Kusatex Finest Textiles free essay sample

The owner of this company is Shafiqurrahman Shamsuddin @ Shafiq that holds a Bachelor Degree in Accounting and Statistics from London and pursued his MBA in Anglia Business School of Cambridge. Before Shafiq established this company, he lead the Business Development Department of RADICARE Group of Companies that provides non-clinical support services to hospitals, medical institutions and healthcare professionals. He also holds various positions in UMNO association since 2002 until 2009. Before he starts the Kusatex Finest Textiles company, he established the first company which is ISBEC Sdn Bhd that located in KEDA Industrial Park in Jeniang, Sik, Kedah at the year 2002. This company was used as like the RADICARE’s management to solve the company’s service in healthcare and hospitality industries. In early 2000, the government was launching a scheme of ‘1 Village 1 Product’ and Shafiq was expanded his business as a manufacturing company in 2003 using a different license from ISBEC Sdn Bhd based on that scheme as proposed by the Ministry of Finance. We will write a custom essay sample on Kusatex Finest Textiles or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Not long after that, he started the Kusatex Finest Textiles company as his first fabric weaving factory in Bandar Darulaman, Jitra, Kedah. This company is an expertise in manufacturing and producing high quality fabric products which include uniforms, towels, linen and bedding to government departments and the private sector. In 2004, the factory moved to KEDA Industrial Park in Napoh near Jitra with a wider acreage and operated from there until today to increase the demand of customers and production. KUSATEX was supply the army, navy, air force, hospitals, fire bridge and PLKN uniforms, towels, bed sheets and others. Mr.Shafiq is very strict in managing his people. He wants his staff to follow job procedure and ensure the work done with adequate preparation. He is also very concerned and critical about job documentation and make sure all the works be documented and kept in proper place. He motivates his management staff by giving motivational talks to them. Moreover, Mr. Shafiq interacts with his staffs from all levels of works from management to factory worker’s level. This made his staff feel appreciated and motivated to work for The issue that we can obtained from the case is the lack of interest among the entrepreneurs, the product (bed protector) did not get the approval from the SIRIM, they are not allowed to enter tender related to business in sewing, his workers of the Kusatex are not skillful, KUSATEX have problem to get the financial support, they also have problem in entering the private sector market that related to their products and they has difficulties in planning the strategy to market their product and also to build collaboration. When the product was tested by SIRIM, it failed to meet the standard that has been set by SIRIM. Therefore, KUSATEX have to import products from other countries like USA. Moreover, before Kusatex was established, ISBEC is a company that operates for weaving. That particular company cannot precede their business in sewing scope because before this, ISBEC was licensed under Ministry of Finance but not for sewing. So, when they want to enter the tender related to the business for sewing, they are not allowed to do so because they do not have any code for that purpose.

Thomas Edison1 essays

Thomas Edison1 essays Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Alva Edison was one of the greatest inventors. He was a smart man. Thomas invented many things such as the light bulb and phonograph. Without the light bulb we would still be using candles and lanterns like they did many years ago. Although Thomas was deaf he Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He had many family members. He had a father named Samuel Odgen Edison and a mother named Nancy Elliott Edison. Thomas' mother pulled him from school because Thomas' teacher called him a "retard." Nancy Edison taught her son at home. Thomas has six siblings and he was the youngest child in the Edison family. Thomas was interested in many things as a child. At age twelve Thomas got a job at the Grand Trunk Railroad. While working at Grand Trunk Railroad Thomas was a typesetter, press operator, editor, and publisher of his very own newspaper called the "Herald." Thomas got his news for his newspaper from telegraphers at other train stations. Thomas liked many things, but mathematics was not one of them. He enjoyed reading books about science and philosophy. His favorite book ever was Isaac Newtown's Principia Mathematica. Thomas was interested in inventing the light bulb. Thomas was a scientist as a kid. He like to test many things. When he was young he built a laboratory in the family's basement. Thomas did experiments he found in science books and got jars and chemicals for experiments from local shopkeepers. Thomas also used a spare train car for another laboratory. Thomas studied books on mechanics, manufacturing, and chemistry at the public library. He spent a long time studying Newtown's Principles. He also read lots of books such as Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Hume's History of England, ...

Effective Leadership Practices Project Research Paper

Effective Leadership Practices Project - Research Paper Example Martin Luther King Jr. remained much focused upon maintaining equality in the society or any business or operational environment. As per the viewpoint of the leaders, every individual need to be persistent towards accomplishing its predetermined goals and has to work under any circumstance. It has been apparently observed that every follower of Martin Luther King Jr. used to trust him for his immense concentration about the aforesaid important aspects. The followers knew that their leader will be succeeding to stop the significant concern of segregation and discrimination by a considerable level. Thus, it can be stated because of his trustworthy and other qualities, the leader became quite successful to win the hearts of many followers (Carson, 1987). Provide a Background, Including the Context of the Leader's Environment and the Culture of the Organization and Society In the context of leader’s environment and the culture of the organization and the society, Martin Luther Kin g Jr. created a history by making deliberate efforts towards abolishing the significant concern of racial segregation along with racial discrimination. Major intellectual, political, cultural and developments of the 20th century was greatly influenced and reflected by the leadership qualities which possessed by Martin Luther King Jr. ... Research and Education Institute, n.d.). What Is Your Chosen Leader's Definition Of Leadership? As per the definition of leadership which stated by the Martin Luther King Jr., it can be revealed that through the conduct of appropriate leadership qualities, a leader can influence its followers at large. According to the chosen leader i.e. Martin Luther King Jr., leadership was defined as the practice of developing as well as preserving the capacity of the procedures influencing the society (Carson, 1987). How Does Your Chosen Leader Demonstrate The Five Practices Of Exemplary Leadership? The famous speech of Martin Luther King Jr. i.e. â€Å"I have a dream† genuinely touches the hearts of millions of its followers. The leader revealed that any goal can be achieved by performing hard work, persistence, bravery and trustworthiness (Carson, 1987). In this way, the leader demonstrated the five practices of exemplary leadership. How Does Your Chosen Leader Model The Way? In the peri od of mid 1990, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the strongest leaders of America who used to follow top down and compassionate leadership style that helped him to change the civil rights of the nation at large. In this similar concern, the leader modeled the way by instigating a shared visualization, encouraging individuals, challenging an operational process and facilitating other persons to work (Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, n.d.). How Does Your Chosen Leader Inspire A Shared Vision? Enabling a share vision actually denotes that an individual envisions future by imagining, determining existing possibilities and enabling others to achieve a common objective. In this regard, the leader followed the non violent strategy

Film Journal about the movie called Memento Review

Film Journal about the called Memento - Movie Review Example He is narrating the scene rather than talking from himself. To his right is a pull out lamp that is attached to the wall and it has a soft, somewhat fuzzy light. The wall behind him has an unframed "something" that may be a diploma but it is not necessary to know what it is because the main character is what is important in the scene. When the woman talks the camera reframes to her and the background is blurred so that the audience only looks at the woman. She is speaking in the film but in a voice that is almost a whisper. The room in the scene is spars to keep the audience focused on the main character. For the remainder of the scene the audience must concentrate on the face of Sammys wife until the camera switches back to the main character. The film uses a nonlinear narrative and this scene is one of the many black and white scenes that are telling the story and it is one of the scenes that are told in chronological order. There is no sound in this scene beyond the talking but the use of light is important. In this seen the light gives sharp contrasts with shadows and they amplify the main characters loneliness and his mood while he is talking to Sammys wife. The movie shows black and white scenes in chronological order and scenes in color in reverse chronological order. The importance of this scene is that it is one of the "investigative" moments that the main character is using to attempt to bring his memory back. It is less complicated than other black and white scenes and it is shorter. The scene is a small snippet or segment that is important to moving the plot because the audience needs to see all the characters to determine who may be the killer. This scene is about halfway through the movie and it is important to show all of the "characters" that were a part of the build up to the main characters revelation about himself. This scene also shows that the main character is doing a thorough job of interviewing each

Proposal on a Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Proposal on a Leadership - Essay Example This essay stresses constructivist theory is gaining more attention, recognition and acceptance in many educational institutions. It premises on the belief that learners â€Å"construct† their own learning, and in effect, have better retention of it. â€Å"In the Constructivist theory the emphasis is placed on the learner or the student rather than the teacher or the instructor. It is the learner who interacts with objects and events and thereby gains an understanding of the features held by such objects or events. The learner, therefore, constructs his/her own conceptualizations and solutions to problems. Learner autonomy and initiative is accepted and encouraged.† From the research it is clear that encouraging students to come up with their own ideas may be in the ambit of the teachers within the school premises. However, a bigger problem may lie outside school, specifically when the students go back to the Heronwood community. The school, then, in envisioning success for such learner-centred learning must engage the community, most specifically the students’ parents and family members in supporting the students’ activities. Teachers must inculcate in the parents the significance of their cooperation and support if they indeed want their children to reach for bigger dreams and empower them with the idea that they are capable of it. The bleak introduction of the case study described the town of Heronwood to be one of almost impoverished citizens, considering the high unemployment rate.

Market strategy and business overview of boots

Market strategy and business overview of boots Boots has also introduced new services. Boots Opticians, formed in 1987 has become one of the UKs leading chains of opticians. Insurance services and initiatives in dentistry, chiropody, Boots for Men stores and Internet services were introduced in 1999. The first Health and Beauty Experience stores, offering services such as homeopathy, osteopathy and a range of beauty treatments, were opened in autumn 2000. Boots Healthcare International exports healthcare products in more than 130 countries round the world. Boots Health and Beauty stores are now established in Ireland, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan. There are eight different businesses in The Boots Company, different in size, different in type and different in their business cultures. Such diversity means that they have unrivalled career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines for people who deliver excellent performance. Boots is a learning organization, they encourage their people to strive to improve their skills and develop throughout their careers. STRATEGY MARKETING MANAGEMENT Marketing management is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of marketing techniques and the management of a firms marketing resources and activities. Marketing managers are often responsible for influencing the level, timing, and composition of customer demand accepted definition of the term. In part, this is because the role of a marketing manager can vary significantly based on a business size, corporate culture, and industry context. For example, in a large consumer products company, the marketing manager may act as the overall general manager of his or her assigned product. From this perspective, the scope of marketing management is quite broad. The implication of such a definition is that any activity or resource the firm uses to acquire customers and manage the companys relationships with them is within the purview of marketing management. MARKETING STRATEGY Marketing strategy is a method of focusing an organizations energies and resources on a course of action which can lead to increased sales and dominance of a targeted market niche. A marketing strategy combines product development, promotion, distribution, pricing, relationship management and other elements; identifies the firms marketing goals, and explains how they will be achieved, ideally within a stated timeframe. Marketing strategy determines the choice of target market segments, positioning,  marketing mix, and allocation of resources. It is most effective when it is an integral component of overall firm strategy, defining how the organization will successfully engage customers, prospects, and competitors in the market arena.  Corporate strategies, corporate missions, and corporate goals. As the customer constitutes the source of a companys revenue, marketing strategy is closely linked with  sales. A key component of marketing strategy is often to keep marketing in line with a companys overarching  mission statement. Once the company has obtained an adequate understanding of the customer base and its own competitive position in the industry, marketing managers are able to make key strategic decisions and develop a marketing strategy designed to maximize the revenues and profits of the firm. The selected strategy may aim for any of a variety of specific objectives, including optimizing short-term unit margins, revenue growth, market share, long-term profitability, or other goals. MARKETING STRATEGY OPTION: One of the key elements of a successful marketing strategy is the acknowledgment that your existing and potential customers will fall into particular  groups  or  segments, characterized by their needs. Identifying these groups and their needs through market research, and then addressing those needs  more successfully than your competitors, should be the focus of your strategy. You can then create a marketing strategy that makes the most of your strengths and matches them to the needs of the customers you want to target. For example, if a particular group of customers is looking for quality first and foremost, then any marketing activity aimed at them should draw attention to the high quality of your products or service. The benefits of a planned marketing strategy are numerous. Business owners often rely solely on their intuition to make business decisions. While this informal knowledge is important in the decision making process, it may not provide you with all the facts you need to achieve marketing results. A marketing strategy will help you in defining business goals and develop activities to achieve them. WILSON, GILLIGAN AND PEARSON in strategic management, readily admit that there is no standard definition on strategy but high lights three level of strategy. Corporate Level Strategy: Dealing with the allocation level resources thought out the entire organization, covering all of the various businesses or division. Business Level Strategy: This exits at the individual business or division level and is concerned with the question of competitive positioning. Function Level Strategy: Which is limited to the actions of specific functions within specific businesses. Boots is a member of Alliance Boots, an international pharmacy-led health and beauty group. Our purpose is to help our customers look and feel better than they ever thought possible. Our customers are at the heart of our business. Were committed to providing exceptional customer and patient care, be the first choice for pharmacy and healthcare, offer innovative products only at Boots, with great value our customers love. Our people are our strength and they tell us that Boots is a great place to work. We aim to always be the employer of choice, attracting and retaining the most talented and passionate people. Market matrix: The market matrix is a tool that helps businesses to decide their product and market growth strategy. http://www.franteractive.net/resources/Ansoff-Matrix.GIF The above diagram shows market matrix also known as Ansoff product which is a series of suggested growth strategies that set the direction for the business strategy. 1. MARKET PENTRATION: (Existing market, existing products) Market penetration  is one of the four growth strategies of the  Product-Market Growth Matrix  defined by Ansoff Market penetration occurs when a company enters/penetrates a market with current products. The best way to achieve this is by gaining competitors customers (part of their market share). Other ways include attracting non-users of your product or convincing current clients to use more of your product/service (by advertising etc). Ansoff developed the  Product-Market Growth Matrix  to help firms recognise if there was any advantage of entering a market. Market penetration seeks to achieve four main objectives: Maintain and increase the market share of current products- this can be achieved by a combination of competitive pricing strategies, advertising , sales, promotion and more resources dedicated to personal selling. Secure dominance of growth market. 2.MARKET DEVELOPMENT: (New Market, Existing Products) You can grow by leveraging your product knowledge to reach new customers.   More than likely, you have spent time and money developing your product and service offering. Assuming youre happy with your current offering, extending it into new markets is a logical next step. This is aptly called a  market development strategy. If you have identified potential new markets as opportunities, use these strategies to reach them.   Here are some quick considerations to make before executing a market development strategy: Is the market attractive? (To really answer this question, I recommend some form of market research to validate your gut feeling.) Are you willing to commit the required time and resources to reach this new market? Can your business be adapted to the new market? Will you maintain your current competitive advantage in this new market? 3. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: (Existing Market, New product) New Product Development is the term used to describe the complete process of bringing a new  product service to market. There are two parallel paths involved in the NPD process: one involves the idea generation,  product design  and detail engineering; the other involves market research and  marketing analysis. Ideas for new products can be obtained from basic research using a  SWOT analysis  (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities Threats), Market and consumer trends, companys RD department, competitors, focus groups, employees, salespeople, corporate spies, trade shows, or Ethnographic discovery methods (searching for user patterns and habits) may also be used to get an insight into new product lines or product features. 4.DIVERSIFICATIONS 🙠 New Market, New Products) Diversification  is a form of corporate strategy for a company. It seeks to increase profitability through greater sales volume obtained from new products and new markets. Diversification can occur either at the business unit level or at the corporate level. At the business unit level, it is most likely to expand into a new segment of an industry which the business is already in.It is a process where a business markets new products in new markets.This is the most risky strategy because the business is moving into markets in which it has little or no experience. For a business to adopt a diversification strategy, it must have a clear idea about what it expects to gain from the strategy. SWOT analysis Strengths Price cuts are attracting customers especially in beauty and toiletries. Boots is still above high street average, despite all the short-comings being reported. Great locations, with a prime pitch on every high street. Meaning that Boots is accessible to potential customers, this is highly important when taking into account the 4 Ps. Strong labour workforce which is highly essential to every business, this could be a major tool when trying to refocus and achieve the overall objectives. The current share price is 667.0p on 8 Nov and has risen since October 28 when it was valued at 657.5p. This initiates growth in sales due to external factors such as climate change and more susceptibility to illness that this causes. Weaknesses Over diversification which has led to a loss of focus from the core operations of the business. It seems from the article in the Independent newspaper that Boots are reliant on sun cream as a star product, however the British weather is know for its instability meaning good summers are not guaranteed, this has ultimately led to a reduction in profits.  £390 million was spent on revamping the company; could this money have been spent in other areas of the business that may have been more profitable? Some customers feel that Boots is too expensive, thus suggesting price elasticity however the recent price cuts in different parts of the business might have affected the price quality reputation amongst customers, who feel this is important. 900 job cuts from head office and possibly more if finances deteriorate. This might have an adverse effect on the reputation amongst stakeholders. Opportunities Compete through head on pricing although this could be risky according to reports. Does Boots need all their chain branches? An audit and cost-benefit analysis should be conducted along with market research to identify which branches are doing the best and which areas would benefit from the store or which areas are overly concentrated with Boots stores. Therefore taking action by reducing the number of stores and focusing on improving the remainder of stores would reduce costs and provide essential capital that could be reinvested in other parts of the business. Threats Abolition of the resale price maintenance has increased competition. If internet sales of drugs continue to grow, Boots could lose a significant proportion of its market share. Changes in supply chain and systems within the company could hinder growth rate in the next 12 months. Porters 5 forces analysis Competitive rivalry The retail market is filled up with high competitors as more and more companies are trying to step into the Health Beauty industry All the other retailers have different competitive advantages. Boots reach in different stores allows it to reach large number of customers. The other factors which compete with the Boots bank is different banks and building societies Barriers for entry Barriers to entry is high due to a number of factors: Firstly, company looking to set up its business in UK requires lots of investment, brand development, which takes years to establish. Secondly, company in retail sectors are increasing, which itself means there is very less chance for any new entrances. Local knowledge is required for a new business in order to establish, which is highly difficult for new firms to replicate. Threats of Substitutes The threats for newcomers or substitutes is less, as the consumers views that as a necessity, especially in the developed world. The retail market is always trying to look around for new innovations with respect to Health Beauty products, alternative businesses. As a result of which it is difficult for substitution. The only major threat of substitute is an internal industry threat, wherein one supermarket can lap up the business of other supermarkets. Buyers power Because of the presence of too many competitors in the retail Health Beauty sector selling the same product, buyer power is high in the industry. During the time of recession consumers wants are taken into more demand, thereby increasing their power. Supplier power Suppliers in itself is huge company providing products to the supermarkets. If the products are not sold, consumer will shift loyalties, making suppliers more powerful. And also when the products do not reach the supermarket, sales do get affected hugely. C:Documents and SettingsSonyDesktopporters_five_forces_lg.gif Competitive strategy by Michael Porter PORTERS GENERIC STRATEGY: Michael Porter had argued that a companys strength depends on two headings: cost advantage and differentiation. By applying these strengths three generic strategies result: Cost leadership Differentiation Focus Cost leadership strategy: Cost leadership is a strategy built on offering a customer a lower pirce than competitors and maintaining an advantage by ensuring the cost are lower than those of competitors. Factories are built; labor is recruited and trained in all sorts of knowledge for the lowest cost of production. In the process cost advantage is the focus. However low cost not always allows low price. Producers could price at competitive parity, other than the competitors. For example, such as Toyota, are good in producing autos at a low price, but have the brand and marketing skills. Differentiation strategy: It is a strategy that involves offering a product which is different to, is differential from, those of competitors. The advantage of the product will appeal to the whole market and not in a narrow segment. The company that succeeds in differentiation strategy often follows the internal strengths Access to scientific researchHighly skilled and creative development team.Strongly sales team with the ability to successfully communicate the perceived strengths of the products. Corporate reputation for quality and innovation. Focus: The focus strategy strives on a narrow segment and within that segment tries to achieve either a cost advantage or differentiation. A company following the focus strategy often enjoys a high degree of customer loyalty, and this in turn leads to more customer lifetime value. The focus strategy has two variants.In cost focus a firm seeks a cost advantage in its target segment, while inDifferentiation focus a firm seeks differentiation in its target segment. Cost focus exploits differences in cost behavior in some segments, while differentiation focus exploits the special needs of buyers in certain segmentsA company following narrow market focus and pursuing a focus strategy, have lower volumes of bargaining power with their suppliers.A company following differentiation focused strategy may be able to pass higher costs on to customers since close substitute products would not exist.Firms that succeed in a focus strategy are able to lead a broad range of product development strengths to a relatively narrow market segmentFinally, other focusers may be able to carve out sub-segments that they can serve even better. TASK-2 PESTLE analysis is in effect an audit of an organizations environmental influences with the purpose of using this information to guide strategic decision-making. The assumption is that if the organization is able to audit its current environment and assess potential changes, it will be better placed than its competitors to respond to changes. PESTEL ANALYSIS FOR BOOtS: PEST 1. POLITICAL FACTORS: Political factor is always affected any kind of business. The government always make changes in tax policy, labour law policy and trade restrictions. Increasing globalization, gives challenges and opportunities to Boots. Using this company can enter into new markets through partnerships. 2. ECOMOMIC FACTORS: Inflation chances are really high that if inflation occurs then the prices of each pack will rise. When a country enters an inflation stage then their money would be less worth, and companies will higher the prices, consumers have less money to spend on goods, and that will be a major blow the economy. The country might put prices higher on exports, but other countries wont buy them anymore and go find a cheaper one. Exchange rates play a very big role in the marketBecause of the food crisis all over the world, can result in the purchasing cost of the company, which in turn can increase the Health Beauty Product prices which affects the purchasing power of the consumers. Because of credit crunch, the consumers purchase power would decrease, but they would still consider that as its basic necessity.Lot of incentives is given to the consumers. This affects Boots as prices have to be reduced most of the times 3. SOCIAL FACTOR: There seems to be more attention on fresh and easy style cooking. This gives Boots an opportunity to encourage new Health Beauty Product.Recently government has given more emphasis to promote healthy eating because of the increasing obesity. As a result the consumer would move on to healthy eating which in turn will be an opportunity to Boots to stock in more of healthy Health Beauty Product and as a result of which there would be an increase in consumers number. 4. TECHNOLOGY FACTOR: The internet phenomenon seems to be growing more rapidly. Boots can use internet for its advantage. Standing in the queue system for few items in the shopping market is time consuming. By installing the self checkout machines it can reduce the queue system for which the customer would not have to wait for few items which in turn will increase the sales for Boots. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL: It should be mandatory to reduce carbon footprint and increasing energy efficiency. One of the important and ethical issues is, like sales of organic food and ethical treatment of animals, this can clearly affect Boots on various levels. This is a sensitive issue. This can be done by maintaining on the public stand and environment. 6. LEGAL: As per legal the company makes sure that the product is right for the customers. They do all sorts of checks before it is brought forward to the customers.The current UK grocery market is highly regulated in many aspects, which is commonly in the developed countries. The recent inquiry by OFT could act as one example, which would potentially reduce the profitability of the supermarkets. Moreover, Trade Union would also protect employees to receive lack benefits, and this would make the grocers difficult to lay off employees. MARKET PALNNING FOR BOOTS: A  marketing plan  is a written document that details the necessary actions to achieve one or more marketing objectives. It can be for a product or  service, a  brand, or a  product line. Marketing plans cover between one and five years. A marketing plan may be part of an overall  business plan. Solid  marketing strategy  is the foundation of a well-written marketing plan. While a marketing plan contains a list of actions, a marketing plan without a sound strategic foundation is of little use. MARKETING MIX: The structure of the facts book will be designed to match the specific needs of the organization, but one simple format suggested by Malcolm McDonald may be applicable in many cases. This splits the material into three groups: Review of the marketing environment:  A study of the organizations markets, customers, competitors and the overall economic, political, cultural and technical environment; covering developing trends, as well as the current situation. Review of the detailed marketing activity:   A study of the companys  marketing mix in terms of the 7 Ps (see below) Review of the marketing system: A study of the marketing organization,  marketing research  systems and the current marketing objectives and strategies. The last of these is too frequently ignored. The marketing system itself needs to be regularly questioned, because the validity of the whole marketing plan is reliant upon the accuracy of the input from this system, and `garbage in, garbage out applies with a vengeance. 7Ps of MARKETING MIX: Once youve developed your marketing strategy, there is a Seven P Formula you should use to continually evaluate and reevaluate your business  activities. These seven are: product, price, promotion, place, packaging, positioning and people. As products, markets, customers and needs change rapidly, you must continually revisit these seven Ps to make sure youre on track and achieving the maximum results possible for you in todays marketplace. 1. PRODUCT: To begin with, develop the habit of looking at your product as though you were an outside marketing consultant brought in to help your company decide whether or not its in the right  business  at this time. Ask critical questions such as, Is your current product or service, or mix of products and services, appropriate and suitable for the market and the customers of today? 2. PRICES: The second P in the formula is price. Develop the habit of continually examining and reexamining the prices of the products and services you sell to make sure theyre still appropriate to the realities of the current market 3. PROMOTION:   The third habit in marketing and sales is to think in terms of promotion all the time. Promotion includes all the ways you tell your customers about your products or services and how you then market and sell to them. 4. PLACE: The fourth P in the marketing mix is the place where your product or service is actually sold. Develop the habit of reviewing and reflecting upon the exact location where the customer meets the salesperson. Sometimes a change in place can lead to a rapid increase in sales. 5. PACKING: The fifth element in the marketing mix is the packaging. Develop the habit of standing back and looking at every visual element in the packaging of your product or service through the eyes of a critical prospect. Remember, people form their first impression about you within the first 30 seconds of seeing you or some element of your company. Small improvements in the packaging or external appearance of your product or service can often lead to completely different reactions from your customers. 6. POSITIONING: The next P is positioning. You should develop the habit of thinking continually about how you are positioned in the hearts and minds of your customers. How do people think and talk about you when youre not present? How do people think and talk about your company? What positioning do you have in your market, in terms of the specific words people use when they describe you and your offerings to others? 7. PEOPLE: The final P of the marketing mix is people. Develop the habit of thinking in terms of the people inside and outside of your business who are responsible for every element of your sales and  marketing strategy and activities. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION: I think the current Boots Distribution Channel is very limited. The only place youll find their product is in a local Boots store . I think they should expand their channel like I have summed up earlier. I would have placed vending machines throughout whole UK, outside each super market. To survive in such a competitive market place, Boots must continue to build a strong brand in order to create a strong differentiation in the market, attract customers with a credible value proposition and to constantly engage customers in ways that would endear them to the brand and to the company My evaluation for this is that Boots is in a very good position, but if it needs to gain more customer they need to make more product, not as in output, but new products.

Evolution and Darwin Essays -- Fittest Science Religion Competition Es

Evolution and Darwin In a society based on survival of the fittest, adaptation and evolution are the keys to success. If there is a hurdle that a species cannot conquer as it is, it will then do everything it must to overcome it, even if that means change. Throughout time, evolution has helped us to thrive in the toughest of times. The human species is at the top of its class, overthrown by no other, but what happens when a species begins to encounter hurdles within its own society? Can the human species overthrow itself, making a new kind of human? (Bear 195) Did Charles Darwin leave out the last piece of the puzzle? If adaptation and evolution are inevitable when faced with a problem, then the demise of our species as we know it and the birth of a newer, better model is inevitable as well. In Greg Bears, Darwins Radio, our society has become so consumed with competition that evolution is beginning to occur, the only problem is that at a first glance, this adaptation appears to be the outbreak of a viru s, one that will wipe out the entire population. Few McCandless 2 believe in the truth, but with such a small number, can they possibly help the government to see the truth before it wipes out an entire population faster than Mother Nature can create it? Set in a time and place very similar to our own, it is very easy to note the similarities. The values and beliefs and trends in society in this story were so closely related to today that it felt as if I were reading non-fictional material. We pride ourselves on the fact that we live in a free country. We are allowed, encouraged even, to think and believe freely. Some people choose to believe in religion, others in science, and some in both. Many times, those who believe i... ...? Are we as a species really so confident in ourselves that we think there is no way to better our performance against Lifes hurdles? There is always room for improvement and in a world filled with constant stress and competition we have no choice but to improve. Everyone hates it, but we have to compete or we end up out on the streets. (Bear 245) What better way to keep up with the competition than to mutate into a stronger species? If a creature is thrown into an environment it will adapt, if it doesnt, it will surely fail. Maybe Charles Darwin was on the right track when he created the theory of evolution, but the last (Or should I say the next?) piece of the puzzle has not yet been fitted in. All theories leave room for improvement and addition, and his is no exception to the rule. Works Cited Bear, Greg. Darwins Radio. New York: Ballantine Books, 1999.

Human Resource department of Thorpe Park Essay

Introduction: This report written on the 16th of October 2002 is to give a detailed report about the Human Resource department of a company. For this purpose, Thorpe Park has been selected as the study company. Task 1-Human Resource function: Introduction: ‘Human Resource means using people as an asset to achieve the company’s goals and objectives.’ The main concerns of the human resource department are: > Planning a successful campaign > Equal opportunities to all > The contract terms and conditions > Training and investing in training > Personal records and its protection > Grievance and disciplinary procedures > Management of the employees > Rewards for work > Welfare of the employees Findings: 1.1 The Human Resource department The human resources department at Thorpe Park has three different managers. Their structure and main functions are as follows: 1. Recruitment manager The recruitment manager at Thorpe Park is responsible for recruiting permanent and seasonal staff. The manager has to advertise the jobs on the local press and other appropriate places. The manager at Thorpe Park is also responsible for deciding work experience positions and other recruiting responsibilities. 2. Training manager The training manager at Thorpe Park is responsible for employees and their training. The major activities of the training manager at Thorpe Park are as follows: > Park structure – this is helpful for the staff as it gets them to know each other and their responsibilities. > Health and safety – to make sure that all employees know what to do and how to handle things in an emergency > Rules and regulations – all employees must know the company rules and regulations as it is required by law and helps the business achieve the objectives. > Role-play situation – helps employees to be able to do team work and support their team mates > Fire safety – show fire exits and fire extinguishers and where to meet and who to call if a fire alarm sounds > Emergency procedures – shows the employees what to do in case of emergency 3. Human resource manager H.R. manager at Thorpe Park is responsible for: > Employee relations – involves everything regarding relation and communication between the employees > Disciplinary procedures – if employees do not behave H.R. manager will provide them with a verbal warning and if repeated that will be followed by the written and then the final warning. > Contracts of employment – making sure all the employees are provided with this legal document > Pensions – paying pension to people that are entitle to it > Other sections this manager is responsible for are: administration, cast welfare, benefits incentives. The above stated managers are very essential to the management of Thorpe Park in the following ways: 1. Recruitment Recruitment responsibility at Thorpe Park is important because if there is not enough staff recruited then the business may have to some of its rides and that will lint to unhappy customers and less profit for the business. As we know staffs is the most expensive asset for all businesses, at Thorpe Park the recruitment managers have to make sure that the staff that they employ are well qualified and fit to the requirements that are necessary for the particular job. 2. Training Because of the nature of the business at Thorpe Park, training is a part and parcel of the new employed staff. The business has to make sure that the employees do know as to what they are doing and what are the necessary precautions to be taken while performing that job. Apart from this, they also have to take care of the health and safety of the people who come to enjoy there. The training manager therefore has to make sure that the money spent on the training of the staff is worth it. 3. Human resources Task 2 Introduction: Human resources planning used to be called manpower planning. However recently it has been defined as ‘the activity of management which is aimed at co-ordinating the requirements for the availability of different types of employees’. The reasons for human resource planning are as follows: * To encourage employers to develop clear links between their business plans and their HR plans so that they can integrate the two more effectively, for all concerned. * Organisations can control staff costs and numbers employed far more effectively. * Employers can build up a skill profile for each of their employees. This makes it easier to give them work where they are most value to the organisation. * It creates a profile of staff, which is necessary for the operation of an equal opportunities policy. The process of human resource planning: * Stocktaking: This could be job analysis or skills audit. That is like a survey of the skills of employees. Performance reviews as if a 6 months review which tells employees about the progress in their work area. * Forecasting supply: This is as if estimating how many employees to have in the future. Many organizations use a technique called labour turnover. There are three ways to calculate this 1. Annual labour turnover index, 2. Stability index 3. Bowey’s stability index. * Forecasting the demand for labour: This is usually determined by predicating factors like, demand for products, product diversification and capital investment plans. * Implementation and review: This is as if accessing the situation e.g. they have the new recruitment plan been successful. Findings: 2.1.1. Employment Trends: Employment trends depend on the supply and demand of labour. The supply of labour depends on statistics like the population of the country. The total population of the UK depends on factors such as birth and death rates and the ease of migration. In addition, the size of the working population affects employment trends. The size of the working population is contributed by the birth and death rates and the age structure. The supply of labour also depends on the working populations preferences for leisure. As people become wealthy, they prefer leisure for work. The demand for labour levels can change with differences in demand for goods and services. An example of this is the leisure and cleaning industry has gone up but the service and manufacturing demand has gone down. Here is an example of this in the economic market. In a boom we spend more on goods and services, although our interest is a lot lower and therefore demand increases and unemployment is low, but in an economic slump interest rates rise therefore people have less income to spend and wages go down. In addition, the cost of borrowing is higher this all contributes to demand falling and high unemployment. Total wage bills rise in a boom and fall in a slump. Another factor that affects employment trends is women’s participation rate in employment. The rise of the tertiary sector has meant a change in employment and employment patterns. The tertiary sector is now more important than the secondary sector which traditionally employed man in say manufacturing. These industries are now being replaced and their place has been taken by the service industries, for example banking, insurance and retailing. The service industries are now major employers of women. What are the employment trends at Thorpe Park? Most employees are recruited from the local area but also from colleges and universities around the country these are student placements and some seasonal; cast come from aboard. What have been the trends in the local area of Thorpe Park over the last 5 years in terms of employment trends? There has been low unemployment Thorpe Park has tackled this by increasing hourly rates. What factors will affect Thorpe Park in the future? Most probably, national trends an example of this there might be a recession and unemployment might increase. Statistics on employment trends external To Thorpe Park Length of service of employees: * Since 1986 the length of service of people at a particular place for 2 years – 20 years was 62%. This figure kept decreasing and in the year 2001 it reached to 56%. * On the other hand people working in a particular place for more than 20 years in 1986 was 9%. Surprisingly this figure increased to 11% in the year 2001. On observing the above stated figure it shows that the latest unemployment numbers for November 2002 to January 2003 continue to suggest that, having been rising for around a year, unemployment is now falling. The unemployment rate at 5.0 per cent is down 0.2 percentage points on the quarter. The latest figure for the level of unemployment is down 73,000 on the quarter to stand at 1.459 million Similarly, on observing the above figure it can be seen that the employment rate continues on an upward trend. Having been rising marginally over the past year, there are low signs that unemployment may be falling, though the decline in the numbers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance appears to be levelling off. The rate of earnings growth remains subdued. Generally, data are consistent with the output growth shown in gross domestic product (GDP) data in 2002. Overall, the labour market remains largely flat. The rate of GDP growth picked up in the second quarter of 2002 after a weak first quarter, and this stronger growth appears to have continued into the third. The fourth quarter experienced slower growth but was still healthy. The number of people in employment continued to grow steadily throughout the period. Nevertheless, while employment continued to grow, through most of last year the rate of increase was no more than in line with population growth, leaving the trend in employment largely flat from May-July 2001 until recent months. However, the stronger GDP growth seen in the second and third quarters does now appear to be showing up in the employment data. Underlying this is the fact that the labour market tends to lag output: output slows or accelerates first; employment levels adjust later. The latest employment figures for November to January show the working-age employment rate up 0.1-percentage point on the quarter at 74.6 per cent. The 16 and over employment level is up 57 ,000 on the quarter (compared with a 271,000 increase on the year). As a result, the latest trend in the employment rate appears to be upward. 2.1.2 Skills shortages Skills shortage at Thorpe Park: * It seems to be that the entire United Kingdom has a shortage of specialist engineers. * This type of shortage has hit Thorpe Park very hard. * Electrical and mechanical engineers are in short supply and Thorpe Park is looking out by various means to find some. * Thorpe Park reckons that this problem could be resolved because large companies like the airlines make their employees redundant quickly. * Thorpe Park always keeps an eye on the national statistics at a monthly basis to see the latest local labour trends. * They cannot afford to miss out ant potential engineers because engineers are the heart and soul of the company. As they are the ones who form the rides and maintain them for our safety. * But they do find it difficult to recruit staff and at times they have to recruit unsuitable staff and train them. * The company gets highly affected by this, as it has to face many cost implications such as advertising and re-advertising of vacancies. * They then have to train them or send them on apprenticeships to become better and much efficient engineers. * At times they even have to increase their pays to attract them and retain them. 2.1.3 Statistics on Competition for employees external To Thorpe Park Unemployment rates for males and females in the UK Here are some statistics on the unemployment rate for females and males in the UK from the period of 1992 to 2001 A higher proportion of young people than older people are unemployed, and a higher proportion of men are employed than women. 16-17 year olds men who were economically active were 13% unemployed. If you look at a male and female unemployment graph, you can see that 16 – 17 year old males are more out of work than the males. Education has a big factor in this because most people of that age are in colleges. The unemployment rate is again lower for females in the 18-24-age bracket. Still the unemployment rate is lower for females than men in the 25-44-age bracket. Overall the graph shows a lower unemployment rate for females. This is probably due to most females still stay at home. So what would be the level of competition for various types of employment within Thorpe Park? Thorpe Park fined it easiest to fill rides, attractions and shop vacancies then they do catering. 2.1.4 availability of labour (internal and external to the business) What is the availability of labour externally to Thorpe Park? There are restrictions of skills and abilities. If there is a particular skill required for an occupation then the worker will be rewarded with high wages as, for example an engineer. Qualifications and training is required some occupations require people to have specific academic qualifications which can only be achieved over along period of time. The strength of trade unions to negotiate wage levels will depend upon their ability to recruit members. Some occupations are difficult to organize as, for instance, the catering industry. In this industry trade unions have little influence compared with those unions operating in the energy supply industry. Mobility of labour if the labour is immobile it means that in those occupations where there is a skill shortage workers are able to command high wages because the supply of labour is limited. Dirty or dangerous jobs – the supply of labour in some jobs is restricted because of the nature of the job; it might be dirty or dangerous such as coal mining. On the other hand some jobs have very good working conditions and attract labour which keep down wages. What is the availability of labour within the local area and also internally within Thorpe Park for various types of employment? The local area has a 0.6% unemployment level. The workforce is flexible – permanent and seasonal. The labour force by gender and age: Females: * There was a considerable rise in the number of women in the labour force over the last 30 years from 10 million in 1971 to 13.2 million in 2001 i.e. by nearly 24.2%. * Women in the age group of 16years to 24 years started concentrating more on education because of which females in this age group had a low labour force particularly between 1991 and 2001. * On the other hand, females in the age group of 25-44 years had a remarkable increased labour force between 1971 and 2001. However, later the figures remained more or less constant. * Females in the age group of 45-54 years had an increase in labour force between 1991 and 2001. * The females 55 years and over had the figures more or less constant throughout. Males: * The number of men in the labour force has increased much slowly from 16.0 million in 1971 to 16.3 million in 2001. * Men aged over 55 years formed only 13% of the male labour force in 2001 compared to 21% in 1971. * However, the labour force of males between the age group of 25-44 years has increased drastically. * Males in the age group of 45-54 years have increased their force in the labour market between 1991 and 2001. 2.2 Collect internal staffing information about Thorpe Park 2.2.1 Labour turnover The labour turnover is not available the end of November 2001 because the termination of seasonal contracts will be complete at this time. 2.2.2 Labour Turnover (wastage Rate) Dismissals 26/1000 correct at 31.08.01. 2.2.3 Sickness Rates For 2000 2394 seasonal sickness absence Months over 100 April, May, September, October Months over 150 June, July, August Days over 100 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Days over 150 Sunday, Saturday 2.2.4 Accidents Rates Unfortunately Thorpe Park would not give us any statistics on accidents rates. 2.2.5 Age demographics The general age rates for various jobs are 89% are 16-24 years of age. 2.2.6 Skills acquired and skills needed The skills and training that are required are: Training: Induction training for all staff and departmental training. Skills: First Aiders only need specific skills. 2.2.7 Training undertaken and training required What is the rate of progression within Thorpe Park? From seasonal cast 14 have been made permanent. 2.2.8 Succession What does Thorpe Park hope to accomplish in the future?. They want to increase their sales through good guest care; this will need high-level training of staff to achieve this. Thorpe Park wants to change their profile of Park from thrill to family bias and they want a high level of guest satisfaction. 2.3 If you look at the length of service of the employees in the UK in 1986,91,96 and 2001 and you look at the dismissals, which Thorpe Park have, you will see that 26/1000 dismals in a year is 2.6% which is lower than the statistics of the length of service of people in employment. For the year 2001 the UK length of service in a year is 13%, which is a lot higher than Thorpe Parks 2.6% of people who leave after one year. The number of people in employment in Thorpe Park is 1000 ad for the year 2000 there were 2394 absences. In the UK the number of employment at about the end was little under 27500. So as you can see there is a very high number of absences at Thorpe Park. They need to improve on these figures I accept most of these absences are from people who are not really ill. It is probably young people from the age group 16 – 24 who have been out the night before and don’t want to come in. In this case Thorpe Park need to be harder on their disciplinary rules to cut ab sences figures. Thorpe Park does not have enough engineers. This is national problem; They could deal with this situation by having more apprenticeships in engineering. The local area around Thorpe Park, which is Staines, has a 0.6% unemployment level. This is good because nationally the unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds is very high. The 16 – 24 age group is the main age group for seasonal staff so nationally the unemployment rate for females aged 16-17 is 16.8% in 2000 and 18-24 is 8.2%. The male’s 16-17 year olds is 20% and the 18-24 year group is 11.8%. So you can see that the area of Staines has very low unemployment compared to the rest of the UK. By having low unemployment it is harder to recruit more staff. The staff they do recruit might not be the sort person they want but because of the low competition of applicants, they might have to train a person up to the necessary standard. 89% of Thorpe Parks employees are 16 – 24 year olds. Due to the rising interest of this age group going to school, college and university I think this has contributed to a decline in the number of people in employment at that age. Thorpe Park do seem to have a good number of employees at this age though . In 2000 nationally in the UK male 16 – 24 year olds there was only 2.7 million of them in employment with a decrease and the same with females with only 2.3 million in employment. So Thorpe Park is doing well to have 89% of 16 – 24 year olds working for them. 2.4 I recommend that Thorpe Park: * Have harder disciplinary rules to stop so much sickness through absences, the rule should be people who are sick can stay at home, but the people who are sick through hangovers must be told to come in or face harsh circumstances. * There should be more apprenticeships for electrical engineers this will help train people and eventually there will be more qualified electrical engineers working at the Park. * They need to increase their customer service training so customers can feel a good degree of guest care. * Finally if Thorpe Park want their Theme Park more family based, then I suggest a new ride for the family 2.5 2.5.1 Engineers electrical and mechanical engineers are in very short supply. Nationally this is the case. What needs to happen is more apprenticeships and training so we can breed more engineers. Also because of the external influence of terrorism on the airlines a lot of engineers are being made redundant or will be made redundant. This won’t help airlines but other companies will then be able to recruit more engineers. Competition for employees is very tight. The labour market remained robust in 2001 with ongoing employment growth. Traditionally the UK has always had high employment. Low unemployment is meaning that employees are increasing wages by over 4%. Currently unemployment is very low about 4.5% nationally that is about 4 people out of 100 is unemployed and the local unemployment is 0.4% which is 4 people out of 1000. Employment is at an all time of 73% and this is an all time high for women. So this makes it more difficult to recruit staff and employers will find it more expensive because of the amount of advertising and training. The Availability of labour can often cause problems; there are usually restrictions of skills and abilities. There might be a particular skill required for an occupation like an engineer. Qualifications and training is required for some jobs and some time gaining the qualification can take a long time to do. Trade unions need a high level of labour to negotiate wages with its members. Mobility of labour if the labour force is immobile then the labour force that is there can try and demand higher wages because the supply of labour is limited. Dirty or dangerous jobs can sometimes alter the supply of labour because of then nature of the job. On the other hand some jobs have very good working conditions and attract labour which keep down wages. 2.5.2 Thorpe Park has apprenticeships and external courses to train engineers. By doing this they will increase the number of engineers, which at the moment is in short, supply. Due to the low unemployment in the UK Thorpe Park have started to recruit people from abroad to increases their amount of staff, which they will need to do due the Park expanding in size. Thorpe Park is situated in Staines, which is the South East of England, which has the lowest unemployment in the UK. So Thorpe Park are finding tit hard to recruit in the local area that’s why they are expanding recruit aboard. Also I think that Thorpe Park are maybe hoping to bring a different culture to Thorpe Park like Disney World have in America there have kept there Theme Park American but adding some different cultures to the mix. Thorpe Park has offered training schemes through NVQ’S and apprenticeships and other external training courses. Due to the immobile labour of engineers, engineers at Thorpe Park can demand higher wages due to they are in demand and they are very important to the business. Also fixing Theme Park rides does have the possibility of being quite dangerous like possible the loss of a finger etc. On the other hand labour might be attracted to Thorpe Park due to the their good working conditions. They must have good working conditions due to their nature of the business and because the health and safety act states it should, so it is a legal requirement any way. 2.5.3 Over the past 50 years the UK has seen migration rocket. Thorpe Park is also trying to develop this by encouraging people to migrate and work at Thorpe Park. As people become wealthier they want more leisure time this relates to when youngsters go out the night before and then don’t come to work in the morning because perhaps they are too tired or probably got a hangover one of the two. Labour market trends show that most 16 -21 year olds that studied at school, college or university often get a weekend job or an evening job and student placements from say universities. This is who a lot of the seasonal Thorpe Park staff are usually. Due to the low unemployment Thorpe Park has increased its hourly wage. If you analysis national figures on the length of service of employees in the UK you will see that in 2001 people who have been in work for over a year 13% of them leave, compare this Thorpe Parks 2.6% dismals record and you will see that employees at Thorpe Park do tend to stay on for much longer. If you look at the number of people in the employment graph you will see that there is 27500 and Thorpe Park only have 1000 so I suggest that due to Thorpe Parks ambitions to expand the Park in size they will need to expand their employment figures in size. If you look at the unemployment rates nationally you will see that for females aged 16-17 is 16.8% in 2000 and 18-24 is 8.2%. The male’s 16-17 year olds is 20% and the 18-24 year group is 11.8%. All those percentages are lot a higher than the Staines local area unemployment rate which is 0.6%. This proves that there are less people to employ in Staines than the national average. In 2000 nationally in the UK male 16 – 24 ye ar olds there was only 2.7 million of them in employment with a decrease and the same with females with only 2.3 million in employment. So Thorpe Park is doing well to have 89% of 16 – 24 year olds working at Thorpe Park. Task 2- Conclusion I think Thorpe Park do have a successfully human resource plan in relation to the format given in my textbook. Why because the staffs is properly qualified to do the job allotted to them. Also Thorpe Park does use the process of human resources very effectively. Then do this by carry our the 4 main stages which are: Stock taking an example of this is job analysis Forecasting the supply of labour an example of this is annual labour turnover index Forecasting demand for employees Implementation and review Task 3: Recruitment and selection. One of the most important jobs for the human resources manager is recruiting and selecting new employees. Without the right employees, the organisation will be unable to operate efficiently, serve its customers properly, or make any profits. With the proper recruitment and selection techniques, organisations can make as sure as possible that they can achieve these objectives. In the recruitment and selection procedure generally the following procedures: > Giving a job description > Preparing an advertisement for the job > Application forms > Short listing candidates > Person specification > Psychometric/diagnostic tests > Interviews and cross checking the candidates > Offer and rejection of the candidates > Contract of employment > Staff handbook 3.1 > Person specification: A person specification sets out the qualities of an ideal candidate whereas a job description defines the duties and responsibilities of the job. The best-known method of drawing up person specifications is the ‘SEVEN POINT PLAN’ originally devised by Alec Rodger. Following is an example of the seven-point plan: Essentials Desirables How identified Physical (this includes grooming looks, voice tone etc) Attainments (this includes the educational qualifications and experience) General intelligence (the results from the IQ tests) Special aptitude (the special skills of the person) Interests (their hobbies and their social life) Disposition (the stability of the person) Circumstances (the personal life of the person) Rodger’s seven-point plan usually requires managers to distinguish between essential and desirable qualities under each of the seven headings. > Job description: Before an organisation goes in the recruitment process, it needs to examine the job description for the post. A job description lists the main tasks required in a job. In drawing up a job, description the personnel department has a number of alternatives. These are: 1. The line manager can draw up a description of what the job entails. 2. The existing jobholder can do it. 3. The human resource manager can interview the jobholder and the line manager to find out what the job involves. The aim of the exercise is to itemise all the tasks involved in a job and to try to allocate a proportion of the working week to each task. This is important for several reasons: 1. In carrying out appraisals of the employees. 2. When analysing the job for training needs the manager must be able to see what tasks a job involves so that they can determine what training may be required. 3. For pay determination. 4. In planning the size of the work force for the future, it will be necessary to know exactly what tasks each job involves in case the re-allocation of tasks between jobs is requires. Clearly, none of this is possible without good quality and detailed job descriptions. The main features of a job description are: a) The job title b) The location of the job c) A brief outline of what the organisation does d) The main purpose of the job e) A detailed list of the main tasks required in the job f) The standards that the job holder will be required to achieve g) Pay and other benefits h) Promotion prospects i) The person to whom the job holder reports j) The person who reports the job holder > Application form: This is a far more commonly used mode of selection. Consultants devote hours to designing new and better forms that will extract even more accurate information from people. A typical form will require details on addresses, next of kin, education, training, qualifications, work experience, non-work interests (hobbies and social life) and the name of referees from whom the organisation can collect personal recommendations. The personal staff will have identified specific requirements from the job and person specification. They can compare these with the information on the forms. They only need to shortlist the applicants who have met those requirements. The forms can act as a framework for the interviewer to use should the applicant be short-listed. The organisation can keep all the forms for the short listed candidates for the vacancy and draw on them again if another vacancy arises. The form from the successful applicant will become a very useful part of their initial personal records. > Prepared advertisement: Unless an organisation pays a recruitment consultancy or an executive search consultant to find potential recruits, it will have to design its own advertisements to attract people. Specialist consultancies have sophisticated advertising departments that place large and expensive adverts in quality press. Most businesses, however, will not have such facilities and they will have to draw up their own advertisements. Before writing the advertisement, the employer must determine exactly what is wanted from the job being advertised. When drafting the advertisement the key points to consider are: i. Describe the job that is being advertised ii. Describe the type of person that is required for the job but have to be careful because it is illegal to state the sex, ethnic origin of the person required. iii. The pay and the terms and conditions iv. Place of work v. Procedure as to how the candidate can apply for the job vi. Be honest about the job being advertised, it is no use to give an over attractive picture. vii. Find the right place to advertise the job. > Psychometric/diagnostic tests: Now days it is common for employers to expect job applicants to carry out tests to give a fuller picture of their ability to do the job applied for. These are usually referred to as aptitude tests. They are appropriate for manual work where there is some skill involved and in office work where applicants be required to take a short typing or word processing test. For professional posts, these tests are less usual because it is felt that the candidate’s qualifications, references and experience are sufficient evidence. Psychometric tests assess the intelligence and personality of applicants. They are much more sophisticated than aptitude tests and the employer must have properly trained staff to analyse the test results properly. Such tests are particularly valuable when assessing intelligence, interest in the job applied for, motivation and personality. The producers of such tests argue that they are completely unbiased and extremely accurate. They are supposed to be particula rly good at assessment of personality. > Interview format/techniques: This is the final stage of the recruitment and selection and is increasingly common these days. Interviews are arranged for almost every kind of job. The process of shifting through forms or letters and examination of references is now over and that only a few of the applicants for the job will be interviewed. This is because interviews take up the time of senior managers who have to carry them out and this will be costly for them. Interviewing is sometimes done in a poorly thought out and badly structured manner that gives the organisation a bad image. To avoid this situation only requires the observation of a few simple rules: 1. Plan the interview properly. 2. Decide if there is a need for any tests for the applicant. 3. As a rule, the ‘talking split’ in the job interview should be around 20% for the interviewer and 80% for the interviewee. 4. The interview should always begin with friendly questions to put the candidate at ease. 5. Finally, there should be a question asking the candidates if they have any questions. > Offer and rejection letters: These are the crucial moments in the life of a job applicant. His fate for the particular is decided in these letters. It is very easy for the interviewer to say yes but in order to send a rejection letter they have to be polite and gentle as it should not let down the applicants desire for another job. Usually it is common to wish good luck to a candidate for his future jobs in a rejection letter. > Contract of employment: Terms and conditions of employment which apply generally or to groups of employees need to be defined in the contract of employment as described below: 1. Individual contracts of employment must satisfy the provisions of contracts of employment legislation. They include a statement of capacity in which the person is employed and the name or job title of the individual to whom he or she is responsible. They also include details of pay, allowances, hours, holidays, leave and pension arrangements and refer to relevant company policies, procedures and rules. Increasing use is being made of fixed-term contracts. 2. The basic information that should be included in a written contract of employment varies according to the level of job, but the following checklist sets out the typical headings: * Job title * Duties to be performed * The date when the employment starts * Hours of break including lunch break and overtime and shift arrangements * Holiday arrangements * Sickness leave * Length of notice due to and from employee * Grievance procedure * Disciplinary procedures * Work rules * Arrangements for terminating contract 3.2 As mentioned before Thorpe Park has seasonal staffs and permanent staffs. Therefore, for different staffs different procedures and documents are crucial. Lets have a look at these in detail: 1. Seasonal staffs: Thorpe Park has a seasonal staff of over 1000. Such a large number of seasonal staff is very difficult to select and handle. Therefore, in order to make the right decision in selecting the desired seasonal staff they would need to have a proper and well-prepared advertisement. After the advertisement, they would need to have an application form that is very essential because it helps to have a general/detailed outlook of the applicant. As Thorpe park has a large number of seasonal staff they need to have an interview checklist so that they can grade/rate the candidates on the basis of the same questions asked to everyone and that there is no kind of discrimination made during the interview. After all this a contract of employment is very essential for everyone who is employed as it proves that the person is legally employed and that he/she is aware of their duties etc. 2. Permanent staffs: As stated before Thorpe Park has permanent staff of nearly 350 members strong. Permanent staffs do have more authorities and responsibilities than the seasonal staffs. Therefore, the recruitment manager has to be even more careful in advertising and hiring these staffs. Therefore in the initial part a job description; person specification, prepared advertisement and an application form are very crucial and essential because they help in attracting the required candidate. After this, the interview and the psychometric/ diagnostic tests are essential because they help the recruitment manager to know the candidates more carefully. Finally the staff handbook and the contract of employment are helpful to the selected candidate in knowing something more about his job, benefits etc. 3.3 For seasonal staffs: > The advertisement for seasonal staffs is very good and impressive. It can really work towards attracting applicants. However, apart from stating the pay rate if they could also state the words â€Å"plus extra benefits† that could make the advertisement even more exciting. > The application form could also be improved. For instance, on page 2 the applicant is asked about the previous employment history. In this section is a question on the position of the applicant’s job but there is no question about the duties performed by the applicant in the previous job. > The questions asked in the interview checklist are good and can really make the candidate think before they can answer. However, as the number of applicants is going to be very large there would not be sufficient time to ask all the questions to all candidates. Therefore, it is recommended that there should be less questions but straight to the point. > The contract of employment does not state as to how the payments are going to be made – by cash, by cheque or it is going to be deposited into the respective account. For permanent staffs: > The advertisement for the permanent staff is very good and impressive as well. It can really work towards attracting applicants. Again, apart from stating the pay rate if they could also state the words â€Å"plus extra benefits† that could make the advertisement even more exciting. > On the application, form where it is asked to state the employment history there is very little or rather no place to state the responsibilities that the applicant had carried. This could be very crucial information for the company is selecting the desired candidate. 3.4 Analysis of the documents: > Job role: The job role prepared by the company is fantastic and much organised. They have the desired pre planned in their minds and are just waiting for its arrival. The desired qualification of the person is deeply planned and thought through. > Advertisement: The advertisement is good but not up to the mark. After having a look at the job role a person would expect an even impressive advertisement. Though the desired details are placed in the advert there are still a few things missing that make it more attractive as if the payroll could also include extra benefits and more facilities etc. > Application form: Again it is well organised and planned but the place for the crucial information is not provided for e.g. the employment history does not have any place for responsibilities held etc. Task 4 – Training and Development: Introduction: A general definition of training is: ‘the acquisition of a body of knowledge and skills which can be applied to a particular job’. Traditionally, young people left school and found a job that provided them with sufficient initial training to enable them to continue to do the same job indefinitely. Today there are very few ‘traditional’ apprenticeships and people can no longer assume that any job will be a job for life. Even people who do keep the same job for a long time are required to update their skills regularly, or face redundancy because their old skills are rapidly made useless by the advance of new technology. The significance of this is that training is much more central to peoples lives as an ongoing process rather than just something they do at the start of their careers. > Induction training: Induction is the process of introducing new employees to the organisation and its way of life and culture. A successful job applicant should be provided with induction training of some kind. As might be expected the larger, well-resourced organisations do this more thoroughly than poorly resourced, smaller organisations. Most of the induction programme will include: * A tour of the buildings to show the newcomer all the important areas – the sick room, the canteen, the pay office, toilets etc * An introduction to their new workplace – the specific office or factory areas or shop department – where they will be working * Some background details about the organisation – the easiest and best way to do this is to show them a video. > Mentoring: This a type of training where an experienced senior manager is allocated to a young employee in order to help them to structure their career development within the organisation. The mentor passes on the benefits of their experience, insight and wisdom. They will advice the young employee how to deal with a wide variety of managerial problems but they are not there to help them to improve specific skills. > Coaching: This is rather similar to mentoring but the key difference is that coaching involves helping the young employee to acquire high quality skills in a number of specific management areas. Such skills include communication with staff, budgeting, how to appraise staff and how to carry out disciplinary procedures. > Apprenticeships: The main principles of apprenticeships are: 1. Qualifications are workplace based, reflecting real workplace needs. 2. Workplace requirements are now a far bigger influence on what is taught in further education colleges. 3. The single European market means that these new qualifications will eventually become part of a common system of the Euro-qualifications. Apprenticeships usually include NVQ’s, GNVQ’s, Vocational A levels etc. Usually the company pays for such type of education for its budding employees. > In-house training: This is where the employers run courses inside their own organisation. Courses might be held in an ordinary office room or in a smart training centre owned by the organisation itself. The main benefits of using in-house courses are: 1. They are cheap – there is usually no need to employ outside trainers and lecturers. 2. Course content is tailor made for your organisation. 3. References and examples to highlight points can be related to your own organisation. 4. Everybody knows one another, so there is no time wasted in having to get to know other people. > External training: Sometimes it is necessary to send staff to do courses elsewhere. This may be with another employer, at a specialist-training centre, or at a factory of an equipment supplier. The benefits of using external courses are: 1. They bring together specialist trainers/tutors who would never be available to an ‘in-house’ course chiefly because of the high cost. 2. Course members get together from several organisations, and this enables them to learn more about each other and how their respective organisations operate. 3. Trainers place great value on the benefits of being away from the workplace – the course members are in a comfortable and peaceful environment away from any distractions. Findings: At Thorpe Park, there is a separate training sub-department within the Human Resource department. In fact, they also have a special training manager for this purpose. To begin with, let us have a look at the induction programme which is also known as ‘ice-breaker’. > Thorpe Park has two days of induction programme. The day one covers the introduction to the Tussads group, the park structure – the who’s who and where’s where, the parks health and safety issues, the uniforms and appearance of the staff, explanations of the rules and regulations, the role play situations, fire safety, emergency procedures and other general information about the park. > The day two covers the department specific training. This means that the staffs is taken to their respective departments and are given the general overall outlook of their duties and the department. After the induction, there is the personal development programme. This is not actually a training programme but is a process where the applicants are given an opportunity towards their plans in education and with the company. In this programme, the members of staff complete a PDP form, which will enable them to access their areas for improvement/development and look at ways to move forward. Other methods of training in Thorpe Park like the mentoring help the members of staff towards personal development. Besides these, Thorpe Park also offers apprenticeships like the NVQ’s for the members of staff. Across the park, they have people studying for NVQ’s in business administration, landscaping and engineering. Most of the trainings are provided to the permanent staff only. The external courses are used for legislation and development training only. Thorpe Park is known as investors in people. They have got this recognition not by spending money on the entertainment of people but by spending money on improving the quality of their staff by training them, sending them for apprenticeships and by helping them in their personal development. Training is important for the company to improve the competence of the cast and ensure the delivery of a high quality service. Recommendations: > Training is a very important part for a new candidate. Besides providing training to the permanent staff, if the company provides training to the seasonal staff as well then this may help to make the seasonal staff into permanent staff. Hence, the company will be able to save its money on advertising for the permanent staff. > If training sessions are provided to the seasonal staff, this may motivate them and the effect will show on the profit charts. Task 6 – Performance Management Introduction: Frederick W. Taylor: Frederick W. Taylor wanted to find out how people could work best, who was suited to what and to show them how to work more productively with less effort and danger. After all, he was working in a steel plant. Taylor set out four principles of scientific management. They were as follows: > Development of science to replace thumb methods > Scientific selection and progressive development of workmen > Bringing together of science and scientifically selected workmen through the inspiration of an individual > The dividing off of management away from the workers There are many managers today who would find nothing exceptional about Taylor’s words that also include a reference to leadership, something he sees as beyond scientific management. His results were incredible. Abraham Maslow: Until Abraham Maslow’s work, researches looked for what motivated people. Maslow’s answer is that it depends upon the situation of the individual. He therefore prepared a table of hierarchy. This hierarchy theory can be of help also in understanding cultural issues in motivation. Multi-nationals need to learn that what motivates someone in Bangkok may well be different from what motivates people in San Francisco. Douglas McGregor: According to McGregor, there are two alternative views of the nature of man: Theory X – Used to illustrate what he considered being the â€Å"traditional view of direction and control† 1. The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can 2. Because of the human characteristic of dislike of work, most people are coerced, controlled, directed, threatened with punishment to get them to put forth adequate effort towards the achievement of organisational objectives. 3. The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition, and wants security above all. He also felt that these assumptions were used in most industrial organisations, but that they were in adequate for the full utilisation of each worker’s potential. McGregor’s other view of the nature of man i.e. Theory Y contains assumptions, which he believes could lead to greater motivation and increased fulfilment of both individual needs and organisational goals. 1. The expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest. 2. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing about effort toward organisational objectives. 3. Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. 4. The average human being learns under proper conditions, not only to accept but also to seek responsibility. 5. The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organisational problems is widely, not narrowly distributed in the population. 6. Under the conditions of modern industrial lie, the intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilised. Frederick Herzberg: Frederick Herzberg distinguishes between hygiene factors – those that will not increase motivation as such but will certainly decrease it if standards are not right and motivating factors. Hygiene factors include working conditions, salary, job security and company policies. Get these wrong and motivation will decline but add to them over a certain standard and there will be no more effect on motivation. Herzberg says that motivation derives from people having a sense of achievement, recognition, responsibility and opportunities for personal growth. He criticises management for ignoring the motivational factors and trying to motivate through things like money and benefits – expensive and not successful. He is also famous for his acronym â€Å"KITA†, which has been potentially translated as a kick in the pants. He says that KITA does not produce motivation but only movement. Findings: 6.1.1 Performance reviews including appraisals: Thorpe Park carries out regular appraisals with its company staff. The company to usually carries this out so that the management can evaluate as to how effective the staff are in fulfilling the objectives of the company. 6.1.2 Self evaluation: Besides the appraisal system the staff, members also have the opportunity to see and say as to how they think they are progressing and what places they need improvement. They can also recommend the areas where they would need some training or extra guidance. 6.1.3 Peer evaluation: Peer evaluation is not a formal method of performance evaluation but it can really help in the improvement of the staff if their work mates tell them what is required and when. 6.2 The management at Thorpe Park believe that it is very essential to motivate its staff so that they have a high morale and that they completely enjoy the work that they do for the company. They recommend the staff the areas where they think they could improve and send them for training. They do so only for the deserving staff members so that they can make them feel that they are important for the company. This is a very effective way of motivating the staff. Besides these, they have other methods of motivating staff like bonus schemes and other incentive schemes. Throughout the year, the company runs competitions like â€Å"magic moments† and â€Å"magic minds† that help the staff for not only performing good in their work but also motivate them to use their brains to help the company improve and progress ahead. There are grand prises for people who give good ideas to the company to improve their outlook. Besides the financial incentives, the company also has many non financial methods of motivating the staff for e.g. giving the staff member a public acknowledgement, sending them for further education, praising them for the job well done etc. all these do play an important role in motivating the staff. The human resource department does all this because they believe that the staff are the backbone of the business and hence want to use them as an asset to obtain their goals and objectives. 6.3 On taking a closer look at the way the management at Thorpe Park functions it can be stated that they use a little of every motivational theory in trying to motivate their staff. The reason behind this could be that different things motivate different people.

How to Pronounce Chongqing, One of Chinas Major Cities

How to Pronounce Chongqing, One of Chinas Major Cities Learn how to pronounce Chongqing (é‡ Ã¥ ºâ€ ), one of Chinas major cities. Its located in South-west China (see map) and has almost 30 million inhabitants, although much less live in the urban center itself. The city is important because of its manufacturing and is also a regional transportation hub. In this article, we will first give you a quick and dirty way of how to pronounce the name if you just want to have a rough idea how to pronounce it. Then I’ll go through a more detailed description, including analysis of common learner errors. The Quick and Dirty Way of  Pronouncing Chongqing Most Chinese cities have names with two characters (and therefore two syllables). There are abbreviations, but these are rarely used in spoken language (the abbreviation for Chongqing is  Ã¦ ¸ . Heres a brief description of the sounds involved:   Listen to the pronunciation here while reading the explanation. Repeat yourself! Chong - Pronounce a shorter choo in choose plus -ngQing - Pronounce as chi- in chin plus -ng in sing If you want to have a go at the tones, they are rising and falling respectively. Note:  This pronunciation is  not  correct pronunciation in Mandarin. It represents my best effort to write the pronunciation using English words. To really get it right, you need to learn some new sounds (see below). Pronouncing Names in Chinese Pronouncing  names in Chinese  can be very hard if you havent studied the language; sometimes its hard, even if you have. Many letters used to write the sounds in Mandarin (called  Hanyu Pinyin) dont match the sounds they describe in English, so simply trying to read a Chinese name and guess the pronunciation will lead to many mistakes. Ignoring or mispronouncing tones will just add to the confusion. These mistakes add up and often become so serious that a native speaker would fail to understand.   How to Actually Pronounce Chongqing If you study Mandarin, you should never ever rely on English approximations like those above. Those are meant for people who dont intend to learn the language! You have to understand the orthography, i.e. how the letters relate to the sounds. There are many  traps and pitfalls in Pinyin  you have to be familiar with. Now, lets look at the two syllables in more detail, including common learner errors: Chà ³ng  (second tone)  - The initial is a retroflex, aspirated, affricate. What does that mean? It means that the tongue should feel like the tongue is slightly curled backwards as when saying right, that there is a small stop (a t-sound, but still pronounced with the described tongue position) followed by a hissing sound (such as when urging someone to be quiet: Shhh!) and that there should be a sharp puff of air on the stop. The final is tricky in two regards. First, English doesnt really have a short vowel in this position. Its reasonably close to choose but should be short. Second, the nasal -ng should be more nasal and further back. Dropping you jaw usually helps.Qà ¬ng  (fourth tone) -  The initial here is the only tricky part. q is an aspirated affricate, which means that its similar to the ch above, but with a different tongue position. The tongue tip should be down, lightly touching the teeth ridge behind the lower teeth. -ing should have the same nasal as above, too, but with an i and an optional schwa (roughly the vowel sound in English the) inserted after the i and before the nasal. The are some variations for these sounds, but  Chongqing (é‡ Ã¥ ºâ€ ) can be written like this in IPA: [ʈʂÊ °uÅ‹Â  tÉ•Ê °jəŋ] Note that both sounds have stops (the t) and that both have aspiration (the superscript h). Conclusion Now you know how to pronounce Chongqing (é‡ Ã¥ ºâ€ ). Did you find it hard? If you’re learning Mandarin, dont worry; there arent that many sounds. Once you’ve learned the most common ones, learning to pronounce words (and names) will become much easier!

How A Report Writing Course Can Tame Big Data

How A Report Writing Course Can Tame Big Data Once upon a time, there was a warning was that big brother could be watching. Well, today big data is doing his job. Big data is everywhere all the time. Gartner, the information research technology and advisory company posits: Big data is high-volume, high-velocity, high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing for enhanced insight and decision making. Wikopedia pipes in with: data sets so large that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. If computers need help making sense of big data, pity the person charged with writing a report summarizing the results. Big data is creating a culture in which businessand IT join forces to realize value from data. Companies make decisions based on big data but first it has to be visualized and translated into a report that can communicate the results to key decision makers and ensure they understand it. Communicating Big Data in a Business Report Since reports are one of the most important forms of written communication in the business world, the key is to find someone who both understands the brave new world of big data and also has a knack for the type of clear concise writing a report calls for. However raw talent is not enough. Skills needed for report writing, like the ability to differentiate the essential from non-essential, organizational judgment, and clarity of communication, are acquired more often than inherited, it's a good ideal that the person charged with the task first attend a report writing course. Basic Insights Language and layout are important if a report is to be accurate and understandable. No matter whether it is a scientific report, financial report, research or medical, there there are a few basic insights of good writing to keep in mind. A well-written report..... anticipates the readers' questions. In order to accomplish this, the writer should periodically review what he is writing and attempt to see it from the point of view of a reader, especially one skeptical about the world of big data. is like a good teacher. It strives to explain the facts is like math. It has logic and structure. It takes a pile of facts and assembles them into a clear accessible, understandable structure. is simple. Simple is not to be confused with simplistic. Big data is complicated. A skilled report writer knows how to deconstruct it and make it comprehensible. avoids jargon. The world of big data is full of its own language. A good report uses accessible language. A Few Well Put Words of Advice These tenets can be applied to any type of writing, but as with any written undertaking, preparation is the key. In the case of big data, it involves sifting through the facts. For a few words of advice on this who better to look to than Albert Einstein ? "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein While all data is important, only essential data needs to be included. Writing a report calls for self-editing, especially when dealing with data. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the amount, but understanding what's important to the business can help decide what to include and what to leave out. "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein No matter how well the report writer understands the findings, he is essentially keeping them to himself if he can not communicate them to those reading the report. If they are to act on his insights, he has to simplify the message so that it resonates with them. Since today's business world feeds on information, report writing is an essential and marketable skill. To learn about how to write the type of reports that can further your career, contact us for information about our report writing courses. Or, download the report writing course outline.