Alcohol Abuse in the Work Place

There are individuals suffering from too much stress or worry that would resort to drinking alcoholic beverages to calm their nerves . There is a feeling of relaxation upon taking alcoholic drinks and this is true with moderate amount of intake.Excessive drinking by employees will cause hangovers, a real   pain in the workplace. Heavy drinkers employees is an expensive problem for many business   and industries worldwide brought by their absenteeism. The losses includes productivity, injuries and additional claims on health insurance.The moderate amount of alcoholic   drinks like a   single or two glasses   of wine, a shot of vodka, beer, whiskey or   whatever drinks with alcohol can relax an employee after work but the excess intake maybe a defense against   life problem. Alcoholic abuse become an issue and a serious one in the workplace.When an employee was   hooked into alcoholic drinks, he cannot face the day without alcoholic drink even early in the morning, cann ot attend   a social or professional meeting, conceal how many bottles he drank or in denial about his drinking. The cycle   of excessive   alcoholic drinking   will continue   that will   lead   to job   loss, financial worries, loneliness, divorce and may even jeopardized   a marriage relationship (Bartholomew 89).Many of the excessive alcohol drinkers doesn’t realize that   their vicious cycle of   drinking can create a feeling of depression And   they can only overcome the feeling by   drinking and drinking until there is a feeling   of numbness. Further depression leads to   increase intake of alcoholic drinks.Alcoholic   abuse at workplace   will be explored and analyzed to understand the reasons, symptoms   and possible plan of actions to correct and prevent excessive   drinking. This study   will be of significance to many individuals who are currently hooked with alcoholisms, students of social sciences, families and relatives of alcoholic drinkers and the entire society.DiscussionEvery individual have a choice if they   want to have   alcoholic addiction. Alcoholic abuse in the workplace   does not only harm   the excessive drinker but   threatens   the company   and co-employees safety , affects   their job   performance and result to great loss in productivity (Lehman 88).The immediate superior and co-workers   of alcoholic employee are into an awkward   position to decide whether to report their   alcoholism or to cover up their mistakes. There   are circumstances that   employees does not drink at   the   workplace but   prior to work reporting   were   already   equipped   with full tank of alcoholic drinks inside his body, this will   definitely affect   the   individual’s job performance, prone to accident and became less productive. The workload are not accomplished on time and other employees are affected by work backlogs.There are many sign s and symptoms that an employee is into alcoholism while at workplace such as unexplained, prolonged and frequent absences, prone to accidents while out or in at work, reduced productivity, overreactions to criticisms, suspicious of other workers, erratic work patterns, hard to conceal hangovers   in the   morning, indifference with   personal hygiene, exhausted easily, slurred speech and  Ã‚   unsteady walking. The signs of physical deterioration and loss in productivity are prominent. There are circumstances that   other co-workers who covered up the alcoholic drinkers, lend them money   and   patched their work load (Bartholomew 89).This instance will not be of help to alcoholic drinker at the workplace for they have all the chance to continue their bad habits of drinking. Other co-workers will attempt to handle the situation of alcoholic employee and will not seek assistance or advice from qualified personnel of the company.This act of co-worker is not enough to co rrect the alcoholics from their vices and it is advisable to report their co-worker (Shinderman 65).. The threat   of losing his job is present but it may be the other way around, he may intend to seek help from qualified personnel and correct the wrongdoings.The employers of alcoholic drinkers have much larger problems than their afflicted employee and it is detrimental to the company’s productivity. Absenteeism for employees under the influence of alcohols have higher percentage than other employees, prone to claim more sickness benefits and account that intoxicated people are   more prone to   accidents at workplace.The incident of alcoholism was not limited to lower level workers but even those employees in rank positions are prone to alcoholism (Lehman 86). Taking steps   in assisting the alcoholic drinkers at workplace is significant in preventing their addiction to   alcohol and possible remedial action that would not only beneficial to the employee but as   well as   to their co-workers and families. The workplace is one of the community’s vital component in changing the attitudes of alcoholic abuse victims towards an intoxicated consumption of alcoholic drinks (Bartholomew 91).Paying   close attention to   alcohol abusive employees   of   the company is an approach to warn the alcoholics that a company can enforce action against   alcohol abuse. Interventions by   employers such as   talking   directly to   alcohol   intoxicated   employee and informing them of possible   actions for their   misdeeds can improve the rate of recovering from alcoholism. Alcoholism can be   regarded as a health issue   but at   the same time is an integrity issue in the corporate world. By helping an alcoholic employee at workplace is a plan to restore the confidence of the company and the employee himself.Creating positive changes in workplace will only happen with alcohol-free policies, programs and possible c onsequences at workplace. Improving the worker’s environment will provide benefit to every one at in the workplace (Lehman 89).A clear message that employee’s alcoholism is not only his problem but the entire company’s problem and working together to solve alcoholic abuse will be one of the best course of actions.Various conditions and situations accompanied alcohol abuse, an example is an alcoholic employee with mood swings and depression   and its can be observed when he is having difficulty to focus on his work and meet   their schedules. Outburst of temper, restlessness, poor attention to details, impatience, tolerance to boredom, disorganized thoughts and working table, impaired concentration, procrastination, inability for relaxation and no follow through are symptoms that an employee is into alcoholism.Alcohol abuse is a kind of psychological disorder with an individual’s difficulty to control the excessive intake of alcohol with recurrent nega tive outcomes. The amount and frequency of alcohol intake may differ from one individual to another but the pre-occupation with alcohol with negative effects matters.The urbanization of a society explain the theory that alcohol has been discovered and utilized as replacement for unclean water reservoir   and it is not surprising that there are individuals with high alcohol tolerance (Bartholomew 94).The range of alcohol abuse damage   the different aspects of an individual life and possibly others. The overabundance of alcohol will have an impact on the physical aspect of an employee such as cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol dementia, heart disease, sexual dysfunction and even death. In social aspect, the impact of alcohol abuse includes jeopardy in marriage, divorce and anti-social behavior because of alienated consideration by the society.In terms of economic, there is a possibility of losing one’s employment, poor judgment, incapacity to pay the living quarters and finan cial difficulties. Alcohol abuse may also have legal consequences when an individual was charges for public disorders or driving under the influence of liquor (Lehman 85).The emotional consequences of alcohol abuse will damage the relationship to their children when father or head of the family is the alcoholic, chance for verbal abuse to his coworkers and family members and lose of one’s self respect.

Bmw and Peugeot

[pic] MBA 503: Managerial Decision Making: Financial Analysis Professor: Sameer Mustafa [pic] [pic] INVESTMENT IN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY: BMW OR PEUGEOT Section F12N72 Team members: Ranjan Saha Sam Khassawneh Elena Dugarova Executive Summary This report provides a financial analysis and assessment of two automobile companies Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW Group) and PSA Peugeot Citroen. Methods of analysis include comparison and evaluation of financial ratios, financial SWOT, R&D and cash flow analyses. All calculations can be found in the appendices.Results of data analyzed show that both companies have strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities, but Peugeot has more strengths and opportunities in terms of long-run prospective, than in BMW. After analyzing both companies we recommend to invest in Peugeot. Table of Content 1. Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â⠂¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2. SOWT Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1. BMW Strengths †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. BMW Weaknesses †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3. BMW Opportunities †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. BMW Threats †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5. Peugeot Strengths †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6. Peugeot Weaknesses †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7.Peugeot Opportunities †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8. Peugeot Threats †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3. Comparison of two companies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. Recommendations †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5. Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6. Appendices †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7. References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1. Introduction This report provides data on the financial situation of two well-known automobile brands, BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroen, over 2009 and 2011. The purpose of the report is to evaluate the financial situation of these companies in order to make an investment decision in any of these companies.First part of the report provides brief description about the companies followed by the situation analysis of both companies. Third part of the report illustrates the comparison followed by recommendation and conclusion. The recommendation will be made based on the result of the situation analysis. BMW Group was founded in Germany in 1917. This is one of the most prospering automobile, motorcycle, and engine manufacturing companies. BMW Group has three one of the finest brands in this industry: BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce (Annual report, 2011, p. 3).The other company PSA Peugeot Citroen was founded in Paris in 1976. PSA Peugeot Citroen offers automobiles and motorcycles worldwide (PSA Peugeot Citroen, 2012). Nowadays this automobile company is supplying its products to China, Latin America, Russia and Europe (Annual report, 2011, p. 4). 2. Situation analysis for BMW and Peugeot The following section will discuss the financial strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of both companies. 2. 1 Strengths of BMW 2. 1. 1 Sustainability of the company Maintaining the profitability is vital for any firm in order to be remaining sustainable.From the profitability test, it is apparent that the company improved it’s profitability over the year 2009 to 2011. Gross profitability increased significantly from 13. 96% in 2009 to 24. 38% in 2010 and continued to climb up to 27. 79 by the end of 2011. 2. 1. 2 Excellent creditworthiness BMW has been assigned credit rating status as â€Å"stable† by both Moody’s (rating A2) and Standard & Poor (rating A) which indicates the firm’s sound solvency position to debt (www. bmwgroup. com). In addition, their interest cover ratio provides very positive indication as it increased from 3. 36 in 2009 to 9. 54 in 2011.By utilizing this status company will be able to attract potential creditor with lower interest rate. Therefore, their profitability will increase due to the lower interest expenditure. 2. 1. 3 Increase investment in research and development Investment in research and development (R&D) is significantly important in order to take competitive advantage and mai ntain sustainable growth. BMW is committed to in R&D to meet current and future demand. Their expenditure rose up by 13. 3%? to â‚ ¬2,773 million from 2010 to 2011. One of the most advantages of BMW is creative production (Annual report BMW, 2011).They invested extensively in the past 3 years towards improving the environment and reduction of the CO2 emissions by 30 %. They also introduced fuel efficient product line such as BMW i models in order to meet the current demand. Moreover, BMW is searching for alternative energy solution by electrification and utilizing solar energy in their future product range. By introducing new product line BMW could take competitive advantage over it competitors by attracting environmental friendly customers which would maximize their profit as well as their image as innovative company. 2. 1. Commitment to Employees training The company values its human resources and invests in attracting and training skilled workforce to boost the quality of its products by reducing error rate, waste in production. It will also help BMW to strengthen customer relation as trained employees would able to communicate with confident by utilizing their knowledge and skills which will increase customer satisfaction. Moreover, due to the training employees will gain confidence to communicate more clearly with management which will improve the relationship between employee and management.As a result disputes between labour union and BMW will be reduced (Bloom & Lafleur, n. d. pp 5 – 9) In 2011 expenditure on basic and further training rose sharply by 37. 4% to â‚ ¬246 million (Annual report BMW, 2011). 2. 1. 5 Social responsibility BMW signed the UN Global Compact and issued a â€Å"Joint Declaration on Human Rights and Working Conditions which demonstrates that BMW complies with the fundamental working standards of the International Labor Organization (Annual Report BMW, 2011). It also indicates that BMW is a socially responsible firm w hich will have a positive impact on the image of the company (Murillo & Martinek, 2009).BMW’s image as a good citizen would help to attract potential investors, creditors and customers who care about social responsibility of any company. 2. 2 Weaknesses BMW 2. 2. 1Operating efficiency Receivable turnover has sharply declined from 55. 04 in 2009 to 15. 93 in 2011. Inventory turnover has also declined from 14. 50 in 2010 to 5. 43 in 2011. Both ratios are below the industry norm, which indicates that management was not efficient enough to collect its receivables. This also indicates that sales and marketing department didn’t perform well compare to the competitors to increase the sales. . 2. 2 Sharp decline in sales: In 2011 BMW’s sales dropped by 37 % in the US which is the largest market outside Europe. If it continues to decline, BMW may lose market share significantly which would have a very negative impact on the profitability as well as it would be a threat t o the sustainability of the company. 2. 2. 3 Liquidity BMW’s ability to meet the short-term financial obligation is low comparing to the industry norm. If BMW don’t pay attention to increase the liquidity, it could turn into a threat from weakness. 2. 2. 4Market shareDecreasing global market share for BMW. It goes down from 2. 89% in 2005 to 2. 45% in 2010. (www. statista. com). This shows that demand BMW’s cars are decreasing which is a bad sign for company. 2. 3 Opportunities BMW 2. 3. 1 Utilizing the exist technology to produce more environmental friendly products: As this issue became an important for the society. (BMW Annual report, 2011, p. 19) states, â€Å" In September 2011, SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers – a joint venture of the BMW Group and the SGL Group – opened a new state-of-the-art carbon fiber manufacturing plant in Moses Lake, USA.The facility plays a major strategic role in the manufacture of ultra-lightweight carbon-fiber reinfor ced plastics (CFRP), which will be used extensively in the BMW i vehicles to be launched by the BMW Group from 2013 onwards†. BMW group is already having this idea, but they could get more profit if they increase the art carbon fiber plants. 2. 3. 2 Growth in Asia: Asian countries are encouraging the foreign investment and they have a cheap labor. In addition, the cost of capital is cheaper than Europe. These factors lead to less cost of production and higher revenue.In order to gain this benefit BMW adopted â€Å"Completely Knocked Down† (CKD) assembly to manufacture automobiles with partners in six locations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia and India (www. bmwgroup. com ). This would help BMW to attract the large Asian market as well as increase market share in the region. 2. 3. 3 Increasing demand on sports car BMW is already produced a few sport cars and they have to increase the number of sport cars and promote them to championships and customer s who like this type of cars. In July 2011,  BMW  pulled the covers off of the  BMW M3 DTM Concept Car, a vehicle that was to be the basis of the actual racer that will compete in the 2012 DTM season† (www. topspeed. com). 2. 3 Threats BMW 2. 3. 1 Euro zone crisis: Current economic slowdown along with sovereign euro zone crisis may tremendously hurt the company as sales are declining in Europe. It might pose even greater threat if bigger economies like Italy and Spain has to default like Greece which will lead Europe into a recession (World Economic Forum, 2012).It would not only affect BMW’s sales in Europe but also rest of the world because recession in the EU will have adverse effect in the world’s economy (International Monetary Fund, 2012). 2. 3. 2 Changes in Trend: Recent trend in the usage of car, where wealthy people prefer cheaper/affordable cars instead of luxurious car (24/7 Wall Street, 2012). Due to this trend, BMW as a luxurious car manufactur er might lose sales revenue and market share. Ultimately, it would have negative impact on the sustainability of the company. 2. . 3 Disputes with labour union: Labour union in Germany is very strong where firing employee is very costly (Global Competitiveness Index, 2012). Any dispute with the labour union could have significantly negative impact on the business operation as union could go for strike which will break the whole supply chain. 2. 4 PSA Peugeot Citroen 2. 4. 1 Strengths Peugeot 2. 4. 2 Sustainability of the company Company’s overall profitability significantly increased from very negative profitability in 2009(gross profit on sale -3. 0% and return on sale -5%) to a positive profitability in 2011 (gross profit on sale 17. 10% and return on sales 1. 50%), which demonstrates management’s extraordinary performance to bring the company back into a sustainable position. 2. 4. 3 Operating Efficiency Over the years from 2009 to 2011 Peugeot demonstrated continuo us improvement of its operating efficiency as management was improved efficiency to collect receivables (receivable turnover 20. 63 in 2009 and 26. 98) as well as increased inventory turnover (7. 14 in 2009 and 9. 06 in 2011) which is higher than industry norm (6. 4).Though receivables turnover is lower than industry norm (34), Peugeot’s continuous improvement indicates that management is paying attention to improve in order to maintain the capacity of operating assets. 2. 4. 4 Diversified business segments Diversification in the business segment reduces the risk of failure as it reduces company’s dependency on one single segment (The Economics Times, 2012) The Group's operations are organized in five main business segments: the Automotive Division, the Automotive Equipment Division, the Transportation & Logistics Division, the Finance Division and other businesses. These segments increased revenue by 6. % from â‚ ¬56061million in 2010 till â‚ ¬59912 million in 2 011 (Annual report BMW, 2011). Due to the diversified business segments Peugeot will be able to offset of one segment’s loss from other segment’s profit. 2. 4. 5 Investment in research and development To meet the current and future demand Peugeot invest heavily in research and development. This French auto manufacturer has maintained its R budget at â‚ ¬2152 million in 2011, or 3. 6% of revenue in order to secure sustainability in the future (www. peugeot. com). In 2011, PSA Peugeot Citroen was the most active patent filer in France with 1,237 patents in all.This performance demonstrates the positive outcome of its exceptional investment in R. New patents would enhance the innovative product line which would differentiate Peugeot’s product from its competitors in order to gain competitive advantage. This indicates better future for Peugeot. 2. 4. 6 Affordable price with good quality PSA Peugeot Citroen offers high quality distinctive cars for affordable price and specifically targets middle class (annual presentation 2010 PSA Peugeot Citroen). It would help Peugeot to gain market share faster in the emerging market such as China, Brazil and India where the number of middle class is very large.Higher market share in the emerging markets would strengthen Peugeot’s position in the global automotive industry. 2. 5 Weaknesses Peugeot 2. 5. 1 Creditworthiness Recently, Peugeot’s credit rating has been downgraded from â€Å"stable† to â€Å"negative† by both international credit rating agency Standard & Poor and Moody’s which would negative impact on creditors confidence. As a result, their interest rate will increase as creditors might feel risky to invest (Mustafa, 2012, Class lecture). However, French government’s â‚ ¬7b credit guarantee for Peugeot might help to maintain creditor’s confidence which will keep the interest expense stable. . 5. 2 Declining sales in Europe: Peugeot’s s ales declined by 5. 75% in 2010 in Europe, it’s largest market and it remained stable in 2011. Moreover, sales dropped further by 10. 8% by the end of September 2012 (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, 2012) It indicates a potential threat for Peugeot to losing market share in Europe, if it continues further. However, increasing sales outside Europe 39% in 2011 compare to 32% in 2010 (Annual Report Peugeot, 2011) could help Peugeot to maintain market share in the global automotive industry. 2. 5. 3 Liquidity Since 2009 to 2011 Peugeot’s liquidity has declined from 1. 07 to 1. 4 which even lower than the industry norm. Decrease in liquidity could have negative impact on the operating activities as firm might run out of cash to meet short term obligations. 2. 6 Threats Peugeot 2. 6. 1 Unionized labour market: French labour market is strongly unionized which give labour union a very strong bargaining power. The recent announcement by Peugeot to cut 800 0 jobs in their French plant (BBC News, 2012) might create disputes with the union. Therefore, there is a huge risk that union could go for strike due to the dispute with Peugeot which might disrupt their supply chain and cost a considerable amount for the company.However, French government’s announcement to provide credit guarantee in exchange to keep these jobs (The New York Times, 2012) would help Peugeot to avoid dispute with the union. 2. 6. 2 Euro zone crisis: Economic downturn and euro zone crisis had a very negative impact on Peugeot’s sales in Europe as the market demand declined sharply which resulted a decline in sales by 5% in 2010 and. If it continues may be the sales will drop further. 2. 6. 3 Competition from other producers: Increasing market share gained by other affordable car producers such as Hyundai could hurt Peugeot. There is a risk that French firm could lose market share. . 7 Opportunities Peugeot 2. 7. 1 New Trend Peugeot would be able to attr act customers with high income people due to the new trend as more rich people buy affordable price car (24/7 Wall Street, 2012) This is a very positive indicator for Peugeot to increase market share by attracting this large segments. 2. 7. 2 Market shift to globalization Peugeot is focusing on specific markets in the world. Since globalization is facilitating world trade, Peugeot would benefit significantly from it’s expansion to the emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and Middle East (The New York Times, 2012). . 7. 3 Increase the demand of hybrid electric cars PSA Peugeot has a joint venter with GM to produce hybrid cars. The joint arrangement agreement was signed on 25 October 2011. The Group is committed to providing total capital of â‚ ¬63 million, of which â‚ ¬13 million had been paid as of 31 December 2011. Registered in the Netherlands. (Peugeot annual report 2011) 3. Comparison of BMW and Peugeot This section compares and contrasts of both company in order to identify the better option for investment. 3. 1 Sustainability Both BMW and Peugeot improved their gross profit.BMW is around 10% more profitable in terms of gross profit ratio compare to Peugeot. However, Peugeot had higher return on sales which indicates that management of Peugeot was more capable to control it’s variable cost. Peugeot was also able to generate higher return from its asset compare to BMW as well as industry norm this demonstrates the management’s ability to utilize its asset in order maintain sustainable profit. 3. 2 Management efficiency Management efficiency is lower than the industry norm for both companies. However, Peugeot’s management is more efficient than BMW in collecting receivables.It is also more efficient in inventory turnover, which indicates that Peugeot’s sales, and marketing department is performing better than BMW. 3. 3 Diversified business segments Peugeot’s business segments is more diversified that BMW th is would help Peugeot to reduce the risk because it can cover the loss of one segment from another segments profit. 3. 4 Market share Even though BMW has higher market share in certain market. However, it has declined gradually over the past several years while Peugeot has increased market share in the emerging markets such as China, Russia, India and Latin America. This indicates better future for Peugeot. . 5 Credit ratings BMW’s credit ratings are better than Peugeot because BMW’s credit ratings have been improved from negative to stable. On the other hand, Peugeot’s credit ratings have been downgraded in 2012 (Moody’s 2012) As a result Peugeot’s borrowing cost might increase while BMW will benefit from the lower interest rates. 3. 6 Interest coverage ratio BMW’s interest cover ability is considerably better than Peugeot, which is 9. 54 and 1. 68 respectively. Due to higher interest coverage ratio it will create more confidence in BMW, wh ich will reduce interest expense. 3. 7 Liquidity Liquidity for both companies is below industry average.However, Peugeot has higher liquidity than BMW. This indicates that Peugeot has better ability to cover the short-term obligations. 3. 8 New trend Demand for Peugeot cars would be higher than BMW due to the changes in trend and customer’s preferences as wealthy people are buying cheaper cars. However, increasing demand for sports car would provide benefit to BMW. 3. 9 Euro zone crisis Euro zone crisis has significantly affected on both companies. However, Peugeot has increased sales outside Europe from 32% in 2010 to 39% in 2011 while BMW lost 37% sales in 2011 in the US which is their biggest market.Due to the increasing sales outside Europe, Peugeot will be able to maintain overall sales revenue though there is decline in sales revenue in the European market. 3. 10 Political risk Political risk could negatively effect on both companies. However, BMW is more vulnerable in the Middle Eastern countries which are one of their biggest market due to Arab spring. 3. 11 R Both companies invested heavily in R but Peugeot was able to generate more patents than BMW. In 2011 Peugeot had in total 1237 patents (Annual Report 2011 Peugeot).Higher capability of invention would provide competitive advantage to Peugeot as it will be able to meet the consumers demand. 4. Recommendation The above analysis illustrates that both companies has strengths and weaknesses. However, Peugeot has more strength and opportunities than BMW. Peugeot’s strengths and opportunities are better sustainability, higher management efficiency, diversified business segments, better match with new trend and increasing market share in the emerging market. These strengths demonstrate that investment in Peugeot would be a better choice as the company’s future seems to be stronger and more sustainable than BMW.These also indicate that investment in Peugeot would be less risky. Theref ore, we recommend investing in Peugeot. 5. Conclusion In conclusion, different factors were investigated in order to come up with right decision regarding the investment in BMW or Peugeot. Some of these factors are related to profitability, efficiency, debt, R & D and market position. Some other factors are related to their products’ quality and customer satisfaction. All of these factors were analyzed for three years starting from 2009 to 2011. In addition, the SWOT analysis played an important role in our decision-making.However, after analyzing both companies’ situation and looking at their strengths and opportunities, Peugeot was the best choice to invest in. References BBC News (2012) Peugeot Citroen plans 8000 job cuts. Available at http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-18808662 [accessed 11 November 2012] Bloom, M. R. & Lafleur, B. (n. d. ) Turning Skills into Profit: Economic Benefit of Workplace Education Program. The Conference Board. Available at http://www. conferenceboard. ca/Libraries/EDUC_PUBLIC/Skills_Profits. sflb [accessed 10 November 2012] Murillo, R. H. & Martinek,C. J. (2009) Corporate Social Responsibility Can Be Profitable.The Regional Economist. Available at http://research. stlouisfed. org/publications/regional/09/04/socialresponsibility. pdf [accessed 8 November 2012] The Economics Times (2012) Nine Diversified Companies: Are these firm attractive investment proposition. Available at http://economictimes. indiatimes. com/features/slideshows/et-slideshows-made-here/nine-diversified-companies-are-these-firms-attractive-investment-propositions/nine-diversified-companies-are-these-firms-attractive-investment-propositions/quickiearticleshow/7390833. cms [accessed 5November 2012] The New York Times (2012) France to back Peugeot With 7 billion euro in credit.Available at http://www. nytimes. com/2012/10/24/business/global/france-to-back-peugeot-with-7-billion-euros-in-credit-guarantees. html? _r=0 [accessed 11 November 2012] Wo rld Economic Forum (2012) Global Competitiveness Report. Available at http://www3. weforum. org/docs/WEF_GCR_Report_2011-12. pdf [accessed 25 October 2012] International Monetary Fund (2012) Debt Crisis, as it happened. Available at http://www. telegraph. co. uk/finance/debt-crisis-live/9681567/Debt-crisis-as-it-happened-November-16-2012. html [accessed 16 November 2012] Appendices [pic] Figure 1: Source: [pic] Figure 2: Source: PSA Peugeot Citroen 2011 [pic]

What SAT IIs Should You Take if Youre Undecided?

You may think that if you’re undecided about your major, then it’s not worth taking SAT IIs. After all, your regular SAT score is already an indicator of your academic potential, so why prove your mastery in a specialized subject? However, by taking a diverse combination of SAT IIs, undecided students can demonstrate their versatility and show that they can handle the challenge of a college course load. Not only that, but your performance on the SAT IIs might clue you in to one of your strengths, so that you can narrow down the types of majors you’re looking at. In general, we recommend that you take SAT IIs that play to your strengths, while choosing SAT IIs from a variety of areas to show that you could do well in any major. Here’s what you need to know to decide on SAT IIs to take. SAT IIs, also known as SAT Subject tests, are a set of standardized tests that cover subjects commonly covered in high school. They’re divided in five general categories: Every SAT II is a multiple choice test that takes about an hour to complete, and students earn scores between 200 to 800. As you probably guessed, 800 is the highest score you can achieve, so that’s the score to aim for! SAT IIs are offered on the same days and often the same locations as the SAT. While you can take up to three SAT IIs on the same day, you can’t take both the SAT and an SAT II. For more information about when the SAT IIs are offered, check out our post SAT Subject Test Dates and Deadlines for 2018-2019 . While some colleges require SAT IIs, most only recommend these tests. Many top schools consider SAT II scores in addition to the rest of your academic profile, so SAT IIs can help you stand out from other college applicants and demonstrate your academic strength in specific subjects not covered on the SAT. For many students, SAT IIs show that they’re ready for their intended major, but since you’re undecided, you’ll want to go for a broad range of subjects and take a few different SAT IIs to show that you’re ready for any major. Some schools may use SAT IIs for particular applicants or use them outside of their general admissions. For example, some schools might place you in higher-level courses based on your SAT II scores, so you can take more interesting, specialized classes offered to upperclassmen. Many schools also ask that international, bilingual/ESL students, and homeschooled students take SAT IIs to show that their education was on par with a U.S. high school education and that they’re ready for college. Your ultimate goal is to maximize flexibility; colleges need to be convinced that you will be successful regardless of the major you choose. You’ll need to plan which tests to take in coordination with satisfying college admissions requirements, so be sure to do some research about the schools you’re interested in and what, if any SAT IIs they require. Here are some examples: Always make sure that you’re satisfying the admissions requirements first before you apply any of the advice below. We recommend that you take 3 tests in a range of subjects to show your versatility, such as one math, one science, and one humanities. However, if you’re having trouble scoring well across multiple categories, then this could be a sign that your major should hone in on the type of test you did well on, such as STEM or humanities. Many schools offer options such as undecided—sciences or undecided—arts as a way for students to indicate this preference without forcing you to commit to a single major. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. One strategy is to look at the five top-level categories of SAT II and pick a test from three different categories. We encourage you to choose one math, one science, and one humanities, but the most important thing is to choose subjects you feel strong in. Your past academic performance might indicate whether that’s a subject test you should take or not. For the humanities, choose the one (or two) categories you’re strongest in. For Math, choose either Level 1 or Level 2—there’s no advantage to taking both. In general, Level 1 covers more â€Å"basic† high school math, and is appropriate if you’ve had at least two years of algebra and one year of geometry. If you have two years of algebra and one year of geometry and have taken Trig or PreCalc, then you may want to take Level 2. We covered this in more detail in our post Which SAT II Math Should You Take? For Science, choose the subject that you have taken or excelled in during high school . You can choose from Physics, Chemistry, Biology E or Biology M. We probably don’t need to explain Physics or Chemistry, but here’s the difference between Biology E and M: Because you’re undecided, you have a little more room to choose SAT IIs based on your preferences. If you need more help deciding, you can also find free practice resources for every SAT II at College Board . Trying sample tests is one of the best ways to determine if a test is good fit for you. Although we recommend that you take one science, one math, and one humanities SAT II, nothing replaces doing your own research into programs you’re interested in. Make sure to follow the information on the admissions website to the letter, and if you’re ever unsure about something on the admissions website, don’t be afraid to contact that school directly for clarification. The best way to prepare for the SAT IIs is to take challenging courses in high school. These tests evaluate how well you learned from your classes in high school, so by pushing yourself to do well in all of your classes you can demonstrate your academic readiness for college. If you want personalized guidance about what tests you need to take in high school, then our Mentorship Program might be the right fit for you. We pair high school students with trained mentors from top colleges to help you build a roadmap and keep you on track. Find out if our Mentorship Program is right for you! For more posts about preparing for college, check out: We'll send valuable information to help you strengthen your profile and get ready for college admissions.

Rebecca Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Rebecca Walker - Essay Example The anthology may have given ‘Third Wave Foundation’1, the multicultural network of young feminist activists co ­-founded by Rebecca Walker. In this paper, I examine Walker's Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self. In this mixed race fictional autobiography, Walker develops her multiracial identity, as she explores and expresses her experience growing up racially mixed in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. I read Walker and identify a historical experience, thematic thread, and expression to show that it differs from received conceptions and descriptions of race and mixed race that have been understood in society and portrayed in the canons of American and American Ethnic literature in the categorical, dichotomous, and hierarchical terms of the binary racial idiom. The binary racial idiom has worked to suppress and distort mixed race bodies and lived realities in the culture at large insofar as it designates Americans as either white or black, white or other, and maintains, in conjunction with the social and legal rule of hypodescent (also known as the one-drop rule), the hierarchical valuation of whiteness over blackness by defining as black any racially mixed person with a quantum of African ancestry. Hence, following American racial common sense, the sum of black, white, and Jewish has been black. Nonetheless, Walker attempts to expose into view suppressed and silenced multiracial experience, complexity, and possibility. Body There have always been mixed race people in American history who have attempted to resist and circumvent the binary racial system. For a countless number of mixed race people "of a more European American phenotype and cultural orientation" (Daniel 49), the strategy of passing has been the most common form of resistance. In addition, sociologists and historians have identified groups of tri-racial isolates, mixed race people of black, white, and American Indian ancestry, who lived in rural communi ties in the mountains and in the backwoods apart from blacks and whites. There are also the Louisiana Creoles of Color who emerged as a community when Louisiana was a territory of Spain and then of France. In the US state of Louisiana, they resisted social and legal designation as black for more than a century to protect the rights and opportunities that had been granted to them under French rule. Furthermore, there existed blue-vein societies of mixed race people in the major Northern cities such as Washington D.C. and New York. Nevertheless, in nearly all cases, the mixed race people who attempted to resist the binary racial system nevertheless accepted the dichotomization between European Americans and blacks, as well as the hierarchical valuation of whiteness over blackness. For instance, tri-racial isolate communities accepted their status on the outskirts of organized society and tended to identify as Native American (Daniel 71). Blue-vein elites privileged and sought European culture, education, and somatic features, and the primary concern of Louisiana Creoles of Color was the preservation of the rights and privileges that had been allotted them because of their European heritage and education. It is an historical irony that a

La Misma Luna Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

La Misma Luna - Essay Example La Misma Luna is a modern day film that takes the viewers on a journey. The setting of the film varies significantly, but presents different environment and situation that the character finds himself. Besides, the setting ranges from lavish cities and restaurants in Los Angels to poverty-stricken background of the boy. In addition, the boy finds himself in the truck as he illegal gets immigrated by coyotes. The director of the film in bringing out the crude mode of trans-border dubious strategies succeeded in highlighting reckless police checks at the border. As the film progresses, the boy finds himself at the edge of being caught by the police. In the same scene, some women dresses provocatively around the restaurant suggestive of females working in the sex trade. In addition, men characters are seen wearing small boxer shorts an indication of immorality at the restaurants where immigrants find themselves working. The film portrays a woman smoking, men drinking beer and using derogatory language as they watch a football match. La Misma Luna â€Å" you bastard come here†. It is, therefore, certain that through costume designs immorality is brought to focus. In Mexico, the scenes appear darker an indication of sheer poverty. In addition, the Rosario, the leading protagonist is among the few lucky people to enjoy the bright U.S environment. In one of the scenes, Rosario is awakened by an alarm and she shouts "Are you up?" However, the lighting and the scene changes to Mexico to Carlitos as he prepares to leave in pursuit of his mother. In this scene, the lighting, costumes and setting helps to bring out the contrast of life in these two different worlds. The boy meets a benevolent fellow migrant Enrique although they separated shortly after crossing border. In this scene, the three-pointer light use helps in unraveling the boy emotional

Innovation & Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Innovation & Change - Essay Example According to Kwun and Cho (2001, p. 128) external sources are much influential than internal ones in change initiation. These external forces can be political, economic, social and technological. Talking about change specifically from the perspective of healthcare organizations, Harris (2005, p. 68-71) stated that government and other policy making authorities affect healthcare practices in a country; country’s GDP and government budget for health impacts cost of health; people’s perception and general culture of a country affects healthcare provision; and changes in ‘global technological and information innovation’ affect ‘clinical diagnosis and intervention, as well as management and communication strategies’ practiced by an healthcare organization. Hence like other organizations healthcare organizations are also influenced by external environment which in turn affects the way change and innovation is implemented in an organization. Defining change and innovation in healthcare, Lansisalmi et al (2006, p. 67) stated that it can be â€Å"new services, new ways of working and/or new technologies†. Continuing on same lines, Greenhalgh et al (2004, p. 582) stated that these improved ways, services or technologies â€Å"are directed at improving health outcomes, administrative efficiency, cost effectiveness, or users’ experience and are implemented by planned and coordinated actions†. While talking about change in the field of nursing, Langford (1981) explained that in the field of nursing a person may go through change as a participator in the change process, he/she may act as a target of change process or he/she may work as a change initiator. Loveridge and Cummings (1996, p. 380) explains that â€Å"the nurse may be going through change individually, may be trying to change a patient’s health habits, or may be experiencing reorganization in the work environment†. Langford (1981) affirms t hat for decades health care sector has been a field of rapid technological growth. Out of many types of change and innovation, this essay particularly focuses on technological innovations. Technological innovations can be broadly categorized as product innovation or process innovation. Product innovation is when new product or service is introduced whereas process innovation is when the change is brought about in the process through which the product is produced. This essay will focus on product innovation where the change introduced is Biphasic Positive Airway Pressure ventilation system (BIPAP), specifically the Evita Ventilator whose impact on the delivery of healthcare will be studied. Why the introduction of BIPAP was important and how it has benefited the healthcare delivery are a few focal areas of this essay. Moreover, the whole change process of introducing BIPAP from initiation to implementation and evaluation will be studied to present recommendations for strategy develop ment for implementing, monitoring and evaluating change in healthcare. Models and Theories of Change There are several models of change introduced by different researchers. Some of these models are for planned change whereas some are for unplanned change. Since the change implemented in my area of practice, that is, the introduction of BIPAP system, is a planned change different planned change models and theories are discussed in this section.

IPHONE 5 AND IOS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IPHONE 5 AND IOS - Essay Example Flaws in iPhone 5 Introduction Apple Computers Company has its headquarters in California America and is one of the successful and innovative companies across the world. Apple Computer Company has a big market name across the world, which is due to the high innovation and production of unique products. Steve Jobs was the actual founder of Apple Computers Company in 1976 and began to design and produce iPhones, iPods, iOS and iTunes. Apple also produces computes like the Macintosh, Power Mac and Apple Brands. Apple Computers Company under the headship of Steve Jobs was the first company to innovate and design iPod that was unique in the entire electronics markets. â€Å"iPhone† is a brand for mobile communication devices designed and manufactured by Apple Computers Company. iPhone exists in series ranging from iPhone iPhone2, iPhone 3, iPhone 4 and latest iPhone 5. Apple Computers Company released iPhone 5 in September 2012 and managed to sell neatly 5000000 units of the produc t. Such big sale attributed to the perceived unique features that iPhone 5 exhibited and that created serious anxiety and curiosity among the consumers who could not hesitate from buying the product. One of unique features that Apple Computers included in the iPhone 5 series was Siri, which is software that recognizes voice and can answer questions as well as help one accomplish phone setups and even browsing without necessarily touching the screen. Siri software has can help individual phone user update face book and twitter without having to touch the screen or dial any pad. The iPhone 5 also has an inbuilt eight-mega pixel camera that significantly attracts more consumers of the product. Long battery life of up to 225 hours on stand by mode and 8 hours talk time, and super lightweight are among other features that attract iPhone 5 much praise and consumers. Moreover, iPhone 5 is considerably unique innovation bearing its wireless charging capability. Flaws in the iPhone 5 Despite the excessively acclaimed beautiful and unique features, iPhone 5 has particular design flaws that have made customers regret over their decisions to buy the phone. The flaws are only unique to the iPhone 5 series and never occurred in the other previous series of iPhone. a) Breakable security locks and passwords b) Misleading maps c) Soft and easily scratched body d) Appearance of purple pigmentation on photos e) Produces rattling sound from inside f) Unresponsive and inefficient touch screen g) Inability to maintain correct time and date Scratching body The menace of scratch on the bodies of iPhone 5 gadgets began to occur immediately after the launching of the phone into the market. The body of iPhone 5 is an anodized aluminum cover that is relatively soft. The body easily scratches to remove the silver coating and leaving the inner aluminum exposed (Margid, 2012). Scratches are prone around the edges of the phone that scrubs when forcing the device through a narrow enclosure or pocket. Some consumers also claimed to have realized the scratching menace on removing the gadget from the box immediately after buying. To improve on the problem of scratches on the body, it is important tat the company use vulcanized metallic case of just use uncoated aluminum cover to avoid the =bad impression. Purple Coloring on Images Caught Using the iPhone 5 Camera Many customers of iPhone 5 voiced their surprise with the appearance of purple pigmentation on the images captured by the camera of iPhone 5. This

Four components of an information system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Four components of an information system - Essay Example Software consists of the programs and manuals written to run the hardware. Software process the instructions issued by humans and relay them to the hardware. Data is what is entered into the information system (Hurson 36). It can consist of numbers or words fed into the system through typing or other means. Humans are the people who issue commands and manage the system, while processes are the steps followed in running information system. For instance, when using a computer there is a defined procedure for switching it on or off, or performing other standard operations that help to run it. It is important to consider all the aforementioned components when designing an information system because they are the fundamental parts that make it work. It cannot run without any of these components, so it is quite obvious that they must feature in its design (Stair and Reynolds 13). For example, it would be useless to design a car without a steering wheel or a fuel tank because such parts make it what it is. Information systems are probably the most common aspect of human activities in the 21st century. People use information systems to make processes easier to execute, as well as to enhance their quality of life. It is expected that information systems will become more complex as time goes, embedding themselves deeper in our lives (Stair and Reynolds

Value Creation, Communication, and Evaluation Essay - 1

Value Creation, Communication, and Evaluation - Essay Example Thus, the organization competes by ensuring that the standard and quality of its products is high and that the products satisfy the customers wants fully. The organization also competes by promoting its products with the utmost zeal and dedication. This strategy is mainly reached by committing a substantial amount of funds to the sales and marketing department. Effective promotion is also achieved by employing qualified and experienced sales persons. Indeed, the competitive strategies employed by the organization blend well with its marketing strategies. This is because; over the past years the organization has managed to attract more customers than its competitors by use of these marketing strategies. Taking for instance, despite the wide use of promotions and advertisements by the organization, it still manages to maintain a low cost/benefit ratio. This is mainly by ensuring that the advertisements are acutely economical and that the resources used do not exceed the benefits obtained (Paley, 2008). The issue of value proposition is also a strategy employed to ensure the organization competes well in the market. The main value propositions offered include promising the customers to improve the value of products, offer a variety of products, and to ensure that high quality is maintained. The value is communicated to customers by explaining the product relevance to them, stating the benefits that accrue after purchasing the product, and finally informing the customers about the unique differentiation of its products from those of the competitors. The organization also makes use of visuals in order to catch the attention of customers and also achieve a better understanding of the promotion. Over the past years, the organization has managed to make a compelling value proposition by communicating the concrete results to customers clearly. The management also ensures that the

Chevrolet Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Chevrolet Case Analysis Essay Then: ​ In the beginning, Chevrolet positioned itself strongly as a theme of â€Å"quality vehicle with deep roots in America’s past. Priding themselves on the traditional representation of the sporty car brand, Chevrolet has made great strides over the years. Firmly entrenching the brand as a key part of the American culture, Chevrolet has made many attempts to associate with American sporting events. For example, Chevrolet sponsored the All ­American Soap Box Derby for a decade. In addition to sponsoring events, Chevrolet also sponsored drivers with their vehicles for racing circuits such as NASCAR. Another subcategory Chevrolet used along with the American theme was patriotism in its promotional aspects. Taglines with the phrases â€Å"America’s Best Seller,† â€Å"America’s Best Buy,† and â€Å"Like a Rock,† were all famous for reminding consumers about Chevy’s great history as an American leader for automaking. This was perhaps the biggest aspect of Chevrolet’s branding as a company in the United States. However, when it came to Chevrolet as a leading automaker overseas, four values represented the company to their foreign consumers: durability, value, practicability, and friendliness. Many of their various taglines surrounding these values create  strong brand cohesiveness. Although Chevrolet has adopted more of a global brand strategy, it still customizes its branding to appeal to certain markets. Now: ​ Currently, Chevrolet is making plans to launch new vehicles and continue advertising and promoting their brand to consumers. Despite the recall at the beginning of the 2014 year, according to Chevrolet’s marketing leaders,â€Å"the automaker is not spending more on advertising or incentives than previously   budgeted and isnt likely to change that strategy† (â€Å"GM Stick with Marketing Plan Despite Recall†Ã‚ ­ USA Today). The plan is to focus on the product and not the publicity of trying to defend themselves as a company. Therefore, there will not be a recall ad and instead there will be just ads showing new products introduced recently. As stated before, Chevrolet is looking to spend more marketing money and energy on its full ­size pickups and SUVs this year. On the other side, Chevrolet is using the NFL Superbowl in hopes to boost not only national but global awareness with its ads. Chevrolet continues to also sponsor sports with â€Å"​  Chevrolets jersey sponsorship with English soccer club Manchester Unitedwill put the Chevrolet bowtie logo in front of the clubs worldwide fan base of some 700 million people..† (â€Å"Audi, Chevy and Lincoln Plan to Boost Ad Spending in 2015†  ­ AdAge)​ . Chevrolet’s current marketing innovations regarding technology with 4G LTE in its vehicles also proves that Chevrolet plans to remain relevant with consumer wants and needs. The GMC Problem Chevrolet’s biggest problem is in fact it’s biggest company supporter, GMC. GM is the starting point for Chevrolet, yet it has been not once but twice in a position that jeopardizes the equity of the Chevrolet brand. GMC is the problem for Chevrolet because of their bad publicity regarding the 2008 bailout and 2014 recall crisis thus far. As mentioned before, Chevrolet’s association and alliance with GMC causes them to have a bad reputation at times, even with Chevrolet’s freedom to stand on   its own as a brand. In the case of GM, the company’s bankruptcy and subsequent bailout had the ability to contaminate its four brands of vehicles, in spite of their individual merits. Therefore, Chevrolet has to figure out how they are going to deal with the bad publicity domino effect that falls upon them every time GM fails. Recommendations Even with a company as successful as Chevrolet, there is always room for improvement. Tactical modifications that can be made to enhance the Chevrolet brand’s equity to remain substantial while in alliance with GM could be examples of: brand decisions to enhance self ­image and product loyalty, increasing brand value from recognition and preference to brand  insistence for their products, and focusing slightly on marketing strategies for ethical and social responsibility if they continue to be a part of GM. Chevrolet is a high quality brand nonetheless, however, they focus on American vehicle tradition where they could take a step back and focus on the consumer. If Chevrolet would reposition a few of their vehicles to show how it would enhance the self ­image of the consumer driving a sporty yet luxurious car, there is a possibility they will get great feedback in sales. Consumers currently are looking for mass customization products that can be used on every level of purchasing decisions. Therefore, it would a smart move for Chevrolet to focus on the consumer even more as the â€Å"person behind the car† (â€Å"man behind the mask†), while still including valuable information about the car itself.

Theoretical Perspectives On A Family

Theoretical Perspectives On A Family Theories have been useful as a tool for creating explanations for patterns of behaviour in families (Doherty et al:, 1993). Functionalism gives an extremely optimistic view of family life. Langs evidence on child abuse, violence against women and divorce statistics indicates that functionalists neglect the dysfunctional aspects of the nuclear family. Functionalism focused excessively on the nuclear family form and insufficiently on other family forms. Marxist and Functionalist theories of the family tend to assume that the nuclear family is the dominant family form and therefore neglect diversity. Both structural approaches to the family Marxism and Functionalism can be deterministic, and this can make their analyses inaccurate and maybe over-generalised. Feminists, interactionists and the radical psychiatrists of the 1960s (Laing, Leach and Cooper) have all helped to correct these weaknesses.  Postmodernism has helpfully emphasised diversity, but it can be argued that it goes too far, ignoring the evidence of structural trends and dominant norms in our society(Doherty et al:, 1993). Functionalist approach presents the most positive view of theory. Types of Family The nuclear family is traditionally known to be made of the parents and their siblings and this is the most basic family arrangement. While the nuclear family is made- up father, mother and their offspring, extended family refers to aunts, grandparents, cousins and uncles. I would like to think that most societies have a concept of extended family. The relative structure, functions and importance vary according to the particular culture. Traditionally, extended family is referred to as kinship network of economics and social ties made-up of the nuclear family plus other relatives. The economic and social importance of extended family can most readily be seen when family members are living together. Even when extended families do not live together, nuclear families may rely on extended kin to help with basic day to day activities and may also co-dependent on extender family for economically and emotionally support. Contemporary family is ..In any particular time and place, families have always been more varied than the prevailing image of what the ideal family should be. Although family types are even more diverse than in the past, most contemporary families are still variations on the traditional nuclear family pattern. Family structure Lone parent Single parent can be caused by death of a spouse, divorce, and separation. This may lead to single parents being overwhelmed with their loss and the responsibilities. Most single parents are women, who may face somewhat lower income and will often rely on child support and government subsides. When parents divorce or are widowed children often experience loss and a disruption of routine. Children may also need a lot of attention, affection, and reassurance (Meyerhoff, 2010). Reconstituted family As we tend to think of families consists of a mother, father and their children, the reality is that there is a lot of divorces and remarriages occurring in our society such that a large number of families are actually stepfamilies. In remarried families, parenting is shared among different sets of parents and different household. Children will tend to visit in and out of households for visitations. Issues with children not accepting parenting from their stepparents can be an issue and this can be hard on children as well as the parents. Strong sense of loss can recur in remarried families due to the families not feeling intact, which may sometimes cause emotional scars, conflicting loyalties. Remarried families can be complex. Each additional member of the family system allows for another relationship or another with every other member of the family. The family is made up of biological parents, grandparents, siblings, stepparents, stepsiblings, half siblings and step-grandparents (M eyerhoff, 2010). With this many relationships between so many people there is potential for stress, but there is equally an increased potential for a large support network if everyone cooperates and communicates well. Hence reward can be tremendous. Adoption family Adoption family structure is complex but potentially rewarding . Changes in family structure Family structure has changed significantly in recent years, with increasing divorce rates and single-parent households (Field, 2003). Evolving definitions of family include people who may not be kin, but who act as family for some individuals, Rothausen (1999). Bogan (1991) uses the term wider families to refer to the concept and opines that such families result from individuals lifestyles and may not involve the sharing of a household. This concept of family describes a group of people who are invested in one another due to bonds of dependence, obligation or duty, love caring or cooperation (Rothausen, 1999). In the same way Weeks, Heapy and Donovan (2001) refer to same -sex families which are founded on bonds of individual choice, as families of choice. There is also a great deal of cultural variability in how the term family is defined. Changes to the family structure is also happening through ethnic difference which is also influenced by religion within the society In many Asian countries, a normal family may include three or more generations living in one household (Rothausen, Kanye, 2005). And as life expectancy continues to rise the number of multigenerational families may increase (Levade et al, 2000). The dynamics of family have changed, with couples having children later on following economic stability and careers. A lot of women are pursuing careers thereby starting family in the late 30s. Families might only have one child, this could lead to the child being spoiled (through parents trying to over compensate) and lonely. With new legalisation allowing same-sex couples to adopt families in place, the traditional family structure has changed to contemporary. Discussion Family friendly government policies are helping families by providing childcare, pre and after school care benefits (tax credit), vouchers, extended maternity and paternity leave, flexible work / life balance, Finn (2010). This is allowing families to spend more time together there by forming strong bonds, which is essential for a better relationship between family members. The stronger the relationship the more family became a haven in this heartless world. The family is a social institution. Due to diversity, different cultures have different concepts of family values. Same families can be oppressive (oppress individual development), restrictive, inhibitive and repressive. This can lead to families masking undercurrents and patterns of abuse, violence and potentially exploitation. Finn (2010) states that majority of abuse is within family unit and close relatives. Hence for the abused people family might not be a haven. An example of abuse by family is baby P incident (whereby a little boy lost his life through abuse by family members and extended family members). Baby Ps abuse occurrence and pattern was masked by the same family members who abused him, therefore family was not a haven for baby P. More often abused people sometimes become anti-social because of their lake of trust and also often became withdrawn such that they are un-productive. Abused people may often confide in people outside the family unit and are most like to beco me estranged to their biological family and they will forge relationship with people who they will consider as family. They often get support from outside the family unit. The will make family of choice based on friendship and this family of choice might be their haven in the heartless world, Lasch (1977). Support from family members differ between same -sex and opposite sex couple. The research by Kurdeck (2001) found that gays and lesbians received very little support from their families of origin as compared to the heterosexual couples, Bravewoman et al (1998). For the gays and lesbians who do not have support from their family of origin family is not a haven of. They might face the pressure from society and family to conform to what is traditional. This can lead to unrest, but family is a haven for the gays and lesbians who have strong family ties. Lawrence Stone (1977) argued that, the new family ideal prescribed domestic privacy and strong emotional attachments between spouses and between parents and children. Todays life style has lead to longevity, meaning parent and child relationship can last fifty years or more. Family remains a central attachment in most peoples lives, thereby family acting as a haven in this heartless world. Summary The change in the perception of family in recent times is through people choosing a family life in whatever shape or form and that people still desire a family life and family is still a required lifestyle option for the majority of people, Finn (2010). Therefore there will always be a variation in family units. Families will come in different shape and sizes and such differentiation is expected. So family will vary from time to time and place to place. For the majority of people the family is a haven in this heartless world, for family is a source of great joy and warmth. Whatever your particular family situation it will have tremendous influence upon your childrens happiness, development and future. A strong relationship with extended families can be just as rewarding as close ties inside the nuclear family. However building those bonds inside the extended family can be a little more difficult because, obviously everyone does not live under the same roof. For young children, living in a big family can be a lot of fun. The traditional family will continue to exist along other alternative family and everyone has a right to choose which family they belong too and the one that suit their situation and circumstances. Hence family life in whatever chosen shape is still the desired and required lifestyle option for the majority of people.

The Life of Infants and Children in Victorian London :: European Europe History

The Life of Infants and Children in Victorian London Home Life    Victorian homes offered children a large network of various caregivers built in to the family structure. Each married couple had an average of six children, but the average household was considerably larger. Rarely would one find the nuclear family living alone. Only thirty-six per cent of families consisted simply of a set of parents and their children. Extended families were also rare. Only 10 per cent of families had three or more generations under one roof. The average household would more likely be a conglomeration of a nuclear family along with any number of random outsiders. The stragglers could include any combination of lodgers, distant relatives, apprentices and/or servants. The composition of the home constantly changed: older children married or went off to work, while babies were born and died. Babies and young children were extremely susceptible to illness. In the worst and poorest districts, two out of ten babies died in the first year. One fourth of them would die by age five. Life expectancy varied greatly depending upon the quality of the area in which people lived. In industrial towns, like Liverpool, the average life expectancy was twenty-six years. In a better area, like Okehampton in Devon, it was fifty-seven years. The national average of England and Wales was forty years at mid century. Therefore as a child grew older, he was likely to lose one or more siblings as well as one or both parents. Children usually enjoyed the benefit of their mothers’ presence on a daily basis. The mother’s place was considered to be in the home. Common thought dictated that a woman should be available at all times to care for her husband and children. She would supervise the staff, servants and/or nannies, if her family could afford them. The idea of a working mother was considered highly improper and thought to result in neglect of husband, children and home. Supposedly, illness or even death might arise in the children. An absent wife would also find an unhappy and strained relationship with her husband. Reporting on Birmingham, in Chadwick’s 1842 Report on Sanitary Conditions, The Committee of Physicians and Surgeons declares that: The habit of a manufacturing life being once established in a woman, she continues it and leaves her home and children to the care of a neighbor, or of a hired child, whose services cost her probably as much as she obtains by her labor.

Dragons Essay example -- Expository Animals History Essays

Dragons What’s the first thing people think when they hear the word â€Å"dragon?† Most Americans and Europeans probably envision a huge scaly green beast, one that sits on a hoard of golden treasures and breathes fire. Asians are more likely to think of a benevolent snake-like creature, one that controls rains and rivers. And some people will think of the dragons in movies, or in books, which come in innumerable shapes, sizes, and dispositions. Practically every culture on Earth has dragons of some kind. The broadest way of categorizing dragons is into Western and Eastern dragons, though some of the dragons in the media have distinct characteristics as well. And then, of course, is the ultimate question: did they exist? Western dragons are the storybook monsters that most Americans recognize. The most common variety have four legs, two bat-like wings, a long tail, and a lot of teeth. They breathe fire, are covered in scales, hoard treasure, and have dangerous claws. They vary in color, and can be any shade of the rainbow, white, black, or any of various metallic shades. They are usually fierce, and feast on young virgins or sheep sacrificed by nearby villagers in an attempt to pacify the beast (Blumberg 6-7, Lurie n.p, Walker, Tempest). The Eastern dragons, by contrast, are benevolent water spirits. They are long and sinuous, covered in scales, and wingless, though they have four legs. They have whiskers, horns and often a mane, and always have a pearl either under the chin, in the mouth, or in the claws. Eastern dragons govern rain and rivers, and breathe clouds rather than fire. They are fond of swallow’s meat, and afraid of centipedes. The Chinese and Japanese emperors were believed to be descended from dragons (Ayles... ...gons have over the human imagination is as legendary as the great beasts themselves. Works Cited Aylesworth, Thomas. The Story of Dragons and Other Monsters. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980. Blumberg, Rhoda. The Truth About Dragons. New York: Four Winds Press, 1980. Dickinson, Peter. The Flight of Dragons. New York: Harper and Row, 1979. Dragonheart. Dir. Rob Cohen. , 1996. Lurie, Alison. Fabulous Beasts. New York: Rae Publishing Company, 1981. McCaffrey, Anne. Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern. New York: Ballantine Books, 1983. Mulan. Dir. Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft. Disney, 1998. Pete’s Dragon. Dir. Don Chaffey. Disney, 1977. Tempest. â€Å"Advanced Dragon Description.† D.R.A.G.O.N.S. n.d. 14 May 2002. . Walker, Jennifer. â€Å"Physiology of a Dragon.† Here Be Dragons. n.d. 14 May 2002. <

Volcanic Emissions and Global Cooling Essay -- Global Warming Climate

Volcanic Emissions As volcanoes erupt, they blast huge clouds into the atmosphere. These clouds are made up of particles and gases that were previously trapped in the geosphere, including sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, chlorine, argon, carbon monoxide, and water vapor. Millions of tons of harmful sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide gas can reach the stratosphere from a major volcano. While all these gases play a small part in volcanic-induced climate change, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are by far the largest contributors to global cooling. Carbon Dioxide Carbon dioxide emissions from volcanoes total around 110 million tons per year, but this number is extremely small if compared to the 10 billion tons put into the atmosphere by human activities. Despite being a greenhouse gas that is known for its global warming potential, carbon dioxide, combined with volcanic ash, actually act as short-term coolants in the atmosphere by acting as a â€Å"blanket† that absorbs the sun’s radiation in the stratosphere before it can reach the earth’s surface. There are those who argue that volcanic carbon dioxide emissions result in long-term global warming, but the amounts released by volcanoes have not proven to be substantial enough to significantly affect the global temperature in the long run. Sulfur Dioxide Sulfur dioxide has the most adverse effect on the atmosphere of any of the volcanic gases. Sulfur dioxide is converted to sulfuric acid within months of the eruption. Winds then spread these newly formed aerosols over the ... ...here is a definite short-term global cooling process brought about by volcanic eruptions, there have been no noticeable long-term effects, other than the depletion of ozone due to the release of aerosols. The relatively small amount of harm done to the atmosphere by volcanoes cannot even compare to the extensive damage done by man. Sources Cited 1. "Atmospheric Aersols: What are they, and why are they so important?" http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Aerosols.html 2. "Volcanoes and Climate." http://itg1.meteor.wisc.edu/wxwise/museum/a5/a5volcan.html 3. "Recent volcanic eruption data." http://skye.gsfc.nasa.gov 4. "The Science of Climate Change: The Aerosol Effect." http://www.panda.org/resources/publications 5. "The Effects of Volcanic Eruptions on Earth's Climate." http://www.geo.mtu.edu 6. "Volcanoes and global cooling." http://www.nasa.gov

Diploma in Leadership for Health Essay

The purpose of this unit is to assess the learner’s knowledge, understanding and skills required to promote the professional duty to maintain the currency of knowledge and skills and the need to continually reflect on and improve practice. The learning outcomes below are to be covered to enable you to achieve the unit. 1. Understand principles of professional development. 2. Be able to prioritise goals and targets for own professional development. 3. Be able to prepare a professional development plan. 4. Be able to improve performance through reflective practice. ASSIGNMENT COMPLETION INSTRUCTIONS Complete each learning outcome with a minimum of 250 words for each assessment criteria. Refer to the relevant workshop material in particular the Additional Reading Material. This assignment needs to be typed and when completed sent to: suzannebettaney@eurosourcesolutions.com LEARNING OUTCOME 1 – UNDERSTAND PRINCIPLES OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 1.1 Explain the importance of continually improving knowledge and practice. It is important whilst working in a childcare setting to continually improve your knowledge and practice to ensure all aspects are carried out correctly in line with up to date policies and procedures. This helps to ensure that the best practice is followed at all times. Understanding that practice can change frequently and keeping ourselves up to date is vital. Constant development of all staff would also ensure that no one is falling behind and that everyone is up to date. Sharing information around the team helps to certify all staff are kept up to date with changing practice and are following the best practice possible. ‘Froebel believed that the training of workers for early years settings was essential’ – Early years and education pg.6. Benefits of training The benefits of staff training are good practice and bring together professionals to develop common ways of working which will widen an employee’s potential to progress and enhance performance. Continually training or extending to having managerial skills enable the individual to apply for a new job role or a promotion, therefore leading to a career progression. Benefits to the individual The benefits to the individual of improving knowledge and practice are becoming confident in your skill. Effective education requires practitioners who understand that young children develop rapidly, children are entitled to provision that supports and extends knowledge, skills, understanding and confidence. The outcomes for the children are better for development and learning. Training acts as a toolkit to use in all scenarios. Benefits to the employer It is the employer who has overall responsibility for their staff and therefore it is in their best interests to have a well trained team. It is  beneficial to the manager to be able to get work done safely, effectively and efficiently, the organisation is only as good as its overall staff. Having had further training staff will be able to pick up on extra additional needs a child may need as a result the child needs can be met successfully. 1.2 Analyse potential barriers to professional development In order for me to progress within my professional development, i should consider any potential barriers, once these barriers have been identified i should look at these barriers as challenges to overcome and not as problems which may remain unsolved. I consider barriers as a stepping stone to improve my skills and knowledge. Here is a list of some barriers which may prevent further professional development Having inadequate staffing levels Fear and lack of confidence in learning Lack of time due to high work loads Lack of resources and skills Lack of effective evaluation of learning Everyone has different learning styles, some people find it difficult sitting in a class and taking notes from a teacher, other people learn better from practical, I myself learn better being more hands on. Language barriers could play a big part in a staff member understanding what they are hearing or reading. A manager should encourage this member of staff to get extra help from themselves or an early year’s advisor. Individuals’ personal beliefs and attitudes impact significantly on the way they behave, overcoming these barriers is essential and here are a few ideas of how things can be resolved. Talking to the key individual, this gives an insight into particular problems or situations. Advantages include: Ideas can be explored Information can be obtained Gets any problems fixed quickly Disadvantages: It relies heavily on the key individual The responses may be biased It may be difficult to find the right person to talk to Observation is an effective way of assessing people’s behaviour in their working environment, this gives detail and analysis of current behaviours. A disadvantage of this is that some people’s behaviour alters if they know they are being observed. A good questionnaire can help give me a clear picture of current practice, I can then get a rapid collection of large amounts of data from lots of people it also highlights any need for change through communication from result. Some disadvantages from this is that time is needed to develop good questions and I cannot ask follow up questions. Professional development is vital to improve the workplace and it is essential for good people management. Continuing professional development is an ongoing, planned, learning and development process which enables all workers to expand and fulfil their potential. 1.3 Compare the use of different sources and systems of support for professional development. Support for my learning and development is very important and can be provided by other people in my workplace and also by outside agencies. Sources of support Staff meetings Training provided in house Training by outside agencies Appraisals Discussions with staff team Internet and E-learning Training – planned activities which enable a trainee to do something they haven’t done before. Learning – absorbing new information to apply in practice. Training is the input of information from outside, learning is the internal process of absorbing and understanding that information so it can be put into practice. Another source of support is using my manager as a role model and having staff meetings for advice. Supervisors can support my professional development by using supervisory meetings as an opportunity to scaffold and support any new knowledge. One way of doing this is to analyse my own work and its implementations. Reflection is important because it empowers people to assess their own performance. Awareness of my own strengths as well as my limits and vulnerabilities allows me to make mid-course corrections in work performance that feels natural and unforced. 1.4 Explain factors to consider when selecting opportunities and activities for keeping knowledge and practice up to date. LEARNING OUTCOME 2 – BE ABLE TO PRIORITISE GOALS AND TARGETS FOR OWN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 2.1 Evaluate own knowledge and performance against standards and benchmarks. My role as team leader is to work as part of the management team, to provide professional leadership and management to the nursery staff to ensure all children receive the highest standards of care and education. I need to have positive working relationships with staff, parents and carers and make sure that my entire team feel supported in their job roles. My key responsibilities: Provide professional and relevant feedback to parents/carers about their child. Ensure records of development and learning are accurately maintained by the appropriate staff. Make sure appropriate planning is in place to maintain the required standards. Provide leadership and support staff to  enable them to establish and uphold positive working relationships. Guarantee that practice and provision in the nursery meets the requirements of the early years foundation stage. Ensure all children are kept safe and that staff understand and, when necessary, follow safeguarding procedures. Support the development of good practice with regards to special needs and inclusion. Develop and maintain highly professional working relationships with relevant local authority departments, regulatory bodies and other agencies. Health and safety: Undertake a shared responsibility for health, safety and cleanliness throughout the nursery. Be fully aware of all emergency and security procedures. Operational: Support the manager and staff during inspections by regulatory bodies and assist in the implementation of any recommendations. Promote the nursery to current parents and potential customers. Staff: Support and supervise nursery staff with their day to day duties. Support and mentor staff and students. Be responsible for taking part in all self-development activities such as appraisals. Identify any training needs. Develop positive relationships with staff. General: Adhere to all company policies and procedures. Ensure that the company’s policies on diversity and equal opportunities are adhered to. The tasks I have stated above require a different combination of skills, knowledge and personal attributes for my work to be effective. I need to hold strong written and spoken communication skills, have good time management and organisational skills to meet deadlines and targets and to  have leadership skills to be able to support, develop and motivate my team. I need to hold and NVQ level 3 or above with at least 2 years experience in an early years setting, have a working understanding of the early years foundation stage and have current first aid qualifications to carry out my job role. I also need to have previous leadership skill, experience of meeting OFSTED requirements, practice as a room leader or manager and knowledge of OFSTED and EYFS. Some personal attributes that I feel I hold which allow me to achieve in my job role are being caring, mature and having a patient nature. I also need to be consistent and fair and have a sense of responsibility. 2.2 Prioritise development goals and targets to meet expected standards. To become more effective in my job role I need to have a plan. Having a visible plan helps me as a team leader see a quick overview of daily tasks and allows me to check that everyone understands their own work objectives. It also helps to agree timescales and goals and helps with performance and managing. Planning skills are vital to my efficiency and success in my job. I have to be able to set and achieve targets, prioritise these and help others do the same. The main purpose of negotiating realistic targets for work is to ensure that work gets done in a reasonable time and allows for overall better management, focusing on the outcome. Setting targets is part of planning so the more accurately I keep to a plan usually the more likely I am to succeed. Personal development is a long process. It helps me to assess my skills and qualities, consider my aims in life and set goals in order to realise and maximise my own potential. Practical steps need to be taken to enhance my personal development including: Organising my time Overcoming barriers to learning a new skill Undertaking a skills appraisal Being able to manage my time effectively will allow me to plan specific periods where I can devote myself to studying and preparing for future  assignments. Time management has always been one of my personal areas to improve and now I feel that i need to prioritise study time as this could be a potential pitfall for me. My end goal is to be able to complete my NVQ level 5 and in order to do this I need to plan where to study and still set aside time to spend with my family and work life. Some ways in which I can begin to organise my time could be to delegate at home and at work and to collect appropriate reading materials to help me, I can use all these skills to implement at work what I have learnt from studying. LEARNING OUTCOME 3 – BE ABLE TO PREPARE A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. 3.1 Select learning opportunities to meet development objectives and reflect personal learning style.(please state the method you used to identify your learning style and describe your findings) State and explain the learning opportunities. Having a personal development plan helps me to take responsibility for my own personal development; this will motivate me to develop my own skills and to be aware of strengths, weaknesses and what training might be required to fulfil my future plans. Here are a few main steps to begin this process: Consider my own skills, strengths and weaknesses. Before i can work out which areas I need to develop, I need to analyse the skills I already hold. Decide which areas I need to develop. Looking at my current job I need to decide whether I intend on staying in my job role. Create the plan. I would think about how I can achieve objectives and do I need more training? Discuss plan with others. My manager or even my colleagues could give support and offer suggestions to help gain experience. Implement my plan Review my plan After looking at all these steps I can now begin building my own professional development plan. After previously stating in an earlier section everyone’s learning styles are different, I see myself as a pragmatist meaning I am keen to test things out in practice and like to experiment with new ideas. 3.2 Produce a plan for own professional development, using an appropriate source of support.(Use format shown in additional reading activities) It is often a good idea to keep a record of personal development plans. By writing down key developments in learning and development as and when they occur, I am able to reflect on my success at a later date. This reflection may well help to motivate me to learn more skills in the future. Targets identified Resources required Recommended solution Expected outcome Timescale for completion Leadership skills Time management To complete NVQ level 5 Help from colleagues and friends Time log and diary Appropriate reading materials Be assertive and take control of situations Prioritise my time, make a plan for work, home and studying Plan when to study To be a confident team leader who can delegate To have a healthy a Balance for work and home. To pass each assignment and maintain standards at work Ongoing Immediately December 2015 I will use the results of my PDP evaluation as part of the continuous improvement process to develop the following years’ PDP, and to revise professional learning goals based on my performance results and practice. 3.3 Establish a process to evaluate the effectiveness of your professional development plan. In order to establish the effectiveness of my PDP, I will need to measure my achievements against the targets and goals I have set. As well as being SMART, in order that the goals are achievable, I must use a method of evaluating it’s effectiveness. In this case, a formative method would be appropriate as I will need to evaluate my outcomes on a regular basis. Summative methods would not be appropriate as it would only take into account measures of actual achievements, and would not account for all the different factors involved in the process. A formative evaluation would enable evaluation of all these factors in order to have a working document that can be adapted on a regular basis, in order that it stays relevant and SMART. My targets are time management, developing my leadership skills, delegating and completing NVQ. I need to break down some of these further in order to make it easier rather than just trying to measure that my leadership skills have improved. For example, delegation is a leadership skill but will also help with my time management. How I go about delegating will show how my leadership skills are developing. Therefore ‘improving my leadership skills’ is the end goal and the targets I need to meet to help me achieve this are ‘to improve my time management’, ‘complete my NVQ’, ‘delegate tasks’ and to be able to take steps to achieve this. I might also break these down further so that ‘to improve my time management’ would be ‘to complete assignments and submit them on time’. However, to achieve this I need to set aside time to study, which will show that I can manage my  time, so I would need to include this within the plan, as well as how I have achieved this. I will also include times when I have been unable to achieve things such as ‘setting aside study time’ and evaluate this. This will demonstrate my leadership skills are improving. When evaluating the effectiveness of my PDP, I must reflect on what has been useful and what has hindered the targets I have set myself. This must also take into account the opinions or feedback from colleagues and peers. As I have chosen a formative style of PDP, regular evaluation and reflectiveness is an integral part of the formative PDP, and something that I must evaluate and re-evaulate on a regular basis, so that I am more aware of my strengths and weaknesses. When I evaluate my plan, my reflections on the effectiveness of the plan will help me to adapt my behaviour and the plan if necessary. LEARNING OUTCOME 4 – BE ABLE TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE THROUGH REFLECTIVE PRACTICE. 4.1 Compare models of reflective practice. There are many different models of reflection; the most simple model could be Boud’s triangular representation. Experience Learning Reflection This model has restrictions; it doesn’t lead us as to what reflection might consist of or how learning might transform into experience. Alternatively, other theorists have broken down the cycle into further stages; an example of this is Gibbs reflective cycle. Gibbs model acknowledges that personal feelings influence the situation and how I could begin to reflect on it Edgar Schon describes reflection in two ways, reflection in and reflection on action. The differences in these types of reflection are reflecting whilst the situation unfolds (during the activity) and reflecting retrospectively on an event (looking back and changing what didn’t work). Greenwood states that reflection before action is an important preparatory element to  reflective learning as it allows the practitioner to formulate plans ahead of situations arising. Reflecting on action is perhaps the most common form of reflection; it involves me carefully re-running in my mind events that have occurred in the past. The aim is to value strengths and to develop different, more effective ways of acting in the future. Reflection in action is the feature of the experienced professional, it means examining my own behaviour and that of others while in a situation (Schon 1995) The following skills are involved: Being a participant observer in situations that offer learning opportunities; Attending to what I see and feel in my current situation, focusing on responses and making connections with previous experiences. Reflection on action is a more appropriate type of reflection especially when developing a personal development plan as I can record, look back, analyse, and improve after each target has been reached. 4.2 Explain the importance of reflective practice to improve performance. Reflection is one way of helping to link a theory and integrate learning. Through reflection i can: Focus thoughts on experience Gain greater understanding of my practice Become more aware of knowledge and skills which I have developed Identify strengths and areas for development Develop an action plan for future development. ‘Reflecting on performance and acting on reflection’ McKay notes ‘is a professional imperative’ – 2008 forthcoming Through reflection i can examine my own thoughts and feelings about the experience and identify the interventions that best meet the specific child’s goals for growth and development Being a reflective practitioner helps to increase my skills, understanding and learning. It results in being  a more effective practitioner. Effective practitioners are those who understand themselves, their knowledge, their feelings and the framework within which they understand children. Being a reflective professional requires that I continually review and develop my own practice. 4.3 Use reflective practice and feedback from others to improve performance. (please write a personal and witness account of this in practice with explanation and examples) One personal example of using reflective practice to improve my performance came to me only recently. Up until a few weeks ago I was job sharing my team leader role with another member of my team. I found it very difficult to voice my opinions and always felt as if delegating wasn’t working. All shared responsibility on her side was more often left incomplete and as you can see I was feeling very annoyed and upset about this due to the feeling I was letting the remainder of my team down. After continually liaising with my manager about this I began to feel more confident in speaking out as I feel very passionate about my job I didn’t want to fall even more behind with planning and jobs to improve my team. I have now taken on full responsibility of my unit and have had very positive feedback from my manager on how the unit and team have improved significantly. Every day I am developing more self confidence and courage and am learning to be more assertive as a team leader. Having positive feedback from my manager and colleagues has given me a huge confidence boost, knowing that I am capable of leading my team which enables me to continually improve the quality of my work. 4.4 Evaluate how practice has been improved through: Reflection on best practice Reflection on failures and mistakes.