Monday, September 30, 2019

Developing Learning & Development Activities Essay

Training Plan The purpose of my training session was to equip delegates with the right skills and knowledge to understand the changes auto-enrolment brings and what they need to communicate to their employees. Prior to my training session I emailed the learners to gage their existing knowledge on auto enrolment. There was a mix in responses with a couple of people saying their knowledge was around 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, a few sitting on the fence who have an awareness of auto enrolment but did not know all the legalities, and a couple who’s companies had already gone through the process. From this feedback I decided to cover the basics of the auto enrolment process, as trying to aim my training session at those with an existing knowledge would therefore make it confusing and above those with less knowledge. My view is that even if you know what you’re doing, it never hurts to go back over the basics to ensure you’ve not missed anything so that was what I aimed to do with my training session. The principles of adult learning include getting the learners involved in the planning and evaluation of the training and making sure they understand the reason for learning something. I feel these principles were reflected in my training session by communicating with them prior to the session to gage their knowledge; this meant they knew what to expect and by giving their feedback it helped to mould what level the session would be aimed at. The main resource available for the session was the whiteboard. I used this as the foundation of my training session by creating a PowerPoint presentation to use as a visual aid and form the basis of the session. I used both forms of assessment methods within my session; for a formative assessment I created a quiz on the categories of employees. I went through the theory and the facts first then tested what they had understood by putting the theory into practice. By the end of the quiz all learners were getting the questions right and ensured me they had a clear understanding on  the different categories. As a summative assessment I asked them to what extent they thought the training session had given them a better understanding of the pension changes on my feedback form. Comparing this to their knowledge rating from my email prior to the session, I can evaluate that everyone has benefited from the session as scores were either 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. Structure and sequence Trying to cover the basics of auto enrolment in 30 minutes was certainly a challenge, so I tried to structure my activities to ensure we moved through the various activities quickly whilst ensuring they were still all effective. Firstly I welcomed the group and created rapport (by tempting them with chocolate!), then spent a couple of minutes explaining the learning outcomes of the session. The first part of my teaching was to explain the four different categories as this is the foundation of auto enrolment. I covered the theory first with the PowerPoint acting as a visual aid then put the knowledge learnt into practice. I firmly believe Confucius was correct when he said ‘I hear and I forget, I see and I remember and I do and I understand’. My learners heard the theory, they saw the different categories on the chart and could probably remember the names, but when I tested their knowledge in the game it was the ‘doing’ that ensured they remembered the differ ent categories. Individual and Environmental Factors When planning my training session a factor that influenced it was my own knowledge of auto enrolment. Like others I taught, I had already gone through the process at work so had learnt the basic principles, however at my workplace we split the process out to make it easier. My role at work was the communication side, whilst the payroll manager was responsible for making sure all eligible employees were enrolled. In case my learners asked questions I did more research into auto enrolment to ensure that I had sound knowledge. To create the legal requirements in communications I also researched other company’s communications to get a feel of ‘best practice’.  By doing this I ensured I was confident in what I was teaching and was not afraid to allow questions from learners. Another individual factor was to adapt my teaching style to suit adult learners. Training does not fall within my remit at work, and the only experience I have of leading sessions is through Girls’ Brigade. Whilst I have attended many training sessions these have all covered the methods of engaging children rather than adults. My initial thought for my training session was to create a ‘corner’s game’ for learning about the categories of employees and getting people up moving around the room. However I tried to put myself in my learner’s shoes and think what I would feel comfortable doing, and instead realised that running around the room and standing in the right corner is what children prefer doing. Therefore I adapted my game to be done with flashcards to ensure there was still an element of fun in my training session but I wasn’t making anyone feel uncomfortable. An external factor that influenced my session was the time limit. This affected all my preparation and planning as I was constantly thinking of ways to make things shorter so I could ensure I covered everything thoroughly. Had I had more time to play with I could have covered the basics in much more details but instead I decided to try and wet the appetite of the learners, then give them instructions of where to find out more. The layout of the room could have been changed (with some difficulty) but prior to the session I decided that leaving it in the horseshoe layout was the best option. This ensured everyone had a good view of the PowerPoint and during the quiz I was able to quickly glance around the group to ensure everyone had the correct answer. This was also another factor of why I decided to change the quiz to flashcards from the corners as the tables would have proved difficult to move to ensure there was enough room for everyone to move around safely. Positive learning environment In my training session I ensured I created a positive learning environment by creating rapport with the learners at the beginning of the session. I feel this is the key to a good training session as unless you’ve established a  relationship with the trainer, learners are unlikely to speak up when they do not understand something or if there’s an issue. Another way of ensuring there was a positive atmosphere was making sure I had thought over the principles of adult learning before deciding on the elements of my session, as had these been aimed at children instead of adults I could have easily made my learners feel uncomfortable and therefore not engaged in the training session. Feedback from learners All of the feedback I received from my learners was positive. As mentioned previously, all of them said they had a better understanding of the pension changes because of my training session. There was mixed responses from the question ‘how likely are you to apply the knowledge learnt today in your workplace’, but those who have scored lower on this question left a comment explaining that it’s because it doesn’t fall within their remit at work. When asked ‘what was the part of the training they enjoyed the most’, all of the learners said either the quiz or the legal requirements. These were the two learner activities in my training session which shows that the activities that got the learners doing something practical was the best way of learning. When asked for improvements to the session, the only comments I received were ‘more time’ and ‘the handout at the beginning would have been useful – but I understand why this was not done’. As I had included the quiz answers on the presentation I made the decision to not give the handout until the hand, otherwise it would not have been as effective. On reflection, I could have omitted those slides from the handout so they could have had it from the beginning to make notes from if they wished. Effectiveness of the activity My own perception of the training session was that it was a good mix of activities and tutor input. My past experience is that just listening to a trainer for 30 minutes is ineffective as after around 10 minutes most adults switch off, especially if it is something they are not 100% interested in. I put this into practice in my session as I know myself that auto enrolment is  not the most interesting subject, so had I stood and talked to the learners for 30 minutes most of them would have been asleep! However, by asking for participation – and warning them about that up front – meant that they stayed engaged throughout the session. Recommendations for the future Were I to use this training session again in the future I would extend it to an hours session to allow more time for questions and answers and to expand more on key points. Although I felt I covered the basics in a short space of time quite well, I could have emphasised more on the ‘anomalies’, like temporary and zero hour contract employees. I quickly glossed over the subject but would have liked to spend the time discussing it in more depth with the learners. As mentioned earlier, my other change would be to adapt the handout so it was suitable to give out at the beginning of the session. This would allow the learners to have something to make notes on and move through at their own pace. As they make their own notes, it does often open the time up for more questions from learners meaning you can meet their needs more thoroughly.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

NLP

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a way of organizing and understanding the structure of subjective experience and is concerned with the ways in which people process information but not necessarily with the specific content of that information. Information is processed primarily in three modes: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. The sensory modalities used in a given task and their sequence are critical to the performance of that task. Persons who are extremely skilled at a task will have radically different processing sequences than those who perform poorly on that same task. Understanding the structure by which the skilled person processes information, through the observation of eye scanning patterns and linguistic patterns, allows programs (similar to computer programs) to be codified, which can be taught to other persons (Andreas, 1996). Developed in 1975 by Richard Bandler, a mathematician, and John Grinder, a linguist, NLP has been clinically demonstrated as a powerful technology for engendering change. From their studies Bandler and Grinder developed skills of modeling that allow one person to identify in a specific fashion the structural elements of another's behavior and to teach that structure to yet a third person (Andreas, 1996). Gregory Bateson postulated four logical levels of learning. The first level is the level of content, and this is the level at which most people spend their lives. Here one learns how to tie one's shoes, cook a meal, drive a car, and so on. Some people become acquainted with second-level learning: the learning of context, or learning how to learn. People who operate at the second logical level of learning may rapidly learn any new content-specific area, because they are capable of moving through the learning process in an efficient, effective manner. In rare cases, persons may rise to the third logical level of learning, the learning of how to learn context. In this case one is operating at a level of contextual pattern recognition; one is able to easily identify and operate on the structure of any experience. It is at this level that Bandler and Grinder operate when they are modeling (or teaching modeling to) some one. Bateson reserved his fourth class of learning for those accomplished persons like yogis and Zen masters. One NLP technique is anchoring which is used to describe a process by which memory and its responses become associated with some stimulus. This happens when the anchor leads by reflex to the anchored response occurring. The stimulus can be neutral or out of conscious awareness. The response may be either negative or positive. Anchors are similar to classical conditioning (Ready, 2004). The process of disrupting a pattern of thought from one that leads to an unwanted behavior to one that leads to a desired behavior is known as swishing. Another process is reframing in which an element of communication is presented so as to shift an individual’s perception of the meanings associated with words. Reframing is defined as a process where an element of communication is presented to shift the individual’s perception of meanings or frames. A six-step reframe distinguishes between an underlying intention and consequent behavior to achieve intentions by different and successful behavior. Ecology is concerned with the relationship between a client and their environments. It also is concerned how a proposed goal or change might relate to their relationships and their environment (Ready, 2004). NLP offers many methods for getting rid of addictions. An effective technique is called the â€Å"swish† pattern. Using this method, a person’s unconscious will automatically use negative, addiction producing mental pictures, to create relaxing mental pictures. Addictions can be cured in NLP because it is a form of ‘near waking state' hypnosis. In NLP we can ‘adjust' our internal sensory representations making them more powerful. NLP also helps us to model good behavior. Anchoring is a powerful method of fighting addictions. In this especially one takes the long, deep breath and to touch the tongue to the roof of the mouth at the same time. This sets up a connection between the sensorised mental icon and the physical act of touching the roof of your mouth with the tongue as well as taking that deep breath (Lankton, 2004). In NLP it is recognized that human beings all code time in different ways. Each person has his own mental timelines. The past is represented in some right-handers represent at some point way towards their left. It is possible to use NLP techniques to manipulate internal sensory representations. Negative internal sensory representations like addictions. Addictions can also be removed by being moved further back into the past along the timeline. This helps change the present and future mindset of the client in relation to the original internal sensory representation. This results in past traumas being reduced. Addictions can be treated by providing the customer with a response option that is more powerful, accessible and immediate than the drug itself. Another method is the compulsion blow-out which solves cravings. Another method is the guilt resolution process which is used for clean up of motivations and secondary gain (Lankton, 2004). One of the most successful methods is the six step reframe which works by using assistance from the unconscious mind. The process has been criticized for fragmenting the personality (Sterman, 2004). This approach reaches down to access a level of experience that is helpful to redirect conscious and unconscious energies in a central direction. If a positive experience is structured it will compete successfully against a problem state. The competing experiences must have value and indicate towards a better positive future. The brain consists of a maze of circuits. Positive and negative affect are mutually dependant on each other. In order for a positive affect to have maximum effect, it must be developed for dealing with a problem. A crucial program is the process of anchoring. Participants are taught to anchor states that are without content. During the process of creating and anchoring the state all types of contextual information is reduced. In recent years science has given us insight on the problems of addiction and substance abuse. These researches have discovered a close relationship between drug addictions, behavioral addictions, compulsions and more normal patterns of reward and motivation. Drug and behavioral addictions are problems related to craving. The mechanism of craving is mediated by neurons in the midbrain that produce dopamine on to be placed on a trance. NLP is a great technique to fight addictions and behavior. There are many examples of NLP helping out people suffering from substance abuse and addictions. References: Andreas, Steve (1996). NLP: The New Technology of Achievement. US: Harper Paperbacks. Ready, Romilla (2004). Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Dummies. US: For Dummies . Lankton, Stephen R. (2004). Practical Magic:: A Translation of Basic Neuro-Linguistic Programming Into Clinical Psychotherapy . US: Crown House Publishing. Sterman, Chelly M., Ed. (2004). Neuro-Linguistic Programming in Alcoholism Treatment. US: Haworth Press.                                                                           

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Prescription Addiction Essay

Addiction by Prescription In this essay, I’m going to explore the abuse of prescription drugs, provide information on the most commonly abused substances, and on the current treatment options available for users. Because of the rise of prescription pill addiction, it is important that people are made aware of the very dangerous effects that these drugs can have on them. The negative effects can result in jail time, illness, and even death. Painkillers, Depressants and Stimulants, are currently the most commonly abused prescription drugs. Years of research has shown that addiction to any drug (illicit or prescribed) causes a brain disease that can be treated effectively. Successful treatment may need to incorporate several components, including detoxification, counseling, and sometimes the use of addiction medications. Behavioral and pharmacological treatments are both necessary for the recovery of individuals with addictions. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is estimated that 48 mi llion people (aged 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons in their lifetime. That’s approximately 20% of the U.S. population. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in prescription drug misuse or abuse. This increase has led to a corresponding increase in ER visits because of accidental overdoses as well as admissions to drug treatment programs for drug addictions. It’s thought that prescription drug addiction is on the rise because there are more drugs available to more people and the opportunity for abuse is greatly increased. Doctor’s are reporting writing more prescriptions for patients than ever before. In addition, you only have to go on the Internet to find high numbers of online pharmacies selling these addictive drugs. People become addicted to prescription drugs for various reasons. One may have an injury or any type of pain and begin to take the drug, and soon become dependent. Some take the drug longer than necessary and take more than the prescribed dosage. Other people have genetically addictive personalities. It just takes one prescription and the drug can quickly b ecome addicting. Prescription drugs can still get you high, just like street drugs. People often don’t realize the impact these medications can have on them because they were prescribed by a doctor so they tend to think they are safe. Some people might abuse prescription drugs because they  are more readily accessible than street drugs. It is, unfortunately, very easy to â€Å"doctor shop† and get all of the pills that you want. â€Å"Doctor shopping† is moving from provider to provider in an effort to obtain multiple prescriptions for the drugs an abuser is using.†¨ Vicodin, Oxycodone, OxyContin and Percocet are common painkillers that are abused. Painkillers often contain opioids which are highly addictive and can have a serious effect on the brain. They can cause a â€Å"physical dependence,† meaning the body becomes accustomed. There are also very severe withdrawal symptoms. Depressants, such as Valium and Xanax are drugs that slow brain function. They include sedatives (used to make a person calm and drowsy) and tranquilizers (intended to reduce tension or anxiety). These can cause depression, confusion, exhaustion and irritability and can dangerously diminish heartbeat and respiration. This is especially true when depressants are combined with alcohol and over the counter (OTC) medications. It’s a combination that can even lead to death. Stimulants are a class of drugs intende d to increase energy and alertness. These drugs can increase blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. Stimulants affect the brain through a slow and steady release of two neurotransmitters; dopamine and norepinephrine. They are used for treating conditions including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy and, occasionally, depression. Excessive vomiting, tremors, sweating and anxiety are just some of the risks of abusing stimulants. †¨ Breaking free from prescription drug abuse takes much more than willpower. Fortunately, medications and counseling can improve the chances of success. New treatments like Suboxone, and traditional therapies like methadone and 12-step programs, are helping thousands of people stay on the road to recovery. There are various options such as; Drug Rehab Programs Available from Support Systems Homes, Detoxification, Residential Treatment (Residential Drug Rehab), Outpatient Treatment, and Community-Based Self-Help Groups. Now we have explored the depths and effects of addiction and dependency on prescription drugs. There are many causes for addiction and almost any substance can be dangerous if used improperly. As long as there are new drugs there will always be new developments in the way to treat them. In summation, there are many ways and substances to become addicted too and anyone can be at risk. If the dangers are known it is much easier to combat the problem of substance abuse. Work Cited  ·DRUG FACTS.† Drug Facts. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, 1 June 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·The Truth About Prescription Drugs. Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·Ã¢â‚¬ Prescription Drug Abuse Rates Increase in the Western United States, Northwest Now Leading Area of Epidemic.† Yahoo News. Passages Malibu, 3 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·Ã¢â‚¬ Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction.† Drug Abuse. National Institue On Drug Abuse, Oct. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·Ã¢â‚¬ Prescription Drug Abuse: Addiction, Types, and Treatment.† WebMD. WebMD, 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·Ã¢â‚¬ Prescription Drug Addiction: Information and Treatment.† Treatment for Prescription Drug Addiction. Support Systems Homes Inc, Nov. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .

Friday, September 27, 2019

Research Paper (Ford Motor Company) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

(Ford Motor Company) - Research Paper Example The company’s customers are brand loyal and keep returning to it. Ford has also created good will in the society through its efforts in community relations. It started a breast cancer awareness campaign in which numerous celebrities were roped in. more-over, the company has extensively donated to charities and has held fund-raisers. Ford’s employee base is very strong. It offers various incentives to its employees who are motivated and deliver quality work. For instance the â€Å"thumbie† award is handed over to employees who are proficient, show strong commitment to work and to customers. The company is also known to offer high wages. As a result the staff remains content and happy. Ford has also maintained good relations and is well communicated with its current and prospective investors. The company is very prompt in its reporting’s of earnings and losses all of which can be publicly accessed. Ford’s network of distributors is very dense and has many dealers spread world over. The Weaknesses: Economic recession has worried investors at Ford about dipping sales and profits. The cash position of the company has fallen down to $4 billion from $15 billion in just a year. It also faces the possibility of a credit downgrade. As a result share-holders are not getting their desired return on investment. Ford used a â€Å"voluntary separation program† to lay off its employees during recession times. The workers were not informed about the possibility of job cuts before hand. As a result, motivation levels got affected. Even though the HR at Ford, downplayed this, but layoff hit employees hard who become insecure of their jobs. Ford also cut down on their overtime after 2001. This led to rising frustration amongst the workers for being worker and not being compensated appropriately. Around 10 plants work over time in Ford today. Ford’s relations with its customers have also been rocky. Last year it recalled around 2 mil lion vehicles which coasted the company billions of dollars. (Drucker, 1995) Performance Gaps Ford’s relationship with its customers has severed over the years. Its customer benefit program’s performance should have driven revenues home but they did not. Ford’s management was also under the wrong impression that it was handling its employees well. The performance of its employees should have improved over the years to dramatic results but it did not. Ford’s HR felt that they understood employee needs but they failed to realize that employees were more desirable of flexible benefits and communication existed within the Ford. There is a severe lack of motivation at the moment. Ford’s revenue should have been past 20 billion dollars but it is not Addressing the Gap Role of Human resource department is very important to bridge any gaps between performance expectations and performance delivered. In-order to address the weaknesses Ford needs to revamp th e morale of the employees. Conduct one-on-one performance appraisals with the employees, have a thorough understanding of employee expectations and set expectations of the company. Employees should be regularly compensated with bonuses and awards. This will automatically boost their confidence and their belongingness to the Ford. HRD should also work on good relations with the customers. For this the employees who are directly in touch with the clients should be sent through a training program on relationship management. Conferences and seminars should be conducted to groom and train the employees on this aspect. Thirdly, HR needs to hire people who are pro at their communication and bargaining skills

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Global Warming speech by Marcus Gibson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Warming speech by Marcus Gibson - Essay Example The speech has been delivered where it tends to be more convenient to pass the message and the audience is encouraging.Furthermore, it encourages everyone to be walking shorter distances rather than using vehicles which pollute the environment. The speech has not ignored the negative challenges but has acknowledged all the aspects. It has tried to lead the audience in understanding the speech being delivered. Compelling the audience in practicing the safety measures against preventing global warming has been emphasized. This is by encouraging them to do the very simple thing like walking for short distances rather than using their vehicles. Furthermore, the speech is more obliged and focuses on achieving the best from the audience. On delivering the speech, the person engaged the audience by using eye contact and movements. This is with the fact that they the audience may provide visual support and encouragement during the delivery of the speech as they are considered to be the focal point. In addition, the speech on Global warming has been delivered in the manner that at that time every person has been willing to fight and prevent it. The writer focused on using rhetoric questions in delivering the speech. For instance, â€Å"If we don’t prevent global warming by ourselves, who will?†This made the audience to be livelier and contribute by providing good listening skills. Moreover, the speech being delivered focused on the key issues making it be precise thus delivering the intended message to the audience. The persuasive attempt in delivering the speech was more effective.

Organizational culture is fundamentally about symbolic meaning and as Essay - 3

Organizational culture is fundamentally about symbolic meaning and as such cannot be managed. Discuss - Essay Example It is fundamental to note that the culture of an association varies from one organization to the next. This is for the reason that employees in the diverse organizations have disparate opinions and outlooks regarding different concerns in the organization. This essay will endeavor to assess the concept of culture and how the same is symbolic in the organization. Also, the essay will put into context the factors that culture is general, integrated, figurative, and adaptive. Body Organizational culture has been described as suppositions that are shared by a group of people as seen in the work of Schein1. This involves the adjustment of the organization to the outside world, and incorporation the internal concepts so as the association can invent a method in which the organization can adjust its members to the attainment of the organizational goals2. Champoux indicates that the members in the organization are able to be respond to the situation by coming up with plans towards solving th e same issues, in the event that an organization is faced with a setback3. Schein, on the other hand, indicates that an understanding of the psychology of people, their social aspect and generally human relations allows the organization evaluate them in the organizational culture4. ... At each faction, there is a deeper denotation of the entire concept, at times symbolic, at other times, cognitive. There are various major levels of organizational culture, according to Schein6. Foremost, is the discernible artifact, the adopted values by the organization and lastly, the major underlying suppositions7. In relation to the discernible artifacts, Schein refers to them as opinions, the actions taken by an organization, and the beliefs that an organization holds. It is through the observable artifacts that the organization establishes what is central and significant to be adopted in the organization8. The discernible artifacts are inclusive of the physical characteristics of the association- the buildings, the publications, pieces of art by the organizations, its products, as well as the technology applied in the organization9. The observable artifacts can be devised from the mission and vision statement of the organization, and its values. In addition, the same can be se en in the language by the affiliates of the organization, its accounts of the times, practices and the ceremonies conducted by the organization10. This is an obvious indication that organizational culture is unmistakable in the manner in which the organization adheres to the myths of the organization and upholds the rituals of the organization. Organizational culture can be said to be symbolic in that the values that are advocated by the organization are the ones that are campaigned by the leadership of the organization11. In the argument by Schein, the management team of the organization expects that the employees display an expected level of discipline as expected of them by the management12. In this case, the values portrayed by the employees are

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Google PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Google - PowerPoint Presentation Example Google generates revenue primarily by delivering online advertising. The company primarily operates in the US. It is headquartered in Mountain View, California and employs 24,400 people. (Datamonitor 2011) Industry Analysis Macro-environment Analysis Political issues Different policies of countries concerning the freedom of communication and information There are different policies given the different political regimes worldwide. Even in liberal countries, the threat of terrorism and international fraud have created regulations that tend to require web service providers to monitor and identify high risk content in their throughput. Social advocacy groups also urge censorship of pornographic and similar material over the web. Censorship issues in countries with centralized political systems Countries such as China and other politically restrictive countries impose censorship controls which tends to discourage parties from engaging in internet exchange, even for non-political purposes. Economic issues Internet ad spending increasing, with affordable costs providing advantages to small firms Even small business are benefitted by the far reach of internet advertising. Compared to print, broadcast and other advertising, internet advertising is relatively cheap, and results are strong Growing viability of e-commerce among markets With the advent of reliable and secure e-payment services such as paypal, e-commerce is becoming more acceptable to most business and customers, and provides greater viability to Google. Increasing recourse to online transactions More companies are establishing e-stores over regionwide operations from which shoppers may make orders or transact sales. Industry Analysis Macro-environment Analysis Social issues In some parts of the world, cultural and language barriers create preferences for local info providers Growing connectedness due to social networking opens doors to more people of all walks of life Technological issues New technology ena bles tracking and targetting of individual customers, improving customer relations R&D provides more powerful, less costly alternatives Industry Analysis Macro-environment Analysis Legal issues Infringements of intellectual property rights Concern for firm’s liability in providing access for internet fraud, terrorism, and other unlawful uses Privacy concerns in relation to content material Environmental issues Greenhouse gas emission has been associated with the electrical power, including the carbon footprint of digital information devices Sustainable disposal of such devices still a problem Industry Analysis Porter’s Five Forces Model Internal Rivalry High due to continuing impetus for innovation Strongest players are Yahoo, Google, AOL and MSN of Microsoft Threat from Substitutes High since substitutes include social networks, vertical search engines and dedicated e-commerce websites, standalone websites, and other forms of advertising since companies advertise in m ultiple media. Industry Analysis Threat from New Entrants Low due to slowing growth and consolidation among present players Low due to strong brand loyalties among present players Bargaining Power of Suppliers Low due to high number of information sources, blog

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Marketing - Assignment Example Most of the products fail because of unattractive features, exceptional high price, wrong segmentation, positioning, targeting, inappropriate promotional strategies, lack of top management support, lack of relevance in the market etc. Whereas main reasons behind the success of a product include excellent product features, value for money, proper marketing strategies, full support from top management etc. There are number of stages involved in the development of a new product. These are idea generation, idea Screening, concept development and testing, marketing strategy and financial analysis, product development, test marketing, commercialization. Each of these stages is discussed below. The entire process of new product development starts from idea generation stage. New ideas might be generated from companys internal employees, customers, suppliers, distributors and even from competitors. In this stage concept of the chosen idea is developed and it is tested in the sample customers. Any further modification in the product features are done on the basis of the responses from these customers. Marketing strategies would include strategies on 4 Ps (product, price, place and promotion), segmentation, targeting, positioning and sales. Financial analysis would involve analysis of total cost of production, sales, and distribution. Financial analysis would also involve the analysis of required profit margin based on which the price will be

Monday, September 23, 2019

Over-education In the Ggaduate Labour Market Case Study Of UK Market Essay

Over-education In the Ggaduate Labour Market Case Study Of UK Market - Essay Example This essay declares that there are various reasons that signify why policy maker needs to concern about the fact of over-education especially in recent time. Majority of the worker are leaving their jobs due to lack of job satisfaction and this imposes huge waste on the government. In order to remove the incidence of over-education problem, government, and other policy makers are trying to modify the UK’s labour market structure. They have already started to relate qualification of the future worker with the changing requirements of labour market. The literature on over-education shows that there was an unfavourable effect of the over-education issues on wage. The over educated people deserve higher wage than what they are actually paid. This paper has tried to evaluate the implication of over-education problem among the graduate in the UK’s labour market. Over-education has an impact on both wages and job satisfaction. In order to eliminate or reduce the consequence of over-education problem, the policy maker needs to become more concerned about the problem. In this context, several policies can be suggested here. The government needs to increase the effectiveness of their strategies for creating skill-based jobs and improve the condition of the job market. Further, policy makers can advice workers on the labour market to choose their career option according to their qualifications. In this way, government can take future steps to eliminate the issues of over-education problem.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Points Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations Essay Example for Free

Points Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations Essay Understanding human behavior is critical to organizations. An organization can be defined as a collection of people who work together to achieve a goal or a variety of goals. These people do not work on isolation within the organization. They interact with each other and with third parties (suppliers, customers, competitors, government officials, etc.) in a variety of ways. Therefore, a leader who understands how and why people behave the way they do, he can identify problems, determine the best ways to correct them and establish whether the changes would make a difference towards improvement. Prior to understanding other peoples’ behavior or attempting to influence others’ behavior, a leader must be able to perform a self-assessment in order to understand and subsequently manage his emotions. Unless leaders understand the criticality of human behavior to the organization and the need for self-evaluation/self-assessment, their efforts to influence others will never be achieved. As introduced by Goleman (Daniel Goleman, 2000), the ability to recognize, then to understand and finally to manage your emotions is called â€Å"Emotional Quotient† (EQ). Coleman asserted that a high EQ had a positive impact on one’s relationship. The better you are at understanding your own emotions, the more likely you are to be adept at picking up on the feelings of others. Knowing how others feel can be a valuable skill within organizational interactions (meetings, presentations, day-day cooperation, etc.) and beneficial to the organization. For example, during a meeting a CEO is furious about an issue and he shows it by shouting, the rest of the participants may hesitate to express their ideas or thoughts. On the other hand if the CEO identifies and controls his emotional situation and understands that his anger if expressed will cause the rest of the participants to become reluctant on expressing themselves, a fruitful conversation may go on and ideas on how to overcome the issue may arise. On an interpersonal level, self-awareness can net you the trust of others and increase your credibility, both of which will increase your leadership effectiveness. On an organizational level, the benefits are even greater. When you acknowledge your emotional status and you manage your reactions youre modeling that in your organization even negative  experiences are dealt with calmness on purely professional way that leads to corrective actions. These are all characteristics of an organization that is constantly learning and springboards to innovation and agility two hallmarks of high performing organizations. As claimed by Goleman (Daniel Goleman, 2000) leaders use six leadership styles (coercive, authoritative, affiliate, democratic, pacesetting and coaching), each springing from different components of emotional quotient. Only four of these styles have a positive effect on climate and results. As concluded by Coleman (Daniel Goleman, 2000), leaders need to implement many styles depending on the situation they have to deal with. How would a leader be able to intentionally apply a specific style? Different situations require different leadership styles. A leader who is characterized by self-awareness is able to identify his emotional status, manage his emotions and perform under a different, more beneficial, leadership style.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Operations Strategy with focus on Growth

Operations Strategy with focus on Growth Briefly describe your understanding of the concept of Operations Strategy, its importance and its min constructs. Huge number of companies asserted that operations strategy is one of the best approaches to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Waller [5] asserted that the strategic which should relate to operations performance object is important of its operations and supply chain. Hill [4] also suggested that strategy include the perspective of both direction and implementation. Operation strategy is a long term plan which is designed to achieve its desired objectives [5]. Chase et al. [3] claimed that operations strategy is to plan a wide and complete guidelines or approaches which is the best support for companies long term goal. Chase et al. [3] also mention four levels of perspective in operations strategy including learning and growth, internal, customer and financial perspective. Slack et al. [2] addressed that operations strategy is the pattern of decisions and actions that shapes the long term vision, objective and capabilities of the operation and its contribution to overall strategy. Slack et al. [6] also point out that operations strategy should concerns four perspectives as following: (1) Top down Operation strategy is a top down reflection of what the business wants to do. (2) Bottom up Operation strategy is a bottom up activity where operations improvements cumulatively build strategy. (3) Market requirements Operations strategy involves translating market requirement into operations decisions. (4) Capabilities of operations resources Operation strategy involves exploiting the capabilities of operations resources in chosen markets. According to above, it can be concluded that operations strategy which is the way in which operations resources are developed over the long term to create sustainable competitive advantage for the business concerns investments and developments to support the order winners and qualifiers (such as on time delivery, quality conformance and price) for which it has both individual and cooperative responsibility. 2. What do you consider to be the main operations performance objectives in the context of Yo!Sushi? How these objectives reflect the structure and expectations of the companys market? How do you assess the relative importance of these objectives? Answer: An operations strategy should define operations performance objectives which will adds value for customers and contributes to competitiveness by being able to satisfy the requirements of its customers. Slack et al. [2] suggested that there are five aspects of operations performance, all of which to a greater or lesser extent will affect customer satisfaction and business competitiveness. (1) Quality: doing things right. (2) Speed: doing things fast. (3) Dependability: doing things on time. (4) Flexibility: changing what you do or how you do it. (5) Cost: doing things cheaply. Chase et al. [3] also claimed that the major competitive dimensions that form the competitive position of a company include the following: (1) Cost: make it cheap. (2) Product quality and Reliability: make it good. (3) Delivery speed: make it fast. (4) Delivery reliability: deliver it when promised. (5) Coping with changes in demand: change its volume. (6) Flexibility and new product introduction speed: change it. (7) Other product specific criteria: support it. According to above, the main operations performance objectives in the context of Yo!Sushi are quality( food and service), speed, flexibility and cost. (1) Quality Quality is very important index or part in the restaurant industry. According to the article, firstly, the quality of food must manage and control vey carefully including food standards and hygiene. Secondly, the quality of service also is a vital fact which not only relates to the person to person interaction, but also to the general cleanliness of the restaurant. In addition, in order to improve service quality, Yo!Sushi use questionnaires to make some communication and feedback from their customers. It not only let them understand their drawbacks but also found a way to make the customer a repeat visitor in the future. (2) Speed With regard to speed, food stock management is a very important part which is related to it. On one hand, if the food has sold off the belt, the same item of food will to be filled in shortly. On the other hand, if the food has not been sold off the belt in two hours, it must be discarded. To achieve the performance objective of speed not only ensure fresh of food, but also improve the restaurants service quality. (3) Flexibility Customers who want to see a variety of dishes displayed need some different and special menus to make them returning. Variety dishes include seasonal menus and meal promotions which can encourage customers expecting. (4) Cost How to make a reasonable rang of price for their food is also a critical object in Yo!Sushi. According to the article, the author mentioned that there are three different level customer groups including symbols of success, urban intelligence and welfare borderline have been eaten in the restaurant. Because of this, how to set price of meals are a vital issue in their business. There are four structure and expectations of companys market. First of all, to achieve the object of quality can create a chance of customers returning. Secondly, to achieve the object of speed not only ensure fresh of food, but also improve the restaurants service quality. Thirdly, to achieve the object of flexibility could encourage customers motivation to taste special and also make them returning. Lastly, to achieve the object of cost could create much business in many different level customers. It can be concluded from above, different operations will have different views of what each of the performance objectives actually means. In other words, the relative importance of four performance objectives above which can provide competitive advantages depends on how the business competes in its market. 3. What do you see to be the most important challenge for the company and its director? Answer: According to the article, the most important challenge for the company is how to motivate the virgin category customers and how to create the best chances of this customer returning. Virgin customers who mean the people who have not been to the restaurant before will not know how the conveyer belt system works and how to order different Japanese dishes. We can also see from the article that the most important challenge for the companys director is how to get right performance measures of the restaurants. In the article, Robin asserted that given the right set of metrics not only encourage managers performance but also servers performance outperform their current roles. There are also two main reasons why the companys director should to get right performance measures. Firstly, it will bring free up cash to invest in new opening. This reason is refer to CEOs objective which is to have over 100 restaurants open at 2011.Secondly, it will keep companys loyal band of lovers coming back for more. This reason is a vital strategy which make company sustainable operations. It can be concluded from above that if the company can motivate the virgin category customers and make them returning, it will bring much benefits for the company; if the companys director could to get right performance measures of the restaurants, it not only bring free up cash to invest in new opening but also keep companys loyal band of lovers coming back for more in the future. 4. How the identified performance objectives would impact the companys resources and processes (quality, capacity and planning)? And what your suggestions would be to the CEO in selecting measures of performance to improve the restaurants position? Compare your answer with what may be the current approach and solutions of the companys management. Answer: According to the figure1 above, Slack et al. [1] claimed that the market requirement and the operations resource perspectives on operations strategy represent two sides of a strategic equation that all operations managers have to reconcile. According to the figure2 above, Slack et al. [2] also asserted that building operations capabilities means understanding the existing resources and processes within the operation. Different product groups require different performance objective which might related to their position. In case of Yo!Sushi, quality and flexibility are the most important performance objective which should be measured more carefully. First of all, food quality and service quality are a vital index related to customers satisfaction which not only improve restaurants position but also create brand loyalty of their customers. In addition, the flexibility of food is also approach to attract customers successful. In order to identify my suggestion of performance measure, I will compare with another food restaurant called Burger king which is also set some performance objective to make their business excellent. (1) Quality Burger king not only proud the quality of its food but also focus more on their service quality [1]. Compare with Yo!Sushi, quality of food and service are an important points of its business. (2) Speed of service This is a main different between Burger king and Yo!Sushi. Burger king is type of fast food which is important in its speed of service, especially take away. Whereas, more customers of Yo!Sushi choose eat in which more focus on enjoy the process of meal than speed. (3) Flexibility Flexibility is another vital index in restaurant industry. Both Burger king and Yo!Sushi are attach importance to it. Variety meals can attract customers more success than unchanged meals. (4) Cost Burger king is not very cheapest in the fast food market [1]. As a result, how to make a reasonable rang of price which can bring more wide rang customer groups for their business is also a critical object in Burger king and Yo!Sushi. Whilst, using raw materials more effectively and avoid excessive wastage are also a method to decrease its operation cost. 5. How do you describe Yo!Sushis position in the market and the state of their operations and performance, and how do you relate it with the operations strategy the company has adopted and implemented? Answer: An operations strategy should identify the broad decisions that will help the operation achieve its objectives [2]. In general, Yo!Sushis position in the market and the state of their operations and performance are good. First of all, Yo!Sushi very care about their quality of food and service because they know it is a critical fact in restaurant industry and service industry. Secondly, in order to make variety dishes, Yo!Sushi create seasonal menus and meal promotions to encourage their customers returning. Thirdly, Yo!Sushi control their food stock management very well which related to services quality. Fourthly, in order to run their business well and improve their brand visibility, Yo!Sushi choose open restaurants in marketplace. Location selection of Yo!Sushi is also a very vital decision in their operation strategy. Fifthly, Yo!Sushi franchise the concept to overseas partners which makes Yo!Sushi from small company to multinational company. Sixthly, Yo!Sushi use questionnaire to measure restaurants performance and communicate with their customers. It not only acquires some advice from their customers, but also let them make a reasonable measure of performance. Lastly, Yo!Sushi create a new dining experience which include informal, edge and self-paced quick service eatery. In summary, it is clear that the operations strategy of Yo!Sushi is very successful. It not only reflects the businesss market requirements, but also achieve companys performance objective.