Marketing planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing planning - Assignment Example The company is planning to expand its base. For this company will has started analyzing the market and choosing one product which the company will be promoting in the initial phase of the expansion. Task 1 The current business environment is constantly changing. The market is facing volatile changes which are affecting the overall planning of the companies as well. Thus, it is very important for any organization or organizes a proper and strategic marketing planning in order to survive and sustain in this volatile environment. A proper marketing planning is always helpful in properly organization activities and strategies used for future action. Marketing planning can be described as analyzing potential market places and marketing activities with the aim of determining how a business can optimize these potential markets. Planning process has changed over the years. For example, the planning process was much less competitive during the last century. The current market is ever changing and flooded with a large number of new products and services on a daily basis. Today’s consumers have much more options in terms of choosing between similar products and categories, compared to 10-15 years ago. This has also decreased the brand loyalty among consumers. To remain competitive in the current market, the food chain has to constantly update its marketing planning according to changing internal as well as external environment. In order to cope with the volatile environment, it is very important for the organization to have sustainable resources. Below is the resource based view of the organization. Tangible Resources Infrastructure, warehouse property and design of the chain of restaurants constitute the physical resources of the brand. Apart from these, the organization also has products such as brewing machines, facilities such as transportation and logistics. Though the organization does not boast a high financial resource, the company is fast growing and more and more investors are turning their head towards this newly popular organization. The organization can utilize this opportunity by collaborating with other investors as well as companies and grow its base in local as well as international locations. Intangible Resources The organization has created a powerful brand image and come a long way from the time it was established. Because of the increase brand image as well as overall brand equity, the organization has successfully created a niche in the fast food market. As a result, the market base of Eat Limited is continuously increasing. Apart from this, the organization has maintained a cordial relationship with its shareholders and other investors. This is helped in building overall trust among the investors and shareholders. Product diversification, service quality and availability of the brand in the major locations have made Eat Limited a local leader in affordable and quality fast food service provider. Research, development, m arketing capability and creativity in new generating new products has provided a differentiated advantage for the brand. Apart from this, efficient and well trained human resource is strength for the organization. Capabilities Determining the capabilities and key resources of an organization is the fundamental starting point of any business strategy. The utilization of a company’s capabilities and resources with the aim of gaining competitive advantage defines the objective of resource management. According to

Fibre Optics Essay Example for Free

Fibre Optics Essay Optical Fibre is used to transmit light between 2 ends of the fibre, a ‘waveguide’ or ‘light pipe’. It is very thin, around the thickness of a human hair, and made of transparent fibre made of glass or plastic. Optical fibre is sometimes known as Fibre Optics when used in science and engineering. Instead of using one metal wire the threads of fibre optics are but in bundles which transmit messages and images and other data. Fibre optic cables can carry more data than metal cables as well as being less susceptible to interferences, being lighter and thinner and faster. However they are very expensive and fragile. Nevertheless most telephone and internet companies are starting to use fibre optics instead of metal cables and soon most communications will be using fibre optics. It works by using total internal refraction, where the light reflects backwards and forwards internally along the whole length so the image can be communicated clearly from one end to another In 1854, John Tyndall showed that light signal could be bent by demonstrating that light could be conducted through a curved stream of water. Next, in 1880 Alexander Graham Bell invented his ‘Photophone’. This transmitted a voice signal through a beam of light which worked very similarly to how a phone now works with electric signals. In 1888 a medical team in Vienna used bent glass rods to look inside the body. In 1895 a French engineer designed something similar to television which used bent glass rods to guide light images. Over the years many people started to develop things increasingly similar to the fibre optics used today. In 1952, a physicist named Narinder Singh Kapany performed experiments that led to to the invention of optical fibre. A few years later the type of optical fibre we used today were invented where the fibre is coated with cladding that could make a better refractive index. After this, development focused on the bundles of fibre used for image transmission. In 1956, researchers in Michigan created the first semi-flexible gastroscope, used to look inside the body in operations. Jun-ichi Nishizawa, a Japanese society, started the idea of using optical fibres for communications on 1963. Uses of optical fibres and the impact upon society Communication: They are used in telephone cables and are faster and have a higher bandwidth than copper cables. As telecommunication demand increases we will be needing fibre optics more and more as it offers huge communication capacity. A much greater amount of information can carried through an optical fibre in comparison to a copper cable. They are also cheaper and thinner so therefore easier to install and maintain though the installation price is significantly higher than installing copper wires. Also, as signals go along a cable some energy is lost, however, with optical fibre the signal can be regenerated every 50 km instead of the 2 km of copper wires. On top of all this they do not cause electrical interference o or cause sparks that could cause explosions Medical uses: Optical fibres are used in laproscopic surgery or keyhole surgery where a bundle of optical fibres, or an endoscope, is put down the patient’s body so the doctor can see the area he is operating on. They also allow doctors to see inside the patient’s body without having to perform surgery as it can be inserted through the mouth. Also they are used as bright lights that can be used by doctors.

Human Resource Outsourcing in the UK

Human Resource Outsourcing in the UK HUMAN RESOURCE OUTSOURCING: A GENERAL STUDY OF UNITED KINGDOM RETAILERS’ USE OF OUTSOURCED PERSONNEL, REASONS AND BENEFITS. ABSTRACT: Human Resource outsourcing is considered an important factor in today’s business world. It is constantly growing, especially in the global world where companies outsource not just within their country but across borders. This research concentrates on Human Resource outsourcing in the retail sector, including both small and medium size firms in the United Kingdom. The ultimate aim of this research is outlined below: To find out why companies outsource their Human Resource – their first and foremost reasons. To find out what benefits there are in this process. To find out if there are any control mechanisms linked to the process. To find answers to these questions, five retail managers were interviewed: three respondents interviewed were conducted face to face and two were phoned interviewed. Again, fifty questionnaires were sent out to recruitment agencies who are the suppliers of the Human Resource, to confirm if they share the same opinion with retail managers who are their clients. Out of the fifty questionnaires, 30 were retrieved and analysed. The results revealed that companies do not outsource all of their Human Resource functions. Recruitment is the key function outsourced for the simple reason of convenience and time saving. However, benefits are enormous including cost effectiveness, achieving higher core competency levels, greater flexibility and accessibility to expertise, reducing workload of staff etc. Results also depict two categories of outsourced staff, which are temporary staff and permanent staff with temporary staff being the majority. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1There have been many issues surrounding outsourcing of Human Resource. It implications are wide and varied. Though there are many benefits, it is faced with challenges as well. Companies who have managed their challenges well have been successful others on the other hand have redrawn from the process. The topic was chosen because is an issue being discussed currently all over the globe and the retail sector is proving to be a sector that employs a greater percentage of the workforce. Chapter one gives a definition of outsourcing and discusses what outsourcing is all about. It gives relevant examples of those companies practicing Human Resource outsourcing and the results of their practice. Chapter two is the literature review. The literature review establishes concise framework and reveals various reasons why companies tend to outsource and its subsequent benefits. It also raises the issues of concern and the control outsourcers have over their suppliers. It discusses people’s opinion about the Human Resource outsourcing giving the pros and cons of the issue. Part two of chapter two gives the factors that drives the process Chapter three is basically about the retail sector and how it operates in the United Kingdom analysing the importance of the Human Resource in retailing. How data was collected is discussed in chapter four and further analysed. Finally findings are reported and conclusion with limitations given in the last chapter. 1.2Background of study Outsourcing has been defined by Gupta and Gupta (1992) as ‘the concept of hiring outside professional services to meet the in-house needs of an organisation or agency’ another explanation is a managerial approach delegating non-core functions of the organisation to other specialist and efficient services providers. In recent times, many companies are considering outsourcing their Human Resource because it is becoming a viable option. In the United Kingdom (UNITED KINGDOM), the situation has been drastic, especially in the retail sector. Human Resource indeed is one of the major factors of production and cannot be ignored in anyway for a business success. Human Resource is constantly growing and keeping abreast with the dynamic business world, which relies heavily on the technology advancement and specialist skills. The term ‘Human Resource’ was once seen in companies operations as a department that issued policies, heard grievances and problems of it staff. As time went on, it then included various aspects of training that benefits administration and staffing. The focus however is gradually changing again, now as a strategic consultant to the main business, trying to match personnel and their skills with the corporate goals of the company with the view of achieving competitive advantage. Human Resource outsourcing is becoming popular due to the perceived numerous benefits with emphasis on cost effectiveness and adding value to the organisation. In the United Kingdom, the growth of Human Resource outsourcing stemmed from increased demand in the public sector but now the private sector is also expressing more interest. (Winkleman et al, 1995) explained: outsourcing is actually not a new concept because organisations have always hired outside providers services in assisting their operations, especially Information and Communication Technology (ICT). What makes it different today is the range of services organisations are asking for from suppliers and the extent to which it has become politically correct and responses to changing market and corporate conditions. The rationale for outsourcing is simple and compelling in that contracting part of the operation is seen to be cheaper than the company doing all by itself. (Hendry,1995) in his discussion states that outsourcing not only enable organisation to make gains but also allow them to focus more especially on those activities it can perform better in-house. Even though the cost factor is obvious, (Rubin, 1990) emphasized the point that it is more important to understand the managerial basis of decision-making. Aside its cost effectiveness, it also has a strategic dimension whilst organisations attempt to find the ‘right size to fit a new environment’. The reason why organisations decide to outsource is the seasonal demand swings where there may be need for more hands on board to meet customer demand. Analysing the diagram below†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦, outsourcing could be considered as a continuum in that at one point staff may be needed temporary and at some points may be taken on to perform complete responsibility. Timing is also a key factor in the process. Thus from the diagram, the short-term market exchanges at one point and the long-term relational exchanges at the other. Operational task to relieve capacity overload Consultancy, capacity augmentation skill providers (Stopper, 2005) reported British Petroleum (BP) in 1999 spent $600 million towards its global human resource administration and management, for a contract of seven years. In the year 2000 however, BP’s revenue increased to $22 billion, about 8% of the total amount spent on the Human Resource that year. BP reduced its ongoing operating costs by at least $15million a year and avoided more than $30million in capital expenditures as a result of outsourcing it Human Resource services. (Dell, 2004) in his research, reported a Conference Board survey of 122 large companies in 2003. The report revealed that 79% of top managers voted cost reduction as the motive for outsourcing Human Resource services. Other research proved among the reasons for outsourcing, the most prevalent, thus 42% voted providing better services to employees and 25% to improve efficiency, effectiveness or productivity. The motive of BP Human Resource outsourcing was to reduce cost but improve efficiency. EXULT, the supplier took total charge of BP’s total Human Resource process, leaving BP dealing with stuff that require more attention, such as their policy .Advocators of Human Resource outsourcing share their views on the grounds that Human Resource has an increasingly complex legal environment, and for succes s in mergers and or acquisitions, it requires special skills, knowledge and Human Resource attention. The question is ‘‘will the process work for everyone’’? Is it necessary for every company or an organisation considering outsourcing its Human Resource? There are therefore arguments in support of and against Human Resource outsourcing in this debate. This study seeks to answer the following questions finding out basically why companies will outsource their Human Resource and to what benefits there are for such companies. It also analyses the level of control the company has on the process. Contrarily to this opinion, (Morton, 2003) argued that Human Resource outsourcing is a faddish trend. His question is, ‘‘would the supplier know one’s business as well as the owner and can he really visualise the exact issue on the ground’’? Again, is it advisable for an outsider to take decisions on your behalf’’? His words are: ‘‘your people are your biggest resource. It is important to keep hold of power over them’’. Klaas, with his theoretical study on the impact of Human Resource outsourcing also believes that companies should not take things for granted but rather be well aware of the potential dangers of the process of Human Resource outsourcing before engaging in it. His concern, however, is on the variables of Professional Employer Organisations (PEOs). The PEO variables involve staff time cost, administration fees, HR outcomes and compensation cost. These however, vary from one company to the other. He therefore advised that companies should carefully research into these variables and consider whether to outsource or not. The word ‘trust’ is also very important in determining the relationship in any successful outsource. 1.3RESEARCH QUESTIONS: What drives the Human Resource outsourcing process? To what extent does Human Resource outsourcing help or hinder a firm’s success? 1.4AIM OF THE STUDY: The ultimate aim of this study is to establish the principal factor associated with the decision to outsource, and the benefits organisations derive from doing so. 1.5OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: Explore the reasons for Human Resource outsourcing Examine and analyse the various benefits derived from outsourcing the Human Resource sector of a company Examine how successful Human Resource outsourcing has been Provide the essential keys to successful Human Resource outsourcing what aspect of the Human Resource function do companies outsource what category of staff do companies outsource 1.6 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY: 1.6.1 History of Human Resource outsourcing in the United Kingdom. A research by Arthur Anderson concluded that 75% of the top 200 United Kingdom firms believed that personnel administration is a core function and should not be outsourced, 49% also assessed training as a core function whilst 39% agreed to payroll being a fundamental activity to the business. The study however identified a change in perception over the last four years. Functions previously seen as core and for that matter should not be outsourced are now considered eligible for outsourcing. One of the opinions that the human resource outsourcing has been mainly reactive rather than proactive since it deals with the consequences rather than being involved from the onset. Further argument on core competencies emphasises on the fact that the Human Resource function, importantly has more work to do with fewer resources. The recent development in technology creates more function for the human personnel department. This means that personnel need to work and learn the varying skills and knowledge needed to control such machines. In effect Human Resource professionals have moved away from the conventional way of Human Resource Management whilst they master new and different skills and competencies. They must therefore exhibit a better and broader understanding of organisational strategies and manage change. Having leadership skills, creatively and being innovative are very important skills in Human Resource outsourcing. Consultant seeking for business and top management who assure that as far as outsourcing has worked for Information Technology; it must also work for Human Resource. The human resource department in attempt to restructure the entire industries end up as formulators and implementers of downsizing and as targets of downsizing themselves. As a result, Human Resource managers in the United Kingdom trying to redefine their role from being a personnel and employee relations functions to become a â€Å"strategic partner† within the company. This will not stop them from delivering their usual good services to employees and shareholders. The human resource function is therefore under pressure to compete by being better, faster and more cost-effective. There is also pressure from employees as they seek accurate information and efficiency; again they take increasing responsibility for the choice and cost of various benefits as well as increasing their level of expectation. 1.6.2 The extent of Human Resource outsourcing in the United Kingdom A survey by magazine ‘Human Resource’ in May 2000 revealed the following results. There were 50 executive interviewees from the Financial Times Stock Exchange top 250. The findings were that despite a long history and noise on Human Resource Outsourcing, more than a third of companies in the United Kingdom does not outsource any of their human resource work. They solely perform all their human resource functions in-house. 58% of respondent retain their benefits work in-house whiles 46% their payroll and then 59% their pensions. It was noted that car fleet management seems to be the only service where large-scale outsourcing takes place. It employs about 46%, taking advantage of services provided by companies such as LEX. The study suggests that companies engaged in outsourcing do not even outsource the whole process out rather a portion of their main Human Resource functions. About 55% of respondents outsourced part of their recruitment function as compared to only 9% outsourcing it all. In the same way, 61% outsourced some of their training function but no one outsourced the entire function. The survey also suggested that the level of personnel especially the senior level was a major factor why companies outsource, for instance a third of companies outsource for their senior staff in terms of recruitment as well as training. The survey revealed that fleet management is most commonly outsourced in its entirety, next is pensions and then payroll, other functions partially outsourced are training, pensions, benefits, recruitment and payroll. Payroll and personnel –related outsourcing is well practised in the United States (US) and some analysts have predicted United Kingdom following suit but in a modified form sometime to come. The survey showed the figure below Outsourcing prevalence for different human resource functions in % Source: Human Resource HR survey May 2002 There are five competence factors influencing the outsourcing phenomenon downsizing rapid growth or decline restructuring increased competition globalisation Theorists Peter and Waterman (1982), promulgated the concentration on what companies â€Å"do best† and promoted the idea of sticking to the knitting. Hamal and Prahalad (1990) introduced the core competencies, which is the concentration on the company’s main strategies. In 1986 Miles and Snow initiate the concept of the network organisation, in this situation the core company focused on its major activities whilst contracting out and managing activities of third party. This theory was further developed by Reich in 1991 stating that western companies would have to concentrate their efforts on ‘knowledge based’ activities to form elements of an enterprise web. 1.6.3 Advantages of Human Resource outsourcing The main advantages of the Human Resource outsourcing are listed as: Enhances time management Provides better quality products / services Reduces fixed costs Better investments through technological advancement Support managers to focus in their communicating and integrating Human Resource policy Suppliers having dealt with different organisations always have new experience and approaches 1.6.4 Disadvantages of Human Resource outsourcing Main problems associated with Human Resource outsourcing are: Hidden cost is underestimated Inadequate knowledge and understanding by suppliers of core business Accountability of supports service provided Inability of suppliers to maintain quality of service Communication problems between the two parties 1.6.5 Limitation of Human Resource outsourcing Bill Carney in his article identified five key limitations Immediate cost savings Provider limitations Profit maximisation not guaranteed Limited customization Limited control Supplier management 1.6.6 Is Human Resource outsourcing right for everyone? Human Resource outsourcing is not the solution to all modern Human Resrource and administrative problems. Many companies do not consider the nature of their business to develop a comprehensive sourcing analysis framework. The underlying business needs of reducing cost often done through downsizing of staff may not be realised One significant disadvantage with the process is the potential misalignment of corporate and Human Resource strategies and priorities. Thus what seems beneficial to one Human Resource manager may not be same in the wider corporate context. 1.6.7 Effective organisational entry practices To have an effective entry practice, depends on good analysis throughout the sequential process. should an error happen, the whole sequence may be affected and prove more costly to employers, not only in terms of financial loss but will also disrupt the progress of work. This process might also de-motivate established staff and loose out to the competition. The diagram below shows the stages in the organisational entry process. Basic stages of the organisational entry process ANALYSIS RECRUITMENT Assess the best way to attract the candidates matching the selection criteria Determine how the company wants to present itself to recruits Link recruitments strategy to the information the company needs to gain in the selection process Assess the performance of previous recruitment drivers Evaluation of knowledge, skills and abilities required in the short term Long-term planning on how job profile may change Evaluation of organisational culture/strategy and how it may change ANALYSIS Review / feedback from each stage of the process to raise the efficiency SELECTION Determine which tools to use to assess if a candidate matches the required criteria/competencies Determine the level of flexibility the company can afford in the terms offered to attract the best recruits Link selection strategy to information about corporate culture Determine what the new employee needs to know to work effectively and fit in as soon as possible INDUSTRIAL Source: Market tracking international ltd ( MTI) A survey conducted by the DDI (1991) involving 1000 HR directors from leading United Kingdom companies depicts that ‘hiring the right people’ was rated as the most important issue people may face. The next one is â€Å"motivating and retaining employees† with regard to staff turnover costs, the result of the survey showed that 10% of firms incur costs in excess of  £5million per annum; and more worryingly, 69% of firms do not bother to calculate the cost of staff turnover. Further research showed that the 1980s and the early 1990s recession contributed to cost-cutting, downsizing and restructuring in a number of industry sectors. This led to the change in the employment market and altering the recruitment and selections strategies of organisations. It again suggests that new job opportunities are more likely in the service sector, commonly among highly skilled. Also there has been an increase in the part-time, temporary and contract-work as companies strive to achieve flexibility in order to cope with changing market demands. The graph below shows how United Kingdom employment sectors are affected by staff shortages 1.6.8 Types of Human Resource outsourcing Researchers have grouped outsourcing into the following groups: Total outsourcing: outsourcing is considered as total outsourcing when a company decides to outsource about 70%-80% of a particular function to a single supplier with the aim of concentrating on the company’s core competencies. This â€Å"hundred percent† of a personnel service has generated into argument. First of all, it is argued that a major portion of personnel work is so central to the strategic objectives and the culture of the organisation. For this matter the company itself can only effectively carry out the personnel work. The second argument is certain situations are hard to predict but may require immediate responses example is industrial dispute. For this reason it becomes difficult to contract out such tasks to a supplier who can not guarantee the proper action needed. Further arguments suggest that they have not yet discovered a significant Human Resource supplier for 100% total outsourcing. There exist only few suppliers who are able to take on a complete personnel service. Multiple / selective outsourcing: companies negotiate with numerous suppliers so as to keep them in a state of healthy competition under short-term contracts. It has an aim of retaining suppliers on larger-term contracts. Joint venture / strategic: it refers to partnering with other suppliers in executing a particular project so as to share risk and rewards. The outsourcing is the risk factor to the company (client) and the same time maintain strong ownership and control Temporary outsourcing partnership: is a short-term contract usually 1-2 years for the smaller companies who cannot justly handle external consultancy. Transformational outsourcing (Information Technology Information System applications): it is an application within the technology / information system field. Business process outsourcing (BPO): is considered as the sharpest end of the outsourcing spectrum, it involves outsourcing critical important business processes such as finance and accounting, internal audit and procurement etc. it is actually a rapidly growing area. Insourcing: this could mean reclaiming of application that had previously been outsourced; it is done in two ways, either hiring consultants to re-engineer the in-house department or through conventional in-house bidding. Partial outsourcing transfer: is the partial transfer of services and associated resources, it involves outsourcing fairly routine and well established practices such as pay roll and at the same time retaining newer systems in-house. The company remains the managers of the process and takes most decisions. Asset purchasing: is where the supplier decides to buy the entire set of physical assets from the clients company. It is also a form of cash flow to the company for selling its assets. There is also transfer of personnel from the company to the supplier; however the place of work does not change. (Lee, 2002) also categorised Human Resource outsourcing into three aspects: Professional Employers Organisation (PEO) – Application Service Provider (ASP) Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) PEOs have a duty of managing a company’s human resources, take charge of employee’s legal issues and undertake basic Human Resource functions as recruitment and selection including performance appraisal. In most cases PEO form partnership with other suppliers. The PEO concentrate on the Human Resource aspect of the business, the company on the other hand handles the other aspect. Sometimes due to the nature of Human Resource, the company may decide to enter into strategic alliance or joint venture in order to have some level of control over the Human Resource management. Within the context of Human Resource outsourcing, organisations specific needs and processes vary. Some organisations tend to outsource virtually all of it Human Resource Processes whilst others concentrate on specific areas of the process such as staff recruitment, staff training, payroll or resources. About 9% outsourced all of it recruitment function while about 55% of respondents outsource part of their recruitment function. Amstrong (2001) introduced a list of Human Resource areas that are often outsourced. These are: Training, Payroll Management, Health and Safety Monitoring and Advice, Recruitment and finally Employee Welfare and Counselling activities. More so Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS) in 2004 revealed that Training, Payroll and Resourcing of temporary positions are the most common component that companies seek to outsource. It is noted that very few organisations such as British Telecom, Boots the Chemist, Procter Gamble have outsourced their entire Human Resource functions and the most recently is Unilever. ASPs: Application Service Providers focuses on software applications. They deal with software processes and rent to users. They have standardised off-the shelf applications and the customised Human Resource software development. It is designed to manage payroll, benefits among others. BPO: this refers to Business Process Outsourcing, which focuses on outsourcing managerial and operational functions in Human Resource. BPO is also in charge of monitoring the latest information systems. In the United Kingdom, a change in political ideology after 18 years of conservative government rule is seen as a driver of the outsourcing, as a means of reducing cost and raising efficiency, the use of outsourcing was promoted. This really showed in the public sector through the introduction of market-based instruments and the formation of internal market as in the health service Different authors have classified outsourcing drivers. According to (Winkleman et al, 1993) there are two basic drivers for outsourcing success; these are cost reduction and strategic shift in how organisations operate. (Grupter et al, 1992) added two more drivers as market forces and technical considerations. (Hiemstra et al, 1993) also indicated four drivers, which are cost, capital, knowledge and capacity. (Beulen et al, 1994) suggested five main drivers for outsourcing: quality, cost, finance, core-business and cooperation. 1.6.9 Drivers for outsourcing: ( Beulen et al; 1994) outlines the following general drivers for outsourcing: Quality: actual capacity is temporarily inefficient to comply with demand. The quality motive can be subdivided into three aspects: increased quality demands, shortage of qualified personnel and outsourcing as a transition period. Cost: outsourcing is a possible solution to control increasing costs and its compatible with a cost leadership strategy by controlling and decreasing costs, a company can increase its competitive position. Finance: a company has a limited investment budget. The funds must be used for investments in core business activities, which are long-term decisions. Core-Business: core-business is a primary activity with which an organisation generates revenue. To concentrate on core-business activities is a strategic decision, all subsequent activities are mainly supportive and should be outsourced. Cooperation: cooperation between companies can lead to conflict. In order to avoid such conflict those activities that are produced by both organisations should be subject to total outsourcing. However these factors cannot be in isolation, they are not sufficient enough as attention needs to be given to the context in which such decisions are taken. Consideration should be given to the internal and external environment within which the organisation operates. The organisation’s objectives and most importantly its culture may effect the implementation and sustainability of the policy, once made. Considering the factors that drives and influence outsourcing decisions, Chris Fill in his research established three key emerging issues: the contextual factors represented by an organisation’s particular internal and external conditions the strategic and structural aspects associated with an organisation’s decision to reconfigure the costs associated with the process or activity under review It is very necessary for managers to consider these three aspects when deciding to outsource. A framework illustrates the process A composite outsourcing decision framework Outsourcing Management Consideration And judgement Contextual factors Strategy Structure Transaction Costs Source: Management Decision vol. 38 No.1, (2000) CHAPTER TWO 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW: The most important and cherished asset of any company is its Human Resource – the staff. Even with all the most current technology, personnel are first because without manpower, nothing gets done. The success of every organisation depends on the quality of staff employed. On the other hand it could be disastrous if the right decision is not taken in choosing the right people with the right skills in the right position. The kind of skills employed makes a vast difference between a business success and it failure. In the business environment, some companies may employ solely skilled personnel, others require both skilled and semi skilled personnel and others unskilled labour force. In the retail sector for example, the nature of the work demands both skilled and semi skilled staff with the semi – skilled dominating. The skilled staff basically are managers such as the marketing and advertising managers, accounting managers, purchasing and supplier managers and general ov erseers. The challenge is how to get those people into the right places in order not to under utilise or over utilise their services. For instance, it might not be necessary to employ a professional who is to be paid as a sales assistant to be serving customers, but rather have a responsibility of planning and strategising how to win customers and be ahead of it competitors. In order to make the best decision, t Human Resource Outsourcing in the UK Human Resource Outsourcing in the UK HUMAN RESOURCE OUTSOURCING: A GENERAL STUDY OF UNITED KINGDOM RETAILERS’ USE OF OUTSOURCED PERSONNEL, REASONS AND BENEFITS. ABSTRACT: Human Resource outsourcing is considered an important factor in today’s business world. It is constantly growing, especially in the global world where companies outsource not just within their country but across borders. This research concentrates on Human Resource outsourcing in the retail sector, including both small and medium size firms in the United Kingdom. The ultimate aim of this research is outlined below: To find out why companies outsource their Human Resource – their first and foremost reasons. To find out what benefits there are in this process. To find out if there are any control mechanisms linked to the process. To find answers to these questions, five retail managers were interviewed: three respondents interviewed were conducted face to face and two were phoned interviewed. Again, fifty questionnaires were sent out to recruitment agencies who are the suppliers of the Human Resource, to confirm if they share the same opinion with retail managers who are their clients. Out of the fifty questionnaires, 30 were retrieved and analysed. The results revealed that companies do not outsource all of their Human Resource functions. Recruitment is the key function outsourced for the simple reason of convenience and time saving. However, benefits are enormous including cost effectiveness, achieving higher core competency levels, greater flexibility and accessibility to expertise, reducing workload of staff etc. Results also depict two categories of outsourced staff, which are temporary staff and permanent staff with temporary staff being the majority. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1There have been many issues surrounding outsourcing of Human Resource. It implications are wide and varied. Though there are many benefits, it is faced with challenges as well. Companies who have managed their challenges well have been successful others on the other hand have redrawn from the process. The topic was chosen because is an issue being discussed currently all over the globe and the retail sector is proving to be a sector that employs a greater percentage of the workforce. Chapter one gives a definition of outsourcing and discusses what outsourcing is all about. It gives relevant examples of those companies practicing Human Resource outsourcing and the results of their practice. Chapter two is the literature review. The literature review establishes concise framework and reveals various reasons why companies tend to outsource and its subsequent benefits. It also raises the issues of concern and the control outsourcers have over their suppliers. It discusses people’s opinion about the Human Resource outsourcing giving the pros and cons of the issue. Part two of chapter two gives the factors that drives the process Chapter three is basically about the retail sector and how it operates in the United Kingdom analysing the importance of the Human Resource in retailing. How data was collected is discussed in chapter four and further analysed. Finally findings are reported and conclusion with limitations given in the last chapter. 1.2Background of study Outsourcing has been defined by Gupta and Gupta (1992) as ‘the concept of hiring outside professional services to meet the in-house needs of an organisation or agency’ another explanation is a managerial approach delegating non-core functions of the organisation to other specialist and efficient services providers. In recent times, many companies are considering outsourcing their Human Resource because it is becoming a viable option. In the United Kingdom (UNITED KINGDOM), the situation has been drastic, especially in the retail sector. Human Resource indeed is one of the major factors of production and cannot be ignored in anyway for a business success. Human Resource is constantly growing and keeping abreast with the dynamic business world, which relies heavily on the technology advancement and specialist skills. The term ‘Human Resource’ was once seen in companies operations as a department that issued policies, heard grievances and problems of it staff. As time went on, it then included various aspects of training that benefits administration and staffing. The focus however is gradually changing again, now as a strategic consultant to the main business, trying to match personnel and their skills with the corporate goals of the company with the view of achieving competitive advantage. Human Resource outsourcing is becoming popular due to the perceived numerous benefits with emphasis on cost effectiveness and adding value to the organisation. In the United Kingdom, the growth of Human Resource outsourcing stemmed from increased demand in the public sector but now the private sector is also expressing more interest. (Winkleman et al, 1995) explained: outsourcing is actually not a new concept because organisations have always hired outside providers services in assisting their operations, especially Information and Communication Technology (ICT). What makes it different today is the range of services organisations are asking for from suppliers and the extent to which it has become politically correct and responses to changing market and corporate conditions. The rationale for outsourcing is simple and compelling in that contracting part of the operation is seen to be cheaper than the company doing all by itself. (Hendry,1995) in his discussion states that outsourcing not only enable organisation to make gains but also allow them to focus more especially on those activities it can perform better in-house. Even though the cost factor is obvious, (Rubin, 1990) emphasized the point that it is more important to understand the managerial basis of decision-making. Aside its cost effectiveness, it also has a strategic dimension whilst organisations attempt to find the ‘right size to fit a new environment’. The reason why organisations decide to outsource is the seasonal demand swings where there may be need for more hands on board to meet customer demand. Analysing the diagram below†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦, outsourcing could be considered as a continuum in that at one point staff may be needed temporary and at some points may be taken on to perform complete responsibility. Timing is also a key factor in the process. Thus from the diagram, the short-term market exchanges at one point and the long-term relational exchanges at the other. Operational task to relieve capacity overload Consultancy, capacity augmentation skill providers (Stopper, 2005) reported British Petroleum (BP) in 1999 spent $600 million towards its global human resource administration and management, for a contract of seven years. In the year 2000 however, BP’s revenue increased to $22 billion, about 8% of the total amount spent on the Human Resource that year. BP reduced its ongoing operating costs by at least $15million a year and avoided more than $30million in capital expenditures as a result of outsourcing it Human Resource services. (Dell, 2004) in his research, reported a Conference Board survey of 122 large companies in 2003. The report revealed that 79% of top managers voted cost reduction as the motive for outsourcing Human Resource services. Other research proved among the reasons for outsourcing, the most prevalent, thus 42% voted providing better services to employees and 25% to improve efficiency, effectiveness or productivity. The motive of BP Human Resource outsourcing was to reduce cost but improve efficiency. EXULT, the supplier took total charge of BP’s total Human Resource process, leaving BP dealing with stuff that require more attention, such as their policy .Advocators of Human Resource outsourcing share their views on the grounds that Human Resource has an increasingly complex legal environment, and for succes s in mergers and or acquisitions, it requires special skills, knowledge and Human Resource attention. The question is ‘‘will the process work for everyone’’? Is it necessary for every company or an organisation considering outsourcing its Human Resource? There are therefore arguments in support of and against Human Resource outsourcing in this debate. This study seeks to answer the following questions finding out basically why companies will outsource their Human Resource and to what benefits there are for such companies. It also analyses the level of control the company has on the process. Contrarily to this opinion, (Morton, 2003) argued that Human Resource outsourcing is a faddish trend. His question is, ‘‘would the supplier know one’s business as well as the owner and can he really visualise the exact issue on the ground’’? Again, is it advisable for an outsider to take decisions on your behalf’’? His words are: ‘‘your people are your biggest resource. It is important to keep hold of power over them’’. Klaas, with his theoretical study on the impact of Human Resource outsourcing also believes that companies should not take things for granted but rather be well aware of the potential dangers of the process of Human Resource outsourcing before engaging in it. His concern, however, is on the variables of Professional Employer Organisations (PEOs). The PEO variables involve staff time cost, administration fees, HR outcomes and compensation cost. These however, vary from one company to the other. He therefore advised that companies should carefully research into these variables and consider whether to outsource or not. The word ‘trust’ is also very important in determining the relationship in any successful outsource. 1.3RESEARCH QUESTIONS: What drives the Human Resource outsourcing process? To what extent does Human Resource outsourcing help or hinder a firm’s success? 1.4AIM OF THE STUDY: The ultimate aim of this study is to establish the principal factor associated with the decision to outsource, and the benefits organisations derive from doing so. 1.5OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: Explore the reasons for Human Resource outsourcing Examine and analyse the various benefits derived from outsourcing the Human Resource sector of a company Examine how successful Human Resource outsourcing has been Provide the essential keys to successful Human Resource outsourcing what aspect of the Human Resource function do companies outsource what category of staff do companies outsource 1.6 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY: 1.6.1 History of Human Resource outsourcing in the United Kingdom. A research by Arthur Anderson concluded that 75% of the top 200 United Kingdom firms believed that personnel administration is a core function and should not be outsourced, 49% also assessed training as a core function whilst 39% agreed to payroll being a fundamental activity to the business. The study however identified a change in perception over the last four years. Functions previously seen as core and for that matter should not be outsourced are now considered eligible for outsourcing. One of the opinions that the human resource outsourcing has been mainly reactive rather than proactive since it deals with the consequences rather than being involved from the onset. Further argument on core competencies emphasises on the fact that the Human Resource function, importantly has more work to do with fewer resources. The recent development in technology creates more function for the human personnel department. This means that personnel need to work and learn the varying skills and knowledge needed to control such machines. In effect Human Resource professionals have moved away from the conventional way of Human Resource Management whilst they master new and different skills and competencies. They must therefore exhibit a better and broader understanding of organisational strategies and manage change. Having leadership skills, creatively and being innovative are very important skills in Human Resource outsourcing. Consultant seeking for business and top management who assure that as far as outsourcing has worked for Information Technology; it must also work for Human Resource. The human resource department in attempt to restructure the entire industries end up as formulators and implementers of downsizing and as targets of downsizing themselves. As a result, Human Resource managers in the United Kingdom trying to redefine their role from being a personnel and employee relations functions to become a â€Å"strategic partner† within the company. This will not stop them from delivering their usual good services to employees and shareholders. The human resource function is therefore under pressure to compete by being better, faster and more cost-effective. There is also pressure from employees as they seek accurate information and efficiency; again they take increasing responsibility for the choice and cost of various benefits as well as increasing their level of expectation. 1.6.2 The extent of Human Resource outsourcing in the United Kingdom A survey by magazine ‘Human Resource’ in May 2000 revealed the following results. There were 50 executive interviewees from the Financial Times Stock Exchange top 250. The findings were that despite a long history and noise on Human Resource Outsourcing, more than a third of companies in the United Kingdom does not outsource any of their human resource work. They solely perform all their human resource functions in-house. 58% of respondent retain their benefits work in-house whiles 46% their payroll and then 59% their pensions. It was noted that car fleet management seems to be the only service where large-scale outsourcing takes place. It employs about 46%, taking advantage of services provided by companies such as LEX. The study suggests that companies engaged in outsourcing do not even outsource the whole process out rather a portion of their main Human Resource functions. About 55% of respondents outsourced part of their recruitment function as compared to only 9% outsourcing it all. In the same way, 61% outsourced some of their training function but no one outsourced the entire function. The survey also suggested that the level of personnel especially the senior level was a major factor why companies outsource, for instance a third of companies outsource for their senior staff in terms of recruitment as well as training. The survey revealed that fleet management is most commonly outsourced in its entirety, next is pensions and then payroll, other functions partially outsourced are training, pensions, benefits, recruitment and payroll. Payroll and personnel –related outsourcing is well practised in the United States (US) and some analysts have predicted United Kingdom following suit but in a modified form sometime to come. The survey showed the figure below Outsourcing prevalence for different human resource functions in % Source: Human Resource HR survey May 2002 There are five competence factors influencing the outsourcing phenomenon downsizing rapid growth or decline restructuring increased competition globalisation Theorists Peter and Waterman (1982), promulgated the concentration on what companies â€Å"do best† and promoted the idea of sticking to the knitting. Hamal and Prahalad (1990) introduced the core competencies, which is the concentration on the company’s main strategies. In 1986 Miles and Snow initiate the concept of the network organisation, in this situation the core company focused on its major activities whilst contracting out and managing activities of third party. This theory was further developed by Reich in 1991 stating that western companies would have to concentrate their efforts on ‘knowledge based’ activities to form elements of an enterprise web. 1.6.3 Advantages of Human Resource outsourcing The main advantages of the Human Resource outsourcing are listed as: Enhances time management Provides better quality products / services Reduces fixed costs Better investments through technological advancement Support managers to focus in their communicating and integrating Human Resource policy Suppliers having dealt with different organisations always have new experience and approaches 1.6.4 Disadvantages of Human Resource outsourcing Main problems associated with Human Resource outsourcing are: Hidden cost is underestimated Inadequate knowledge and understanding by suppliers of core business Accountability of supports service provided Inability of suppliers to maintain quality of service Communication problems between the two parties 1.6.5 Limitation of Human Resource outsourcing Bill Carney in his article identified five key limitations Immediate cost savings Provider limitations Profit maximisation not guaranteed Limited customization Limited control Supplier management 1.6.6 Is Human Resource outsourcing right for everyone? Human Resource outsourcing is not the solution to all modern Human Resrource and administrative problems. Many companies do not consider the nature of their business to develop a comprehensive sourcing analysis framework. The underlying business needs of reducing cost often done through downsizing of staff may not be realised One significant disadvantage with the process is the potential misalignment of corporate and Human Resource strategies and priorities. Thus what seems beneficial to one Human Resource manager may not be same in the wider corporate context. 1.6.7 Effective organisational entry practices To have an effective entry practice, depends on good analysis throughout the sequential process. should an error happen, the whole sequence may be affected and prove more costly to employers, not only in terms of financial loss but will also disrupt the progress of work. This process might also de-motivate established staff and loose out to the competition. The diagram below shows the stages in the organisational entry process. Basic stages of the organisational entry process ANALYSIS RECRUITMENT Assess the best way to attract the candidates matching the selection criteria Determine how the company wants to present itself to recruits Link recruitments strategy to the information the company needs to gain in the selection process Assess the performance of previous recruitment drivers Evaluation of knowledge, skills and abilities required in the short term Long-term planning on how job profile may change Evaluation of organisational culture/strategy and how it may change ANALYSIS Review / feedback from each stage of the process to raise the efficiency SELECTION Determine which tools to use to assess if a candidate matches the required criteria/competencies Determine the level of flexibility the company can afford in the terms offered to attract the best recruits Link selection strategy to information about corporate culture Determine what the new employee needs to know to work effectively and fit in as soon as possible INDUSTRIAL Source: Market tracking international ltd ( MTI) A survey conducted by the DDI (1991) involving 1000 HR directors from leading United Kingdom companies depicts that ‘hiring the right people’ was rated as the most important issue people may face. The next one is â€Å"motivating and retaining employees† with regard to staff turnover costs, the result of the survey showed that 10% of firms incur costs in excess of  £5million per annum; and more worryingly, 69% of firms do not bother to calculate the cost of staff turnover. Further research showed that the 1980s and the early 1990s recession contributed to cost-cutting, downsizing and restructuring in a number of industry sectors. This led to the change in the employment market and altering the recruitment and selections strategies of organisations. It again suggests that new job opportunities are more likely in the service sector, commonly among highly skilled. Also there has been an increase in the part-time, temporary and contract-work as companies strive to achieve flexibility in order to cope with changing market demands. The graph below shows how United Kingdom employment sectors are affected by staff shortages 1.6.8 Types of Human Resource outsourcing Researchers have grouped outsourcing into the following groups: Total outsourcing: outsourcing is considered as total outsourcing when a company decides to outsource about 70%-80% of a particular function to a single supplier with the aim of concentrating on the company’s core competencies. This â€Å"hundred percent† of a personnel service has generated into argument. First of all, it is argued that a major portion of personnel work is so central to the strategic objectives and the culture of the organisation. For this matter the company itself can only effectively carry out the personnel work. The second argument is certain situations are hard to predict but may require immediate responses example is industrial dispute. For this reason it becomes difficult to contract out such tasks to a supplier who can not guarantee the proper action needed. Further arguments suggest that they have not yet discovered a significant Human Resource supplier for 100% total outsourcing. There exist only few suppliers who are able to take on a complete personnel service. Multiple / selective outsourcing: companies negotiate with numerous suppliers so as to keep them in a state of healthy competition under short-term contracts. It has an aim of retaining suppliers on larger-term contracts. Joint venture / strategic: it refers to partnering with other suppliers in executing a particular project so as to share risk and rewards. The outsourcing is the risk factor to the company (client) and the same time maintain strong ownership and control Temporary outsourcing partnership: is a short-term contract usually 1-2 years for the smaller companies who cannot justly handle external consultancy. Transformational outsourcing (Information Technology Information System applications): it is an application within the technology / information system field. Business process outsourcing (BPO): is considered as the sharpest end of the outsourcing spectrum, it involves outsourcing critical important business processes such as finance and accounting, internal audit and procurement etc. it is actually a rapidly growing area. Insourcing: this could mean reclaiming of application that had previously been outsourced; it is done in two ways, either hiring consultants to re-engineer the in-house department or through conventional in-house bidding. Partial outsourcing transfer: is the partial transfer of services and associated resources, it involves outsourcing fairly routine and well established practices such as pay roll and at the same time retaining newer systems in-house. The company remains the managers of the process and takes most decisions. Asset purchasing: is where the supplier decides to buy the entire set of physical assets from the clients company. It is also a form of cash flow to the company for selling its assets. There is also transfer of personnel from the company to the supplier; however the place of work does not change. (Lee, 2002) also categorised Human Resource outsourcing into three aspects: Professional Employers Organisation (PEO) – Application Service Provider (ASP) Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) PEOs have a duty of managing a company’s human resources, take charge of employee’s legal issues and undertake basic Human Resource functions as recruitment and selection including performance appraisal. In most cases PEO form partnership with other suppliers. The PEO concentrate on the Human Resource aspect of the business, the company on the other hand handles the other aspect. Sometimes due to the nature of Human Resource, the company may decide to enter into strategic alliance or joint venture in order to have some level of control over the Human Resource management. Within the context of Human Resource outsourcing, organisations specific needs and processes vary. Some organisations tend to outsource virtually all of it Human Resource Processes whilst others concentrate on specific areas of the process such as staff recruitment, staff training, payroll or resources. About 9% outsourced all of it recruitment function while about 55% of respondents outsource part of their recruitment function. Amstrong (2001) introduced a list of Human Resource areas that are often outsourced. These are: Training, Payroll Management, Health and Safety Monitoring and Advice, Recruitment and finally Employee Welfare and Counselling activities. More so Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS) in 2004 revealed that Training, Payroll and Resourcing of temporary positions are the most common component that companies seek to outsource. It is noted that very few organisations such as British Telecom, Boots the Chemist, Procter Gamble have outsourced their entire Human Resource functions and the most recently is Unilever. ASPs: Application Service Providers focuses on software applications. They deal with software processes and rent to users. They have standardised off-the shelf applications and the customised Human Resource software development. It is designed to manage payroll, benefits among others. BPO: this refers to Business Process Outsourcing, which focuses on outsourcing managerial and operational functions in Human Resource. BPO is also in charge of monitoring the latest information systems. In the United Kingdom, a change in political ideology after 18 years of conservative government rule is seen as a driver of the outsourcing, as a means of reducing cost and raising efficiency, the use of outsourcing was promoted. This really showed in the public sector through the introduction of market-based instruments and the formation of internal market as in the health service Different authors have classified outsourcing drivers. According to (Winkleman et al, 1993) there are two basic drivers for outsourcing success; these are cost reduction and strategic shift in how organisations operate. (Grupter et al, 1992) added two more drivers as market forces and technical considerations. (Hiemstra et al, 1993) also indicated four drivers, which are cost, capital, knowledge and capacity. (Beulen et al, 1994) suggested five main drivers for outsourcing: quality, cost, finance, core-business and cooperation. 1.6.9 Drivers for outsourcing: ( Beulen et al; 1994) outlines the following general drivers for outsourcing: Quality: actual capacity is temporarily inefficient to comply with demand. The quality motive can be subdivided into three aspects: increased quality demands, shortage of qualified personnel and outsourcing as a transition period. Cost: outsourcing is a possible solution to control increasing costs and its compatible with a cost leadership strategy by controlling and decreasing costs, a company can increase its competitive position. Finance: a company has a limited investment budget. The funds must be used for investments in core business activities, which are long-term decisions. Core-Business: core-business is a primary activity with which an organisation generates revenue. To concentrate on core-business activities is a strategic decision, all subsequent activities are mainly supportive and should be outsourced. Cooperation: cooperation between companies can lead to conflict. In order to avoid such conflict those activities that are produced by both organisations should be subject to total outsourcing. However these factors cannot be in isolation, they are not sufficient enough as attention needs to be given to the context in which such decisions are taken. Consideration should be given to the internal and external environment within which the organisation operates. The organisation’s objectives and most importantly its culture may effect the implementation and sustainability of the policy, once made. Considering the factors that drives and influence outsourcing decisions, Chris Fill in his research established three key emerging issues: the contextual factors represented by an organisation’s particular internal and external conditions the strategic and structural aspects associated with an organisation’s decision to reconfigure the costs associated with the process or activity under review It is very necessary for managers to consider these three aspects when deciding to outsource. A framework illustrates the process A composite outsourcing decision framework Outsourcing Management Consideration And judgement Contextual factors Strategy Structure Transaction Costs Source: Management Decision vol. 38 No.1, (2000) CHAPTER TWO 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW: The most important and cherished asset of any company is its Human Resource – the staff. Even with all the most current technology, personnel are first because without manpower, nothing gets done. The success of every organisation depends on the quality of staff employed. On the other hand it could be disastrous if the right decision is not taken in choosing the right people with the right skills in the right position. The kind of skills employed makes a vast difference between a business success and it failure. In the business environment, some companies may employ solely skilled personnel, others require both skilled and semi skilled personnel and others unskilled labour force. In the retail sector for example, the nature of the work demands both skilled and semi skilled staff with the semi – skilled dominating. The skilled staff basically are managers such as the marketing and advertising managers, accounting managers, purchasing and supplier managers and general ov erseers. The challenge is how to get those people into the right places in order not to under utilise or over utilise their services. For instance, it might not be necessary to employ a professional who is to be paid as a sales assistant to be serving customers, but rather have a responsibility of planning and strategising how to win customers and be ahead of it competitors. In order to make the best decision, t

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

The Class of 2012. How long have we heard these words applied to us? Long years starting with broken crayons in kindergarten to inside-out sweatshirts in middle school to late English essays — 13 years of learning from the simplest counting to complicated algebra and calculus, from reciting our ABCs to reading Shakespeare. Imagine, us coming out of our respective middle schools into this monster of a campus. With three times as many people — people who drive. People who have cars and are legal adults. We’ve been here for four years. Count the quarters: there are 16 of them. Remember freshmen year: that infatuation with older students, and how being friends with a senior gave you immeasurable social status? There were some sophomores who didn’t tease us for being freshmen, and we clung to them. Remember walking in late to every class on the first day of school, and maybe the second... maybe the third... Every morning we rode the yellow school bus. Our first pep assembly was amazingly loud and we walked out half-deaf. The cheerleaders were trying to get us to shout something, alter we figured out it was "double-oh." Remember when our "commitment to graduation" banner was stolen out of the library? And that first last, day of school: promising to meet everyone again come September. Four down, 12 to go. Sophomore year. Well, maybe by the time we were sophomores we may not have been completely settled into our own high-school persona but at least we knew where we were. And maybe, that first day of school, we still were late to every single class. We learned the meaning of the word â€Å"sophomoric† that year, and teased the freshmen, getting some symbolic retribution for what the sophomores did to use the year before. Eventually... ...ers ago, so were we. Yesterday has passed. Now we stand on the brink of adulthood. We have counted the cost, we’ve counted the quarters and paid the price, we’ve paid four years. Sixteen quarters. Right now we all have a legacy that we’ve left on Ayer High School, a legacy developed from four years of walking down the halls, eight semesters of sitting in the classrooms and sixteen quarters of developing our personalities. We were the anxious freshmen, the obnoxious sophomores, the lazy juniors and the graduating seniors. But, in 10 years, who are we going to be? Will we still drink Sobes, Jones or Yogochinos? Have the same wallpaper on our computer monitors? Will we still fly out at any hour of the night to go to Dick’s or Taco Bell? Whatever the answers, what we’ve each learned here will remain at the core of the people we become. We are the Class of 2006.

Comparison Between Japan and Italy

Why does Japan attract so Many Less Tourists than Italy? Contents Introduction Page 2 International TourismPage 2 Key Aspects of JapanPage 3 Key Aspects of ItalyPage 4 Typical TouristPage 5 International CompetitionPage 5 Conclusion Page 5 Graphs Page 6 BibliographyPage 7 Introduction In this project I will be researching about the difference in tourism between Italy and Japan. I will be researching why there is such a big difference and I will add several graphs and climate data.I will be researching the tourist attractions. I will explain the similarities and differences. I will research about tourist attractions and why a family would choose this country instead of the other. I will research about the two environments. International Tourism International tourism is when a person or more travel out of their home land into a different country and/or religion. It means that they travel from one place to another for reasons like for medical, sport or business. Key Aspects of Japan K ey Aspects of Japan There are many tourist attractions in Japan but why doesn’t it get as many tourists as Italy?Japan has a place called Ginza which consists of department stores, shopping centres, restaurants and coffee shops. Ginza is said to be one of the best places for shopping in the world. It is said to also be very luxurious. The Ise Shrine located in the Mie state of Japan is the shrine built in the honour of goddess Ameterasu-Omikami. This is said to be one of the most sacred places in Japan because inside it holds the Sacred Mirror. Another interesting attraction is the Osaka Castle. It was built in 1583 in Osaka. This would be a great tourist attraction because it is very historical and the castle itself is very beautiful.The biggest tourist attraction I would have to say is Mt. Fuji. Is view is truly breathtaking. It is Japan’s biggest mountain. This would be a great place for someone who enjoys climbing or like sky diving. If the tourist appreciates art work then Kyoto National Art Museum is the place for them. It focuses on Asian and Japanese art from the days when it wasn’t modern. It is built traditionally so that the tourist can really feel like he or she’s part of that era. There is the longest suspension bridge in the world in Japan called Akashi Kaikyo suspension bridge. Is is nearly 4 km long and was finishes in a span of 12 years.One of the most historic and interesting attractions is the Great Buddha of Kamakura. Its nearly 14m tall in length and it is very interesting how this survived the tsunami in the 15th century where as the others were eliminated. The Great Buddha of Kamakura Key Aspects of Italy As we all know the Italians are renowned because of Gladiators and there old empires. There most magnificent attraction would most probably be the Canals of Venice. Its romantic ambience and Italian architecture surrounding it makes it the most admirable place with the Colosseum not far behind.As I mentioned the probably most famous of them all would be the Colosseum which was built at the time of gladiators. People of all ages would gather to watch people fight till the death. They used to cheer as this was one of their few ways of entertainment. Tourists will love the Colosseum because you get the feel that you’re walking through the ages. Pompeii was a lost city in Italy. It was lost due to Mt. Vesuvius erupting in 79 AD. I think this would be quite interesting as there are still remains on the land and also the lost city of Herculaneum is one to see as well.You get an insider in how people lived back then compared to now. Santa Maria Del Fiore is the largest brick cathedral ever built and was the biggest until the modern era. Santa Maria Del Fiore is the symbol of the beautiful city of Florence. This cathedral is a must see for tourists who are Catholics and it’s interesting to see how divine it would be inside. I think Italy would also be famous for its beaches. Altho ugh temperature doesn’t go very high on a good day everyone will be at the beach. Picture of Canals of Venice. Typical Tourist In my own opinion I believe that a typical tourist would go to Italy.They would go because Italy is more of a livelier place and has more interesting tourist attractions. People from all over the world would probably choose Italy because everyone wants to know about Italy’s history. Although the temperature is almost the same there’s way more precipitation in Japan due to monsoon months which tourists don’t want to enter. Japan does have the best technology in the world but they want to go to a country where there isn’t too much poverty which I think Italy fits that criterion. International Competition Two countries come to mind when we talk about competition in the tourist trade, South Korea and Greece.Greece is like Italy it has a lot of Greek history which people would ache to see and South Korea is like Japan, has a lot of good attractions yet not many tourists come. Many people would come to both Italy and Greece but at the state Greece is in at this moment of time with financial trouble if you’re going for business they should go to Italy. Conclusion In conclusion I believe Japan have less tourist because of they're attractions. They don’t have that much to attract people from all over the world although they have the technology for it.I think they should build more attractions like make a old village so you can show people how you used to live. Also because people all over the world want to go to a country where there isn’t too much poverty which is why they would choose Italy. Also because of the monsoon season they lose many tourists who don’t want to come when its full of water. Bibliography â€Å"Crossed Flag Pins. † Http://www. crossed-flag-pins. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. Sept. -Oct. 2012. ;http://www. crossed-flag-pins. com/Friendship-Pins/Japan/Flag-Pins- Japan-Italy. jpg;. â€Å"Daibutsu a Great Buddha of Kamakura. Daibutsu a Great Buddha of Kamakura Picture & Facts a Kanagawa,. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Visitstmaarten. com Blog. † World Tourism Day 2010 on Tourism and Biodiversity, St Maarten. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"10 Top Tourist Attractions in Italy. † Touropia. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. . Tokyo, Japan:Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data. † Tokyo, Japan: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. ;http://www. climate-charts. com/Locations/j/JP47662. php;. â€Å"World Economic Outlook Database September 2011. † World Economic Outlook Database September 2011. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. ;http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/02/weodata/index. aspx;. â€Å"Employees, Industry, Male (% of Male Employment). † Data. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. ;http://data. worldbank. org/indicator /SL. IND. EMPL. MA. ZS/countries;.

Reading Motivation - Activities for Elementary Students

Reading Motivation - Activities for Elementary Students Teachers are always looking for ways to boost their students reading motivation. Research confirms that a childs motivation is the key factor in successful reading. You may have noticed students in your classroom who are struggling readers, tend to have a lack of motivation and do not like to partake in book-related activities. These students may have trouble selecting appropriate texts, and therefore do not like to read for pleasure. To help motivate these struggling readers, focus on strategies that will help spark their interest and boost their self-esteem. Here are five ideas and activities to increase your students reading motivation and encourage them to get into books. Book Bingo Motivate students to read a variety of books by playing Book Bingo. Give each student a blank bingo board and have them fill in the squares with some of the suggested phrases: I read a mystery bookI read a funny bookI read a biographyI read an animal storyI read a book about friendship Students can also fill in the blanks with I read a book by..., or I read a book about... Once they have their bingo board labeled, explain to them that in order to cross off a square, they must have met the reading challenge that was written(Have students write the title and author of each book they read on the back of the board). Once the student gets bingo, reward them with a classroom privilege or a new book. Read and Review A great way to make a reluctant reader feel special, and motivate them to want to read, is by asking them to review a new book for the class library. Have the student write a brief description of the plot, main characters, and what he/she thought of the book. Then have the student share his/her review with their classmates. Thematic Book Bags A fun way for younger students to boost their reading motivation is to create a thematic book bag. Each week, select five students to be chosen to take home a book bag and complete the assignment thats in the bag. Inside each bag, place a book with theme-related contents in it. For example, place a Curious George book, a stuffed monkey, a follow-up activity about monkeys, and a journal for the student to review the book in the bag. Once the student returns the book bag have them share their review and activity that they completed at home. Lunch Bunch A great way to pique your students interest in reading is to create a reading lunch bunch group. Each week select up to five students to participate in a special reading group. This entire group must read the same book, and on a determined day, the group will meet for lunch to discuss the book and share what they thought about it. Character Questions Encourage the most reluctant readers to read by having them answer character questions. In the reading center, post a variety of character pictures from the stories your students are currently reading. Under each photo, write Who am I? and leave space for children to fill in their answers. Once the student identifies the character, they must share more information about them. Another way to do this activity is to replace the photograph of the character with subtle hints. For example His best friend is a man in a yellow hat. (Curious George). Additional Ideas Enlist parents to come in and be a mystery reader.Participate in the Pizza Hut Book-It program.Have a Read-a-Thon.Pair students together with a book buddy.Play Name That Book where students have to guess the title of the book you just read to them.

Psychology And Music Violence Essays - Rape, Violence Against Women

Psychology And Music Violence Essays - Rape, Violence Against Women Psychology And Music Violence The Effects of Violent Music Content on Teenagers Throughout history the human populous has been attracted to music. Whether it be part of a ritual, an emotional release, religious reasons, or just for listening pleasure music has been at the center of our society. We have used music to express ourselves, tell stories, and let others into our thoughts. However, we often wonder whether what we are saying has an effect on the listening audience. Recently, in the 1990's references have often been made to link violent and deviant behavior to music and certain music genres. Some such genres include but are not limited to; heavy metal, rock, death metal, rap, gansta rap, industrial, hardcore, and alternative music. During the last decade we have seen music lyrics become more and more violent and sexually explicit. Experts argue that this can cause problems in children and adolescents. Studies show that the average teenager listens to approximately 40 hours of music in a given week. One is to assume that somewhere in the mix a child is going to hear something derogatory or objectionable, as it has become the norm in todays society. In most music today especially rap and heavy metal most of the lyrics contain references to violence, sex, and/or drugs. While many argue that this is dangerous for children to hear we know that a modern day teenager often faces violence, drugs, suicide, pregnancy, and other aspects of this music. While we find that lyrics may be dangerous to a child we must ask ourselves whether the child fully understands and comprehends what the artist is saying. Teenagers often do not understand what is being said, in fact in one study only 30 percent of those questioned knew the lyrics to their favorite songs and they all had varied comprehension as to what the message was. It could be argued that if the lyrics were not included in the artists booklet then the audience would never know what was being said. Some lyrics are indeed harsh such as this Nine Inch Nails lyric: I am a big man yes I am; and I have a big gun; got me a big ole *censored* and I like to have fun; held against your forehead I'll make you suck; you know, just for the *censored* of it. Obviously we cannot interpret this as a positive meaning. A sampling of lyrics from Marilyn Manson include Who says date rape isn't fun, ...the housewife I will beat.., and I slit my teenage wrist, among others. Manson concerts are often grounds to bash religion and rip bibles while fan chant we hate love, we love hate. Other songs that have overtones of violence include slap-a-ho by Dove Shack and another song sung by death metal band Cannibal Corpse in which they make reference to masturbating with a dead womans head. Avid music lovers attest that they words sung in these songs are just words and or no different that poetry printed in literature books. No studies to date have concluded that listening to a song that speaks of death will make a teenager want to go out and kill. Do these kinds of lyrics breed todays children to be killers and to be sexually promiscuous? Yes, and no, depending on who you speak to. Listening to music does not drive people to kill, and no proof of such has been offered. In fact, one teacher speaks of a student who wore a Metallica shirt everyday to school and wrote lyrics with foul language, but was often seen sitting in the front row at Sunday mass with his mother in a nice suit. The same people who go out to see Black Sabbath and Motley Crue are the same people who handle world finance and international affairs, it is just their choice in music. Studies that use music videos on the other hand show an increased tolerance in deviant behavior among both males and females. Music videos add reinforcement to what is being heard with the use of visuals. Now an extra sense is being used. Videos often exhibit sexual innuendo, acts of aggression, and gender stereotypes. Studies showed that men have a tolerable attitude as to what is violent and what is too far in sexual advances. Women have less of a tolerance. Studies have also found that heavy metal music and gansta rap influence mens attitudes towards women and that increased exposure to videos containing interpersonal violence against women tended to increase men's acceptance of rape myths such as she was dressing like she wanted it or she brought it on herself. In contrast, women's beliefs

The Effects Of Music On People essays

The Effects Of Music On People essays The other day, driving down the road, I noticed a party in action. As I was getting closer a giant roar of sound was coming out of their inhabitants. It did not seem like any real normal party (what ever normal is) and the sound was rough and tough. It looked like people running in circles going round and round, and then I stopped and realized they were slam dancing to Death Metal music. What an insane view it was indeed. It made me wonder about the effects of music on people. Not only are the effects of music on people displayed in dancing but in other areas as well. Such as, learning, stress reduction, and aggression, as we shall see. It is safe to say that learning plays a major part in peoples lives daily. Everyday someone learns something new. People can learning to swim, play a different sport, or simple learn the new video game on the block. Whether one is aware of it or not, one is always learning something new. It is continuous and none ending. According to Kristian David Olson (1996): One solid way to increase the speed at which people learn is with music. People learn through music and their minds grow faster because of it. Some music, when implemented properly, can have positive effects on learning and attitude. Music is a powerful thing, and when we understand its significance, it can bring dramatic changes both positive and negative into our lives. (p.1) Children can also benefit from learning music at an early age. According to Kristian David Olson (1996): The earliest stages of learning for young are the most important. The fundamentals of learning are instilled into a child at a very young age and how much importance is placed on these fundamentals can have dramatic affects on a childs learning and help them in many ways. (p.1) Background music can also play a role in the learning process. Steve N. Kelly and Mike Manthei (n.d.) mention, With the advent of electronically repr...

Risk Management and Banking Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Risk Management and Banking Crisis - Essay Example The Banks & Financial Institutions avail the benefits of higher interest rates by lending to Sub-Prime customers but expose the capital to higher risks. The Banks used a mechanism of distributing the risk of the lending to the investors outside the Banking system through a process called "Securitization" (A phenomenon that occurred in the booming Credit Derivative Market). This phenomenon occurred extensively in the US Sub-Prime Mortgage Market that helped the banks to increase the number of risky products but still reduce the liabilities on their balance sheets (apparently!!) because the money is flowing through so called "conduits" from investors to the borrowers. As per experts the primary drawbacks have been imperfections in the Credit Markets given poor valuation of assets acquired against the credit instruments thus resulting in uncertain asset valuation & high credit risk exposure. Even the rating agencies couldn't predict the Sub-Prime crisis through their valuations because the securitization process was too complex and the Bank's risk assessment was inadequate in screening the borrowers and informing the investors about the risks in the securitized products. The system became so huge that the root of the risks was completely covered by hyped data and analytics about the new credit instruments. [Schmitz, Michael. C and Forray, Susan J. pp28-30; Clerc, Laurent. 2008. pp1-4] In this paper, the process of Credit & Liquidity risk measurement by the Banks is presented with a discussion on how they have contributed to the overall Financial Crisis faced by the world. A brief on Credit and Liquidity Risk Management practiced by Banks Every bank has a native underwriting process to support the "Credit Approval System" for evaluation of credit risk resulting from a possible exposure when scrutinizing a loan application. As per Basel Capital Accord (Basel-II), the primary parameters that are assessed during scrutiny of a loan application are: Probability of Default (PD), Loss Given Default (LGD), Exposure at Default (EAD) and Maturity

The Problem of Authority in the Continental Reformers Assignment

The Problem of Authority in the Continental Reformers - Assignment Example Luther's detestations towards the power of the Catholic Church and the' legitimacy of the Pope's indulgences, for instance, were marked by the dictates of his belief in political realism which was coupled with the 'ethical consequences of his doctrines' (Davies 37. Scholars contend that Luther was an 'accomplished theologian politician' whose struggles were 'inner' and spiritual yet, he likewise took controversial political stands in order to defend his goals of religious reformation. This clearly depicts Luther's ambivalent position on religion and politics. Luther asserted that men needed the restrictions that laws provide and advocated absolute obedience to authority while upholding spiritual freedom (New 34). This contention on absolute obedience is dubious since Luther decried the same absolutism brought about by the 'indulgences' of the Pope. Furthermore, his overly passionate stance on the foreigners' exploitation of Germany evoked hostile resentment against the foreigners, as well as patriotism and indignation from the Germans (New 35). For many liberals and humanists in that period, Luther's type of reformation was fundamental - overly passionate and almost bordering on rebellion. John Calvin employed the same kind of radicalism in order to alter the political and social environments of his day. Fashioning social and political organizations completely from biblical principles, Calvin impressed on the people of Geneva, a very stringent moral system obtained from a literal reading of the Bible. These new impositions went through protestations as the people believed that they successfully dislodged the Papacy only to be disappointed by the experience of a similar form of the papacy with Calvin at the helm. Calvin's innovative political philosophy and social reforms had brought about a radical transformation in Europe. Zwingli, as compared Luther and Calvin who discussed various theologies in their writings and arguments, opted for a unified theme. Nevertheless, Zwingli tackled an analogous fundamental movement in the form of a very stringent Protestantism in which the Gospel was almost treated as a law (Bromiley 121). Zwingli's contribution to the social life of his generation cannot be discounted as his teachings became the foundation of social and organizational principles of the fundamentalist Protestants and the Puritans which later became the basis of the political and social structures of the English colonies in the United States. Zwingli's ideas were so pervasive that up until this day, the principles of a social organization still persist. Hence, Zwingli's reformation movement can be characterized as rather revolutionary and political as observed in his preoccupation with both clerical and secular politics (Bromiley 128).

Government Fiscal Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Government Fiscal Policy - Essay Example One of the segments of the economy that benefited the most was the banking industry. The banks in the United States had been acting unethically giving out loans to people that did not quality in order to boost their profits. A lot of Americans lost their homes in the middle of this fiasco. The stimulus package helped save over 3.5 million jobs in America particularly jobs in the manufacturing and construction sector. The Big 3 Auto makers also received financial help from the federal government. The reduction in taxes helped put more money in to the hands of American citizens. Classical economy theory states that the economy is always capable of achieving natural level of real GPD or output (Cliffnotes, 2013). I do not think that classical economy theory would have applied to the economic issues the nation was facing. The United States needed governmental intervention back in 2007-2009 to recover from the recession it was facing. The impact of the economic stimulus package on the governmental budget was that it increased the national debt in the long run and in the short run it increased the yearly budget of the

Political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Political science - Essay Example The in – depth study of the loan syndrome of the poor nations reveal the fact that most of the nations fail to repay the loan, not only the interest but also the principle. It has raised the burning question whether the developed countries accept such lack of repayment! In other words, should the citizens of wealthy nations bear the burden of development of the poorer countries! Though there are valid arguments in both the sides as this a topic of debate but still the general consensus and majority of the experts feel that the rich nations should bear extra responsibilities for the development in their poorer counterparts, if not full. Therefore, it is argued in the essay that not all but majority of the debts of the poorer nations should be written off. The under – developed nations of Africa and Latin America, have been borrowing consistently from the international markets. The purpose of such borrowing includes building of infrastructure like roads, dams and bridges and contributing towards the livelihood of the people like agriculture and fisheries. Among the major lenders, the developed nations of the world like the United States, Great Britain, Germany and France are notable. Along with the individual nations, the international bodies like International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) are also mention worthy. The Mexican crisis in 1982 led to an international strategy on debt. The major stake holders of such strategy included the major creditor countries and the multilateral organisations. The prime motto of the strategy was to deal with the commercial bank creditors and the official creditors. The strategy evolved three fold initiatives: The noted scholar William Easterly held the view that though the aids and donations did not reap the intended benefits in the African nations still those should not be discontinued. The economist is of the view that it is easy for one party to blame the other as the western nations did not get

University education guaranties a successful professional career Essay

University education guaranties a successful professional career - Essay Example Walt Disney said, "All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them," and education is a tool which equips individuals with the power of knowledge coupled and the will to achieve success in the world. The primary reason why students opt for university education for the successful completion of the degree programs which are an important milestone in the academic achievements of students. The attainments of these programs enable students to establish themselves firmly on the path to an enterprising career.University education is the ideal way to achieve success as the achievement of good grades and a sound degree ensures the route to a successful career in future life. Achievement in academics tends to be the sole motive of students the world over and the aims of academic achievement are by and large similar in most educational organizations. Educators stress on the importance of academic achievement in university education, stating that it is the most crucial way o f establishing a student firmly on his path to a successful career. But, is that all Is that the only aim of university education No, it is not. There are a multitude of reasons why university education has gained such importance in today's world.Rational and logical thinking have always been associated with learned and educated people. Excellence in education opens the mind of students to think rationally about the issues surrounding life in any situation. As a result, a rational thinker tends display sensitivity towards the different perspectives on delicate issues. Education opens the mind of an individual to think about the issues surrounding life in any situation. A rational thinker tends display sensitivity towards the different perspectives on several issues and positive attitudes in life. Cultural sensitivity and the development of necessary skills can be attained by education. Education is indeed a powerful tool in the hands of students and has immense value in today's rapi dly changing global world. The aim of college or university education is not to merely gain bookish knowledge; it develops and enhances the ability of an individual to think and perceive the various situations that life offers. The cognitive development and progress of the mental ability due to education will obviously have a positive impact on the culture and society in which I co-exist. Thus, education ensures the social development of not only the individual but also the culture and society with which am closely related, enabling graduated and educated students to work towards a better tomorrow, not only for themselves but also the society in which they function. Educational institutions and educators can proudly claim to have achieved academic excellence when their students develop positive attitudes in life. The aim of academics is not to merely gain bookish knowledge; it develops and enhances the ability of an individual to think and perceive the various situations that life offers. The cognitive development and progress of the mental ability of the academician will obviously have a positive impact on the culture and society in which he/she survives. Thus, academic excellence ensures the social development of not only the individual but also the culture with which he/ she is closely related to. The primary drivers of academic achievement are the educators and the educational institutions. The role and importance of responsible families and parents, however, cannot be undermined. Edmunds (1979) pointed on the role of the teachers and their expectations in setting high standards for student accomplishments. There has to be a greater emphasis on making the student aware of the importance of reading and writing at all stages of learning. Regular feedback regarding the progress of the student, not only to the students but also the parents, is known to play an important factor in academic excellenc