Online Discussion for Accounting class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Online Discussion for Accounting class - Essay Example The financial performance of a company can be analyzed either using single date statements or by comparing the performance across time. The four financial statements are the income statement, balance sheet, statement of retained earnings, and statement of cash flow (Weygandt, Kieso, Kimmel, 2002). These statements provide a summary of the financial performance of a company during a financial period. The balance sheet shows the position of the company at a specific point in time. The use of ratio analysis is one of the best ways to evaluate the performance of a company during a period. Another methodology to assess the performance of a company is by using comparative statements. Two financial techniques that can be used to compare financial statements are vertical and horizontal analysis. I think that techniques that compare performance across time are more effective because they show trends in financial performance. Companies that have rising performance across time are more desirabl e than firms that have declining

International Relations theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Relations theories - Essay Example In that NATO countries view an attack upon one member State as an attack upon all treaty members collectively, the legal justification for the use of armed forces in Afghanistan in self-defence is not a matter of legal dispute in international law in the manner that the Iraq war was under contention. As professor Patrick Thaddeus Jackson wrote in ‘Theories of International Relations’ (2006) â€Å"Realism is characterized by a concern with material coercive power. It treats states as the primary unit of analysis. Power is primarily viewed in military terms, and the military power of other states presents the greatest potential danger to an individual state. Economic leverage is also considered an important element of national strength, and Realist analyses of international economics assume that hegemonic actors define not just political but economic structures.† (Jackson, 2006) In evaluating the realist concern for global security, the US and NATO powers are the pr imary police force for international trade and commerce, which was threatened directly by the World Trade Center attacks. The costs of the attack led to $40 to $60 billion USD in insurable costs according to a Congressional study, plus a large drop in the stock markets, contraction of the economy, support for the airline industry, and militarization for the war on terror internationally. (Makinen, 2002) Where international trade and business was impacted in such a major way by terrorism, the realist argument is given as the primary justification for the deployment of military forces in a police action to secure this. Where the 9/11 attacks also harmed the perception of America internationally as a hegemonic power, it also required a realist response to restore the balance of power to hegemony in a â€Å"zero sum† game of national interests. The natural resource interest in Afghanistan is arguably in natural gas, minerals, or pipelines. Yet a greater interest can be seen in NA TO of a containment of Iran, arguably a major concern due to the Islamic theocracy in the country and nuclear program. In establishing bases in both Afghanistan and Iraq, this can be seen as part of a NATO-US led policy of containment of Iranian power as well as regime change in Sunni States with the goal of democratization. The democratization argument applies to realism when NATO, the US, and others decide it is in their best interests to promote democratic governments around the world to support global security and the expansion of their social and economic interests. Finally, a critical view of realism can be seen in the interest of the Military-Industrial Complex to deploy in Afghanistan to further the expansion of the contracts related to the war and Department of Defence as they relate to private profit, ownership, and control. Question 2- How does Marxist theory address poverty and land reform as global security concern? In the economic theory developed by Karl Marx, there w ill be no true peace or security in the status quo internationally unless or until the developed nations make a commitment to economic rights and shared, egalitarian, economic development on a humanitarian and moral basis. It is the landless poor who in many regions suffer the most at the lowest levels of global capitalism internationally. Many of these

Synthetic A Priori Knowledge And Judgment Philosophy Essay

Synthetic A Priori Knowledge And Judgment Philosophy Essay It is common knowledge that we all make judgments. Judgments about people we meet, what we or others should look like, or even judgments about world affairs and nature. Yet what knowledge do we have instilled in us or how is knowledge presented to us that allow us to make the judgments we make. With that in mind, the followed text is comparing analytic and synthetic judgments while holding emphasis on synthetic a priori knowledge as reflected in Kants Critique of Pure Reason. I will then take these ideas a step further by comparing Kants ideas and arguments against Humes as it was he who interrupted his dogmatic slumbers and gave his investigations in the field of speculative philosophy a quite new direction. (Critique of Pure Reason) To begin, Kant had a few issues with the way previous philosophers used the term analytic and synthetic judgment. Based on their use of the terms, he can to the conclusion that they failed to differentiate between the judgments in a way that justifies their use. As defined by Wikipedia, An analytic judgment is a proposition whose predicate concept is contained in its subject concept. While a synthetic judgment, is a proposition whose predicate concept is not contained in its subject concept. While these two definitions of the judgments have been used in philosophy in many different ways to justify many philosophical arguments or ideas, Kant believed the two judgments were not coextensive so he gave four other logical combinations that he felt should be examined while defining analytic and synthetic judgments. Analytic a posteriori judgments cannot arise, since there is never any need to appeal to experience in support of a purely explicative assertion. Synthetic a posteriori judgments are the relatively uncontroversial matters of fact that we come to know by means of our sensory experience (though Wolff had tried to derive even these from the principle of contradiction). Analytic a priori judgments, everyone agrees, include all merely logical truths and straightforward matters of definition; they are necessarily true. Synthetic a priori judgments are the crucial case, since only they could provide new information that is necessarily true. But neither Leibniz nor Hume considered the possibility of any such case (Kemerling 2). With the definitions and formulations of the judgments aside, Kant believed that it was possible to synthetic a priori judgments because these types of judgments are what most of human knowledge is based from. With Hume in mind, Kant generally believed that Humes view on arithmetic and geometry could be used as the building blocks for natural science. Once the foundations for natural science have been laid, you can then use that information to explain certain events or predict what the future holds in respect to natural science. Hume derived this line of thinking from two different explanations. He believed that ideas come from impressions and relations of ideas which can be shown through mathematics. These impressions and relations of ideas then lay the ground work or foundation for the natural sciences. With the foundation of natural sciences being formed through impressions and relation of ideas, Hume also believed cause and effect played a role, but that experience can never be a source of any of the ideas for natural science. The reason for this is that experience is the clear example of the constant conjunction between cause and effect and it is above all clear that we cannot have knowledge without cause and effect. Thus, cause and effect gives us our impressions and relations of ideas which help form knowledge. The negative portion of Humes analysis-his demonstration that matters of fact rest upon an unjustifiable belief that there is a necessary connection between the causes and their effects-was entirely correct. (Kemerling 2) Humes rationality of cause and effect forces his conclusion that induction has no logical force. That causes have explanations behind them that could be traced back to natural reasons and are above all determined by nature. Kants Critique of Pure Reason shows how reason determines the conditions under which experience and knowledge are based. (Kemerling 1) This means that if I want to buy a car, I must have money and knowledge of what it will cost to buy a car. Without money, I cannot buy a new car or without the knowledge of where to buy a car, I would not know of a car to buy. This is where we take our experience and knowledge and combine them to give us cause and effect as above. When we have concepts of understanding, those ideas will provide us with the ability to connect knowledge together to create a synthetic a priori judgment. Kant believes that all of our knowledge stems from experience, but that our knowledge does not have to stem out of the experience. In other words a priori knowledge is independent of our experiences and senses. With that said, Kant believed that philosophy must stand in the need of a science that will determine the extent of all of it. Mathematics is an example of how far, independently of experience, we can progress in a priori knowledge. (Kemerling 3) So in conclusion, natural science contains a priori synthetic judgments and metaphysics contains a priori synthetic knowledge. Kant believes that pure reason is, That which contains the principles whereby we know anything absolutely a priori. (Critique of Pure Reason) Its like adding and subtracting which brings about a priori answers, once we do that our judgments and concepts stem from an a priori origin. For the analysis, that is, mere dissection of concepts, contained in this or that, is not the aim of, but only a preparation for metaphysics proper, which has its object the extension, by means of synthesis of prior knowledge. For Humes analysis by Kant he stated that all things ultimately exist in space, a priori, before we can sense. The priori of an object is their concept of it. It is more than showing these concepts, but containing a knowledge of their concepts and how it can be arrived as a synthesis, of a priori knowledge. (Jones 2) Overall, both Hume and Kant came to agree that all theoretical sciences of reason have synthetic a priori judgments and are followed in these principles; All knowledge begins with an experience. A priori knowledge is independent of experiences. If we understand and adapt to these principles of synthetic a priori judgment, we may begin to understand everything within a better light especially cause and effect. In respect to both Hume and Kant, I must say I agree with their definitive choices for use of the judgments. While pushing aside analytic judgments, both Kant and Hume make strong arguments for why synthetic a priori judgments are not only the foundation for natural science, but also for the definitive source of almost all human knowledge. I agree with Kant in saying that we can have an idea or impression of something which knowledge can be stemmed from, but I genuinely dont believe we can know something without having experience of it. You can have an idea of something, but not knowledge of something and those two ideals are drastically different in my mind. Overall, Kant does a great job at conforming and revamping Humes ideas on synthetic a priori judgment and without synthetic a priori knowledge, we would defiantly be lacking much knowledge in the human culture.

Essay --

Renal System 1 Kidneys have important roles in maintaining health and making our lives easier everyday. It is located near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. Functions of the kidneys include extracting wastes from the blood and balancing body fluids from the urine. Most of kidney diseases attack the nephrons, which is the functional units of the kidney. This damages causes kidney malfunctions for example, medicines, genetic problems and injuries. One of the major kidney problems that we face every day is Acute Renal Failure also called the Acute Kidney Injury which basically is that kidneys have suddenly stopped working and as I said earlier, our kidneys excrete waste products and balances fluids in our blood, so imagine not having a perfectly working kidney, it could cause serious problems in our body that could also be fatal. Acute renal failure causes can be classified as pre-renal, intra-renal or post renal. Intrarenal Acute renal failure are those that directly attack the kidney such as an infection, glumerulonephritis, and diabetes. A common intrarenal condition is the acute tubular necrosis, where epithelial layers of the nephrons become damaged leading to changes in urine concentration, waste filtration, electrolytes and acid base balance. There are three phases of acute tubular necrosis they are initiation, maintenance usually last one to two weeks, and recovery phase where patients will be put on diuretics and will have a slow return of renal function. Patients that are at risk of developing ATN are patients that have azot... ...lp us be free of acute renal failure. To be an effective nurse to these patients, always put ourselves in their position and think, what if I have this? Or what if my one your family members has this. It will make us want to care for our patients more. Always give them the care and importance that they need. Renal system 6 Given the life that I have right now makes me realize how fortunate I am that I am healthy and able to function normally everyday, we should always be thankful and give importance to our body because it does a lot for us. Love and respect our body, and remembering that everything we do, because in the end we are not just harming ourselves but we are also hurting the people that care for us.

Quran Essay Essay

Among the innumerable facts, this writing will contribute two facts only: First, the Quran contains many scientific facts that are only being found out recently. The Quran’s linguistic style is far superior then any other form of writing. Without a doubt men have negated and contested the truth and revelation from God including the Quran revealed to prophet Mohamed (sallahu alahi wa salaam). For that reason, men in their objection and adamant behavior suggested that the Quran is word of Mohamed or the Quran is created by Mohamed; such statement is away from the truth. Undoubtedly there are other verses in the Quran related to human development that will be understood in the future as our knowledge increases. † In the Quran, Allah (subhanahu wa tala) also speaks about the Cerebrum: ( ) ( ) (Nay! If he (Abu Jahl) ceases not, We will catch him by the forelock (the front part of the brain also known as the prefrontal lobe) (15) A lying, sinful forelock! (96:15-16) Why does Allah describe the front part of the brain to be lying and sinful? In recent research scientists have found out that the prefrontal lobe actually controls a person’s decision making, cognitive behavior, personality expression, and moderating social behavior (Yang, Y Prefrontal structure†¦). This part of the brain also deals with the creation of thoughts and actions (Miller, Earl the prefrontal cortex†¦). This shows that the prefrontal lobe is the part of the brain that may engage in sinful behavior and entices someone to lie or not. This also shows that the Quran does confirm scientific facts and there is no way an unlettered nomadic Arab man[5] in the 7th century could have known these facts. The pagan Arabs of the 7th century were for the most part isolated from the two great empires[6] at that time. The two empires did not waste their time in conquering the vast Arabian deserts because of its plain and unattractive look. The Arabs had nothing, they didn’t have any monuments, and they didn’t have masterful pieces of art. Therefore the Arabs of Mecca[7] were not much of a concern to the two empires; as well the two empires were not willing to send their forces through the dangerous deserts. Thanks to this isolation, the Arabs were able to refine their language. After a few centuries, the Arabs had shaped their language into an eloquent language where everyman was known to be a poet. The Arabs prided themselves on their language. So much so, they would have tribal battles not with swords but rather their tongues and the losing tribe would be shamed. The pagan Arabs marveled at the amazing speech of the Quran. When a person speaks he is able to organize his thoughts, but a person is incapable of organizing their words based on what they are going to say later . For example, there are two ayahs that are very much the same one ayah states: â€Å"Say (O Muhammad): Allah is enough as a witness between me and you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The other ayah states: â€Å"Say (O Muhammad): Allah is enough between me and you as a witness†¦ † The difference is sequence, in the first ayah Allah says â€Å"witness† first, and â€Å"me and you’ later. The Quran is very sensitive to context, at the end of the first ayah Allah says â€Å"†¦he is the ever all knower, all seer of his slaves†. The ayah ends speaking about Allah, the word â€Å"witness† for Allah is used first so therefore the ayah begins with Allah and ends with Allah. While the second ayah ends with speaking about people it uses â€Å"between me and you† first then â€Å"witness† second. So the ayah begins with speaking about people and ends with speaking with people. So what is about to be said in the future has a direct influence on how words are organized before. Humans are unable to do that. Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alahi wa salaam) was never known to be a composer of any types of poetry or any other forms of literature. So when they heard this literature they were amazed. â€Å"Umar bin Al-Khattab was a great enemy of the prophet. He planned to kill the prophet, but on his way he was informed that his sister had joined the religion. He immediately changed course. Upon arrival he hit his sister. He regretted what he did so asked for the paper she was reading (containing ayahs of the Quran). Once he read it he immediately went to prophet (sallahu alahi wa salaam) and accepted Islam†. Umar bin Al-Khattab was a man that was amazed by the Quran’s linguistic style and its strong meaning. This is one of the many men who accepted Islam because of the Quran’s amazing speech. The famous Arab grammarian H. Gibb had this to say about the Quran: â€Å"As a literary monument the Koran (referring to the Quran) thus stands by itself, a production unique to the Arabic literature, having neither forerunners nor successors in its own idiom. Muslims of all ages are united in proclaiming the inimitability not only of its contents but also of its style†¦ and in forcing the High Arabic idiom into the expression of new ranges of thought the Koran develops a bold and strikingly effective rhetorical prose in which all the resources of syntactical modulation are exploited with great freedom and originality. John Penrice stated: â€Å"That a competent knowledge of the Koran is indispensable as an introduction to the study of Arabic literature will be admitted by all who have advanced beyond the rudiments of the language. From the purity of its style and elegance of its diction it has come to be considered as the standard of Arabic†¦ † These two men have an understanding of the linguis tic excellence of the Quran. Allah says: Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein many contradictions. (Quran 04:82). The Quran contains many palindromes; palindromes in many languages can only be done with one word. For example, in the English language the word Race Car can be written the same backward. In the Quran there are entire sentences that are palindromes. For example, in the Quran, Allah says: ( ) Magnify your Lord (Allah)! (Quran 74:3) In conclusion, the Quran has impacted the world in many ways. The Quran was not only sent to the desert Arabs but rather it was sent to all of mankind. Allah sends out a challenge, Allah (subhanahu wa tala) says: ( ) â€Å"And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians) are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i. e. the Quran) to Our slave (Muhammad Peace be upon him), then produce a Surah of the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allah, if you are truthful. † (Quran 2:23) The Quran is a revelation from Allah and it was revealed upon the tongue of Muhammad (sallahu alahi wa salaam). The Quran contains many scientific facts ranging from embryology to the purpose of the frontal lobe. All of this presented in a beautiful linguistic form, so much so when the Quran is translated into English, the language’s primitive level is unable to display the Quran’s linguistic beauty. This renders the English native unable to appreciate the Quran in a way the pagan Arabs of the 7th century were able. The Quran reaches the top level of eloquence in the Arabic language as well as other languages. The idea of Muhammad (sallahu alahi wa salaam) being able to go from being a unlettered man to the top author in the Arabic language is impossible on all plains of reality. Therefore, the only logical reason to say is that Muhammad (sallahu alahi wa salaam) has received revelation from the Almighty. QURAN: A REVELATION? Name: Harun O. G Course: GLE20 Teacher: Ms. Vacar Date: April 09, 2011 ———————– 1]sallahu alahi wasalm means peace be upon him [2] Allah is the Arabic word for God and is preferred(to Muslims) [3] subhanahu wa tala means glorified and exalted be he(Allah) [4] Ayat: this is the plural version of Ayah, this word does not have a direct translation in English but the closest one is verse. In other places in the Quran ayah means signs. [5] According to sources Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alahi wasalm) was a illiterate man [6] Persian and Roman empire [7] Is found in Saudi Arabia and is the holiest city for Muslims

Advanced Counselling Skills Essay

1. Understand the process of a series of counselling sessions. 1.1 Identify the stages of a series of counselling sessions. A well-structured counselling session provides an essential framework for both counsellor and client. Many authors describe the structure of a counselling work in terms of a beginning, middle phase and end Jacobs (2004). Gray (2004) likens the structure to an artist’s frame encapsulating a picture stating â€Å"Just as the frame around a picture serves to enhance and contain the material within it, so the structure erected around a counselling arrangement supports the work the participants are engaged in†. The beginning session is crucial for establishing trust, initial rapport and boundary settings. This is described in more detail in 1.2. The middle phase of the session is the working part where the exploration and the work takes place. It involves some or all of the key counselling skills. The main aims are ensuring using skills that support the client to feel secure enabling them to recognise their emotions, thought processes and behaviours and reflect on these. It gives space enabling clients to establish their own change. The ending is the third stage and is an action phase. It is result of the enhancement of the client’s self-acceptance and the associated internalising of his locus of evaluation. It contains elements of review and importantly effective closure for both client and counsellor. 1.2 Evaluate the importance of an appropriate opening of a series of sessions. The beginning of a session is important to establish trust, rapport and set boundaries. The contract occurs to help establish a  professional relationship. It includes confidentiality, time, money, complaints and client expectations of the counselling environment. Day and Sparacio (1988) describe this as â€Å"a joint understanding between the counsellor and client regarding the characteristics, conditions, procedures and parameters of counselling†. Establishing a solid professional relationship which is clearly boundaries reduces the chance of conflict in the future sessions. It empowers the client to feel secure and valued and protects the counsellor from possible issues such as over money or time keeping. Opening sessions allow for the first positive and professional impression to be made. The client may feel unsure of the process and the opening session(s) allows for trust to develop alongside the client’s willingness to open up. At the beginning the power is on the side of the counsellor due to knowledge this shifts towards the client through explanation of the process as there are no hidden agendas. 1.5 Explain the importance of working towards the ending of a series of sessions. In person centred counselling the client generally dictates the end point although a counsellor may still initiate an ‘endings’ discussion inviting the clients opinion on this. There are three areas that can be defined in preparing for an ending of sessions. Reviews and restarts and preparation for ending This is to explain to the client that although the current counselling process counselling is coming to an end it is not necessarily a cure all one-time event. It may be entered into again later in life or the client may not feel the need for future intervention. Reviewing the counselling process This is to develop and check a client’s cognitive understanding of what has transpired. Practical questions posed by Bayne (2008) could take the form of How does the client feel about the ending? What has this counselling relationship been like? What has been achieved? What has the client learned to help in the future? What might happen in the future? Unfinished business This is a chance for a client to voice questions or uncertainties that may have gone unsaid and focus on short work that still needs to be achieved. Both client and counsellor need to be able reflect on the ending for themselves, on what has been achieved, and what are their own reactions to an ending. In counselling endings may not go to plan and some clients may end sessions without notice. This could leave the counsellor feeling unsettled that the relationship has not been ended well for either of them. Clients may decide in the middle of a series of sessions the counselling is not for them because it’s not working or what it brings up is too difficult at that time. Financial or life demands may also stop the client from coming. Some clients may not realise they are ready for the ending and feel rejected by the suggestion this could come from rejections in previous life events and needs careful handling. This is similar to Egan’s (1986) model the â€Å"Three stage f ramework† which lists exploration, understanding and action in sessions. 1.3 Explain the purpose and importance of a working agreement for a series of sessions. A working agreement is important as the counselling relationship is a contract either as a private personal therapist or as part of an agency. There are guidelines and procedures from the British Association of Counselors and Physcotherapists (BACP) and the agency that need to be followed in order to protect the agency, client and counsellor. It is important that a contract is agreed and this includes practical considerations such as (money, time, location and frequency of sessions). It can also include the model and style of work that the counsellor and client wish to work within. Within the contract confidentiality is essential to help secure the client and build a sense of trust and professional relationship. This can be explaining how records are kept, supervision and permission to share certain information with G.P with or without prior consent from the client. Other practical arrangements may be such as what procedure to follow if the client or counsellor cannot make a session or how they can contact each other or holidays. It is useful to set out what will and won’t happen in counselling is so there is a baseline of understanding. This may include issues such as physical proximity and touching. It may  relate to chance meetings outside of the room and how they could be handled. It can include other sign posting and emergencies contacts if the counsellor is not available. The counsellor can explain his or her role and the expectations of this alongside the role and expectation of the clients such as time keeping and commitment to the process. It can involve the difficulty of endings and developing an agreement with the client if they chose to end the sessions early calls the c ounsellor for closure on both sides. In conclusion the counselling relationship is based on the counsellor’s ability to identify the client’s expectations and anxiety about the service. To be able to clarify the clients and counsellors ability and limitations of the relationship. Laying the foundations of the contact protects the counsellor and client physically and emotionally and reduces the chances of conflict that could derail the therapeutic relationship. For example payments could affect the power relationship between counsellor and client. Without an agreement the client is less likely to feel secure and valued by the counsellor and be more likely to not commit fully to the therapeutic process. 1.4 Explain the purpose and importance of reviewing progress with the client (assessment). Traditionally assessment is not generally emphasised in the person centred counselling approach as it disrupts the clients from focusing on themselves and working with their feelings, shifting the focus of attention from the client to the counsellor. However, given the nature of the counselling work and contract based work counsellor’s work within it is often necessary and required by an agency. I personally see assessment as key to gaining insight in to the client and building a plan of work. Counselling is a contractual relationship as part of this there needs to be regular review of the work being undertaken to ensure the goals or conditions established are being met and progress is being made. Assessment according to Gladding (2009) entails â€Å"the collection of information in order to identify, analyse, evaluate and address the problems, issues and circumstances of clients in the counselling relationship†. This is then used to identify potential work needed, planning interventions and evaluation clients. Assessment is a process in counselling not just a beginning and end event. Brammer (1989) writes on assessment saying â€Å"the integration of assessment information  requires a process of developing a description and explanation of the client’s problems that will be used as a basis for a therapeutic plan. The therapist is interested in linking the client presenting problems to the client personalised meaning of the problem, unique developmental history, family system interactions and formulate explanations that hypothesise about why the client has become symptomatic at this particular time† At the beginning of a series of sessions time needs to be given over to an initial assessment it can use a number or practical tools such as assessment questionnaires. This, as stated above, can help identify possible areas of work. It can inform to the counsellor that their client requires more specialist help such as complex trauma work and a referral needed. Alongside this an initial assessment may take the following structure and can look for information on: Current problems Previous counselling experience Occupation, relationship and children Medical and health Why choosing counselling now What to gain form counselling Historical information school, upbringing, memories and diversity issues Support networks Discussion on if counselling is suitable or referral made. Some counsellors add a review into the end of every session this is particularly relevant with short focused based counselling. Evaluation sheets may be used every week as part of NHS contracted work to establish progress or value added for the organisation to justify funding. Reviewing of work may be just once in the middle of a series of sessions for less focus based work as around 8 to 10 sessions. With longer open ended contract whole sessions maybe given over to reviewing. These may use formal evaluation forms such as Clinical Outcome Routine Evaluation forms (CORE) or other methods such as Primary Health Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Questionnaire (PHQ-9). It may simply be a session dedicated to discussion over the clients progress overall. Evaluation or assessment, as a process, can be useful to show the client the progress they are making. It is essential to relate back to the initial question as although counselling may  have been useful, and the client feel better, but has it redressed the clients presenting problem? 1.6 Explain the importance of ensuring the environment is suitable and safe. The space in which the session takes place is important; it should be quiet, safe and above all confidential. All distractions such as mobile phones or interruptions should be minimised. It should remain consistent, comfortable and neutral in design. Both client and counsellor safety in terms of health and safety and lone working arrangements should be catered for. Green (2010) describes the importance of the room and lack of personal or religious aspects saying â€Å"the room is a kind of metaphor for what will take place between you. You the counsellor are going to be fully present, warm and available to the client but you are not going to being other aspects of yourself into the equation†. 2. be able to conduct a counselling session with a client in an ethical, effective and safe way. 2.1 Open the session, explaining the working agreement including 2.2 Develop the session using the following skills and interventions appropriate for the session and the model used. 2.3 End a session appropriately, usually the following where applicable See recording 3. Be able to reflect on the counselling session 3.1 Evaluate the effectiveness of the opening of the session This session was a continuation of previous sessions the need to open the session effectively and invite the client in still remains. In this session the contract was reviewed including the essentials of time boundaries, confidentiality, student status and ethical framework. In addition to this contract permission was sought to record the session. The contract was shorter than normal and on reflection could have been delivered slower and given invitation for the client throughout to ask questions. In the opening of the session I invited the client in and to do this briefly reflected and offered a summary of work that had taken place in the previous sessions. This was to show my attentiveness and show the client they had been heard previously and my attention was firmly on them from the outset of the session. 3.2 Justify the use of skills used during the session Attentiveness and rapport building The rapport with the client had been set in previous sessions and continued through this one. This was shown by a short summary at the beginning reflecting on topics from these previous sessions. The client was given an opportunity to bring one of these prior topics or something new to the session with the question â€Å"I was wondering which avenue you would like to go down today?† [3.45] Active listening Active listening is to show the client they are being heard. This is not only through verbal ques and reflecting but also in non-verbal ways. Throughout the session there were nonverbal examples of my attentiveness with nodding and smiling where appropriate and also the â€Å"Um† and â€Å"Okay† comments to encourage the client to continue with their story. Examples of this are at [10.52] after the client â€Å"I feel like I have to step in and get **** to see it from his perspective†. I use them â€Å"Um† instead of questioning as I sensed there was more to come from the client about this point. They start to question themselves so the nonverbal action was affective. Empathic listening Empathy is a way of being not just a professional role or communication skill it is attending to both the physical and psychological and listens to the clients view point. Empathy builds self-confidence and positive regard alongside promotes professionalism. Listening to the client and them feeling held in the session is crucial to allow them the space and security to open up. In this session there were several examples where I show the client they are being heard. This is around [13.30] minutes into the session where I ask the client â€Å"I wonder what you are left feeling?† At [16.10] I ask â€Å"Where do you see yourself?† The client throughout is focusing on their partner and their children but not on their own feelings. Effective questioning Open ended questions allow for the free flow of information, understanding the problem better and allows for rapport building. Closed questions that only elicit a yes or no elicit the opposite response of closing down the conversation. In the session there are a few open questions such as â€Å"I wonder what you mean by you know† [5.25]. This is to try and elicit what the client means in the context. Another example is â€Å"What does it feel like for you when the tensions going on?† The aim is to open up the clients feelings more at that point in their life and gain better understanding. Summarising My summary occurs 4 minutes from the end of the session. The client is made aware of this by the statement â€Å"If I could summarise†. The idea being to check the client felt heard and that there was no bits that I had missed from the session as the client should leave feeling heard and valued. The summary went over the salient points of the session allowing chance for reflection on the positives that came out of the conversation. The aim being to leave the client with a positive feeling relating to the work that have done. The client then reflects themselves back about something they have discovered about their relationship and how they may look at it differently. At the end the client is thanked and given an invitation to continue this exploration next session. Thus allowing the client time to think before the next session on what they would like to bring. This is to leave the session’s client centred. Focusing and challenging At [25.29] the client begins to bring in another aspect to the topic. Although potentially relevant there is little time to explore this topic. Focusing allowed for this session to stay on the track it I said â€Å"We only have a few minutes left of the session. Your Mum has been mentioned in several sessions but I’m wondering if we can stay focused on that moment†. By focusing the aim was to explore the feeling in more detail and not allow avoidance alongside not bringing a new topic when there was no time to fully explore this being so close to the end of a session. Immediacy There is a good example of immediacy in the session. It is important as a counsellor to not only hear what the client is saying but also be aware of their body language. At [10.42] I say to the client â€Å"You gestured with your hands that sense of balance† then I reflect on the balance between the children and partner that the client has been talking about. Working at an appropriate pace Pacing in this session was good. As a counsellor mine matched that of the clients throughout. This had already been established in the previous sessions although the contract could have been slowed down. The idea is to match the clients pace, pitch, tone and speed. A counsellor can use their own tone of pitch to slow the client down if they are running away with their story rather than taking the time to pause and think. Checking understanding with the client There were several examples of checking understanding with the client. The first occurred at [3.00] where I asked â€Å"Would you mind briefly going through†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.† This was seeking clarity of a historical event. The second occurred at [9.00] with the question â€Å"Remind me how long †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..† Although covered in a previous session it was important that the time frames being worked with were accurate. The aim being to also focus the client on the actual length of time they have been with their new partner. 3.3 Explain why other skills were not used during the session Managing silence There was no silence in the session this was due to my need to develop this skill. The spaces still feel unnatural and there were several chances where it could have been used. At [23.15] after the client responds they pose their own question â€Å"What will happen if I don’t?† I respond â€Å"Good question what will happen if you don’t†. At this moment the client should have been given time to think. Instead of this I looked to direct the conversation instead of holding the client in that moment and giving them the space. A second example was when the client comments â€Å"Why am I doing it†. I jumped in instead of leaving the space. If the silence had continued beyond the client’s reflection then I could have paraphrased this back to them to  highlight their thinking at that time. These interruptions potentially could cause the client to get nervous, stop the flow of information or feel intimidated. They could lose confidence in the proce ss and by not feeling heard could prevent communication in the future. Challenging During this session there was a very poor example of challenging where I asked the client â€Å"You’ve spoken about protecting the teenagers I was wondering if it was about protecting your relationship as well†. This was about my addenda to find out if there was a link and did not add value to the conversation at that point instead it detracted from the clients work. An example of missed challenging occurred at [6.39] the client uses the word â€Å"worried† four times in a minute. I could have challenged them on what the word worried meant to them as each of us carries our own perception. Working with diversity as it impacts on the session Within this session I sis not bring in diversity. Although working with this client there is normally an element as they are not British born and moved to the UK as an adult. So culturally in terms of relationships and family dynamics there is a possibility of needing to understand the difference. Language has in previous sessions been a barrier with needing to clarify my understanding of how Evaluate the effectiveness of closing the session This session was closed well the client was given a warning that was near the end of time with me saying â€Å"We only have a few minutes left†. They were then offered â€Å"If I could summarise†. The summary covered the main points from the session and allowed the client to affirm these. It gave opportunity to leave a positive point for the client to think upon to leave them secure after the session. It also opened up the possibility for the topic for the next session allowing them homework of reflection. The client by responding and affirming the summary gave rise to the fact they felt heard in the session. The session was within the time boundaries and the client was thanked for the session. Recognition was given to the next meeting with the client. Bibliography Brammer, L. Shostrom E and Abrego, P. (1989) Therapeutic Psychology Fundamentals in Counselling and Psychotherapy. 5th Ed. New Jersey: Prenice Hall. Bayne, R. (2008). The counsellor’s handbook. Cheltenham, U.K.: Nelson Thornes. Day, R.W and Sparacio (1988) Structuring the counselling process in Dryden (2008) Key Issues for Counselling in Action. London: SAGE Egan, G (1986) The skilled helper. Pacific Grove, Calif: Brooks/Cole Gray, A (2004) An introduction to the Therapeutic frame, London: Routledge Green, J and Claringbull, N. 2010 Creating the therapeutic relationship in counselling and psychotherapy. Exeter: Learning Matters Gladding, S.T (2009) Counselling: A Comprehensive profession (6th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Jacobs M (2004) Psychodynamic Counselling in Action (3rd Edition) London: Sage

Abc Apparel Case Essays

Abc Apparel Case Essays Abc Apparel Case Essay Abc Apparel Case Essay ABC Apparel Case | | | | |Questions | | | | | | | |1 |What are the respective amounts and percentages of Materials, Labor, Overhead and Other in total COGS for ABC? | |* Illustrate on an Excel pie chart showing amounts and percentages for each slice. | | | | |[pic] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |2 |What percentage of total COGS is represented by what Mr. Price called full package (purchased finished goods)? | | | | | |â€Å"Finished Garments† represent $647 Million. This assumes the purchased finished goods are supplied freight and duty paid; otherwise, applicable freight and duty| | |costs would have to be added. Note that not all freight and duty can be added to this category, since freight and duty must also support the owned supply chain | | |operations. | | |$647 / $2528 = 25. 6% | | | | |3 |Where do you see the largest opportunities for cost reduction? List your Top 3, with strategies to pursue each one. | | |* Explain your selections. | | |Purchase price or cost of supply (TCO) reductions in purchased finished goods. At 38% of COGS, these represent the largest single opportunity for cost | | |management / reduction. | |Material price reductions (30% of COGS) through supply chain procurement practices. | | |Other Costs. Freight and Duty represent almost 10% of COGS, which is probably ripe for improvement. Evaluate reducing carriers from 4-5 to fewer. | | |Labor – At 20%, Labor is a substantial percentage of cost but has probably already given up the â€Å"low hanging cost fruit† in the relocation to offshore | | |geography, and would probably be difficult to further reduce. | | | | |4 |Which functional areas would you prioritize in your cost reduction efforts? Why? | | | | |Following the same priorities in Question 3: | | |Purchase price or cost of supply (TCO) reductions in purchased finished goods. Apply supply chain procurement practices such as negotiated price reductions, | | |reverse auctions, global sourcing, target costing, centralizing procurement, spend analysis or supplier rationalization. | | |Material price reductions. Apply supply chain procurement practices such as negotiated price reductions, reverse auctions, global sourcing, target costing, | | |centralizing procurement, spend analysis or supplier rationalization. | | |Other Costs Reduction. Freight and Duty represent almost 10% of COGS, which is probably ripe for improvement. | | |Labor Cost Reduction. At 20%, Labor is a substantial percentage of cost but has probably already given up the â€Å"low hanging cost fruit† in the relocation to | | |offshore geography, and would probably be difficult to further reduce. | | | | |5 |Which internal manufacturing processes would you prioritize for improvement? Why? | | |Evaluate moving the textile manufacturing processes (yarn through Fabric Finishing) from US to offshore, preferably close to the cutting operations. If the key | | |materials could be sourced in-region, this would eliminate the cost, risk and lead time of shipping these products from the US to Central America / Caribbean, | | |reducing the high freight costs. | | |Evaluate Supplier Relationship Management programs with Asia garment suppliers. Objective would be to fully identify and reduce â€Å"hidden† costs of supply from | | |this region through collaborative problem-solving and joint incentives (â€Å"gainsharing†) for improved performance. | | |Pursue lead time reductions and reduced lead time variability through improved logistics practices. Seek use of technologies to identify logistics wait times | | |and unplanned delays. Consider use of a 3PL to become accountable for coordinating all Western Hemisphere logistics, negotiating with the major carriers to | | |reduce costs, pre-clearing all shipments through customs, etc. | | | | |6 |What is the ratio of internal manufacturing cost to purchased garment cost? | | | | | |Ratio, internal to external costs | | |275% | | | | | Internal $1,881 | | |External | | |$647 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |7 |Assuming a SGA rate of 24% and a gross margin of 35%, what annual revenue would you estimate for ABC? Show your calculations. | | | | | |[pic] | | | | |8 |What is ABCs net profit margin, in dollars and percent? | | | | |11% | | |$428 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |9 |What is ABCs profit leverage effect of reducing purchased item costs? How much additional revenue would be required to equal a 5% reduction in purchased | | |prices paid? | [pic] | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5% of 1404 = $70 Million. So, reducing purchased costs by 5% reduces COGS and increases profit by $70M. To yield an equivalent increase through sales, sales must increase by ($70/. 35) = $200 Million (6%).

Adverse Effects of Piracy essays

Adverse Effects of Piracy essays According to a 2000 study, the U.S. software industry lost more than $2.6 billion to software piracy in 2000. This loss has a significant impact on the U.S. economy. Furthermore, it has been estimated that software piracy cost the U.S. economy over 109,000 jobs, $5.6 billion in lost wages and more than $1.5 billion in tax revenue in the year 2000. Software piracy is not an issue to be taken lightly. The US government has noticed how big software piracy has gotten and has started to crack down on it. Software piracy needs to be stopped. If it is not, all computer users that legitimately purchase software will suffer. Software piracy is defined as the unauthorized duplication, distribution or use of computer software. This can range from making more copies of software than the license allows or installing software licensed for one computer onto multiple computers or a server. With new technologies today the ability to pirate software has become much easier. Many believe this not to be a problem; however, thousands of peoples lives are being affected by this everyday. Companies are losing millions of dollars and having to lay off employees. Copying cheats the publisher and everyone who uses the software. It makes software more costly and denies the publisher the sales it needs to improve software and finance new projects. Up until two to three years ago, software piracy was not a very big issue. Not to say that it was not happening, but it was not as wide spread as today. Since the beginning of the computer, people have been copying software and giving it to friends and family. Small, home based piracy has changed; it has developed into a high tech, low cost production. People used to have to buy the software in order to copy it; however, with a modem and a little bit of computer knowledge, any one can pirate software for free. Nothing has contributed more to the rise of s ...

3 Doors Down The Search For The

3 Doors Down ; The Search For The Better Life Essay, Research Paper 3 DOORS DOWN: THE QUEST FOR THE BETTER LIFE We spend our lives seeking for that something or person that can make full the nothingness and makes life # 8217 ; s tests endurable. The motive for the freshers album from 3 Doors Down trades with this thought of happening # 8220 ; The Better Life. # 8221 ; Tracks 1, 3, and 5, titled # 8220 ; Kryptonite, # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Duck and Run, # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Be Like That, # 8221 ; utilize the thought of the quest for the better life to explicate the motive contained throughout the album. The three paths discuss three different thoughts of accomplishing the better life ; happen your true love, calculating out how to acquire someplace in this universe, and our desire to walk in person else # 8217 ; s places. # 8220 ; Kryptonite, # 8221 ; the album # 8217 ; s first path, is about a adult male who is seeking to happen person to be at that place for him through midst and thin. It focuses on the thought that in this universe no 1 will stand by your side unless you are # 8220 ; superman. # 8221 ; The wordss discuss a relationship in which he is chew overing whether she # 8217 ; ll be at that place for him even in the tough times: # 8220 ; If I go brainsick so will you still name me Superman? If I # 8217 ; m alive and good, will you be at that place keeping my hand. # 8221 ; He unluckily discovers that though he is altruistic in giving, she will non be the one to stand by his side during the tough times: # 8220 ; You took for granted all the times I neer let you down. # 8221 ; The vocal ends with his realisation that he must go on on his quest to happen that person that will assist him happen his # 8220 ; Better Life. # 8221 ; The 3rd path on the album, # 8220 ; Duck and Run, # 8221 ; embodies the thought that the universe is non a nice topographic point and things are non ever merely and just. The set discusses their thoughts that it is difficult to acquire anyplace in this universe ; the thought that the harder you work, the less you see from it. He says: # 8220 ; All my work and eternal steps neer seem to acquire me really far. Walk a stat mi merely to travel an inch now, even though I # 8217 ; m seeking so bloody difficult, I # 8217 ; m seeking so hard.† This path ends on an optimistic note, saying that he will non allow the universe bring him down: â€Å"And I won’t duck and run, do I’m non built that way.† â€Å"Duck and Run† leaves us with the impression that no affair how difficult life get, you can non give up because Oklahoman or subsequently you will see the benefits of your difficult work. # 8220 ; Be Like That, # 8221 ; the 5th path on the album trades with the manner we all want to hold person else # 8217 ; s life. As the clich? goes, the grass is greener on the other side. The opening poetry of the song trades with one adult male # 8217 ; s dream of one twenty-four hours accomplishing the Hollywood life: # 8220 ; He spends his darks in California, watching the stars on the large screen. Then he lies awake and admirations, why can # 8217 ; t that be me? Cause in his life he # 8217 ; s filled with all these good intentions. # 8221 ; Though he has all these good purposes in his life, it seems nil of all time turns out the manner he wants it to. The 2nd poetry negotiations about a miss who watches people walk by, and wishes that her life could be every bit perfect as theirs appear to be. She wants person that will be at that place by her side: # 8220 ; She spends her yearss up in the North park, watching the people as they pass # 8230 ; all she wants is merely that something to keep onto, that # 8217 ; s all she needs. # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Be Like That # 8221 ; embraces the thought that we all want what person else has, or in most instances what person else merely appears to hold. In analyzing these three paths from # 8220 ; The Better Life, # 8221 ; the first album from 3 Doors Down, we find that the motive of the album is the treatment of the thought that in some signifier or another we are all looking for a better life. Some of us want a better occupation, some wish to happen their true love, and some want merely to be able to walk in person else # 8217 ; s places that we think has achieved the better life. The album leaves you with a rejuvenated spirit and a sense that possibly someday in the close hereafter you will happen that something or person to give you # 8220 ; The Better Life. # 8221 ;

Monitoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Monitoring - Essay Example It may be legal for an employee to make negative comments about their employer over the internet. However, the employer might decide to discipline the employee if they directly post the negative comments in reference to them. Such discipline could amount to the termination of employment and other opportunities in the working environment (Online Privacy: Using the Internet Safely). If the employee defies the ethical concern on confidentiality and discloses confidential information about the employer over the internet, then the employer has a right to terminate their employment. Employers ask for private information about the social web pages of their employees. This is an ethical concern that affects businesses because it amounts to the infringement of the employees’ privacy rights. Such practices might affect the society in a negative manner, as the employers would practice discriminatory recruitment practices. The development of peer-to-peer sharing of files has led to a concern in business ethics (Business & Entrepreneurship). It has led to the illegal transfer of copyrighted content, for instance, the free sharing of software among users. The owners of such software could sue the business as they have defied the terms and conditions stipulated in the usage agreement. "Can My Employer Discipline Me for My Comments Posted on Facebook, MySpace, or My Blog?" - LawInfo. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.

Outline the processes of evolution and explain how either theory of Essay

Outline the processes of evolution and explain how either theory of mind or altruism is an adaptation resulting from the selective forces that have operated dur - Essay Example This is also the rationale behind the arrival of variations in the species of organisms through time. The genius of evolution lies in the fact that although organisms have obviously changed though time, a lot of their features remain strikingly comparable to something from a different age. (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, and the Regents of the University of California, 2008) Simply put, evolution is one of the major factors that cause different life forms to continue to exist in the universe. Evolution is a complex process that makes use of several mechanisms or sub-processes. These evolutionary mechanisms are responsible for affecting change in population.. (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, and the Regents of the University of California, 2008) The basic mechanisms of evolution that affect change include natural selection, genetic drift, migration or gene flow and mutation. (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, and the Regents of the University of California, 2008) Natural selection is the course of action by which inherited characteristics that are pertinent to continued existence and reproduction become more prominent. In natural selection, the traits that are detrimental to one’s survival become less prominent in the next generations. (DOBZHANSKY, 1955) According to the ‘Understanding Evolution’ website, genetic drift can be simply described as an â€Å"evolutionary equivalent of a sampling error†. Another way to describe genetic drift is that the genetic material from one generation does not go on in the same proportions in the next generations for due to a lot of indiscriminate reasons. Genetic drift can be likened to a lottery where a â€Å"winner† is determined by sheer luck or in this case, chance. Genetic drift affects the process of evolution in three ways. First, genetic drift causes a reduction in variations. This causes a population to be

Evaluation of Apple Incs decision about launched product Apple Pay, Essay

Evaluation of Apple Incs decision about launched product Apple Pay, based on your analysis of the external environment (PEST factors and competition) and of the market - Essay Example However, companies such as Apple are helping to make that dream turn into reality. The growth in mobile commerce is seen to be quick with more of smart phone users. The current paper aims to analyze the mobile payments industry of the U.S emphasising upon its trends, growth rates, environmental factors and competition aspects. Apple Pay is a mobile payments solutions product developed by Apple Inc. The system allows the users of iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 plus, iPad mini3, iPad Air 2 and Apple Watch to make direct payments. The service was launched on October 20, 2014 in the U.S. The system currently exists only in the U.S, with the company’s plans of expanding the same into other nations in the near future (Apple Inc., 2014). The contactless payment system enables users to pay for different types of purchases in a safe and a highly secure manner. The solutions payment systems are a part of the electronic payments industry. The purpose of service providers in this industry is to develop an easy method of transacting business and transferring money without having to carry or use cards every time a purchase in made. Users can store their banking information in their mobiles in a secure way and can use the same whenever purchases are made. When consumers store their debit or credit card information in their iPhones, Apple generates a unique encrypted code called the device account numbers. These codes get saved within the mobile chip and is never accessed or stored in the Apple servers. Whenever any transaction is made, these device account numbers along with transaction specific security code is used. In this manner the actual debit or credit card information is not used by Apple for transmitting the payment (Heggestuen, J., 2014). The mobile payments and online payment solutions industry is seen to have grown rapidly in the last few years in the U.S. The industry is seen to be in its booming phase with new types of

Operational management in Hospitality and Tourism industry - Sydney Assignment

Operational management in Hospitality and Tourism industry - Sydney Marriott Harbour - Assignment Example The payment rates to the rooms are depended to the views as the deluxe city view rooms cost AUS$650, Bridge view rooms at AUS$750, and in accordance to technology, the E-Bundle package costs $750. The hotel further provides business clientele with Retail Therapy-city view at a cost of $810 as it comprises of a two-car parking lot and proximity to enjoyable shopping excursions in the city. The hotel’s management adapts to criterion review process and establishes that all the programs are up to the desired performances (Bushel, 2001). However, the management fails to express precise charges on its services thus; they fail to achieve trust from the clients as well, for example, charging $45 for car parks instead of the delineated $35 (Marriott, 2013). Executive summary In relevance to the issue of tourism and service delivery, hotels have continuously diversified investments by inclusion of extra services rather than diversification of investments. Since the services offered vary accordingly from provision of meals to accommodation, and other forms of hospitality, the management may consequently fail to acknowledge the importance of some of the services while trying to acknowledge those of others (Ingram & Roberts, 2000). The study established Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel as a five star with the most appropriate location and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. A review conducted upon the critical areas of interests and that would affect its credibility and value to the tourism approaches upon their comparison to the competitors (Bergin-Seers & Jago, 2007). Eventually, the study shall implicate on the challenges facing the hotel’s management as a result of failure in delivering of the desired services (Ingram & Roberts, 2000). Specifically, the tourists and other business clients boarding the hotel decry on the poor program presentation. In addition, they disguise parking prices as unethical and contrary to the desired value (Bushel, 2001). An evaluation to the values derived by visitors to the hotel record the lowest margin, which is an indication to the financial disguise of the available services and the exact charges realized after visiting the hotel (Ingram & Roberts, 2000). Description of the Sydney Marriott Harbour This five star hotel is a subsidiary of the Marriott International Inc. of the U.S.A. The Sydney Marriott Harbour conforms to the other Marriott hotels as it competitively boasts over its five star facilities, which enable it cope with the prevailing competition in the Australian hotelier industry with a major target to the tourist clientele group (Wilson, Harris, and Jennie, 2008). Despite the expressed competencies, the hotel ranks fourth in provision of quality services to the clientele community. The present competitors who mainly pose a threat to the hotel are the Hilton Sydney Hotel, Sir Stamford at Circular Quay, Quay West Suites Sydney, and the Intercontinental Sydney Hotel among others (Patiar, 2008). The hotels assume the most appropriate location as Marriott Hotel, but differ in the provision of charges. The hotel relies on the local tourists who are the main clients, while the competitors focus on the

Does the SIP Clearly Identify the Areas of Weakness Reflected in Essay - 1

Does the SIP Clearly Identify the Areas of Weakness Reflected in District, State, or National Assessments or Other Data - Essay Example This essay discusses that SIP enabled the identification of various weaknesses among students in coping with their studies. Furthermore, it also enabled the identification of the varieties of difficulties that students experience during their learning program, as well as the fact that the proficiency level varies between African American students and Caucasian students. Sip enabled the identification of the variety of problems faced by the school, such as the status of struggling students as well as their difficulties in learning. as such, these students require appropriate support in order to improve their proficiency levels in all their subject areas., such as improve in Algebra proficiency scores from 32% to 40%, improve English proficiency score from 75% to 83%, and to improve the school attendance by both students and staff by 99%. The objectives of this SIP include focusing on individual students and helping them to improve their achievement. Teachers hold conversations with st udents regarding simple issues like why they have failed to understand specific problems of a course.   They regularly analyze data to understand whether students are maintaining state-level standards. As Schafer Elem School develops its improvement plan for the year, the school comes from a backdrop of poor performance as the students perform poorly in various subjects thereby resulting in consistent poor results save for mathematics.

Evaluation of Apple Incs decision about launched product Apple Pay, Essay

Evaluation of Apple Incs decision about launched product Apple Pay, based on your analysis of the external environment (PEST factors and competition) and of the market - Essay Example However, companies such as Apple are helping to make that dream turn into reality. The growth in mobile commerce is seen to be quick with more of smart phone users. The current paper aims to analyze the mobile payments industry of the U.S emphasising upon its trends, growth rates, environmental factors and competition aspects. Apple Pay is a mobile payments solutions product developed by Apple Inc. The system allows the users of iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 plus, iPad mini3, iPad Air 2 and Apple Watch to make direct payments. The service was launched on October 20, 2014 in the U.S. The system currently exists only in the U.S, with the company’s plans of expanding the same into other nations in the near future (Apple Inc., 2014). The contactless payment system enables users to pay for different types of purchases in a safe and a highly secure manner. The solutions payment systems are a part of the electronic payments industry. The purpose of service providers in this industry is to develop an easy method of transacting business and transferring money without having to carry or use cards every time a purchase in made. Users can store their banking information in their mobiles in a secure way and can use the same whenever purchases are made. When consumers store their debit or credit card information in their iPhones, Apple generates a unique encrypted code called the device account numbers. These codes get saved within the mobile chip and is never accessed or stored in the Apple servers. Whenever any transaction is made, these device account numbers along with transaction specific security code is used. In this manner the actual debit or credit card information is not used by Apple for transmitting the payment (Heggestuen, J., 2014). The mobile payments and online payment solutions industry is seen to have grown rapidly in the last few years in the U.S. The industry is seen to be in its booming phase with new types of

Does the SIP Clearly Identify the Areas of Weakness Reflected in Essay - 1

Does the SIP Clearly Identify the Areas of Weakness Reflected in District, State, or National Assessments or Other Data - Essay Example This essay discusses that SIP enabled the identification of various weaknesses among students in coping with their studies. Furthermore, it also enabled the identification of the varieties of difficulties that students experience during their learning program, as well as the fact that the proficiency level varies between African American students and Caucasian students. Sip enabled the identification of the variety of problems faced by the school, such as the status of struggling students as well as their difficulties in learning. as such, these students require appropriate support in order to improve their proficiency levels in all their subject areas., such as improve in Algebra proficiency scores from 32% to 40%, improve English proficiency score from 75% to 83%, and to improve the school attendance by both students and staff by 99%. The objectives of this SIP include focusing on individual students and helping them to improve their achievement. Teachers hold conversations with st udents regarding simple issues like why they have failed to understand specific problems of a course.   They regularly analyze data to understand whether students are maintaining state-level standards. As Schafer Elem School develops its improvement plan for the year, the school comes from a backdrop of poor performance as the students perform poorly in various subjects thereby resulting in consistent poor results save for mathematics.

Technology and Law Enforcement Essay Example for Free

Technology and Law Enforcement Essay With advances in technology we see new and scary ways criminals commit crimes. With the introduction of cell phones and scanners years ago, criminals could listen to police radio traffic and see where and how we police were responding. No need for look outs, technology became the look out. Now in the computer age we see crimes from identity theft and hacking into computers to steal personal and corporate confidential information to cyber stalking and sexual predating to cell phone cloning. Criminals have a whole new playground and the playground as technology advances. But technology is not just for criminals. Law enforcement agencies are using technology to make police work more effective and efficient. Also police and communities are also using technology to make their communities safer. Technology and the Individual Police OfficerThe future of policing from the perspective of individual police officers is understanding how the new technology works for the individual law enforcer. There are many new technologies that are being invented and implemented in law enforcement agencies across the country. The main goal for each new technology is to improve police work. In a town in Mississippi, the local police agency received 24 refurbished computers from the Aurora, Colorado police department. The police chief in Mississippi was excited because these computers will be put into the squad cars of each officer. This new technology for this small town in Mississippi is making the law enforcement faster and more effective. The officers can now look through the databases in their squad cars. The officers do not need to call dispatch and wait for them to respond. The officer must then ask the dispatcher to look up the item or items that the officer needs to proceed with the situation. The new computers will also make writing the reports more clear and spelling is correct. Police Chief Lionel Cothern (2007) said, I dont know what we would do without computers (Gulflive, 2007, para. 7).New technology is ever present even if a new technology introduced to one law enforcement agency is new in the market or has been out for a while, if it helps the law enforcement community, it is an improvement. Wireless technology is a fast growing technology that is helping the  individual police officers as well as the agencies themselves. In San Francisco, the transit police officers have been given a wireless live video feed. The Police officers are now able to see through live video feed what is going on in approx. 39 stations and 100 miles of track (San Francisco city website, 2007). Commander Gomes said, This really is the next wave in police work (San Francisco city website, 2007). He also said, Wireless technology and intelligent video systems can offer law enforcement a powerful tool to use against criminals (San Francisco city website, 2007). This new technology allows the video link to be viewed 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The live video feeds will also allow the law enforcement in the Bay area to use facial recognition to see potential criminals and also to look into the background of people that have issues with the law. Each officer will eventually have hand held devices to use during situations that may be dangerous to them. These hand held devices allow the police officer to see what is going on in the section of track or station that an incident has happened. New technologies within the law enforcement community are a very important tool that law enforcement has to use. Individual police officers use these technologies to help them save lives including their own in the line of duty. The new technologies can be innovative or new to the law enforcement agency that uses it. The goal for these new law enforcement tools is to help solve crime faster and more efficiently. The officer will have more time in securing their safety as well as others that they protect and serve. Technology and Police AgenciesTechnology has changed this world immensely and still keeps changing it. If there were not for technology we would still be living in caves far away from sophistication that we enjoy today. By this we can conclude that technology is good for us! As good as technology may be for the ordinary citizen this is not a position of todays police departments and their leaders. There are many reasons why police officers and their superiors do not like technology. One of the first reasons that come to mind is that they simply do not react to technology well. It takes them years to get acquainted and  comfortable with using modern devices. Because of this police often find themselves trailing behind the offenders. Offenders who are skilled individuals committing acts of crime via computers, cell phones and other technologies. The problem with modern technology is not solely concentrated on apprehending offenders; it also comes in play when trying to manage an organization using these new resources. Thanks to globalization the crime also became globalized. It is much easier for the offenders to access places of interest physically and via internet to commit offenses. This is where police communication comes into play and also its network awareness. Crime is becoming globalized and police departments need to be aware of matters it traditionally is not good at. Such things are the communication between departments, local agencies and agencies from other countries. Today, compared to past, we have many available communication resources to accurately transmit wanted data information. It is important that we use these resources whether it is within our own city limits or even between the continents. Another area of interest is polices network awareness and how they are able to implement this new criminal activity into their already busy schedule. Do we need to reinvent policing and create whole new agencies or departments which sole purpose is to control and prevent internet crime? The biggest problem for the departments today is that they are simply not following the always changing technology. Police have to start looking more to the future and try to predict what will happen. Police management needs to start being more proactive instead of reactive. Technology, if used the right way, can be to our great benefit. It can increase and better many functions such as; communication, control of the officers, offenders registry and more. Technology and CommunitiesWith the further progress of technology comes new ways of streamlining crime fighting methods. These new methods are not limited to the cops on the streets, or even the sergeants and lieutenants who manage the officers in the field. No, these technologically improved  methods also enhance a communitys ability to fight crime as well. Communities usually take an active interest in the protection and safe guarding of their own. With programs such as the neighborhood watch program, communities have participated in crime prevention for years. Today however, these programs have been revolutionized by items such as the cell-phone, video cameras and internet. With these new and improved methods, community policing has advanced to an all new level. The concept of community policing is not a new philosophy. It is based on the notion that the interaction and support of the community helps control crime by having members of the community bring possible problems to the attention of police. Several examples of how technology has helped with crime prevention are as follows. Cell-phones have made staying-in-touch easier than ever. With the touch of a button you can communicate with someone on the other side of town, country and/or world. With the ease of rapid communication, comes the ability to quickly notify authorities of possible problems. For example, if a couple in the park notices an incident which looks suspicious, quick action can be taken by merely notifying the police via the trusty, ever-present cell-phone. Home protection has become more complex by utilizing technology. In years past a secure home was the one which contained a big gun and loud dog. Security of the home-front has changed for many with the addition of motion detectors, electronic keypads, and closed circuit cameras, also known as (CCTV). CCTV is the use of video cameras to monitor designated locations and broadcast the signal to a specific location. Within these specific locations are monitors which may or may not be continuously viewed. Regardless of where the signal is transmitted, the mere presence of these cameras is a deterrent. The internets role in the realm of crime, whether it be crime itself, crime fighting or crime prevention, is immeasurable. One policy that the use of technology has helped to promote is the location and notification of sex offenders. The ability to locate where, and determine how many sex offenders live in a neighborhood is important to most, especially those with children. Thanks to technology, the internet has expanded to cover even this realm. With websites such as, www.nationalalertregistry.com, the ability to obtain full names and home address of sex offenders becomes readily available. As well as names and addresses, you may also obtain detailed maps to the offenders residence, color photos helping you identify the offender, conviction information and any aliases which the offender has used in the past. The use of technology by the community has definitely changed how the general public responds to crime and the threat thereof. With these new abilities however, comes greater responsibility for the individual. For when does the ability to delve into someones background turn from righteous knowledge, to invading someones privacy? Or, when does CCTV in public places cross the line of public security and wander into the touchy realm of individual privacy?ConclusionTechnology has given criminals new ways to commit crimes. Technology has also given police advanced resources to prevent crime and catch criminals. Law enforcement must take the initiative in technology and not simply react to what criminals are doing. With the new technology police agencies enjoy they must balance these advances with the rights of citizens. Just because law enforcement can listen in on private conversations easier than ever or monitor private activity with closed circuit cameras it doesnt mean they should. References Gulflive, (2005). Police Chief Cothern. Retrieved July 3, 2007, from http://www.gulflive.com/news/mississippipress/news.ssf?/base/news/1173694579180270.xml. San Francisco, (2006), San Francisco website. Retrieved July 3, 2007, from http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/trans/roadways_transit_police.pdf.

The Operational Management Of The Hsbc Marketing Essay

The Operational Management Of The Hsbc Marketing Essay This paper aims to explain the operational management of the HSBC and how to develop and apply the concept of operational management, which refers to the operational routines that shape the way the firms strategic path is developed over time. There are total four task of analysis in this paper. The first task is to analysis the orientation of it organization and how this orientation affects the ability to deliver the key operational components for its survival such as speed, quality and flexibility. The second task is to identify the key changes within the organization. The third task, is to argue the case for or against to maintaining its orientation in the organization. At the last task is to discuss the important of new product development and how the operation can input in the development hence to reduce the risk of failure of products and services in the market. Outside the stakeholders are taking an increasing interest in the activity of the organization. Mainly look to the outer circle what the organizations has actually done such as: good or bad, in terms of its products and services, in terms of its impact on the environment and on local communities, or how it treats and develops its workforce. Out of the various stakeholders, the financial analysts who are predominantly focused as well as past financial performance on quality of management as an indicator of likely future performance. Flexibility- HSBC continues to enhance certain products development which the core to the companys customer group offering and some products will be managed or coordinated globally. These products include the HSBC cards, which exploits the experience and platforms provided by the Insurance, Cash Management, Household, for scale and international reach, Asset Management, Custody and Funds Administration, and Retirement Benefits. Quality- Besides that, improving the products, HSBC will ensure the customers that the company has the best capabilities, and will be able to offer a comprehensive service to their product expertise globally. Developing and improving their product is important because always aside from the trust of the consumers of the bank, this is also a good source of their profit for with good products and services, the HSBC can attract more customers and maintain old ones, and in turn, determine their success in the market, and maintain their reputation being the worlds local bank. Dependability- Through improving and developing their products and their services, the HSBC can deliver growth by enhancing their revenue generation culture, and this involves four aspects. These aspects including strengthening use of marketing as a key management tool of the business lines, rewarding revenue performance and penalizing mediocrity, focusing investment on businesses and geographies with largest growth potential, and benchmarking growth targets and achievement rigorously against peer group. Growth can continuously be achieved if these aspects will be implemented effectively and efficiency in the market. 1.3.2 The marketing strategic of HSBC HSBC launch the managing for growth program, which is a strategic plan that provides the company with a blueprint for growth and development the company business. The strategy builds on the companys strengths and addresses the areas where further improvement is considered both attractive and attainable. Its core values are integral to its strategy, and communicating them to their customers, shareholders and staffs is deemed as intrinsic to the plan. These values comprise an emphasis on long-term, high productivity through teamwork, ethical client relationship, a confident and ambitious sense of excellence, being international in outlook and character; prudence; creativity and customer focused marketing. The key marketing and business strategy for HSBC is as follows: Brand: make HSBC and its hexagon symbol one of the worlds leading brands for customer experience and corporate social responsibility. Personal Financial Services: drive growth in key markets and through appropriate channels to make HSBC the strongest global player in personal financial services. Consumer Finance: extend the reach of this business to existing customers through a wider product range and penetrate new markets Commercial Banking: make the most of HSBCs international customer base through effective relationship management and improved product offerings in all the Groups markets. Corporate, Investment Banking and Markets: accelerate growth by enhancing capital markets and advisory capabilities focused on client service in defined sectors where HSBC has critical relevance and strength. Private Banking: serve the Groups highest value personal clients around the world. People: attract, develop and motivate HSBCs people, rewarding success and rejecting mediocrity. TSR: fulfil HSBCs TSR target by achieving strong competitive performances in earnings per share growth and efficiency. 1.3.3 The marketing strategic perspective of HSBC The basis for HSBC to develop their strategies is aim to maintain their global competitiveness and reputation. The marketing strategic of HSBC delivery the following key operational components of: Speed- In order to effectiveness the fast product or service delivery and client relationships, the HR team would retain their individual specialist responsibilities and knowledge base on each business area would have a specific individual in the team to act as their client relationship manager (CRM). This is a simple change given that each team member based on their expertise, developed deeper relationships with certain business areas than others. The CRM give the team an up to date overview of all activities in several business area, the businesses challenges, needs and wishes at any point in time. This created a situation that often occurs in small HR teams with competent and enthusiastic members, namely over utilization by specific business areas and a focus on operational delivery. This is again a product of the way the business and team have grown. Team members keen to deliver good quality development to the business have jump at the opportunity to create a positive relationshi p where a need have to identify. Quality- HSBC is to maintain their position as the worlds local bank, which enables them to approach each country uniquely, blending local knowledge with a worldwide operation platform. This is a good approach for each of these regions are distinct from each other, having different culture and beliefs, making it difficult to implement a single project for all client around the world. The difference in this approach is to addressing the different needs of their customers, which is a good basis from the improvement of customer service at the business organization, and their aim is to find good solutions and techniques in the development and improvement of their rendered products and services. Dependability- Different geographies will provide different products or services to different customers. HSBC will concentrate activities on geographies where growth and critical mass and located. Such activities include global outsourcing strategy, which was also implemented by the company in several countries including in Philippines. The company was able to establish itself in call centers to provide their services in relation to sales and checking of accounts. Outsourcing contributes is to aim of HSBC to focus on the needs of their customers, for these all call centres are responsible for providing their customers with an information regarding their accounts. Call centres agents are also take responsible for answering the queries of customers regarding the company. Flexibility- Usually design or innovate new products or services to their customers, provide various products or flexibility services to fit different customers needs and ability to change the timing of delivery of its product and services to customers. 1.3.4 Comparison of orientation affect operational performance objective in HSBC Operational performance objectives Definition Product orientation Marketing orientation Quality Quality is consistent conformance to customer expectation. By providing high quality product and error free transaction of services to customers. Finding what customers want and expect by using research such as: survey, focus group for interview and other techniques that integrated customers voice. And research must reveal what the customers view of quality and whether customers are getting it. Speed The elapsed time between customers requesting products and services and their receiving them. Provide fast delivering products or fast transaction services to customers. Fast decision to change to improve customers satisfaction. Dependability Delivery or making available, products or services when they were promised to the customers. Different part of countries might deliver different type products or services. Different part of countries might have their own marketing strategy to its customers needs. Flexibility The degree to which an operations process can change what it does, how it is doing it or when it is doing it. Ability to introduce new or modified products and services to customers. -Ability to produce a wide range or mix of products and services. -Ability to change the level of output or activity to produce different quantities or volume of products and services over time. Ability to change the timing of delivery of its product and services. Cost One major operations objective, especially where companies compete with prices is cost. Low price is a universal attractive objective to customers, which can be achieved by producing goods at lower costs. Offer a reasonable price for a product and services that customers can afford to paid. In order to gain competitive advantage, the cost will be identifying through market condition and competitors performance. Task 2 2.0 Market Orientation Market orientation is generally regarded as the implementation of the marketing concept. The marketing concept is a philosophy of doing business, which puts the customers needs at the central of the organisation. In terms of the HSBC bank, the marketing concept starts with the customers needs as the top function of banking purpose. The HSBC must identify these needs and then decide which ones it should try to satisfy. The opportunity to meet bank objectives will occur through the banks efforts to determine customers satisfaction. 2.1 Key features of market Orientation According to Narver and Slater (1990) market orientation composed of three behavioral characteristics: Customer Orientation: understanding the potential customer needs in order to create an added value for him on a continuance basis. Competitor Orientation: knowing the strength and weaknesses as well as capabilities and strategies of key competitors. Inter Functional Coordination: coordinating use of the firm resources for creating high added value to target customers. Figure 1: Narver and Slaters view on market orientation. Source: Narver and Slater (1990). 2.1.1 Customer orientation The vital of this characteristic is to demonstration the understanding and commitment that results in enhanced value to the clients. The key behaviours of a customer approach include such as: providing services of values, researching customer needs, concentrating on needs, committing to customers, focusing on customers satisfaction; reporting and measuring satisfaction, and augmenting existing services. In order to focus customer orientation, HSBC should analyse the behaviour of their customers and using research such as survey, group focus interview and other technique that integrated customers voice to their expectation. 2.1.2 Competitor orientation This characteristic meets with the most resistance, who believe that competition amongst banks is unhealthy and counterproductive. But competition needs to be defined more broadly to include generic competition. Competition, from the viewpoint of the customer, is whatever will directly or indirectly satisfy a need. To understand the market, the HSBC must recognise that there is competition and that it is advantageous to benchmark the bank against other quantity programs and facilities that are offered by other banks as well evaluate the offerings from other generic competition. Key behaviours are open discussion of competitors; evaluating competitor behaviour; assessing competitor strategies; and examining opportunities for improvement. 2.1.3 Inter-functional Coordination The key indicator of this characteristic is the total commitment of all members to a marketing philosophy and the integration of marketing activities to provide value to the customer. Typical behaviours in HSBC should include those aspects: teams and departments working together to meet up customers needs, teams and departments sharing market information, teams and departments are integrating strategies, all sections working together to offer great value to customers, and the teams willing to share the resources. 2.1.4 Long-term Growth Focus HSBC normally regard a five year cycle as long term, claiming that the environment is too uncertain to plan beyond this time frame. Despite this, research indicates that organisations should develop a strategic plans, or strategic intentions, that go well beyond a five year cycle. Behaviours associated with this aspect include: adopting a long term focus in matters of expansion or survival, attempting to service all customers (shareholders, suppliers, staff and so on)in the long run, aiming for effective organisational performance in the marketplace, implementing and identify new value added services, and identifying the overcoming deficiencies in banking services. Task 3 3.0 Where Industry Life Cycle comes from? The industry life cycle imitates the human life cycle. The stages of industry lifecycle include fragmentation, shake out, maturity and decline. (Kotler, 2003) 3.1 Current industry life cycle in UK retail banking Figure 2: the banking industry life cycle (Source: from FSA website)1987 2009 Growth in UK bank has increased dramatically, and the rate of return on equity substantially exceeds the cost capital. UK banking has been a high growth, high return business and leading UK banks show some of the highest market capitalization in the EU. In the past twenty years the proportion of UK households with a bank account has risen dramatically (from 60% in 1980 to 94% in 2009). The number of service that a bank sells to a typical customer has also increased dramatically. In 2009, a bank typically cross-sells the current-account customer to a variety of other services, including likes mortgage, credit cards, personal loans, life and general insurance, car insurance and investment product such as mutual trust and unit trust. Besides that, technology has enabled banks to perform their retail business more efficiency. Advances in communication and information technology have driven down the cost of processing and made it feasible to perform this processing remotely from the banks branches. The introduction of cash machine, internet and phone banking has driven the cost per transaction. So did the consolidation of banking enterprises via merger and acquisition. Together, the expansion in revenue and the reduction in unit cost have lead to dramatic increase in profits from UK retail banking. 3.3 The reason to maintain its orientation in HSBC It enables continuous learning and knowledge accumulation through continuous collection of information about customers and competitors and using information to create superior customer value and competitive advantage. Will confuse customers if bank keep changing its orientation. High risk to change its orientation most of them might face failure in changing a new orientation. Changing may be costly and wasteful of resources such as time to re-training staff into new orientations, RD costs, switching costs, increase advertisement cost and marketing cost. Changing orientation will affect the organization in culture, management, leadership and operational. The operational efficiency and effectiveness is improved if orientation maintained. 3.3.1 The important of maintain marketing orientation and product orientation in HSBC Marketing Orientation Product orientation Is an organizational culture that most effectively and efficiency creates the necessary behaviours for the creation of superior value for buyer and thus, continuous superior performance business (Narver and Slater, 1990). The important to maintain marketing orientation because it usually focus the following advantages aspects: Increased profit through improved customer satisfaction. New opportunities occur due to greater understanding of markets, customers and competitors. Tapping into the knowledge of employees and directors more effectively. Improved understanding of customer requirement. Product and service development strategies greatly improved. Increase level of employee satisfaction Systems to raise both customer retention and customer acquisition. Development of a learning culture. Besides that, marketing orientation can facilitate the HSBC to compete by following sustainable competitive advantage: Creating a link between customer wants and organizational strengths Consider the competition from the customer perspective Creating and maintaining superior value through effective application of the marketing mix. A product orientation leads to marketing myopia (Levitt 1960), by focusing on the product rather than the customers needs. The advantages to maintain product orientation are as follows: Quality should be guaranteed. The product is consistent (any changes are progressive). Future activities are more predictable. 3.4 The reasons against maintaining its orientation in HSBC The environment (such as technologies) keeps changing, and maintaining the orientation may keep the bank off-track with competition. Operations need adjustment to keep with the changes. To attract new customers and sustainable competitive advantage. Where, organization will faced lost confidence or lost attractive by customers with current orientation. Customers have become more demanding to improved services such as: Shorter waiting time, 24/7 services, reduced lending rates, shorter loan approval period, etc. Bank may have to adjust its operations to take note of the changes. To improve reputation- by changing new orientation might help organization to improve well known reputation. To keep growth of product or services in its all market. Task 4 4.0 The new product development process The new product development process (NPD process) can be defined as a disciplined and unambiguous set of tasks and steps that describe the normal means by which an organization repetitively converts embryonic into saleable products or services. Two commonly used NPD process models are described as follows: A five-stage framework linking new product development opportunity to design, testing, information, and profit management. The stage-gate system that recognize the importance of cross-functional teams, parallel processing in activities, and up-front predevelopment activities in the NPD process. Testing Introduction Profit management Design Opportunity identification Stage 1 Preliminary assessment Stage 2 Business case preparation Stage 5 Full Production/ market launch Stage 4 Testing and validation Stage 3 Development Figure3: Two commonly used NPD process Models Primarily (Source: World Class Theory and Practice (International Edition) 4.1 The importance of new product development NPD is typically important for an organization. The importance for ongoing innovation is discussed by Lancaster and Massingham (1993,p. 128) is today, most organizations must either innovate or go out of business. Clearly, then, innovation and the new product development which such innovation gives rise to is not just desirable but is essential to long-term market and competitive success. 4.1.1 Sources of Competitive Advantage HSBC innovate and develop new products or services are because the new products or services offer them unique opportunities for competitive advantage. For example: HSBC was the first bank to launch TV banking and has returned to profitability. The early movers also have the advantage of taking a leading role in setting HSBCs standards for the emerging product categories. 4.1.2 Market Share Gain New product introduced in the marketplace provide additional first mover advantages to the organizations. By developing new products, HSBC can quickly capture a big share of the market before competitive products are introduced. For example HSBC creation of a joint-venture with Merrill-Lynch to create a new Internet based global banking service. 4.1.3 Higher profitability During the early stages, a new product faces less competition than a product in a mature; therefore, its profitability tends to be higher. As the market becomes saturated with several competitive products, prices start falling and profit margin decrease. This general trend is observed in HSBC. 4.1.4 Enhancement corporate image and Brand Name The development of innovative and creative new products will create HSBC in very powerful source of goodwill and creates a positive of corporate image. It is not easy to assign a monetary value to the goodwill associated with enhance corporate image results from new product development. At the same time, brand equity measures used in marketing show that organizations with more successful new product development efforts command higher respect from customers, which leads to enhanced long-term profitability. 4.1.5 Operating Cost and Capacity Utilization HSBC constantly innovate also identify better approaches for producing products. The product development effort is often closely linked with process development. Therefore, over a period of time, production cost is reduced, leading to enhance profitability. Furthermore, new products provide the opportunity for enhance sales, as the demand or older products decreases over time. Therefore, HSBC can continue to operate at a similar capacity id it continues to innovate and introduce new products. 4.2 The operational input into the development of TV banking in HSBC Research found that different development presents different strategic and operations types of actions in HSBC. An example to development TV banking in HSBC, this project involved the development of a new technological capability to manage transactions by TV remote control. Figure 4: The initiative development characteristics Initiative Exploration vs. exploitation The major issue of the initiative Capital investment Decision making style successful Life span (years) TV banking Exploration Technology Medium Top-down Yes 3 The operational inputs into the development are base on 3 stages such as follows: 4.2.1 The First Stage Idea Generation Primarily focus on the initial stage of the initiative and examine the factors that shape the idea as it emerges. This section has two main themes. The first themes is focuses on the origin of each of the initiatives; and the second themes is focuses on the way in which the initiative gains initial approval. In HSBC the major source of initiatives came from senior managers who were following an idea of their departmental mission. The other factors in Harts (1992) categorization were not found to be significant. They are the ways in which the initiatives initials ideas were spark: The investment in TV banking: The first contact came when the other party in the venture approached the bank. At primary, the decision was not to invest in the firm, since the project did not fit the banks requirements. Six months later SKY and BT approached the Head of Strategy, who took the lead. Since the other party changed their requirement for a bank partner, it was possible for the bank to accept the offer. According to Burgelman (1983) the ideas for initiatives in his research cases came from the line managers and was based on technological development possibilities. But my opinion reveals different sources. In my opinion the idea for each initiative emerged from the senior level of management, based on a view of the departmental mission. In order to development TV banking in HSBC, the first step was to organise an informal meeting between a senior member of the top team and the initiator. Without this initial approval, the initiator cannot continue with this project. The development of TV banking projects was presented to the GM of Marketing, who decided to adopt the idea, and the department will began to plan the project in detail. The beginning of the working project involved collaboration with different departments. After finished the concept creation part of the project the marketing department started to think about implementation. And the next steps, the marketing department will took it to implementation planning. 4.2.2 The second stage- Concept development In the second stage, the initiatives basic concept that was permitted by one of the top team is developed into a concrete plan. This plan will be executed in the third stage of development- the implementation stage. This section is discussing two main issues: The development of the concept The preparation for implementation During this stage the bank forms two-layer management style for concept development and implementation. In this management structure, each project has a steering committee and an operational committee that collaborate on the concepts development of the concept and implementation. Looking to the concept development, the process is separated into two parts: Focuses on forming the concept-The initial work on the initiatives concept the study is done by the initiator by using external and internal sources. In the TV banking project the project manager began to form organizational support for the project only after the investment decision and a six-month period of planning and studying the projects needs in the SDU offices. Then, the whole implementations design was conducted by the Marketing Department. Focuses on extending the concept and developing the role of each department in the development of the initiative- By explore the implications for the perceived success of initiatives. In the TV banking project, the planners included more scope for benefits then were initially thought possible. 4.2.3 The Third Stage-Implementation In the third stage of the development is implemented. The main concern of this section is to look at the administrative system through which implementation is achieved. The bank has to develop a particular system through which it conducts its projects. This involves two-layer management structure. The first layer of the management structure is the steering committee, which is headed by the project sponsor, who is usually a senior general manager in the department responsible for the project. The other members of the steering committee are managers from project-related departments. The second management body is the working committee. Figure 4 portrays the structure of development TV banking. The solid line arrow represents the chain of command for the project, and the black down arrow indicates that the steering committee consists of the managers or their department representatives in the working group. When the project is particularly complex, as in the TV banking project, the project itself is divided into many sub-projects, and each may having its own operations committee. However, the whole project has one coordinating operations committee. The project manager, who heads the co-ordination committee, reports to the project sponsor on the development of this committee. Thus, the whole project has one steering committee and one coordinating operations committee. Normally, the steering committee meets once a month (but this can vary according to need) and the operation committee meets once a week. The steering committee includes in the management level of the department, while the operation committee includes in the members of staff who actually conduct the project. The steering committee needs to solve and support the operation committee in all the problems it faces. These could be external or internal in the firm. External in the firm such as: the choice of technologies and the market. Whereas, internal in the firm they could be such as: internal communication and negotiation to priorities objectives between departments. The project sponsor The steering Group The project manager The working Group Figure 5: The two layered management structure 4.3 Step to reduce Failure on new development In order to reduce the risk of failure of products or services in the market, HSBC can utilize marketing research. At the heart of any product success by truly understanding of consumer wants and needs, and how HSBC new product could fill those needs in a meaningful way. There are four steps to follows: Step one: Market understanding HSBC can use tools such as qualitative research, category assessment, and segmentation to understand the competitive landscape, why consumers buy certain products, how they use those products, and what unmet needs they may have. Step 2: Apply that insight in concept development Here HSBC can use brainstorming, concept testing, and volumetric forecasting to generate new product ideas, identify areas for improvement, and determine which products are most promising. Step 3: Building on that knowledge, HSBC can move to product development In this step HSBC can use marketing research tools such as product testing, packaging research, pricing research, and claim substantiation help them to understand how their product performs in real-world conditions, how it compares to competing products, and what competitive claims HSBC can make. Step 4: After product launch, HSBC move to product management. HSBC can use tools such as customer satisfaction research, tracking research and promotion assessment to determine key metrics related to competitor comparisons, product awareness, consumer usage, and optimum marketing approaches. While theres no sure-fire way to ensure product success, marketing research is cruci