Trends in the Workplace Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Trends in the Workplace - Coursework Example Issues of ageing employees, diversity and skills deficiencies feature new trends in work place. To respond to the demands of the work environment, the human resource managers need to exercise flexibility if their organizations have to remain profitable both in the short and long-term. The organization selection and recruitment process is an activity that the human resource managers take seriously to obtain the best work force within their institution. The selection process is an activity that involves selection of only qualified employees who suit the minimum requirements of the position and fill the existing employee gaps effectively (Schuler & MacMillan, 2012). For an organization to achieve its goals, it requires skilled personnel with adequate skills and experiences to handle the needs of the organization. In any organization, the selection process takes at different stages. The applicants undergo scrutiny for academic qualifications, skills, experiences and leadership qualities. The human resource managers set clear the qualifications of the position in their advertisement to ensure that only the qualified candidates apply. Those with less than minimum requirements are dismissed at the preliminary stage even before the first interviews. This saves on time an d cost that is used for hosting the interviews, regarding the high number of applicants who turn up to their advertisements. In addition, human resource managers provide a formal orientation to the successful candidates. The orientation process is a good way to facilitate employees work behavior and this helps them to adapt more quickly and to work become part of the work team more quickly. The ability of human resource managers helps to recruit the right workforce and to form a team that can implement the organizational goals. Employee performance evaluation is a key element of human resource

Ben Franklin Essay Example for Free

Ben Franklin Essay As early as the founding of the United States of America, Mr. Franklin observed society using the excuse, I dont have enough time†¦ and it negative effects on their lives. Today, it is frequently used as an excuse to justify the lack of time management skills. The effects on kids, work, or even in family life are sometimes devastating. In a day there are 24 hours, and time is available to juggle the daunting task of daily routines and prevent unwanted consequences. The first area the phrase’s unwanted results prevail is in children. While frantically circling the kitchen, trying to prepare supper, a neighbor of mine completely astounded me. Janes son, Mathew, came into the kitchen through the old saloon style double doors, and asked his mom if he could walk uptown with his friends. Without batting an eye Jane answered the young boy, saying Go ahead son. I dont have enough time to worry about you right now,† as she carried on with the twirling of a whisk in a pot of stew. It was only a couple hours before I peered out the window to see Mathew coming home in the back of a police cruiser. I don’t have time†¦ opened the doors for the young, misguided youth to go astray. As a parent, I also find that I struggle with difficulties of my childrens academics when I dont have enough time for them. My oldest daughter, Krista, has made excellent grades throughout her entire academic career. Recently, she has asked if I can help her research paper and answer some questions she may have. I dont have enough time,† was my immediate response. Around three days went by and I found myself looking online through her grades. I noticed that on the research paper she turned in, she received a below standard grade. â€Å"I don’t have enough time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  left my daughter without important information she needed from me to complete her assignment. Another area the deceptive words, â€Å"I don’t have enough time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  has shown its unappealing effects are while interviewing for a new job. In 2010, my friend Jesse and I departed from the militar y. Throughout life Jesse continued to apply the values of neatness and time management he acquired from his military training to his life, while I chose to be stubborn and do the opposite. During an interview for a sales representative position at Bob Pforte Dodge, I noticed that Jesse had also applied for the position. While speaking to him, I noticed that he had dressed in his deep blue suit, red tie, and his hair had been neatly combed to the left. His presence demanded attention, with a look that showed his desire for the position. I on the other hand, had worn mildly tattered blue jeans, a pullover shirt, and my hair had been quickly brushed straight down. I don’t have enough time†¦ was the excuse I thought of at that moment. When Jesse came out of the interview room, he spun towards me and gave a smile with the proverbial, â€Å"Nailed it,† thumbs up. After entering the office I discovered what the excitement was about. Jonathan, an interviewer at Bob Pforte Dod ge, sat behind an old mahogany desk with his peppered hair slicked back, still euphorically commenting on how, That was a business man! As he continued to describe Jesse’s charismatic appearance and ‘top-notch’ charm, things he remembered to make time for, I dont have enough time, continued to rattle through my brain. Today, Jesse is the top sales representative at Bob Pforte Dodge, while I now wake up thirty minutes earlier and take time to assure that my appearance shows my positive characteristics. Finally, I dont have enough time†¦ ultimately affects the physical or mental attributes of humans. When time is not made to unwind and do something enjoyable, the outcome on our physical and/or mental well being could prove devastating. My grandfather worked hard his entire life. He never was able to find time for his family, friends, or even take a few minutes to enjoy life. Grandpa’s children would continuously ask their father to watch a movie, or play ball with them, during which he would reply sharply with â€Å"I don’t have enough time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He retired at the age of fifty-five, only to find that time found him. Sitting alone at home, all the people who once begged for his attention now find themselves with the same excuse. I dont have time right now, Dad, they would respond as they managed to juggle their own families, jobs, and children. He passed away at the very early age of fifty-seven. I dont have enough time, stole the valuable time his family needed with him and the unrelenting need the body has for ‘time’ to relax and heal. Thus proving the effects of using the old adage is not only devastating to the mental development of families, but also could have fatal effects on physical health as well. Our daily routines, should be closely examined when we find ourselves saying I dont have enough time. The consequences could be as small as losing the promotion or as large as hurting the people who cherish the valuable time they crave. I dont have time†¦ is a statement that, if possible should be avoided. The effects could prove to be less than anticipated. Making time for the things that are important is a valuable skill in life. â€Å"I don’t have time†¦,†as Mr. Franklin implied, is an excuse to spend more time doing things that are seldom good for anything.

Dart Group Plc SWOT and Porters 5 Analysis

Dart Group Plc SWOT and Porters 5 Analysis We chose our company from the aviation industry, because we think it can be interesting to analyze an airline in the current economic situation, how they can survive and actually realize profit and growth in this really strong competition. Furthermore our company, the Dart Group PLC is not just an airline but operates in three segments, it is a Leisure Airline, Package Holidays and Distribution and Logistics Company. So it can be interesting to see in the end of our semester that which is the part they can really grow and which segments need to be focused on and manage precisely. The company is specializing in the operation of scheduled and charter flights by Jet2.com to leisure destinations throughout Europe; the provision of ATOL protected package holidays by its tour operator Jet2holidays, and the distribution of fresh produce, temperature-controlled, and ambient products to supermarkets and wholesale markets throughout the United Kingdom. Dart Group Plc is a successful British company established in 2003 and only came to Hungary in 2006. The CEO is Philip Meeson, the company is operating from 8 airports, with 42 aircrafts, with more than 1500 employees. The leisure but also low cost airline division trades under the Jet2.com brand and operates scheduled flights to a range of destinations from its home base at Leeds Bradford International Airport, and Belfast, Blackpool, East Midlands, Edinburg, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle airports. Jet2holidays is the Groups package holiday operator; it is an integral part of the leisure travel activities, working closely with Jet2.com to provide holidays to a wide range of destinations from their 8 Northern UK bases. The Fowler Welch is one of the UKs leading logistics providers, serving UK retailers, importers and manufacturers. The business operates from 12 regional distribution centers and offers a range of logistics solutions, including storage, case pick-to-order and national distribution of both temperature-controlled and ambient products. They success is in always keeping the deadlines, working 24/7, providing integrated supply chain solutions to leading supermarkets including Tesco, A sda. Porters five forces This model analyzes the micro environment of the firm and gives a detailed understanding and evaluation of the forces that helps to measure the direct strategic competition. According to Porter the five forces are: the buyer and supplier bargaining power, threat of entry, industry competitiveness and threat of substitutes of products and services. The more unique the product, the smaller is the buyer power. The customers are sensitive for the price however if they make alliances for their best interest, they can get more information about the product and prices. The bargaining power of suppliers is influenced by their concentration and the number of unique product they offer. National and industry standards determine the entry to the market, and if these limits can be met easily then the sector becomes more and more attractive for other companies as well. If certain products or services are inflexible, so there is no substitute product, the company is able to determine very high pric es because the customers do not have other choices just buy them. So the profit of the firm depends on the substitute products and the quality of those products. The most important force is the bargaining power, the competitiveness, the strategy of the prices, the quality and the marketing. Buyer bargaining power The strong bargaining power of the Dart Group Plc. can be seen from the ratios analysis that we will mention later in the paper. The customers are very sensitive for the prices, so that is why they sometimes choose another airline that offers the same quality for cheaper prices. The services are not really differentiated, only in some parts eg. Jet2.com flies with allocated seats while like Ryanair let you seat wherever it is not taken yet. Some people prefer one some prefer the other. The bargaining power is very important in case of the cost reduction. If the company has lot of information of others and other opportunities they have the opportunity for change. They also need good and improved technology and their loyalty program to attract the customers with highly developed and fast services to be successful. Supplier bargaining power As we know the suppliers bargaining power is growing because the logistics and distribution industry is more strongly concentrated which can be seen in the prices and in the quality they offer. The change of the supplier can cause problems and has a high risk factor, it can result lower quality for the customers which decrease the whole value of the service. Also there is a threat that the supplier also can manufacture, produce the products. The bargaining power of suppliers depends on price of fuel, taxes and government policies which we are going to mention later as well. Threat of entry In the aviation industry the possibility of competitors to entry the market is small because large capital it is needed, which has a risk that it will not return. The congestion is high of the airports, even if these low cost airlines use the smaller airports. The industry has so many regulations, government policies, economic conditions, environmental and political risks which we are going to mention later in the paper. Finally we have to mention the brand loyalty because people prefer to use their well-know airlines, not just because the comfort but their loyalty program. So to conclude the barriers are very high to enter this industry. In the logistics and distribution the entry is easier, but to be successful they need to be good at several fields, transportation, inventory, packaging, integrating information and security also. Competition, Competitors The Group has active competitors in each business areas. The distribution market has consolidated; smaller companies exited the market or got taken over by bigger players. Risk appears in the sector by losing substantial customers, but the company could focus on services levels and cost control so the risk factor has been decreasing. The airline and the package holiday sectors are very intensely competitive, and the fare price competition is still intense at every base where they fly from. There are a huge number of airlines who try to be successful in different areas, in different comfort and price levels. They have to face slow growth rates because of the high competition and high fixed costs. As we already mentioned the low service differentiation does not help customers to choose, so it is only about small differences in schedules, prices on a given day and also the frequent flier program can be a reason for our decision. They try to focus on the customer needs, and reschedule in order to maximize the load factor, yield and revenue. For example in the winter they fly from Manchester to Budapest in the morning at 8am, while in the spring at 1pm and in the summer at 3pm. To operate efficiently after arriving to Budapest they depart back to Manchester in half hour. Jet2holidays operates competitively from all 8 UK base to the European destinations, mainly to the Mediterranean Sea in the summer, and to the ski resort in the winter time. Threat of substitutes of products and services The substitute of the aviation is road by car and bus, rail by train and the marine by ferry and ship. These are sometimes cheaper solutions, but definitely take longer time to get to a further destination; however sometimes the low cost airlines can offer very cheap tickets that can be cheaper even in shorter way however we have to add longer waiting time (get to the airport 1-3 hours before takeoff). So we can say that the threat of substitute of service is moderate. In case of the distribution the substitutes can be other transportation opportunities for cheaper. SWOT analysis Table: SWOT analysis Strengths 3 operating sections Growth and expansions Strong bargaining power Friendly low fares Safety Good technology Best scheduled British Airline in 2005 Group Leisure Award in 2012 Weaknesses Weather conditions High Competition Non-differentiated services Opportunities Exposure the high fuel price differences Expand the Jet2holidays program Expand the destinations of the airline Expand the companies who they deliver for Threats Fuel pricing Economic conditions Environmental risk Government policy Own Source In the next part we would like to mention further characteristics of the company that they have to face. The Groups strategy is to grow a combination of organic expansion and carefully planned acquisitions in the existing businesses and markets. The group has many uncertainty factors through its competitors, fuel prices, economic conditions, environmental risks and government policy. The cost of fuel it very important risk factor and the company aims a fuel price risk management strategy that enables to exposure the high price differences. In this case the Distribution sector is not very affected by the price fluctuation because due to their contracts they can increase prices to their customers. Due to economic uncertainty there was a discretionary reduction in travel in case of the UK consumers, even if they regard their pleasure time as a very important element of their budget. The company will plan its flying program carefully and use new strategies to forecast the demand more precisely to decrease the uncertainty risk. They also plan to expand the Jet2holiday program with new locations and new offerings that can increase the revenue as well. The political uncertainty also has an impact on the demand, and also on the prices of fuel and exchange rates. They can decrease this risk with a good management of the routes and through hedging fuel and foreign exchange risk. The aviation is always at a risk from the extreme weather conditions, and also we could see in the last years that volcanic activities can have a serious impact. They need a very precise respond to uncertainty events, and also they have a high level of liquid funds to get through an unsuccessful period. The tax burden increase in the aviation industry and the increase in Airline Passenger Duty caused the suspension of two flights to Egypt in 2011. These cost are always increasing and there is a chance that these economic cost of emissions will also decrease the demand of passengers. Strategy versus Ratios In the business life we use financial ratios to figure out what is the real standing of a certain firm. Through the usage of financial ratios we are able to understand better how the operations of the firm run, how utilized the all-day processes are, and how well does the company prevail in the competitive environment of its industry. The strategy of a firm bright out clearly from these easily-estimated ratios; in the following of our paper we will describe the relationship between the strategy of the Dart Group Plc., and the ratios that came from its annual reports starting from 2007. Of course the frame of this paper does not enable a wide and deep analysis; we would rather concentrate on those ratios that could show us how the strategy is supported by the financial policy of the group. First of all in the previous section of our paper we found that the group must operate in a very competitive environment together with several other jet companies that provide similar services. In our opinion a strong competitive environment generates price war, and harsh cost reduction. Price war brings the revenue down, that doesnt mean too much trouble on its own, but if it comes along with almost strict cost, then the profit margin will be quite small. In the case of an airline company this is the reality if we look at the structure of the costs. The main types of costs are fixed; these costs must be paid to anyway, so their reduction is not a real option. In addition one main element of the operating costs, namely the fuel cost is very sensitive to the changes of the global economy. Because of the fixed operating costs and through the price war generated almost strict costs, the only real option to maintain the profit level is to expand, to diversify the services of the group, a nd to build an empire. As we have already described in the previous sections of our paper, the strategy of the firm is to be bigger and bigger, because in the current economic situation this is the only reasonable strategy to generate enough profit, and to be successful in the aviation industry. The group level revenue is continuously increasing, from the 2007 amount of 349 M pounds to the amount of 683 M pounds in 2012, which is an almost 200% increase. This trend could be observed in the case of the costs, from the 2007 starting 348 M pounds they increased almost to the double, to 654.5 M pounds in 2012. This is a significant growth level, however in the case of the Gross Profit Margin a little fluctuation could be observed. The value of the ratio is the less in 2007 (0.3%) and the most in 2009 (9%), but mostly it is in the interval of 3-5%. Another issue is the liquidity risk at the company that we would like to cite from the Annual Report 2012 At the end of the year the Group had significant cash balances, together with a range of unutilized banking facilities, and had met all banking covenants. The Groups strategy for managing liquidity risk is to maintain cash balances in appropriately liquid form and in accordance with approved counterparty limits, whilst securing the continuity and flexibility of funding through the use of committed bank facilities. Additionally, short term cash flow volatility risk in relation to margin calls in respect of fuel and foreign exchange hedge positions is minimized through diversification of counterparties and appropriate credit thresholds. The Group seeks to match long term assets with long term liabilities wherever possible. (Annual Report 2012 p.15.) The company also uses foreign exchange and fuel forward contracts to hedge its exposure to movements in US dollar and euro exchange rates and to jet fuel prices. (Annual Report 2012 p.15.) The Groups policy is to forward cover future fuel requirement up to 100% and up to three years in advance. (Annual Report 2012 p.15.) They have a remarkable foreign currency exposure; the most notable are the US dollar and the euro. We also know from the Annual Report that the company have a conservative dividend policy, they rather retain the profit to support further growth in the sector. Another important phenomenon, the increasing bargaining power of the firms can be identified from the financial ratios of the Dart Group Plc. The stronger bargaining position comes eventually with the large size of the company, and it is also supported by the ratios. Let us see how the turnover times of the group change in time!As we could easily observe from these ratios the companies of the group seem to be in a position where they are able to hold back payments to finance their current assets in the best way. From these ratios we are able to read out the strategy of the group: their goal is to build up a dominant position in their supply chain in order to be more flexible, and less reliant on maintaining good liquidity. The average turnover period of the Payables is very high and it goes up year by year; so is the situation with the average turnover period of the Receivables, however the increasing rate is not as high as in the case of the Payables, and it is much more controllabl e in our opinion. When we examine the relationship between the current assets and current liabilities we can observe some other strategically important issues. It comes logically from the large difference between the accounts payables and account receivables that the difference between the current assets and current liabilities will be also large; plus the fact that the amount of current liabilities is more than the amount of current assets will generate a negative net working capital ratio. This ratio show us that not only short term assets are financed with short term liabilities, some of the non-current assets are also financed with such sources, what could generate a problematic situation, if the bargaining power is low. But in the case of Dart Group Plc we found that their bargaining position is strong, so they are able to perform such a financial strategy. We can also observe from this ratio, that its value decreases year by year, that points towards a more stable and sustainable future. This ca n also mean that the company will reach the mature position in the life cycle of corporations, its size will be even more controllable, and the possible problems from the empire building strategy will be easier to manage. The empire building and growing strategy of the firm could be also observed in the usage of their Free Cash Flow. The group uses a large amount of their free cash flow on capital expenditures; however the negative working capital change does influence the reinvestment rate, which will be also negative because of it. From these ratios we are able to see, that in the current state of the Group the growth is slightly unstable, some of the free cash flow needs to be hold back to ensure the controlling of the net working capital changes, plus the high amount of capital expenditures and depreciation also reduces largely the free cash flow. The growth is financed from inside. Conclusion So as a conclusion we can state that strategy of the company is to continue to grow in all three business section organically. They aim is to ensure the high quality service by meeting and transcending the needs and expectations of customers in all three section. They also try to improve their website with more convenient access to their services. The holiday program is carefully tailored to different leisure destinations according to the season and also provides carefully chosen accommodations from all-inclusive to self catering with leisure airline scheduled flights. Their strategy is to maximize revenue through fully loaded aircrafts and utilize the cabin crew. In case of the logistics, provide the best distribution service of both ambient and temperature-controlled products.

Building A Campfire :: essays research papers

There are many different campfire structures that can be built to start a fire while camping. The most common are the teepee, log cabin, dugout, and tunnel structures. Almost anyone can build these fires if he or she follows some key points. A fire needs three elements: air, fuel, and an ignition of some kind. For a campfire the air element is easily accessible; it's the air a person breaths or oxygen. Fuel is equivalent to wood. Sometimes lighter fluid is used to start big fires immediately, but usually when dealing with a campfire the fuel is wood. Ignition can come from a spark, match, or lighter. It is anything that initially starts the fire. Going deeper into wood, there are three categories to classify it under. Kindling is the stuff that is easiest to burn. It could be leaves, dryer lint, or very small twigs. The next size of wood is sticks and small logs. These will range in size from one half inch to two inches in diameter. Anything larger than this is classified as the fuel. The fuel is the big logs that will burn for hours. When a fire is started it needs to be built like this: kindling first, then sticks and small logs, and then the fuel, once the fire is going good. Using this technique with the following fire structures will ensure hot easy fires. The teepee style structure is probably the most used and easiest to build, but doesn't necessarily result in the hottest or longest burning campfire. To build this fire think about the name "teepee." The end result before burning this structure looks like an Indian's teepee (If the teepee shape is not familiar, then envision a conic shape). Start by placing the intermediate size wood or sticks in the ground in a circular shape about eight to twelve inches in diameter, leaning the tips of the sticks together in the center. The sticks should already start to resemble a teepee shape. Continue layering the walls of the teepee with more sticks, but not too thick, because air needs to be able to pass through the walls easily. Leave a hole on one side large enough to place kindling inside the stick walls. This hole is also left to light the kindling from the inside and may be filled in once the fire is lit. Once this is completed, the structure should be a recognizable teepee or cone shape. The kindling should be lit on the underside inside the teepee walls through the hole

Behavioral Risk Factors

There are presumably various predators towards the health issues within the society. As much as some of them are unprecedented, it is with deep concern that we can describe the role of the family on influencing and determining the aspect of health to its members.The natural setting of the family which comprises both the social, economic and cultural factors has a lot in determining the levels of risk in health of its members. The ingredient and lifestyle of the family setup plays a predominant role in determining the risk levels of the family.The social economic and cultural dispensations held by the family determines how the family is depended on the various sets of control measures such as dietary, physical exercise, family related health implications and the scores of preventive measures that govern the family (David, et al, 1998) Generally, the supportive ingredient for complimentary and alternative medicine for therapeutic response of many health related issues is modeled and go verned by the response of various family related precepts.The levels of education, region of family residence, family income, status of education and other sociodemographic factors are highly influential. However, their control and governance is modeled by the role of the family within its social setup in the society. Through the threshold of the family influence, various complimentary and alternative medicine factors such as using appropriate diet to control diseases and ailments, procurement to physical exercise, social controls arises.These are aimed at avoiding the negative influence towards behaviors such as drug use and abuse and engagement in morally health behaviors in support of good health that has been of necessity in control of health risk within the family setup. The social context of the family plays a predominant role in shaping the nature of health risks for its members. This is the social function of the family in control of the health of its members (David, et al, 1998)The origin and backgrounds of various ill-health and complications are determined by the state of the family as a control variable. The strength of the family in terms of income, level of education to its members, social stabilities such as stress controls, search for preventive attentions to health problems and the setup in its general medical attention governs the levels of risks in health related aspects.According to a research done on the relationship between socioeconomic factors and the response towards mortality and health behaviors of the family, positive results showed that the general setup of the family in terms of its commitment to health regulation through physical fitness, adequate diet and social influence were important in determining the levels of health related issues.As of great importance, the socioeconomic dimensions of the family are therefore implicit in determining the levels of its health matters for the family members. Reference David, R, et al (1998) Socioeconomic Factors, Health Behaviors, and Mortality. Journal of Pediatrics.

Pest Analysis Finland Tourism Industry

Self and Peer Evaluation, by 30 April 2013 In the evaluation you will have to think, evaluate and write about what you and your class mates have learned during the study unit and how you and they have taken part in the lectures and group assignments. This assignment is set to bring new insights to one’s own thinking and to support personal learning. The point in this task is to evoke critical thinking, practice selfreflective skills and connect one’s personal learning to previous experience. Self-reflection helps you in learning new skills for instance in these areas: ? aintaining an attitude that is both open-minded and sceptical; ? objectively gathering, evaluating, and synthesising information; ? forming reasonable judgments, and conclusions; ? developing a tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; ? exploring and evaluating alternative perspectives In particular, you should pay attention in your reflective evaluation on the following issues: ? Capture the point of th e study unit briefly in your own words. Begin the paper with a short summary of the study unit, about its objectives and contents and your personal goals when attending the study unit.What makes it interesting and relevant to tourism business and for my future expertise? ? Identify and present at least 1-3 new things you have learned during the study unit. Weigh their value for your work possibilities and your future studies (e. g. your Thesis). ? Identify and present 1-3 expertise areas in which you want to improve your skills. Evaluate them in the light of your work possibilities and your future studies. ? Comment on the group work, the workshops and the lecture sessions from the perspective of active participation of students, and the role of the teachers.Also, in the case of group work, you can comment on the amount of work and how it was divided within the group. ? You may also want to comment on some challenges you faced in completing the study unit. ? Also, add in a brief fee dback of the course (at least one + and one –). This evaluation paper should cover the issues captured above, and it should be at most 1 A4 pages long. It is not so much about the length but the analytical, selfreflective level of the text. Please upload the paper into the folder in Optima by 30 April 2013. Best regards, Paivi & Petra