potential employees â⬠¢Attracting applications from suitable candidates Aims of the recruitment process: â⬠¢To obtain a pool of candidates for vacant posts â⬠¢To use a fair process and be able to demonstrate that the process was fair â⬠¢To ensure that all recruitment activities contribute to organisational goals and a desirable organisational image â⬠¢To conduct recruitment activities in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Most human resource management issue can be analysed in terms of legal, moral and business consideration: â⬠¢Legal ââ¬â to comply with anti-discrimination legislation ?Sex and race ?The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (amended 1986) ?The Race Relation Act 1976 (amended2003) ?The Employment Equality Regulation 2003 ?Disability ?The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 ?Age Diversity ?The Employment (Age) Regulations 2006 â⬠¢Moral ââ¬â to avoid unfair discrimination for moral reasons as well as legal reasons â⬠¢Business ââ¬â to ensure that all effort is directed towards achieving corporate goals. A planned and systematic approach To be able to select the best available staff in the first place and to retain them we need a planned and systematic approach. By Mullins (2002, p.739) such an approach involves at least five main stages: â⬠¢The need to know about the job to be filled â⬠¢The need to know about the type of person to do the job â⬠¢The need to know the likely means of best attracting a range of suitable applications â⬠¢The need to know how best to assess the candidatesââ¬â¢ likely suitable for the job â⬠¢The need for induction and follow-up. The first step in the recruitment procedure is the job analysis, which is a process of gathering together all data about an existing job, which activities are performed and what skills are needed. There are some basic data to include by Foot and Hook (2008, p.147): â⬠¢A description of the duties performed â⬠¢The most important or responsible duties â⬠¢Time spent on each duty â⬠¢How often each duty is performed (daily/weekly/monthly/annually) â⬠¢Levels of supervision/independence â⬠¢The skills and skill levels needed to perform each task â⬠¢Any special conditions related to the performance of these tasks. The collected data are then structured to create job descriptions and person specifications. These documents are essential as a basic framework for recruitment and later selection; as the basis of employment contract; as the evidence of a fair process. The job description explains the total requirements of the job; sets out the purpose of a job, where the job fits into the organisation structure, the main accountabilities and responsibilities of the job and the key tasks to be performed. Commonly used elements are: â⬠¢Job title â⬠¢Reporting structure: ?Responsible for ?Reports to â⬠¢Nature and scope â⬠¢Purpose of the job â⬠¢Principal accountabilities â⬠¢Major duties and responsibilities â⬠¢Employment conditions Each organisation can decide what factors should be included depend on the nature of the business. The person specification is a document that outlines the knowledge, skills, personal attributes or qualities a person need to be able to perform well. Requirements can be categorised as ââ¬Ëessentialââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëdesirableââ¬â¢. Several models of person specifications are available. Most widely known are Alec Rodger (1952) and Munro Fraser (1978). Rodgerââ¬â¢s seven point plan which describe people in terms of: â⬠¢Physical make-up (physical requirement) â⬠¢Attainments (education and training) â⬠¢General intelligence â⬠¢Special aptitudes ( verbal, numerical and diagrammatical abilities related to the job) â⬠¢Interest â⬠¢Disposition (job related behaviours such as persuasiveness) â⬠¢Circumstances (only job related such us availability for shift work) The criteria suggested by Fraserââ¬â¢s five-fold framework: â⬠¢Impact on others â⬠¢Qualifications and experience ( education, training and skills developed through work experience) â⬠¢Innate abilities (Similar to intelligence in Rodgerââ¬â¢s plan) â⬠¢Motivation â⬠¢Flexibility and emotional adjustment. It is very important to know where suitable applicants are likely to be found and how to make contact with them. The attracting of suitable applicants will depend on the nature of the business, the position to be filled and the urgency of need. Potential sources: â⬠¢Employment service job centres â⬠¢Career advisory offices â⬠¢Private employment agencies/ recruitment agencies â⬠¢Professional and executive appointments registers â⬠¢Ã¢â¬Å"Headhuntingâ⬠or executive search â⬠¢Internet recruitment/ recruitment websites â⬠¢Advertising The form of applications will vary from organisation to organisation and with the nature of the position to be filled. Examples: â⬠¢Letters of application â⬠¢Handwritten submission â⬠¢Curriculum Vitae (CV) â⬠¢Specially design application â⬠¢Standard application form â⬠¢Personal call â⬠¢Preliminary interview. Selection is the assessment of candidates for vacant jobs and the choice of the most suitable people. The methods of selection involve the short-listing of applicants and it should include an interview. The face-to-face interviews still the most popular method of selection, even though research studies have found interviews to be poor predictors of future performance in a job (Makin and Robertson, 1986).
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Marketing homework word
Western is a loyal customer of Egan for 63 years. It was the more important customer. But, these last few years, because of the financial crisis in the European Union, and here more precisely in the United Kingdom, Western company has only half of the normal activity. That decreasing amount of work implies financial issues, and Egan is loosing money when they work with Western.Before evaluations the relevance to continue business with Western, we must sake into account that a loyal customer is a relationship very hard to build in the business world, and It can take several years to find and to build a loyal relationship with a new customer. We have to split the responsibilities of the bad economic situation of the company between Westerly's faults and environment's faults. Taking a decision about an old loyal customer means to be sure that all the details of the strategies of the two companies have been understood.Egan & Sons is not a company with a good economic situation in long te rm because its strategy has a robber because the administration of the society is too traditional. These problems were highlighted by the emergence of new competitors. If Egan wants to be shown like an interesting society in long terms benefits, they will have to adapt their strategy to all the recent changes. The external environment are also Important to consider If we want to have a precise idea of the responsibilities of this situation.Egan has to do something because several extern competitors threaten the society benefits. Indeed, Chinese impasses highlighted the lack of adaptability of the firm. Furthermore, the external environment in united Kingdom is really bleak and businesses are slowing or falling down. This environment can explain a part of the economic problems of Western, but that doesn't excuse all of the bad issues of this company. The external environment, the financial crisis, the increasing of the competition, raise an other important obstacle for the future of the firm Egan without Western.Indeed, If this Important and loyal customer Is dropped, that will be really official to find a trustful and loyal supplier with a good financial situation. Egan will have to decrease Its production if they want to avoid that the costs become higher than the revenues. One or two months. The negotiations with Western must treat of the strategy of the firm. Tommy should explain clearly the situation of the relationship between the two companies and state that or Steve and Western radically change their strategy or they will no longer be a customer of Egan. Even if they change their strategy, decisions will make a long mime to have some effects.On the loyalty ladder, Western is on the top of the loyal customers. Egan has to change the type of customer of Western. Before, Western was a privileged customer with special benefits but with the current situation, it cannot continue anymore. Western must become a discount customer with less advantages in order to balance the losses and the benefits of the two companies. That will be a problem for Western because they have already financial problems and if they become Just a discount customer of one of their best appliers, their profitability will be really affected.The administration will have, after the change of strategy, to change the organization in order to create short term benefits. A reconstruction of the firm must be studied and an audit of all the suppliers and customers must be done so the costs will be minimized and the products standardized. It is highly recommended that Tommy waits to see the effects of all the different effects of the changes on long term, strategy, and on short term, organization, before to drop this customer.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Ice Breakers for the First Day of Elementary School
Ice Breakers for the First Day of Elementary School The first few minutes of class, kicking off a new school year can be awkward and nerve-wracking for both you and your new students. You dont yet know these students well, nor do they know you, and they may not even know each other yet. Breaking the ice and getting the conversation going so everyone can get to know each other is an important thing to do.à Check out these popularà Ice Breaker activities that you can use with your elementary school students when school opens. The activities are fun and easy for students. Best of all, they elevate the mood and help thaw out the first day of school jitters. 1. Human Scavenger Hunt To prepare, pick about 30-40 interesting characteristics and experiences and list them on a worksheet with a little-underlined space next to each item. Next, have the students roam around the classroom asking each other to sign on the lines that relate to them. For example, some of your lines might be, Went out of the country this summer or Has braces or Likes pickles. So, if a student went to Turkey this summer, they can sign that line on other peoples worksheets. Depending on the size of your class, it may be OK for each student to sign two of any other persons blank spaces. The goal is to fill up your worksheet with signatures for each and every category. This may look like organized chaos, but the students will typically stay on task and have fun with this one. Alternatively, this activity can be put into the format of a Bingo board, rather than a list. 2. Two Truths and a Lie At their desks, ask your students to write down three sentences about their lives (or their summer vacations). Two of the sentences should be true and one should be a lie. For example, your statements might be: This summer I went to Alaska.I have 5 little brothers.My favorite food is brussels sprouts. Next, have your class sit in a circle. Each person gets a chance to share their three sentences. Then the rest of the class takes turns guessing which one is the lie. Obviously, the more realistic your lie (or mundane your truths), the harder time people will have figuring out the truth. 3. Same and Different Organize your class into small groups of approximately 4 or 5. Give each group two pieces of paper and a pencil. On the first sheet of paper, the students write Same or Shared at the top and then proceed to find qualities that are shared by the group as a whole. Make sure to point out that these should not be silly or trite qualities, such as We all have toes. On the second paper, label it Different or Unique and give the students time to determine some aspects that are unique to only one member of their group. Then, set aside time for each group to share and present their findings. Not only is this a great activity for getting to know each other, but it also emphasizes how the class has shared commonalities as well as unique differences that make up an interesting and completely human whole. 4. Trivia Card Shuffle First, come up with a predetermined set of questions about your students. Write them on the board for all to see. These questions can be about anything, ranging from What is your favorite food? to What did you do this summer? Give each student an index card numbered 1-5 (or however many questions you are asking) and have them write their answers to the questions on it, in order. You should also fill out a card about yourself. After a few minutes, collect the cards and redistribute them to the students, making sure no one gets their own card. From here, there are two ways that you can finish out this Ice Breaker. The first option is to have the students get up and mingle as they chat and try to figure out who wrote the cards they are holding. The second method is to begin the sharing process by modeling for the students how to use the card to introduce a classmate. 5. Sentence Circles Split your students into groups of 5. Give each group a piece of sentence strip paper and a pencil. On your signal, the first person in the group writes one word on the strip and then passes it to the left. The second person then writes the second word of the burgeoning sentence. The writing continues in this pattern around the circle with no talking. When the sentences are complete, the students share their creations with the class. Do this a few times and have them notice how their collective sentences improve each time around. Edited byà Stacy Jagodowski.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Lost Sister Essays
Lost Sister Essays Lost Sister Essay Lost Sister Essay There is a specific design of words, images, and metaphors involved in the creation of a poem, and this stands true for Cathy Songââ¬â¢s poem Lost Sister.à Even the title of the work suggests to the reader the importance of family, for the poem is a dedication to heritage in the word ââ¬Ësisterââ¬â¢ and the idea that the sister is somehow lost (here with the title of the poem the reader does not yet know in what way the sister is lost) the poet Song suggests an idea of Diaspora, but in this instance not necessary a separation from place but a definite separation from home since the sister is lost.à The poem then, at the very beginning tells of family and the poem itself extrapolates the concept of Diaspora of home tied in with family.The poem tells of heritage, of two generations of Chinese women.à This is a common theme in many other Chinese works of literature as in Gish Jenââ¬â¢s work and Amy Tan, and in Songââ¬â¢s case, the theme of family and Diaspora is what wields power in the poem and allows the readers to feel a sense of empathy for the characters.à The characters in Songââ¬â¢s poem are dichotomized between the generation of women who have chosen to leave China in hopes of finding a new life in a different land, and the group of women who choose to stay in China, to maintain their heritage in their native land.à Thus it is clear that the poem exemplifies how these two groups of women, although separated by time, and distance somehow stay true to their heritage and thus they maintain their familial ties with one another through their culture.The poem goes on to mark the difference between lifestyles of these two generations of women who have made different choices:à in China, the women are treated as second class citizens, and they maintain their culture through icons such as being quiet as in the line ââ¬Å"gathered patienceâ⬠(Song Lost Sister).à In the next generation, and the continuation of Songââ¬â¢s poem, the women break away from this traditional Chinese way of thinking, and their lives are westernized from living in America.à This westernization evolves into the women being treated as equals, as having a voice finally (this is very important in Songââ¬â¢s poem, the concept of a Chinese woman having a voice).à However, tension does arise in the poem between these two generations and the judgments the former more traditional Chinese cultured women make on these westernized women as can be read in Songââ¬â¢s line, ââ¬Å"diluting jade green with the blue of the Pacificâ⬠(Song Lost Sister).The poem further dichotomizes as Song tells of the difference between these two generations and how the first generation compromised freedom for their traditional Chinese lifestyle and how the second generation however loses some of their culture because of their lack of exposure to traditional Chinese ways, as Song writes, to walk in shoes the size of teacups, without breaki ngâ⬠in respect to the Chinese American woman gaining freedom and she simultaneously states that these women are lost from their familial ties.One main motif of the poem can be found in the element of jade which is referenced many times in Songââ¬â¢s poem, even the peasants named their first daughters Jade (Song Lost Sister) and again, a jade linkà (Song Lost Sister) which is in reference to the tie between these two generations.à Thus, both generations are lost to one another and in Songââ¬â¢s poem there seems to be no restitution between the two.à They are both lost from their culture, from their needed experience of finding freedom and stepping out of their ââ¬Ëteacupââ¬â¢ shoes and walking in the same line as men instead of maintaining their silence.Songââ¬â¢s poem gives the reader a dichotomized view of Chinese women in a generational sense, a culture, and the space in between the two of not only an ocean but the change of thoughts in the exposure o f new western traditions.à The ââ¬Ëjade linkââ¬â¢ between these two women is their strongest bond, despite their differences, the expansion of time between them and the distance of an ocean.BibliographySong, Cathy.à Lost Sister Online.à http://mclibrary.nhmccd.edu/lit/catsong.html
Sunday, October 20, 2019
A Review Of John Steinbecks Novel An Analysis Of Misogyny In Of Mice And Men
A Review Of John Steinbeck's Novel An Analysis Of Misogyny In Of Mice And Men ââ¬Å"Misogyny in Of Mice and Menâ⬠In Misogyny in Of mice and Men the author Emery talks about how women are portrayed in the book. The roles she talks about are ââ¬Å"that of homogeneous male fraternity not just to repress, but to eliminate women and femininityâ⬠as stated on page 70. What she is saying to me is that the male characters on mice and men are trying to eliminate from the memories or women in general. This is because they are men and men and apparently are trying to repress women entirely I agree and disagree with this statement. Well yes Steinbeck does portray women as negatively like Curleyââ¬â¢s Wife all she did was tempt men and ruin dreams. The only women other women that are portrayed well are Aunt Clara who is a motherly figure and the women who owned the bar in the brothel. It never really hints at how femininity is bad and it should not exist in their guy group. On page 71 there was a line that really stuck out to me because I disagree with it ââ¬Å"George the masculine creator of this dream gives it voice and grounds it in the realmâ⬠. What this says is that George was the sole creator of a shared dream between him and Lennie of owning a farm and having rabbits for Lennie to take care of. I do see how he give it a voice and makes it realistic for the both of them he does explain it to Lennie but heââ¬â¢s not the only one who gives it a voice Lennie gave George his say in the dream farm. They both created this dream together George was inspired by Lennie to create this theoretical heaven for the both of them to aim for hope to get into or in. They both want to go to the dream farm yet George knows he cannot grasp his dream but he canââ¬â¢t There is another interesting line on page 70 that says ââ¬Å"George and Lennie represent the duality masculinity and femininity, their partnership a kind marriage.â⬠I donââ¬â¢t see how this makes much sense George is masculinity and Lennie is femininity where I donââ¬â¢t really see where this ties in she does tie it in a bit in the sense that yes George is controlling and tries his best to be a leader. But he did not kill Lennie his closest thing to family for power he killed him out of mercy because it was either George kill Lennie himself or have someone filled with rage kill him. George killed Lennie with love someone else would do it out of pity or be influenced by another to do it. For example Candyââ¬â¢s dog he himself did not kill the dog someone else did out of pity and Candy regretted it so much. It would be the same with George since he knew from experience he knew he had to kill Lennie with love not pity.
Friday, October 18, 2019
Corporate Governance at Wal-Mart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Corporate Governance at Wal-Mart - Case Study Example Wal-Mart has a total of 15 directors on its board. S. Robson Walton, the eldest son of founder Sam Walton, serves as Chairman of the Board, and H. Lee Scott, the Chief Executive Officer, serves on the board as well. Other members of the board include Aida Alvarez, James Breyer, M. Michele Burns, James I. Cash, Jr., Roger C. Corbett, Douglas N. Daft, David D. Glass, Roland A. Hernandez, Allen I. Questrom, Jack C. Shewmaker, Jim C. Walton, Christopher J. Williams, and Linda S. Wolf. The members of the Board of directors come from a much diversified background. Belonging to different fields and business sectors, they have gained several skills and aptitude. Some of them are from countries other than U.S.A. They all possess ample of experience, knowledge and due to several years of service, they have got several connections. All of this adds up to their profile as plus points which makes them worth the job. Members such as David and Shewmaker have been serving since 1977-78 while other members that are currently on the board joined between the year 2003 and 2006. Mr. Allen joined in June 2007. The board members are responsible for making managing and controlling the committees for specific purposes. These committees are in-charge of several operations of the organization respectively. Their job includes controlling and managing the finances, operations and other business functions of Wal-Mart. They are actually there to assist the Board of Directors in the strategic decision making process and overall management of Wal-Mart. The members of the respective committees' obligations include; To possess full information about the financial details of the company. To actively review the equity status of the company and recommend changes to have a legitimate and profitable balance of finances. Make suggestions to the board regarding the financial and global policies, the equity structure, the acquisitions and other matters. Perform an analysis of the financial position of the company and recommend attainable goals respectively. Regular review of the major projects. Constant relationship management with its financial partners such as banks and other financial institutions. Making suggestions regarding the financial statements, the dividends and the company's budgets. The committee therefore serves as an advisory body and acts as a representative of the board in the process of strategic decision making and its successful implementation by controlling the overall operations of the company. The top management group of the company includes the board of directors. Apart from them others senior officers along with their respective designations are; 1. Eduardo Castro-Wright: Executive Vice President and President and Chief Executive Officer, Wal-Mart Stores Division 2. M. Susan Chambers: Executive Vice President of People Division 3. Patricia A. Curran: Executive Vice President, People, Wal-Mart Stores Division 4. Leslie A. Dach: Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Government Relations 5. Linda M. Dillman: Executive Vice President, Risk Management, Benefits and Sustainability 6. Michael T. Duke: Vice Chairman, International Division 7. Johnnie C. Dobbs: Executive Vice President, Logistics and Supply Chain 8. John E. Fleming: Executive Vice P
How African-Americans have put an end of segregation, discrimination, Research Paper
How African-Americans have put an end of segregation, discrimination, isolation to attain civil rights and equity - Research Paper Example How African-Americans have put an end of segregation, discrimination, isolation to attain civil rights and equity? African Americans transformed their ways of viewing. They decided to cooperate fully in nation building because they knew that they had a duty to play in their nation for them to be considered patriots. They worked hard in school in order to be employed in large companies by the whites and not to be considered irresponsible people to their nations. These helped to improve their situation, as well as, improved their health standards since many people who had decent jobs were relocated to live in lavished houses. Africans remained loyal to the white land owners despite the intimidation and racial discrimination. African Americans were faced with many incidences of violation and intimidation. With this, they sought ways to object and make their wants voiced out. Black Africans formed and supported organizations that dealt with racial issues such as the NAACP, which refers to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was spearheaded by W.E.B Dubois. Initially in America, women were demeaned and had no control over their husbands, they were subjected to household chores and nurturing children. This took place mainly in the 19th century. This barbaric act came to an end when a woman by the name Chelly Dawance came out protesting against this inhuman act on women, and advocating together with the likes of Kate Chopins and Charlote Pekinns Gilman. For example, in the book written by Kate Pekinns that is narrating her marriage to a black man. She speaks of denied freedom of expression in her house. After their successful strike against stereotyping of women to promote equality between husbands and their wives in marriages, balance was achieved because the people realized that both parents had a collective responsibility in the family planning and in building their country (Meyer, 2001 P. 77). Through this equality, women became entrepreneurs and engaged in trade reducing the high number of people leaving in poverty, therefore, reduci ng the high death rates in youth and old age who usually succumb to illnesses such as malnutrition. Abolishment of slavery, segregation and racism For decades, African Americans fought for their rights because all through they had been subjected to cruel treatment by the whites. Men, women and their families were taken from Africa and brutally chained while ferried to America to work on plantations for years. Jim Crow laws that were enacted between 1876 and 1968 that mandated racial segregation undermined the status of blacks. This demonstrated what they were undergoing by deny of access to many things, which were supposed to be shared by people equally irrespective of the race or colour (Thurber, 2009 P. 93). The Jim Crow originated in the nineteenth century minstrel show song. Step by step, these acts came to be implemented, and the people who subjected African Americans
Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words
Risk Management - Essay Example Previously, the safety culture at BP had presented a cause for concern with the Texas City Refinery explosion and other events presenting an adverse image. Toney Hayward, the former CEO of BP, had tried to enhance safety at BP when he took office at a time when BP faced three criminal investigations. However, it would appear that the managerial decision-making processes at BP remained flawed as managers continued to take risks in efforts directed towards trying to manage costs and delays while neglecting safety. Although it is likely that a blowout preventer with a flawed design contributed to the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, the managerial emphasis on costs and delays caused BP subcontractors to become negligent. BP managers refused Halliburton recommendations to use twenty-one centralisers and proceeded to cement the well using only six centralisers. Halliburton used cement that did not pass its own laboratory tests to cement the well and this contributed to the flow of hydrocarb ons into the well. Transocean crew did not take adequate notice of the kick in the well that pointed to a loss of well control and proceeded to release gases from the well on to the rig through the mud gas separator instead of diverting the gas away from the rig. In addition, inadequate maintenance of the blowout preventer was to contribute to events. Because bonuses presented to BP project managers depended on completing projects close to budgeted costs and schedule, the wrong emphasis had persisted. It is likely that independent verification of managerial decision-making emphasising safety from a command that is distinct from the project management command at BP under a Chief Safety Officer reporting directly to the CEO at BP will help present the correct emphasis. BP did have a safety director at the time of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, but it will appear that this safety director lacked powers, a separate chain of command and a capacity for working effectively to give effe ct to his mandate. The new CEO at BP has promised to create a safety division at BP with sweeping powers. BP project managers should now receive bonuses that emphasise correctness of their managerial decision-making for a project instead of receiving rewards for trying to complete a job within budget and schedule while taking risks with safety. In addition, it will make sense for BP to try to contribute towards helping to improve the design and reliability of superior technology for offshore operations, including subsea blowout preventers. Contents Introduction 1 What Went Wrong? An Analysis of BPââ¬â¢s Approach to Risk Management that Influenced the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster 3 A Reasoned Discussion about How BP Should Progress in the Future with Regard to Risk Management 15 Conclusion 19 Bibliography / References 22 List of Figures Figure 1: Typical Subsea Blowout Preventer Stack 7 Figure 2: Deepwater Drilling with Subsea Blowout Preventer 8 (This page intentionally left bla nk) Introduction The word ââ¬Å"riskâ⬠refers to the possibility of loss, injury or harm, and it is unfortunately true that it is not possible to assign absolute certainty to the occurrence of any one event because there will always be some level of uncertainty associated with the outcome of events (Bonham, 2008, Pp. 183 ââ¬â
Thursday, October 17, 2019
The Place of Religious Education In The Primary School Essay
The Place of Religious Education In The Primary School - Essay Example As the discussion highlightsà education is a social system, which prepares and develops new members for the society. It is a process, which teaches them the social setting, morale and their expected behaviour in the society. It gives them an opportunity to choose their area of interest and develops them accordingly.à From the research it is clear that religious education can support the personal, social and emotional development of child.Religion can be defined as a set of beliefs. It involves emotions and feelings. It has its own set of dogmas and practices. Through religion one tries to define the relations between himself and divinity. There has been a continuous debate on the importance of religion in everyoneââ¬â¢s life. Many academicians and philosophers have presented different views on religion.à There have been various definitions for religion given by various thinkersââ¬â¢ scholars and academicians. Religion has taken various shapes and forms in past few years w ith the development of civilisation. In various parts of world religion can be seen in different forms. There are certain things that are common in all the religion. These are things like existence of God, love for humanity, respect for each other, help the needy and many others. These things are more like an education for the proper living.à These things teach us to live and adjust in the society to make the place worth living. Any religion never teaches fight, killing, disrespect for humanity and terrorism.
Earnnings management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Earnnings management - Essay Example earnings management plays a crucial role in determining the share prices of a listed company and also impact the direct allocation of resources buy the company in the capital markets. This paper is written with the aim of researching on the earnings management and reporting techniques, focusing on the big bath technique of earnings management. The main objective of the report is to understand the process of earnings management, especially the big bath technique of earnings management which is commonly used by companies and their managers to manipulate the reporting of the earning of the company. Earnings management is an important aspect of the financial management of any company. Earnings being crucial elements of the financial statements of a business, the evaluation and management of different types of earning are done by the management of any firm to ensure that the stock prices of the business remains high in the capital markets. There are many techniques that are traditionally a contemporarily applied for the management, manipulation and accounting of earnings in the financial statement publication of an enterprise. The study of the topic of earnings management and the much debated technique of earnings management and manipulation which is the big bath technique is critical in the contemporary corporate world. The management of earnings can have key influences on the political and regulatory structures of a country, the economic systems and prospects in the country and can also alter the functioning of industries as well as the investor groups of the business. Additionally, it may lead to crisis situations like financial downturns, extended low periods in the economic and business cycles and can also threaten the interests of the stakeholder groups of a business1. The use of manipulative techniques in earnings management can play a key role in misleading the investors and analysts in relation to the determination of the investment profile and investment
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Question-1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1
Question-1 - Coursework Example In the current times, the diversity and technology have emerged as important issues within organization that significantly impact performance outcome. The various stakeholders that are influenced by the issues are: employees, consumers, suppliers, interest groups, shareholders etc. The major objective of change management is to bring about organizational change smoothly. Thus, integrating the needs of the various stakeholders and empowering them with information regarding change considerably facilitates the change process. Promoting diversity and affirmative actions within organization hugely helps to create credible image of the firm. Moreover, diverse workforce greatly promotes diverse views and cultural competencies which can provide firms with unique capabilities and help them gain competitive advantage within the industry (Adidam, Phani et al., 2009). Effective communication regarding change is key tool that promotes better understanding of change processes and how change can be exploited as new opportunities. The different beliefs, value system, ideology and cultural paradigms have become essential elements of human interaction (Bloisi, 2007). Thus, promoting cross-cultural understanding across diverse workforce greatly facilitates resolution of workplac e conflicts and helps build constructive relationship and strong teamwork based on mutual respect resulting in higher productive outcome. (words:
Earnnings management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Earnnings management - Essay Example earnings management plays a crucial role in determining the share prices of a listed company and also impact the direct allocation of resources buy the company in the capital markets. This paper is written with the aim of researching on the earnings management and reporting techniques, focusing on the big bath technique of earnings management. The main objective of the report is to understand the process of earnings management, especially the big bath technique of earnings management which is commonly used by companies and their managers to manipulate the reporting of the earning of the company. Earnings management is an important aspect of the financial management of any company. Earnings being crucial elements of the financial statements of a business, the evaluation and management of different types of earning are done by the management of any firm to ensure that the stock prices of the business remains high in the capital markets. There are many techniques that are traditionally a contemporarily applied for the management, manipulation and accounting of earnings in the financial statement publication of an enterprise. The study of the topic of earnings management and the much debated technique of earnings management and manipulation which is the big bath technique is critical in the contemporary corporate world. The management of earnings can have key influences on the political and regulatory structures of a country, the economic systems and prospects in the country and can also alter the functioning of industries as well as the investor groups of the business. Additionally, it may lead to crisis situations like financial downturns, extended low periods in the economic and business cycles and can also threaten the interests of the stakeholder groups of a business1. The use of manipulative techniques in earnings management can play a key role in misleading the investors and analysts in relation to the determination of the investment profile and investment
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
David Fletcher Case Essay Example for Free
David Fletcher Case Essay Jenkins, Fletcher Partners (JFP) has the potential to thrive and succeed in the financial service industry with stimulated, productive, and satisfied employees. However, there are small and large issues to be addressed in order to carry that in action. In this specific case analysis, we analyze the issues hindering JFP from further development, and suggest respective and appropriate suggestions to resolve those problems. First, a thorough evaluation of JFP shed light on a number of issues: The inconsistency with JFPââ¬â¢s differentiated and key organizational structure: wide, flat, informal structure for quick decisions. Struggles for autonomy within the company and the pending decision to hire a new research analyst. Anti-cohesiveness and lack of appropriate human resource management. Low team productivity and insufficient and inaccurate incentives within the work teams Although these issues present obstacles for further growth and potential of the firm, JFP is able to resolve these issues and consequently differentiate itself from its competitors in the industry with the following suggested resolutions: Further emphasize the informal and quick information sharing in between all the employees. Convince Stephanie to remain with the firm with a larger responsibility to enhance the structure under the assumption that her requirements are met. Hire Robinson based on her qualifications and acceptance by current JFP employees, and develop further evaluation of Fiskeââ¬â¢s. Maintain a balance of young and senior analysts to achieve a productive and conducive learning environment. Implement regular and functional meetings at which every employee has an input. Develop performance management instead of performance reviews. Maintain the organizational restructures through work team productivity and implementation of appropriate incentivizing system. With these critical resolutions, JFP will become the unique, successful, and differentiated financial service firm that the founders originally dreamed of. One of the points of differentiation that JFP has from other financial service firms on Wall Street is its unique structure of small, flat, and wide for effective and efficient communication and decision making process. But Fletcher made a mistake to contradict that very principle of JFP. By not communicating with Stephanie and other salient members of the firm with regard to hiring process of Doyle, David Fletcher put more workload on himself, slowed theà decision making process, and disregarded other employeesââ¬â¢ opinions and thoughts on Doyle, and practically created the silo effect. Fletcher explains, ââ¬Å"I figured that Stephanie would do the health care and environmental stocks as well as the retail stocks while Brian would focus on his specialty, high-techâ⬠, as he reveals his own ââ¬Å"thought processâ⬠without the actual confirmation from Stephanie. Furthermore, Fletcher admits, ââ¬Å"hiring Brian wasnââ¬â¢t coming from her pocket, it was coming from mineâ⬠, and demonstrates the contradiction to shared ideas and smooth flow of information he so desperately pursued himself. The employees at JFP are meant to communicate and share information with each other fluidly without any excluded members. However, Fletcher contradicted the ideal environment he desired to create by not communicating with Stephanie throughout the hiring process of Brian Doyle and thus deteriorated the structure he wanted. Although a desire for autonomy and greater success are contributing factors in Stephanie wanting to leave the firm, this significant incident has l ed to her feeling alienated and secluded from Fletcher and the work they used to do together. Another issue that Fletcher faces, looking forward, is whether or not to hire Fiske and/or Robinson. As previously mentioned, Fletcher makes the hiring process ineffective and inconsistent. When hiring Kindred, Fletcher learned from the conflict that had already risen between Doyle and Whitney, and makes sure to receive feedback from Whitney and other employees before moving forward with Kindred. Fletcher also maintains an incredibly packed schedule and the hiring process is overly crucial and overwhelming for him to do by himself. Moreover, because of his overwhelming schedule, Fletcher cannot possibly to train all the new hires on how evaluate stocks and consider the investment strategy. On a greater scale, throughout JFP there is an extreme lack of group cohesiveness and issues with conflict management. Members of the company compete to achieve the identical goal to become portfolio managers. Members of JFP have a power struggle to achieve their own individual goals; consequently, pay compensation directly associates with individual accomplishments. The very structure of Wall Street that Lodge dislikes includes silos with high departmentalization, and members with their own agendas. JFP requires a group cohesion for an effective decision making, yet the firm rewards for self-fulfilling achievements. Therefore, presented is a ââ¬Å"Rewarding A while hoping for Bâ⬠à issue. Also, a clear relationship conflict versus task conflict is evident. There are personal and social disagreements that hinder employees to expend effort and resource on discussing vital company tasks and objectives. There are also many interpersonal and organizational conflicts that arise through peripheral transactions within JFP. One simple example includes Stephanieââ¬â¢s concern about where her desk is located. And yet, there are no company procedures to address and resolve these conflicts in a systematic way. Another example is lack of employeesââ¬â¢ input about new hires. Unrest and social disturbances are within an organization present obstacles for employees to work efficiently and to be creative which affects their performance and in turn JFPââ¬â¢s success. The final issue to be address is JFPââ¬â¢s lack of effectiveness in work teams and motivation on both the individual and group le vels. More attention can increase productivity and motivation according to the Hawthorne Effect. Fletcherââ¬â¢s decreased attention toward Stephanie, demonstrated in Doyleââ¬â¢s hiring process, reduces her motivation and attachment to the firm and develops negative feelings about Doyle. Because Doyle and Stephanie have relationship conflicts, they cannot properly address task, including feedbacks for investment choices, which leads to decreased productivity and creativity within the firm. When Stephanie finds personal fulfillment and interest in her work, intrinsic motivation, Doyleââ¬â¢s hiring process situation diminishes it significantly. Because she is less secure and satisfied, Whitney is less motivated, which falls in line with Herzbergââ¬â¢s motivator-hygiene theory: hygiene factors, including security and working conditions, ââ¬Å"operate primarily as de-motivators if they are insufficientâ⬠(175). Stephanie also has extrinsic motivationââ¬âFletcherââ¬â¢s attention, praise, and guidanceââ¬âwhich increases her intrinsic motivation as well as job satisfaction and a sense of purpose at JFP. Whitneyââ¬â¢s lower job satisfaction results in a poor job performance and her attachment to JFP. In order to better achieve the wide, flat structu re for efficient and effective decision making, Fletcher should attempt to keep Stephanie Whitney with the firm because she has already gained expertise within the industry, and training and molding another new employee in place of Whitney bears immense opportunity cost for the culture and productivity of the firm. Additionally, Whitney has consistently performed at a high level, and the success sheââ¬â¢s attained transitioning fromà an administrative assistant to a portfolio manager can be leveraged as an effective tool to inspire others to work. Since Whitney has expressed a desire to leave, Fletcher needs to intrinsically and extrinsically motivate her to. In order to keep Stephanie motivated at JFP, Fletcher should have Stephanie with a team of her to delve into an industry that she is curious and enthusiastic about, so long as that industry has an investment potential for the firm. Since monetary incentives can be sufficiently satisfied with firms other than JFP, Stephanie needs to have the extrinsic motivator of autonomy. This reward for staying would be unprecedented in a firm where most decisions come down to David, and would be an indication that she is incredibly valued and essential to the organization. Permitting Stephanie to recruit her own team will also serve to widen the st ructure of the firm and delegate more tasks. Fletcher also needs to highlight the tie that they have shared in the past, apologize for not being transparent with her completely, and express respect towards her career development. Despite the possibility that Whitney will decide to pursue other opportunities, Fletcher needs to convince her to stay because of her credibility and the value lost from the firmââ¬â¢s perspective. There is an argument to be made that Whitney was at the root of personal issues in the past, but Whitneyââ¬â¢s conflict was task-oriented, not personal. Her disagreement with many of Doyleââ¬â¢s investment strategies causes problems when Fletcher failed to address her concerns. In the end, Whitney ends up being right about Doyle, and it is not to be understated that she gets along very well with everyone else in the organization. Building a strong culture is a key for JFP in hiring new employees. Whitney, who already gets along with Robinson, can help to develop the environment in which portfolio managers work creatively and get along on a personal level as well. By treating Whitney as more of a thought partner than protege, Fletcher should keep Whitney for the benefit of JFP. As Kindredââ¬â¢s case reflect, new hires are more effective in their roles in hiring them. Therefore, the hiring process should be structured in a way that all existing employees get to meet the candidate before the decision is made. Organizationââ¬â¢s small scale will allow such procedure that will result in more effective hiring process. More attention should also be paid to the current employees, not only to ensure new employeesââ¬â¢ transition, but also to deal with the hiring process moreà effectively. Whitneyââ¬â¢s insistence upon leaving can be circumvented entirely had Fletcher heeded her concerns and addressed the issue earlier. JFP should also aim to balance between experienced and new hires, and encourage the experienced portfolio managers to act as mentors. Fletcher cannot possibly serve as a mentor for everyone; but forging mentor/mentee roles amongst the portfolio managers will lead to more cohesiveness in the organization, experienced employees leading by example and contribute to the flat structure of the organization with reduced risk of employeesââ¬â¢ uneasiness. Fletcher has already taken a step in the right direction by seeking the approval of other employees for hiring Robinson, but needs to continue with evaluating Fiske. Moreover, JFP should feel confident about hiring Robinson because the other employees think highly of her and Robinson offers a unique background and valuable expertise. Despite Fiskeââ¬â¢s experience, his ability to collaborate with his colleagues is the critical point to evaluate in the hiring decision. And thus Fletcher must turn to the rest of JFP for advice. In terms of cohesiveness and people management, JFP should implement work teams to emphasize the outcome is greater than the sum of individual ââ¬â¢s effort. Also, work groups can be particularly utilized in the new research analyst candidatesââ¬â¢ environment because their primary task is to share information. Cohesiveness can be developed by rewarding employees as groups, increasing the time that employees spend with each other, stimulating competition amongst groups, benchmarking JFPââ¬â¢s performance to that of a competitor firm, and by increasing the exclusivity. Furthermore, JFP requires regular meetings at which everyone is involved and present to facilitate increasing the time employees spend together and resolving conflicts within the organization. Group successes and failures can be discussed and evaluated. In order to successfully restructure JRP, performance management is essential because it is another method for conflict resolution. Performance management will also bring a continuous flow of feedback so the employee can adjust his or her performance. An increase in employee satisfaction within the workplace will follow. Additionally, the Hawthorn Study states that non-financial incentives are more effective than financial incentives; also, attention from leaders has been pr oven to be 63% effective, praise from managers 67% effective, opportunities to lead projects 62% effective. ââ¬Å"â⬠¦(P)eople willà feel competent if they obtain feedback that indicates progress in their work or suggests ways that can increase their competenceâ⬠. (176) The delegation of autonomy within JFP can also be addressed because autonomy is easily assessed and provided to employees if management constantly evaluates employeeââ¬â¢s performance. Lastly, Fletcher needs to address work team productivity and motivation within JFP. As an example, Stephanie demonstrates enjoyment and a sense of fulfillment in her job, and Fletcher needs to develop these motivations further. He also needs to ensure a good team dynamic. Intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity and result in more unique, productive and creative analysts. According to ââ¬Å"scientific managementâ⬠, extrinsic motivation is strictly positive; however managers often create undesired behaviors in their employees by utilizing this incorrect statement. (181) Therefore, Fletcher has to give critical feedback and attention to his analysts to provide them with some continuing extrinsic motivation. In addition, Fletcher should foster an environment in which analysts develop enjoyment and attachment, that will contribute to intrinsic motivation as well. Hackman and Oldhamââ¬â¢s model of job enrichment (1976) suggests different ways to increase employee motivation. For example, task identity, task significance, and feedback are a number of them. Developing task identity means to increase an analystââ¬â¢s sense of meaningfulness in oneââ¬â¢s work and growing task significance means to increase the sense of importance of their work. Additionally, ongoing feedback will also contribute positively to the analystsââ¬â¢ motivation. Fletcher should focus on these methods, as well as an appealing work environment and good group dynamic, to increase his analystsââ¬â¢ motivation. With these constructive resolutionsââ¬âfurther consolidating the unique organizational structure, effectively recruiting new employees, critically addressing conflicts and cohesiveness within the group, and appropriately maintaining the balance of motivationââ¬âJFP is assured to thrive as a differentiated, outperforming, and attractive financial service firm.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Power of suppliers analysis
Power of suppliers analysis Analysis Each of the five forces will now be evaluated individually in terms of the UK supermarket industry to see how attractive the industry is. Background information on the UK supermarket industry The industry consists of the following UK supermarkets: Aldi, Asda, The co-coperative, Iceland, Lidl, Marks and Spencers, Morrisons, Netto, Sainsburys, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose (Supermarket, 2009). Researching into these supermarkets show that they were all established in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This shows how established they are within the industry and how they have continued there success. The UK food retailing industry is dominated by four major supermarkets (Tesco, Asda, Simsburys, Morrisons), who together account for over two-thirds of UK retail food sales (Fearne et al, 2005, p570). The UK grocery market is worth à £146.3bn for the calendar year 2008 (IDG, 2009) and has been steadily rising each calendar year: The bargaining power of suppliers Analysis The UK supermarket industry would not be capable of running without suppliers to stock their shelves. This means that the bargaining power of suppliers is an extremely important force to look at in depth, as, if the bargaining power of suppliers is high it makes the industry less attractive as the suppliers will be able to push prices up and take control of the supermarkets power. There are many different elements that are looked into to analyse to the full extent of the bargaining power of the suppliers which are looked at below: Porter states that suppliers are more powerful if there are only a few suppliers (Lynch, 2009: 97). With the supermarket industry they have to deal with a large number of suppliers of goods and products that they will stock in their shops. This means they are in constant communications with different suppliers. This means that the UK supermarket industry are in a very strong position, as there are thousands of different products and ranges this means the supermarkets can pick and choose their suppliers depending on price, quality and service, meaning the bargaining power of suppliers in this sense is not high as they need to get there products into the supermarkets and therefore need to have contracts with huge Supermarkets like Tesco and Asda. However, Tescos and many other supermarkets have started to create relationships and good working ethics between themselves and suppliers. For example Tesco have created a supplier partnering approach which is by forging long-term partnerships with our suppliers and identifying new innovative suppliers (Tesco, 2009) which as a result, our supply base is distinguished by its long-term constructive relationships (Tesco, 2009. Tescos has over 1,5000 suppliers who have been working with them for over five years, this shows that Tescos has learnt that working in co-operation with the suppliers causes better relationships as has Simsburys who have recently launched there supporting fairtrade campaign. If there are no substitutes for the suppliers they offer (Lynch, 2009: 97) it is said that the suppliers are more powerful as they will exert there power if they know they do not have anyone to compete with, therefore setting higher prices and in the case of supermarkets holding power over them. In the supermarket industry this can be looked at from two different views as most Supermarkets offer a range of different brands to substitute each other along the same line, for example Supermarkets stock both Nestle and Kelloggs cereal, so in that respect they do have different substitutes within product lines but in this case the supermarkets and branded products both need each other. The brands need to get shelf space to gain market share and the supermarkets need to offer the products being marketed to the consumer to attract customers into the shops. Due to the huge market shares of the main supermarkets the suppliers have little bargaining power at all. Porter also believes that if suppliers prices form a large part of the total costs of the organisation (Lynch, 2009: 98) then the bargaining power of the supplier is high. This means that if suppliers prices were to be raised then the supermarkets in this case would also have to raise their prices and they would be adversely affected. In the case of the UK supermarket industry, the top supermarkets are not affected by the suppliers prices changing as the suppliers have such large dependency on the supermarkets for contracts and repeat business meaning they are in some ways controlled by the prices the supermarkets are willing to pay as the power they have means they can just find another cheaper supplier. However, with the smaller supermarkets they do not have as much control as the suppliers price will affect them and they may not have the higher market share meaning they cannot exert any power over the suppliers as they can choose to supply the bigger supermarkets instead. Overall, it would not benefit the supplier to change to higher prices as supermarkets buy in such high volume and their relationship is crucial therefore the bargaining power is low. Overall, taking into account all aspects of Porters theories on bargaining power of suppliers is low as, the fact that a handful of supermarkets control access to consumers means that they are increasingly in a position to exercise buyer power. This is because distribution through these outlets is critical to manufacturers and suppliers as these suppliers have no other viable means of setting up distribution that offers the same scale and economic benefits (Dobson et al, 1998 as cited in Fearne et al, 2005, p571) and the key players in the UK food industry are dominated, led and controlled by retailers to a large extent (Howe, 2008 as cited in Robson et al, 2001, p 39). However it can be seen that the supermarkets in the UK are working towards forging strong relationships with suppliers. The bargaining power of buyers Analysis Within the analysis of the UK Supermarket Industry the buyers in Porters five forces are the customers. There are four main ways in which the bargaining power of buyers is high and they are under the following conditions: If the buyers are concentrated and there are few of them (Lynch, 2009: 98). The UK Supermarket Industry has thousands of customers all around the UK, this meaning that the power of the customers is not high in this sense as their target market is phenomenally large with 6,410 supermarkets covering most of the UK meaning they are easily accessible for a huge range of customers. Another condition which means the bargaining power of buyers is high is when the product from the organisation is undifferentiated (Lynch, 2009: 98). This means that the customers can switch from one supermarket to another as they all basically offer the same products, this is an issue in the supermarket industry as most customers are not loyal to just one supermarket, but the volume of customers is so high this does not really have a negative impact on the supermarkets this meaning the buyer power is not strong enough to create a problem for the industry unless a high percentage of loyal customers decided not to use the supermarket again, however the supermarkets are continuously running advertising campaigns to attract new customers and to retain there original loyal customers. If backward integration is possible (Lynch, 2009: 98) then the bargaining power of the customers is high. In the UK Supermarket Industry it is impossible for the customers to integrate backwards and take over the supermarkets role, so the bargaining power of buyers is non-existent. This shows that the bargaining power of buyers/suppliers is extremely low in the UK supermarket industry as there are so many customers that the supermarkets will always be in demand but because of the nature of the industry and UK customers always needing them to supply them with their weekly shopping etc so they do not have any bargaining power. The threat of potential new entrants Analysis Whenever new firms can easily enter a particular industry, the intensity of competitiveness among firms increases (David, 1997: 128). Porter states there are seven major sources of barriers to entry, as UK supermarkets are highly profitable the industry looks attractive in that sense, but the real issue is whether or not the industry can be entered easily. If the UK supermarket industry has low barriers of entry this means that the industry becomes more competitive and if you are already established this is not good news as the competition becomes fierce as David (1997) suggests; however if the barriers of entry are high and you are already established this is very comforting news as it means there will not be many competitors and new competitors very unlikely. The economies of scale in the industry need to be looked at closely, especially as it has a huge effect. This is because in terms of stock, supermarkets can purchase products from suppliers on a huge scale, meaning they get better deals and reduced costs, a new entrant to the supermarket industry would find this hard to do as the capital needed would be extremely large and not achievable straight away. The second source of barriers to entry is the branding, customer knowledge, special levels of service and many other aspects (Lynch, 2009: 99), which can create high barriers. This is very true in the UK supermarket Industry as the supermarkets are established and have already created different strengths within the market; most of them from the late 1800s. The extent to which the supermarkets already established are recognised is an enormous advantage, this meaning the barriers of entry are very high as lots of money would have to be spent marketing, setting up and creating a successful supermarket idea that would be sustainable amongst the long established competitors. The capital requirements to enter the UK Supermarket Industry are financially challenging to compete with the established supermarkets; raising such funds and taking such a high financial risk, makes the barriers to entry extremely high. Switching costs deal with the motion that if customers are happy with the supermarkets already within the industry then the cost to a new entrant would be very high to persuade the customers any different; therefore making the industry unattractive, as there is already lots of choice within the supermarket industry I feel it would be very hard to make customers switch therefore the costs would be very high. Porter argues that the access to distribution channels is a threat to new entrants. Within the supermarket industry however this links in with could a new entrant find suitable locations to distribute its products that would be easily accessible and would these kinds of sites be too costly to fund from the beginning; also with high competition levels around each town or city. The cost disadvantages independent of scale (Lynch, 2009: 99) also need to be looked at as possible new entrants need to assess how easily they will be able to gain stability and a foothold in the market, they will do this by seeing how well the other supermarkets in the industry are established, have constant customers that are loyal and trusting and the supermarkets knowledge of the marketplace. As many of the supermarkets in the industry are extremely well established and recognisable for their different traits this makes an extremely high barrier of entry for new entrants, as they do not have this bank of knowledge and experience. Government policy has a big effect on new entrants, as within the supermarket industry there are many different laws. Legislations and regulations that have to be abided by especially as food products are being sold. This means that a new entrant within the supermarket would find this process very costly and timely, therefore raising the barrier to entry. Overall, the threat of new entrants within the UK supermarket industry is very low as the costs to enter the market will be extremely high and the competition against the established supermarkets would be high due to their knowledge, experience and networks with suppliers and distribution channels. The threat of substitutes Analysis Substitution reduces demand for a particular class of products as customers switch to alternatives (Johnson et al, 2005: 82); it can be argued that there is no substitute to food but whilst looking at the UK supermarket industry each supermarket is each others substitute, hence the competition being fierce and constant as each food product they offer the competitor will also offer. The way in which supermarkets have overcome this however, is that they each have there own different strategies and strengths for example Asda offers a huge range of low cost products where as Waitrose focuses on having high quality products at a higher price. There are also other substitutes outside of the supermarket industry which really need to be analysed like local corner shops, newsagents, farm shops, markets and budget shops. The threat of substitutes has taken on a different meaning during the recession as UK supermarket giant Tesco has lost market share to discounters Aldi and Lidl as consumers cut back on spending (BBC News, 28.04.09), where there has been a shift by shoppers from high-end to low-end stores (BBC News, 27.06.08). This means that the threat of substitutes have become an issue within the UK supermarket industry as other retail shops like Poundland and Wilkinsons offer discounted products which have become more attractive to the UK customers due to the recession. This means that the threat of substitutes has risen over the past years making the industry become less attractive. The extent of competitor rivalry Analysis Rivalry among competing firms is usually the most powerful of the five competitive forces (David, 1997: 127). Competitor rivalry plays a huge role in the UK supermarket industry, Competition may take the form of price competition, advertising and promotion, innovation, or service during and after sales (Thompson, 2003: 296) The reason why competitive rivalry is high in the UK supermarket industry is because most of the competitors are of equal size, therefore meaning that if one competitor decides to try and gain more market share then the rivalry considerably increases. This has happened recently with Asda as they are constantly running advertising campaigns showing how much cheaper they are than all the other supermarkets. Since this has happened the other supermarkets have fought back and have shown they are also just as cheap therefore raising the competition barriers and therefore rivalry. Here are some adverts below to show how they are naming their competitors and their prices: There is also a high level of competition within the UK supermarket industry as it is difficult to differentiate products and services (Lynch, 2009: 100) so therefore competition becomes based upon costing and offering the better deal to the customer to attract them to keep as many loyal customers as possible. There are extremely high levels of competition within the UK supermarket industry making it an unattractive industry. Conclusion of the UK Supermarket Industry according to Porters five forces Analysing the above information the UK supermarket industry is attractive in three of Porters five forces The bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers and the threat of new entrants. In the remaining two forces however, the industry is extremely unattractive the threat of substitutes and the extent of competitor rivalry. Critique of Porters five forces Porters five forces gives a basis of analysing the environment within an industry, but there have been many criticisms, which will be explored further. The dynamic nature of industry structure (Hax et al, 1991: 50) is something that needs to be analysed in terms of reliability with Porters five forces. As with most models and frameworks Porters model is static and is only a snapshot in time, where as in reality the nature of industries is that they are constantly changing, evolving and competing. The model may not be able to keep up with these constant changes and therefore not give a clear and accurate picture of the industry. For example the computing industry is constantly changing with new software available, new technologies therefore the level of competition constantly changing. The model also does not take into account how to define an industry and this causes a lot of implications as looking at the UK supermarket industry it is hard to define the difference between that of a supermarket industry to that of a grocery industry and where one stops and the other starts. Porter assumes that the industry is easily definable, but in reality this is near impossible as most industries overlap and/or people have different views or perceptions of a make up of an industry. This was found whilst looking at the UK supermarket industry as it was very hard to define which shops were deemed as supermarkets or other retail outlets. Another aspect that was hard to define was the fact that the supermarket industry seemed to overlap the grocery industry making the information very hard to extract. Another critique of the model is that it does not deem buyers, or in the supermarket industry case customers, as any more important than the other aspects within the micro-environment, where in fact in reality the customers are one of the most important aspects of being successful within an industry. This in turn means that within strategy development customers should be treated differently within the analysis. Porters model also suggests that the main intention of the organisation is to address its own interests before others, where in reality charitable and governmental organisations have different intentions therefore making this function of the model incorrect in some cases and industries. It can also be seen that just to survive is a main concern of most businesses rather than just focusing on profits. The model is also based on the idea of competition and that competitive advantage is essential both over other market competitors, customers and their suppliers. As Porter focuses on this he does not take into account strategies like strategic alliances, electronic linking of information systems of all companies along a value chain, virtual enterprise networks or others (The Manager, 2001) It can also be seen that Porter ignores the Human Resource aspect of strategy which includes management skills and cultures which form some industries beliefs and how they carry out their work therefore affecting the industries attractiveness. One of the five forces within the model is bargaining power of suppliers. Porter looks at suppliers as a threat to the industry where in fact in some organisations and industries have found it very useful to engage in closer co-operation with suppliers (Lynch, 2009: 101). Robson et al (2002) suggest that Supermarkets are leading the way in developing vertical relations in the food industry. It can be seen that some supermarkets have created a relationship and partnership between themselves and their suppliers as they are both as dependent on each other. Hence why working in harmony is a more ideal situation than Porters suggested aggressive approach to suppliers. This therefore means they are no longer a threat leading to the force not needed in some cases. In different industries not all forces are equally important (Hax et al, 1991: 50) therefore the simplicity of the model gains only limited information and to make a complex evaluation thorough research into the different forces and how much weight they carry in comparison to others needs to be established before a conclusion can be made about how attractive the industry is. For example, It could be very well be that many factors add to an unattractive position, and yet, when judged from its entirety, the industry still presents an overall attractive picture (Hax et al, 1991: 50). The government is a huge force that influences industry attractiveness or not. Porter does not suggest this within his chosen five forces but instead as a factor within the force of threat of new entrants. In recent economic times the government has been truly shown how it has in the final say of organisations. The recession and the recent break down within the banking sector showed the governments true role as it helped as it In total, the Government has put à £74 billion of taxpayers money into the banks, including RBS, Lloyds and HBOS, since the start of the financial crisis last year(Winnett et al, Telegraph, 2009) . Thus showing that if the government was not involved then the banking sector would have completely collapsed hence the government playing a huge role in supporting industries, for example the banking industry. Grant (2002) believes that there is a missing dimension in the five forces model. As the five forces model addresses the suppliers of substitute goods as threats, Porter does not explore that as well as substitutes for products there are also complements. Substitutes within the framework are shown as reducing the profit available in the industry where as complements have a positive impact on value (Grant, 2002: 90) and can help to exercise bargaining power (Grant, 2002: 91). This is because the more complements there are and the closer their relationship to the products supplied by the industry, the greater the potential profit within the industry (Grant, 2002: 90). In conclusion complementary businesses have to be taken into account as well as substitutes as dynamics within these organisations will affect the industry attractiveness; for example new technologies. Overall there has been many different critiques about Porters five forces, the main theme seems to be that the model is useful to get a general idea of how attractive an industry is, but to make sure you get a fully comprehensive analysis you need to look much more in depth at the industries elements that are not necessarily mentioned within Porters model and realise that this is only a snapshot in time and will change considerably over times and different economic events that occur. Reference List Books Grant, Robert M (2002). Contemporary Strategy Analysis. Fourth Edition, Page 90, Blackwell Publishers Ltd Grant, Robert M (2002). Contemporary Strategy Analysis. Fourth Edition, Page 91, Blackwell Publishers Ltd Thompson, John L (2003). Strategic Management, Page 296, Thompson David, Fred R (1997). Strategic Management. Sixth Edition, Page 127, Prentice-Hall Inc David, Fred R (1997). Strategic Management. Sixth Edition, Page 128, Prentice-Hall Inc Johnson, G et al. (2005). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Seventh Edition, Page 82, Prentice Hall Lynch, Richard (2009). Strategic Management. Fifth Edition, Page 97, Pearson Education Lynch, Richard (2009). Strategic Management. Fifth Edition, Page 98, Pearson Education Lynch, Richard (2009). Strategic Management. Fifth Edition, Page 99, Pearson Education Lynch, Richard (2009). Strategic Management. Fifth Edition, Page 100, Pearson Education Lynch, Richard (2009). Strategic Management. Fifth Edition, Page 101, Pearson Education Hax, Arnaldo C et al (1991). The strategy concept and progress. A pragmatic approach. Page 50, Prentice Hall Bibliography Books Grant, Robert M (2002). Contemporary Strategy Analysis. Fourth Edition, Blackwell Publishers Ltd Thompson, John L (2003). Strategic Management, Thompson David, Fred R (1997). Strategic Management. Sixth Edition, Prentice-Hall Inc Johnson, G et al. (2005). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Seventh Edition, Prentice Hall Lynch, Richard (2009). Strategic Management. Fifth Edition, Pearson Education Hax, Arnaldo C et al (1991). The strategy concept and progress. A pragmatic approach, Prentice Hall Hill, C et al (1995). Strategic Management, an integrated approach. Third Edition Houghton Mifflin Company De Wit, B et al (1998). Strategy process content context. Second edition, International Thomson business press Hitt, M et al (1995). Strategic Management, Competitiveness and Globalization, West Publishing Miller, A (1998). Strategic Management. Third Edition. McGraw-Hill Websites Winnett et al, 2009, à £4,350 per family to bail out banks. Telegraph [Online] Available from www.telegraph.co.uk [accessed on 20.11.09] Recklies, D, 2009, Beyond Porter A Critique of the Critique of Porter, The manager [online] Available from www.themanager.org [accessed 11.11.09] BBC News (2008) Supermarkets to Battle on prices, BBC News Business [online] Available from www.bbc.co.uk BBC News (2009) Tesco is losing UK market share, BBC News Business [online] Available from www.bbc.co.uk Visit4info (2009), visit4info, [online] Available from www.visit4info.com [accessed 1.11.09] Supermarket (2009) Supermarket, [online] Available from www.supermarket.co.uk [accessed 319.10.09]
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