PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO - Coursework Example Thus, I have always cherished the dream of pursuing an academic career in engineering with some orientation towards electrical engineering. On the other hand, I also value self dependency and supporting myself in my endeavours to the maximum extent possible without having to depend on my family. Therefore, immediately after completing high school, I sought out a job with HSBC Bank, Dubai, as a business development executive. In this position, I was responsible for marketing several products of the bank and I have been effective in this role. Since I had good connection in the region I was instrumental in bringing several new customers to the bank. During my tenure of six months with the bank, I was also able to learn administrative procedures apart from having here had also enabled me to become more organized in terms of settings goals, planning the achievement of targets as well as how to make good the short falls. However, I did not want to entertain the idea of getting strike to a job which did not entirely fit into the frame work of the carrier of my choice. In the meanwhile I realised that global aviation industry is poised for a sea change in the near future, in the aftermath of globalization. Even in Dubai, the developmental activities were in full swing. Similar was the case with Asian and European countries as well as the US. Travel and tourism industry was flourishing on an unfathomed manner. A realisation of the opportunity in aviation management, coupled with my inherent affinity towards a career in engineering, motivated me take up a course in aerospace systems. Thus, I joined Barry College, South Wales, UK, for a 3 year Diploma Course in Aerospace Systems Management. I selected this college because of its popularity as a premier institution in the field of aviation studies and over 9,000 learners pass out from there every year. They provide state of the art aerospace training and development programmes in maintenance, repair and overhauling and th eir courses are approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. Besides, they also have a vast network of institutions in partnership with several colleges that offer a wide range of aircraft engineering courses. The stint I spent in Barry’s campus was a major turning point in my life. The college had an excellent faculty supported by modern equipment and sophisticated infrastructure. It also provided a congenial environment for me to focus on my studies with full involvement both in terms of academic betterment and personal development. My peers and tutors in there were very supportive and encouraging, which helped me in my overall development not only in my academics but in the personal front also, by inculcating in me several values and ethics. My earlier work experience with HSBC had helped me in properly setting my goals and objectives, planning my studies appropriately as well as executing the plans as prescheduled. The main objectives that I set for myself were to achieve im provement in three subjects, which are: mathematics, electrical engineering and practical work (communication skills). Taking cue from my work experience as stated earlier, I was also able to integrate aspects of personal development into my academic schedule, focusing on values and ethics. Thus, I was able to organize my studies in a proper manner, aligning my plans with the objectives I set for myself and executing my plans as per the predetermined schedules. Besides, I had carried out

NAZI (symbol Swastika ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

NAZI (symbol Swastika ) - Essay Example It wasn’t until the 1930’s that the Swastika began to denote evil implications. For example, the swastika was worn as a shoulder patch of a World War I U.S. Army Division and was a common decoration found on a myriad of objects. As Germany was behind other countries of the region in forming a formal nation (1871), its people felt susceptible to military and societal invasion from outside its borders. As an instrument to promote unification and national pride, German nationalists began to use the swastika from the mid 1800’s to represent the history of the Germanic and Aryan people. The swastika could be found on nationalist German ‘volkish’ publications by the end of the 1800’s and by the turn of the twentieth century, the swastika had grown in popularity throughout many German organizations. It was frequently used as the symbol for German nationalism. The Nazi Party’s aspiration to appeal to a wide German audience led them to chose the symbol in 1920. â€Å"Because of the Nazis’ flag, the swastika soon became a symbol of hate, anti-Semitism, violence, death, and murder† (Rosenberg, 2006). As the industrial age swept across Europe in the mid-1800’s it brought society new opportunities but also inadvertently served to increase the individual’s feeling of remoteness and a loss of personal belonging (Mosse, 1964, p. 13). As Germany became modernized, its people began to feel alone in their own culture and began to desire closer association to their community. â€Å"Joining the Volk (the people of Germany) was a way to intellectually rebel against this new, modern world. The Volk was an intermediary between the extremes of individuality and the quest for cosmic identity† (Mosse, 1964, p. 15). The effect of this National Socialist movement was that it served to replace the capitalist philosophy and ended chances for personal upward mobility. Third

The Operations Management In Hotel Equatorial Tourism Essay

The Operations Management In Hotel Equatorial Tourism Essay Operations management is a part of business concerned about the production of goods and services, and involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as little resource as needed, and effective in terms of meeting customer requirements. It is concerned with managing the process that converts inputs, in the forms of materials, labor and energy into outputs, in the form of goods and services. Traditionally, operation refers to the production of goods and services separately, although the distinction between these two main types of operations is increasingly difficult to make as manufacturers tend to merge product and service offerings. Jobs in services are often less structured than in manufacturing. Customer contact is generally much higher in services compared to manufacturing. In many services, worker skill levels are low compared to those of manufacturing employees. Services are adding many new workers in low-skill, entry-level positions. Employee turnover is high in services, especially in low-skill jobs. Input variability tends to be higher in many service environments than in manufacturing. Service performance can be adversely affected by many factors outside of managers control, such as employee and customer attitudes. Operations managers are concerned with each step in providing a service or product. They determine what equipment, labor, tools, facilities, materials, energy, and information should go into an operating system and how these inputs can best be obtained and used to satisfy the requirements of the market place. Managers are also responsible for critical activities such as quality management and control, capacity planning, materials management, purchasing, and scheduling. Operations management is getting important dramatically in recent years. Significant foreign competition, shorter product and service life-cycles, better-educated and quality-conscious consumers, and the capabilities of new technology have placed increasing pressures on the operations function to improve productivity while providing a broader array of high-quality products and services. With the globalization of markets, firms are recognizing that the operations function can be used to strengthen their position in the market place. Managers in operations management play a strategic and tactical role in satisfying customer needs and making their firms strong international competitors. Hotel Equatorial In this assignment, we will discuss about the operations management in Hotel Equatorial. Hotel Equatorial Corporate has a presence in three major Asia Pacific countries with seven properties in the group, located in the regions gateway cities. These three countries are Malaysia, China and Vietnam. Those Hotel Equatorial in Malaysia are located at Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Malacca, Penang and Cameron Highlands. However, we only focus on the operation management of Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur. Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur is located at Jalan Sultan Ismail. It is an international business-class hotel that emphasises efficiency, comfort, security and value for money, the Equatorial Kuala Lumpur also delivers genuine Malaysian warmth and hospitality. Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur is highly-regarded for its excellent food and beverage services. The 5-star Equatorial Kuala Lumpur is located in the heart of the citys commercial and entertainment district thats within walking distance to major offices, shopping malls, the Petronas Twin Towers or Suria KLCC and entertainment centers. There are total of 300 rooms inside Hotel Equatorial. All of them are equipped with modern amenities. The rooms are pleasantly appointed with details that will make guests feel at home. There are splendid suites that can provide customers ultimate privacy. Beside that customer also can have a choice of Presidential, Senator or Executive Suites to rises a level higher. There is also swimming pool inside Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur. Beside that facilities and services for guest convenience at Hotel Equatorial also include business center with meeting rooms and broadband Internet access, 24-hour room service, laundry and valet service, limousine service, currency exchange, doctor on-call, shopping arcade and basement parking. The Equatorial Kuala Lumpur is also renowned in the city for its award-winning restaurants such as the signature Golden Phoenix Chinese and Kampachi Japanese restaurants. The various food and beverage outlets found here are among Kuala Lumpurs most popular places for corporate or personal entertainment. Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur also provides professional conference facilities with the attentive backing of trained staff that attend to your individual meeting requirements. There are ballroom, function room and business center inside this hotel. Literature Review The hospitality industry today has been recognized as a global industry. Indeed, it has played a vital role in Malaysia in recent years in terms of the hospitality industry itself; to develop a better diversity environment and society, and even contributes to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Malaysia. There are several types of hotel that have been recognized all around the world, such as budget hotels, apartment hotels, luxury hotels, resorts, and etc. There are other classifications of hotels; however, most of them will fall into one of these or a combination of these. Hospitality usually refers to the hotel industry; it is consider as a service by combining the accommodations, food and beverages services, recreation, entertainment sectors and even for the business purposes. Apart from that, hospitality is actually playing the relationship between a host and a guest by the acting and being hospitable to the public. Hepple, Kipps and Thomson (1990) reviewed the existing literature f or definitions of hospitality, and identified four characteristics of hospitality in its modern sense: (a) It is conferred by a host on a guest who is away from home. (b) It is interactive, involving the coming together of a provider and receiver. (c) It is comprised of a blend of tangible and intangible factors. (d) The host provides for the guests security, psychological and physiological comfort. As a staff in hotel, they have to ensure that they are providing the best service with a good attitude to customers; it will be one of the main challenges facing by hospitality management in order to attract the attention of tourists in this competitive market. In 2006, Chang demonstrates that attitude of employees is correlated with front-line employees overall performance quality in international tourist hotels. According to Chen (1999), employee training must encompass cognitive, affective, and behavioural preparation in order for staff members to effectively address diverse customer needs. Researcher has asserts that employees must be inspired to provide service that exceeds guests expectations (Mayo, 1997). Since a customers satisfaction is influenced by the availability of customer services, the provision of quality customer service has become a major concern of all business (Berry and Parasuraman, 1991). Services provided play an important role in hotel industry while welcoming tourists who come from different places with different requirement might take place. Service quality is so intangible that objective measurement is impossible; the challenge lies mostly in managing appearances and perceptions (Harvey, 1998). Gronroos (1984) found that the perceived quality of a service is affected by the experience that the consumer went through for a service. Among the studies that have examined the relationship between perceived service quality and consumption emotions, Wong (2004) found that service quality in retail services was positively associated with emotional satisfaction. As Bei and Chiao (2001) demonstrate, it was noted that it is generally accepted that a positive relationship exists between perceived service quality and customer satisfaction. Arnauld et al., (2002b, p.327) defined perceived quality whether in reference to a product or service as the consumers evaluative judgment about an entitys overall excellence or superiority in providing desired benefits Growth in the number of tourists leads to higher hotel occupancy rates, rapid hotel development (Wan Yim King Penny, 2007), whereas, consumers will concern about the facilities that provide by hotel. For example, there is an increasing complexity of modern technology, buildings and systems, rising employee expectations regarding the quality of working life and conditions, mounting customer demand for value-added services, and increasing governmental legislation to ensure health and safety as well as a growing pressure for reducing operational costs and improving competitiveness (Alexander, 1996). These changes create new challenges and responsibilities for hotel industry in managing the workplace. According to Ahmed Hassanien and Erwin Losekoot (2002) declared that most of the owners and operators of luxury hotels understood the importance of facilities that should be provided in hotel in order to meet consumers expectations and competition pressures, yet, that appears the problem in strategy planning with regard to facilities management in hospitality. Due to managing facilities well, therefore, it can helps to improve a hotels efficiency and adds value to their performance and services (Okoroh et al., 2002, p. 239). The number of customers will increase because of the good environment that have provided in the hotel. Apart from that, many hotels are having difficulty increasing their market share because of rising international competition, slower growth rates, decreased population growth, and oversupplied and mature markets. Therefore, brand loyalty is very important to hotel industry. According to Reichheld and Sasser (1990), every 5% increasing in customer loyalty can increase the profitability from 25 % to 85%. To maintain customer relationship is one of the vital parts that a hotel wants to survive in hotel industry. Loyal customers are best for hospitality firms because they are easier to serve than non-loyal customers, and they provide higher profitability (Mustafa Tepeci, 1999). Hotels will increase sales and their market shares by decreasing prices, expanding their distribution channels, launching promotional campaigns, and retaining their current customers (Cravens, 1994) to compete with other competitors. In conclusion, as customers satisfaction is widely accepted, the market share of hotel industry will increase. However, low customer demand, lack of hotel managerial knowledge will affect the operation in the hotel. As hospitality firms also face strong competitor environment, therefore, managers may perceive strong customer relationships. It is worth noting, though, that as markets become more competitive firms may have to become more market-oriented simply to survive. With the globalization of the hospitality industry and rapid changes in technology, market turbulence is likely to increase. In the longer term, as hospitality firms become more market-oriented and customer-focused, they are likely to reap other benefits including improved brand awareness, customer satisfaction and loyalty. Operation Strategies Operation strategies means companies and organization making products or delivering services, be it for profit or not for profit relies on a handful of processes to get their products manufactured properly and delivered on time. Each of the process acts as an operation for the company. To the company this is essential. That is why managers find operations management more appealing. Therefore, Hotel Equatorial has their own unique operation strategies in operate their business. Advertising and Promotion Hotel Equatorial have a marketing team whereby they understand the hotel very well from the hotel mission, vision, goal to the products or services offer to the customers. Therefore, marketers or would able to explain well and with confident to the customers. Thus, it would able to attract customers as customers will feel more confident with the hotel services. When customers feel comfortable and confident with their services, they will continue come to hotel for next time tourism or trip and recommend it to their family and friends. Indirectly, Equatorial Hotel have free promotion from their customers to their family and friends as word-of-mouth are more useful and convincing other than promote by their marketers regarding their hotel services to the customers. Quick Respond Other than marketing team Equatorial Hotel have customers service team whereby they will answer all the customers enquires and complains regarding hotel services. The team will respond to the customers enquiries as fast as possible as it shows how efficient the hotels and it shows that our hotels appreciates the customers. They will also accept customers opinion because they know that the reason why customers give the hotel their opinion is because the hotel services and facilities provide by their hotel or some problem they face when they stay at our hotel. It is one of the ways to bring in or improve and update the hotel services to customer. Besides, quick respond to customer is one of the competitive advantages to Equatorial Hotel compare to other same industry competitor. Customer wants and needs Customers are hotel main priority. There are various ways for us to identify customers need and want such as through survey or research. Hotel Equatorial will be able to attract more customers to the hotel when their trip or other purpose when hotel understand their wants and needs. Thus, it is important for them to understand and identify customers need and wants. Hotel Quality Quality may refer to material, facilities, and customer service delivery. In Hotel Equatorial services, quality refers to the service that they offered to the customers. Standard of quality service will be stated clearly and will be well informed to all the employees from manager, marketing team to customer services team. The main purpose is to make sure the customers are satisfied with the service provided and the quality of the hotel services. Besides, Equatorial Hotel will provided training to the employees in order to make sure that the level of service is up-to-standard and keep the employee update and make sure customer satisfied with their hotel services. Management level There will be a hierarchy in all the work place and so do Equatorial Hotel services. It will be divided into Presidents which is the largest shareholder followed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Going down would be the manager and assistant manager followed by the employees. Managers and worker which in this case will refer to the manager or supervisors are the one who deal with customers. Competent among the workers and motivation from the managers would able to increase the level of services offered. The employees would do their best as they want to be the most outstanding employees. Supply Chain Management There are various departments in Hotel Equatorial services. In order to be cost-effective, the company will have internal phone calls whereby the employees may used it for working purposes and internal extranet where they employees and the managers may contact each other through webcam or mail. Furthermore, internal phones and internet able to help the company save cost besides times. Forecasting Forecasting is the process of estimation about the future value of a variable of interest which actual outcome has not yet been know or observed. A forecast process is usually carried out in order to make a decision or planning the future of a company. Forecasting can let the company modify the behavior or strategy to be in a better position if they able to forecast the future of company. Forecasting is important and cannot be neglected in all industries. Thus, hotel industry is also not an exception. The hotel industry is sensitive to fluctuations in demand because of the structure of business. Forecasting in demand has become an important mission in hotel industry because of its nature of business and business characteristics. The crises of a hotel is always appear because of the unexpected in demand reducing. It is needed to predict demand in a hotel to increase occupancy rate not only because of fluctuations that will appear. Forecasting is important to the hotel industry to predict the customer demand in a period, the length of staying and hotel room demand over time. There is a need to know the qualitative and quantitative aspects of demand due to group customers because forecasting in a hotel has a different for group customers and individuals. The accuracy of a forecast will be higher as the hotel always repeats the forecasts during a month. The data that can used to forecast are when the room was consumed and when the reservations was made. The reservation of room and consumption of room can provide extra information for the hotel manager to update the forecast. If fail to do so, the manager only can rely on historical information on the room booked and daily number of guests. Weighted Moving Average There are many methods of forecasting in hotel industry. One of the forecasting methods is weighted moving average. This method is quite frequently used in hotel forecasting. Weighted moving average model is a time-series forecast. It is usually popular for a short term time series forecasting. Weighted moving average is a forecast method that the value for a given time period is replaced by the weighted mean of that value and the values for some number of preceding time periods based on an artificially constructed time series. The formula for weighted moving average is below: Weighted moving average method is able to clear up peaks and troughs in the observations. Moreover, weighed moving average can get a content result than other forecasting methods when the time series to be forecasted encompass trend. Thus, the hotel manager might obtain a better forecast result when there is a trend. It is very suitable to use weighted moving average in a forecast when the data indicates a cyclical pattern around constant trend. It tends to closer to the trend. The more accurate result can get to forecast the customer demand. It is reliable to use to predict few periods in the future. On the other hand, weighted moving average is less weight to the older data and prefers to weight the recent data. The hotel manager should emphasize more information of customer demand on recent period so that the forecasting can proceed smoothly. Weighted moving average method is more susceptible than other methods such as simple moving average because of it is emphasize on recent data. Rely heavily on recent data also allow weighted moving average to provide stronger and earlier signs to trend direction and reversal. Hence, it will manage to response more quickly to changes. The hotel manager needs to change the weighted factors as the time series pattern is changed. The weighting factors are the key in weighted moving average methods and the accuracy of forecast is relying largely on it. Weights are distributed to the previous periods in the weighted moving average. It is important to note that the sum of the weights must be equal to one and it is weights heavily on recent period . Weighted moving average can provide a better volatility in a forecast and it will able to increase the contribution and effect from recent data. Reason of Weighted Moving Average not suitable to forecast customer demand The weighted moving average is not suitable to use to forecast the customer demand because this method does not come out with an actual equation. Hence, this method is not very useful as a medium-long range forecasting tool to predict the customer demand. It is only credible to use to predict a few periods into the future. Weighted moving average method also has a more complicated calculation at each step of the procedure which may lead to intricate to manager in a forecast process. Moreover, it will always appear to lag behind either increases or decrease in the observed value or data since the forecast value for a period is a weighted average of the previous periods. It might cause the hotel manager unable to obtain the forecast result on time. The other reasons that weighted moving average are not suitable to predict customer demand is this method is not adaptive. Thus, it might affect the accuracy of the result. Improper selection of the weights will also have an effect on the re sult of customer demands with errors. The weighted moving average is difficult to construct. Hence, it is time-consuming for a manager to adopt it in forecast customer demand. In addition, weighted moving average is more suitable in short term time series forecasting. The result is unreliable if forecast in a long time horizon. NaÃÆ'Â ¯ve Forecast However, there is still a forecast method which is more suitable to predict the customer demand in a period, the length of staying and hotel room demand over time. NaÃÆ'Â ¯ve forecast is a techniques used to forecast future trends, for example the demand for a product. The result of naive forecast for a time period is equal to the previous time periods value. It is a simplest forecast method and use single previous value of a time series as the basis for a forecast. According to Fred Tolbert (2002), a simple forecasting techniques work better than complex ones. Typical naÃÆ'Â ¯ve models include the moving average, which forecast equals average of last year actual demand and the random walk, which forecast equals last weeks actual demand. Seasonal naÃÆ'Â ¯ve can be used with seasonal data and postulates that the next periods value is equal to the value of the same period in the previous month. The MAPE achieved by a naÃÆ'Â ¯ve forecasting method depends entirely on the volatil ity of the demand pattern it is applied to. Smooth patterns will have a lower MAPE than seasonal and erratic patterns. Performance of the naÃÆ'Â ¯ve forecast establishes the level of accuracy that is reasonable to expect for a given demand pattern. The naÃÆ'Â ¯ve forecast method is suitable to use to forecast the customer demand because this method does come out with an actual equation. It is an easiest method compare with weighted moving average method. NaÃÆ'Â ¯ve forecast do not involve any complicated calculation and make the managers work easier. Furthermore it consumes low cost and it is cost effective. It is best in short run forecasting. In conclusion, Equatorial Hotel should use naÃÆ'Â ¯ve forecast method to predict the customer demand in a period, the length of staying and hotel room demand over time, because naÃÆ'Â ¯ve approach is reliable, result is more accurate, simple to use and cost effective. Quality Matters Total Quality Management (TQM) is systematic management approaches that originated in the 1950s and has steadily become more popular since the early 1980s. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a structured quality method to organizational management that management philosophy seeks to improve the quality of products and services through ongoing refinements in response to continuous feedback. It is apparent that organizations need to use a TQM process and the critical success factors if they are to attain business quality (Zairi 2002). Hence, Total Quality Management can be used by several type of organization, it originated from the manufacturing sector and now it has been adapted for much organization such as schools, highway maintenance, and hotel management. Nowadays there is a focus of e-business, therefore as for hotel management, the online booking system through their website or check-in and check-out systems be done, Total Quality Management will be based on quality management from the customers point of view. From Hotel Equatorials website, it is apparent to see how the hotel presents the idea of quality, value, and comfort. It presence in three major Asia Pasific countries with seven properties in the group, located in the regions gateway cities, offering the quality accommodation and excellence in food and beverage services. In Hotel Equatorial, the website provides the category of leaving feedback and enquiries purpose. At Hotel Equatorial, customer feedback is very important, positive or otherwise, they willing to hear from customers about the experience of stay or any suggestion given to the hotel for improvement. Hotel Equatorial appreciated the comments from customers and will respond to the particular customer within 24 hou rs. Moreover, it is also with quality reports tracks that Loyal Guest Recognition Programme is available in Hotel Equatorial and guest preference reports are recorded in database. The key components of TQM include persistent enhancement, teamwork, quality being everybodys business, doing it right the first time, training, internal customer care and etc. Hotel Equatorial has actually put in effort to achieve industry-best clean room appearance. Also Equatorial Hotel Penang become known for comfort, value and the friendly attention of a welcoming staff that cares as the hotel staff is responsive and help out with your needs. Combining the flexibility and space options with the hotels unique ambiance and suitable location, have made the hotel a top choice for businessmen and conference organizers. Total Quality Management process included four sequential categories which are plan, do, study and act, which is also called as PDSA cycle. In the planning phase, management define the problem to be addressed, collect relevant data, analyze the data and decide upon a measurement to gauge its effectiveness. In the doing phase, management develop and implement solution, document any changes made, and collect data for analysis. In studying phase, management confirm their results through comparison of before-and-after data while in acting phase, if the results are successful, new method will be standardized and relevant personnel will be communicated, training will also be implemented for the new method. If the results turn out unsuccessful, the plan will be revised and the process will be repeated. Summary Growth in the number of tourists leads hotel occupancy rates increasing. Due to the rapid development of hospitality industry, it has been recognized as a global industry. To maintain good reputation of the hotel, management should to ensure that they are providing the best service with a good attitude to customers. Since a customers satisfaction is influenced by the availability of customer services, the provision of quality customer service has become a major concern of all business. In addition, consumers will concern about the facilities that provide by hotel. It can help to improve a hotels efficiency and adds value to their performance and services with good facilities. As hospitality firms also face strong competitor environment, it is essential to maintain a good relationship with customers. This is one of the vital parts that a hotel wants to survive in hospitality industry. Hotel Equatorial has their own operation strategy in operate their business in services industry. Equ atorial hotel has a well operation management to operate in a well condition. Hotel Equatorial also has their own well strategies in marketing and promotion and response to the customer wants and needs. Besides that, a well hotel quality let the Hotel Equatorial become more productive and profitable the services business. Equatorial Hotel should use naÃÆ'Â ¯ve forecast method to predict the customer demand in a period, the length of staying and hotel room demand over time, because naÃÆ'Â ¯ve approach is reliable, result is more accurate, simple to use and cost effective. Nowadays for hotel management, there is website available for online booking system or check-in and check-out systems to be done; therefore the present of Total Quality Management will be based on quality management from the customers point of view. From Hotel Equatorials website, it is apparent to see how the hotel presents the idea of quality, value, and comfort in offering the quality accommodation and excell ence in food and beverage services. Through Hotel Equatorials website, the category of leaving feedback and enquiries purpose are available as customer feedback is very important, positive or otherwise, they willing to hear from customers about the experience of stay or any suggestion given to the hotel for quality improvement. The key components of TQM include persistent enhancement, teamwork, quality being everybodys business, doing it right the first time, training, internal customer care and etc. Combining the flexibility and continuous improvement of hotels quality, Hotel Equatorial have made the hotel a top choice for businessmen and conference organizers.

Hamlet Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"To Be or Not To Be†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The â€Å"To Be or Not To Be† speech in the play, â€Å"Hamlet,† portrays Hamlet as a very confused man. He is very unsure of himself and often wavers between two extremes. In the monologue, he contemplates death; over whether he should commit suicide or seek revenge for his father’s death. The play also shows how Hamlet thinks over things too much. From the analysis over life and death he comes to the conclusion that he would rather live and seek revenge for father’s death than die. So he follows out his plans and kills Claudius after much person debate as he had done in his soliloquy. Evidence of his unsureness, fickleness, and thinking too much is not only shown in this speech, but throughout the entire play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the soliloquy, Hamlet considers suicide. His character is clearly shown in this speech. The speech itself shows that he thinks too much. He is wavering between the two extremes: life and death. â€Å"Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them† (3, 1, 56-60). He wonders whether he should live and suffer or die and end the suffering. He believes that life is synonymous with suffering. The â€Å"whips and scorn of time, Th’oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th’unworthy takes...

History of District Nursing in Australia Essay

District nurses are those senior nurses who are involved in managing care in a community by leading teams of both support workers and community nurses. This particular paper talks about the history of district nursing since its emergence in England over one hundred and fifty years ago. It then discusses the progress of district nursing in other countries, in this case, Australia. Nursing can be defined as a science and an art with an exceptional body of knowledge drawing from behavioral, physical, and social sciences (Funnel et al, 2005, p. ). It is a profession that is unique in its own way because it addresses families and individuals responses to health problems, health maintenance, as well as health promotion. Over one hundred years ago, nursing was defined by Florence Nightingale as the act of making use of a patient’s environment in a bid to helping that particular patient recover. To facilitate for quick recovery, she considered a clean, quiet, and well ventilated environment as very essential. Nursing helps in facilitation of prescribed therapy, assists patients to be independent of assistance, and also help the patients to function to their maximum potential as soon as possible. Various themes have been associated with the definition of nursing. Some describe nursing as an art, as a science, that nursing is about caring, it is holistic, that it is client oriented, adaptive, and that nursing is generally a helping profession. The historical accounts of the profession clearly bring out the revolving nature of nursing. The word nurse was derived from a Latin word which means to cherish or nourish. In a human being’s life, birth, death, sickness, and injury are all very common. There has therefore always been that need to take care of others, especially those in need. Funnel et al state that some of the earliest and most organized nursing carried out by men who worked in hospitals which were established by military religious orders at the period the crusades. Some examples included the knights of St. Lazarus, and the Knights of St.  John of Jerusalem. Henry VIII, during the sixteenth century, commanded the closure of English monasteries and the confiscation of their wealth as well. What this meant was that all the sick and destitute people had no where to stay and were hence left to die. This then saw the construction of work houses which were used to house the poor and especially the sick. Here they lived in very bad conditions and were at the same time required to work in order to earn th eir continued stay there. Conditions in London got to a very desperate state, and after many petitions from the citizens, Henry VIII had no option but to allow for the re-founding of some hospitals like St Mary’s, St Thomas’s, as well as St Bartholomew’s. These hospitals despite their reopening were very poorly staffed and were characterized by untrained workers whose characters were very poor. Patients who were admitted in these hospitals lived under appalling conditions in overcrowded wards Funnel et al add that the early 18th and mid 19th century came to be termed as nursing â€Å"Dark Ages† of nursing. It was an age where caring of the sick and nurses’ status reached to the lowest levels ever imaginable (5). A clergyman named Theodor Fliedner in 1836 founded the institution Kaiserwerth where they trained specially chosen women as deaconesses. The institution was then to be famous for its high standards and levels of training as well as the care given to the sick. The institution then grew very famous and finally became the centre for training nurses and as a result received very many trainees, and from all parts of the world. Some of these trainees later opened up centers in their respective countries. Modern nursing has hence evolved as a result of the influence Kaiserwerth had on individuals like Florence Nightingle. She had spent two weeks at Kaiserwerth in 1850 and later visited the institution again in 1851 and was named Superintendent for Establishment for Gentlewomen during Illness. She became famous when she took with her a team of thirty nurses to Scutari where they were met with a lot of resistance from medics who refused them to take care of the sick and injured soldiers. She however did not give up and devoted her time and energy to improving bad conditions in the camps through the introduction of communal as well as personal hygiene, organization of excellent food supply, getting hold of medical supplies, and basic sanitary conditions like washing of hands and also the importance of fresh air. In a span of two to three weeks, the opposition she had earlier faced was no more and the nurses were then called back to come and take care of the sick. Florence Nightingle was viewed as an idol by the soldiers because she brought hope and comfort to the sick just by the light of the lamp she used t carry at night, hence she was later came to be known as the Lady of the Lamp. In the case of Australia, very little interest was paid for the care of the sick when the original English colony was established at Sydney Cove. In 1811, Sydney hospital was opened and the staff included of female convicts with some male convicts also carrying out nursing duties. They were however received no wages for the labor they offered although they received their keep. The nurses’ behavior here was wanting and they were known to be of poor character with them being drunk in most cases while on duty. In 1811, Australia opened its first lunatic asylum and it was characterized by untrained mental attendants. As a way of control, huge numbers of disturbed individuals were literally restrained because most of the staff were custodians and there was no emphasis whatsoever on treatment (Funnel et al, 2005, p. 5). In 1838, the first group of trained nurses arrived in Sydney. They were five in number. The influence of Nightingale was experienced in 1868. The principles of Nightingale were gradually adapted and the physically ill could now be cared for. Nurses were not left behind either. Practical skills were taught to them such as those of leeching, dressing, as well as administering enemas. Emphasis was however put on their punctuality, sexual purity, cleanliness, and most importantly obedience. A huge percentage of nursing comprised of housekeeping, and was dominated by house hold work. It was however acknowledged that compassion and also dignity were characteristics that were desirable for all those who took care of the sick. The necessity for nurses training in Australia grew as scientific advances continued to be made. By the year 1900, most of the Australian hospitals had a three year training program for student nurses where lectures were delivered by the medical staff. The students could not however maintain their concentration in class as a result of long hours of work. IN the wake of the twentieth century, conflict would arise whether nursing should be viewed as a vocation, subordinate to medicine, or as a profession which is different but of equal status with medicine. (Funnel et al, 2005, p. 6) add that in the year 1867, an Act of Parliament was passed which stated that all individuals displaying signs of mental impairments should be sent to mental asylums and not prisons. As a result, the developmentally disabled were then able to be separated from the mentally ill. Nursing in these mental asylums was delivered mostly by male attendants, and even though care remained and continued to be custodial, the medical staff was able to offer some lectures to these attendants. This is the period in which female attendants begun receiving serious considerations. As the increase in training of nurses continued to increase, so was the agitation for nurses’ registration. In 1920, South Australia was the first of the states to pass the relevant legislation followed by Western Australia in 1922 and Victoria and New South Wales in 1924. Industrial issues emerged as the sense of professionalism emerged among nurses. In 1924, the Australian Nursing Federation was able to hold its first meeting and the meting addressed several issues including the improved working conditions, improved wages, and the need for greater professional acknowledgment. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (1986), home nursing in Australia started in 1885 when a group of concerned nationals came together in Victoria and founded the Melbourne District Nursing Service. The main objective of the group was to look after the underprivileged sick people at home. Since then, nursing services have been seen to spread to every territory and state. Today, there are more than two hundred institutions using modern technology to take care of the sick and at the same time offer both general and specialized nursing services to the citizens of Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics states that the link with district nurses from England is apparent in the growth of nursing institutes in Australia. In England, nurses begun to be trained for work districts in 1848. One, Mr. William Rathborne, in 1859, saw the need to provide a nurse who was meant to work amongst the poor in Liverpool. He later founded a training school for district nurses using his own personal finances. These nurses were not only seen as caring but also as social reformers due to their knowledge and also direct contact they established with those they cared for. During Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Year in 1887, some of the funds collected for her gift were given by the queen for the setting up of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Institute of Nurses. Throughout England for many years, the establishment facilitated both the employment and training of district nurses. A considerable number of district nurses also came to undertake this particular training program. The relevant information regarding district nursing services was brought to Australia by Dr. Caffyn and Rev. C. Strong who were from England. They were both very instrumental when it came to setting up the first home nursing in Australia which was known as the Melbourne District Nursing Society (204). According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the first State to introduce a district nursing service in Australia was that of Victoria in 1885. It was then followed by South Australia in the year 1894, then came Tasmania in 1896, New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia in 1900, 1904, and 1905 respectively. One notable nursing service was the Blue Nursing Service. According to the history of Blue care, Blue care started off being known as the Blue Nursing Services. The service came to be through the vision and urgings of Rev. Arthur Preston, who was the founder. There was a great shortage of hospital beds in Australia and the nursing bodies that were in existence then were not able to cope with the demands of an ever growing population. This was the reason the founders saw the need to establish a new home nursing service to cater for this rising need. In 1977, together with the Methodist and Presbyterian churches, Blue Nursing was seen as a uniting factor in Australia. It is evident from the history of district nursing that the establishment of all nursing organizations was triggered by identified health care needs present in the society. At fist, focus was mainly at the poor, disadvantaged, and the sick. Services were however later made accessible to everyone in society. This was attributed to the government started issuing subsidies to most of these organizations. Nursing institutions today operate in very different structures and also under different support like voluntary bodies, local government, and hospitals. At the same time, nurses working in these organizations share one common goal and commitment: that of providing quality care in the society. There has been new demand on those nurses working in the society caused by the increased development of both technological and medical services. This has its results as people are now being discharged from hospitals earlier and also at a more accurate stage of sickness. Nurses have been forced to further and upgrade their current education so that they can keep up with helping and providing quality care to the community. For Australia, district nursing is a record of success. Realizing their extended roles as nurses which are based on their expertise, experience, as well as knowledge is crucial if at all effectiveness is to be maintained in delivery of their services.

Competitive Advantage and Disadvantage Between Minorities and Women in the Workforce

â€Å"It’s a small world. † How many times do we hear this in our everyday life? The internet, mass media, telecommunications, and mass transportation have all contributed to the shrinking of the international market. As companies become more and more diverse, it’s becoming more and more important for the employees to understand and manage it. For my research paper, I’ve decided to find out the competitive advantage and disadvantage between minorities and women in the workplace.Diversity in the workplace is a topic that many industries and organizations spend an abundant amount of time and training on in order to ensure its presence. Today’s workplace is more diverse than it has ever been in the history of America. 1 out of 4 Americans belong to a minority or is foreign-born. Women are making up less than half of the work force. Whether you are a business owner, executives, salesperson, or customers, your success will increasingly depend on your abi lity to function in a culturally diverse marketplace. Women, people of color, and immigrants will soon hold almost ? of all jobs in this country.In order to effectively manage diversity and recognize it as a source of strength instead of conflict, we will need to be educated and reprogrammed to accept and embrace diversity. In the world today, it is a face that a lot of people believe that racism is no longer exists. Little do they know, as of 2010, the National Organization of Women believes that the U. S. still needs an affirmative action plan. African American women earned 63 cents to a dollar for the jobs that men do, and Hispanic women earn 57 cents to the dollar and Blacks have twice the unemployment rates of whites.Minority and immigrant groups are often disadvantaged in gaining access to jobs for which they are educationally qualified and earn less than their white counterparts. Descriptive results showed greater overall underemployment among females than males. Blacks and H ispanics had higher unemployment and working poverty rates compared to non-Hispanic whites and Asians, with job mismatch highest among Asians. Immigrant underemployment was greater than that of the native-born Americans. Asians posted the largest disparity in immigrant versus native-born underemployment, and blacks had the smallest.The double disadvantage hypothesis of minority group and immigrant status is accepted only for Asian men and women with jobs mismatched to their skills and for Asian women, who are most likely to be unemployed or be among the working poor. Asian immigrants’ women have the characteristics to stay at home, cleaning house, shy, and less aggressive, which transform to have less attached to the workforce. Researchers have shown great interest in the study of gender and race effects on promotions outcomes.The evidence suggests that women are disadvantaged such that they are less likely to be promoted than their equal qualified male counterparts. Lacks of advancement opportunities is major contributors to voluntary quit decisions by employees that fitted the job well and contribute to the company they belong. Employment decisions should be based on skills and ability, allowing all employees to put their talents to good use and work together to get the best possible outcome. America is not the only place in the world that’s facing the challenge of workplace discrimination.Within the UK, construction has an unenviable status as being the industry with the lowest representation of women and ethnic minority employees. The construction workplace presents a challenging and hostile environment for non-traditional workers, and women and ethnic minority employees face both similar and different challenges and attitudinal barriers. Discriminatory behavior perform by the dominant white male workforce is unbearable, as are informal recruitment practices, exclusive networks and a competitive culture. As the turn of the new millennium, the proportion of minority members living n poverty, attending poorly funded schools, or experiencing other forms of disadvantage far exceed the proportion of whites under these conditions. It was found that the minority residents of communities with large minority populations were in worse socioeconomic conditions than the minority residents of predominately white communities. Furthermore it was found that as minority concentration increased, white residents tended to do better. In addition, the extent of racial inequality between minority and white residents was greater in communities with larger minority populations.The improvement of education and training to minority residents of racially concentrated communities will be very beneficial, not only to the people itself, also think of it as a better country as a whole. There is little question that the improvement of educational levels and employment skills of minority residents communities will pay dividends in the near future. The growing markets of Latin America, Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe are now playing an ever more important role in global buying, selling and manufacturing.Diversity within a company can help the firm better understand the culture, customs, and the way of doing business internationally. Customers also prefer to do business with a workforce that which they can identify, and that have a strong commitment to their community. There are many advantages to having a work environment that is diverse. A company that is prepared for changes in demographics is prepared for the market changes as well as the changes in the pool of applicants. Having a diverse workplace creates an increase in attracting and retaining the most qualified candidates.Diversity programs within corporations improve corporate culture, help in recruitment, and help to maintain better client relations. In conclusion diversity in workforce is growing in all countries, specially America, Canada, and Europe. With having m ore diverse work environment, organization can produce better performance. It is important for the companies to know diversity and how to handle the issues relating to it. Also the need of the diverse workforce is getting more not only because there are different people but also because they can produce better results with having different types of people working.Leaders in the organizations must learn diversity and how to manage it effectively. One of the reasons, aside that my family is back in Hong Kong, that I will end up going back to Hong Kong as soon as I graduate college is because as much as I don’t want to say it, I can feel discrimination everyday in my life. As little as just playing basketball on a nice day, someone around you will always have the stereotype about how you look and what to expect. We can arguably say that America is the â€Å"melting pot† of the world, but racism, in my book, will never escape in the use of our everyday life.

How to get noticed on LinkedIn

How to get noticed on LinkedIn So, you’ve got a LinkedIn profile, now what? How should we be using LinkedIn as a tool to further our careers, exactly? Like any social media platform, the ability to connect us to mass amounts of people across the globe is what makes it so powerful. As of 2017, there are 500 million active users on LinkedIn, and at least 10 million job postings at any given time. Imagine where your career could go if you unlocked just some of those opportunities. First, it’s important to understand that how you’ve setup your profile is how you present yourself to the world, and to potential colleagues and employers. Building an effective LinkedIn profile is similar to building a resume. It may take some effort to do correctly, but the benefits will greatly outweigh the time taken to do it.What are headhunters looking for on LinkedIn? Headhunters are seasoned pros as navigating the platform, so it’s crucial that you have a profile that looks professional and cuts through t he clutter.We’ve compiled a list of items that you need to perfect in order to put your best foot forward.Take a great profile picture. This is often the first thing that potential employers will notice about you. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. A great rule of thumb is to steer clear of selfies, party and/or vacation pictures, or anything blurry. Your profile picture does not need to be super corporate; so long as it’s good quality, shows your face clearly, and professional. Put your best face forward here. You can have a friend take a picture of you in a well-lit area and iPhone picture quality would be sufficient.Not a great choice!That’s more like it!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Get a custom URL. As previously mentioned, there are 500 million users on LinkedIn. It’s important that you make yourself easy to find. There are many ways to do this, but a great first step is to customize your URL as closely to your name as possible. T his will also make it easier for you to link back to your LinkedIn profile in resumes and emails. The more eyes on your profile, the better, after all!Craft a great headline.   This is one of the first things people will see when they come across your profile, along with your picture. This headline appears within search results, invitations to connect, company pages, etc. It is most important to use â€Å"searchable words†. Avoid cheesy quotes, overused buzzwords, and generally being unclear about what you do. A headhunter won’t see something like â€Å"social media ninja† on your profile and then take the time to figure out what that might mean to you. For example, if you are in the graphic design industry, you are better off listing yourself as a graphic designer rather than a digital artist.Write yourself a punchy summary. Again, using keywords specific to your industry is best here. However avoid rambling on too long. Sadly, no one has time to read through paragraphs upon paragraphs about your professional life. Of course, in this area it helps to be as creative and pithy as possible, all while avoiding being cheesy and overly using buzzwords. This is your chance to set yourself apart from the rest!Add media where you can. You can add pictures, videos, and links on many sections on your LinkedIn profile. It goes without saying that this makes cruising your profile much more interesting. In addition to this, visual aids, no matter the industry, are helpful in conveying your experience in a dynamic way. It also shows that you execute on deliverables, which is attractive to employers. If a headhunter lands on your profile and is interested, it would be helpful to give them some preliminary materials to sift through before contact you!Write recommendations, get recommendations. Recommendations should not be the centerpiece of your profile, but it’s a nice cherry on top. It tells the user reading your profile that you have had good , positive work experiences in the past. Whether or not they read the content of the recommendations is on them, but as you can imagine, keeping it brief is best. A pro tip here is that people sometimes forget that giving a recommendation is an available feature, so write recommendations for your favorite coworkers to remind them- and pay it forward while doing it!Keep things consistent. Take the profile of Danielle Morrill, founder and CEO at Mattermark, data and marketing company, as an example. All of her experiences are listed in a clean manner, and the job descriptions all keep the relatively same format. The profile is easy to read and pleasant on the eyes. It’s simple for the user to land on this profile and understand Mrs. Morrill’s work experiences. This applies to other sections on your profile as well. Make sure to use similar language and formatting as you build the profile out– and make sure that, above all else, it represents you!Make connections. Making connections on LinkedIn is the name of the game, after all! These connections make you look, for lack of a better word, well-connected within your industry. On top of this, you get the added benefit of growing your circle and further networking by being connected to the right people. It is also helpful to connect with headhunters and recruiters. They often post updates on positions they’re looking to fill, and you’ll have an easier time getting in contact with them overall. Conversely, if you do not have any connections at all on LinkedIn, it makes you look unengaged and unconnected, so connect away!Complete your profile. An incomplete profile is an ineffective profile. It simply defeats the purpose of having a presence on the platform, as you make yourself look uninvolved, and uninterested. LinkedIn knows that you completing your profile is an important step for you to get value out of using it, so it guides you as you build out your profile. As you follow the ir instructions, your profile strength will receive a ranking.LinkedIn is a fantastic tool that enables us to connect with industry professionals all over the world and there is value in taking the time to flesh out your profile in a way that represents you. In using the platform to its fullest potential, you are setting yourself up to make the most of what it has to offer. It just so happens that what LinkedIn has to offer is making key connections, and great strides in your career.Author  Miriam Groom is VP of Sales and Marketing at Groom and Associates, a Canadian recruitment agency specialized in headhunting and executive search. Miriam brings a new perspective and skill set to Groom and Associates as a second generation of senior management in the Groom organization. Miriam has experience with a wide range of clients, from small high growth organizations to some of the largest global organizations. Miriam has a degree in Commerce with a concentration in Finance from the John Molson School of Business.

An Evaluation of the Use of the PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology

An Evaluation of the Use of the PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology Introduction PRINCE2 is an acronym standing for PRojects, IN Controlled Environments. It is a method that is used by project managers in managing projects. This method is commonly used by the UK government, although it is also used in other countries. It covers both the organization and management of a project. PRINCE2 can be defined as a method used by project managers to manage projects.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on An Evaluation of the Use of the PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It helps them to decide who should be concerned with certain projects and what is expected of them, that is, the project team and its responsibilities. PRINCE2 gives a set of processes that should be adopted in a project and explains the kind of information that should be incorporated in a given project. Nonetheless, it is important to understand that the method does not perform any task and will never give an assurance of a project success. It just gives a guideline of what should or should not be involved in a project and leaves the project managers to make their own decisions. A triumphant project, that is, one that delivers quality results within the set budget and on time depends on the eminence of people who are concerned in its execution. This includes project board and the project team which does most of the work. Today, projects engross different groups of people including but not limited to the clients, contractors, and the users. The most important objective behind the use of PRINCE2 is to make sure that there is a universal language amongst the concerned parties. Customers and suppliers are brought together by contracts, whereas the project team and the project board are brought together by the responsibilities expected of them by the customers and or the users of the project. By using PRINCE2 project managers have been able to manage projects more easily and thi s ensures that the products that are delivered from the project are of the right quality. This paper looks at the history of PRINCE2 as a project management method, its relationship with project management and programme management, some of the advantages of using this method to the project managers, and the disadvantages. It also looks at the processes, components and techniques of PRINCE2. Brief History of PRINCE2 PRINCE2 was derived from PROMPTII and PRINCE project management method that was discovered in 1989 by the government of UK. It was discovered in 1996 as a more efficient management method than PROMP TII and since then, it has become a popular method and it is increasingly being used for managing project in the UK (Haughey 1).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It has now become a common method used by project managers, not only in the UK but in 50 other co untries. The most recent version of PRINCE2 was released in 2009 by OGC, although the name did not change to PRINCE3 as it would have been expected, was an indication that the method is still faithful to its ideologies. However, it had been going through a series of revisions since 1996 in order to be compatible to the present global business environment. The major dissimilarity between PRINCE2:2009 and the previous version is that, the 2009 version entails the use of two instruction manuals; one for the management victorious projects and the other for directing projects. Pass mark has been increased to 55 per cent (for the practitioner assessment) but that of foundation examination stays. Further, the practitioner exam will not take 3 hours as it used to but 2 and a half hours (Haughey 5) Project Management The work of a project manager is to organize and control a project within an organization. To do this, he selects human resources who are competent enough to work on the project and it is his responsibility to supervise their work to ensure that it done timely and according to laid down standards. The project administrator proposes the project arrangements that spell out the task of the project as well as its duration. A client pays for the project whilst the user is the individual who employs the results of the project or rather one who the product impacts on. However, in some cases, the consumer and the client can be the same person and the person whose proficiency is being used on the project is known as a consultant. For the project to deliver the expected results, these people have to co-ordinate with each other. They have to ensure that, the project does to exceed the set budget, it is of the right quality and it is delivered on time. Each PRINCE2 must have a project panel composed of the client, the user (or his delegate), and the consultant or purveyor (Anon. â€Å"PRINCE2 methodology overview† 4). In PRINCE2, these people are known as the c lient, senior consumer, and the superior contractor. It remains the duty of the project manager to report to the project panel on the development of the project and any foreseeable challenges or predicaments. In return, the project board provides the project manager with appropriate decisions on how to handle the project and how to overcome any challenges that comes his way.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on An Evaluation of the Use of the PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More PRINCE2 is a knowledge-based approach that covers a wide area in project management. It provides a process model composed of eight processes that act as a guide to a project manager in planning and managing projects. PRINCE2 project management method can be applied to a vast number of projects and in a wide range of intricacy. Moreover, the PRINCE2 instruction manual on the management of unbeaten projects gives a number of mechanisms that help a project manager in using the process model. One advantage of PRINCE2 is that, it helps to standardize the activities in an organization while allowing project managers to adopt a range of products using the same processes and terminology. The major constraint is that, it limits the level of creativity in the methods applied by managers in managing projects (Anon. â€Å"PRINCE2 methodology overview† 5). Programme Management Programme management involves managing groups of projects for a desired benefit. It involves structuring and controlling projects in a group so that they give effective results. Large and complex projects are normally broken down into small and inter-related projects for easy management. In doing this, one has to take into consideration, the time and the budget allocated to the specific projects. The importance of using PRINCE2 in programme management is that, it helps in grouping of projects according to their purpose an d urgency. Just like in project management, PRINCE2 assist programme managers in setting a procedure that has to be followed in seeing that all projects yield the expected results. It helps them to set the roles and responsibilities of the different people involved in programming and also give a guideline to be followed in supervising projects. Advantages of using PRINCE2 to both project managers and programme managers Risk Management Many people take about risk management but rarely do they do anything in connection to it. The major problem is that many people do not know whose responsibility it is to manage risk. PRINCE2 provides a solution to this since it defines the method of handling risk. The latest version PRINCE2:2009 which was released in June 2009 provides a strategy for managing risk.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This involves identification of risks, evaluation, and how to deal with identified risk within a project. It also gives an idea of who is accountable for carrying out the diverse roles implicated in risk management. It sets out the number and types of risks that an organization can be able to bear within a project. The first step in risk management is to identify the risks in a project; this can be done by following the approaches given in the new manual (Hinde, â€Å"Better Risk management with PRINCE2† 1). Some of these approaches are: reviewing critical issues from previous projects, conducting a risk brainstorming session, and establishing a structure for breaking down risks. A risk structure is a diagram that resembles an organization chart but it is divided into different ways, for instance by the use of the PESTEL analysis. Risks can also be identified by reviewing the different aspects of a project, such as percentage of approvals, issues raised regarding the project, defects captured in the projects, just to name but a few. After identifying the possible risks in a project, the next step is to assess the risk exposure. In this progression, each threat is measured in terms of percentage and the pecuniary impact it can generate in case it happen to occur. The fraction of incidence is multiplied by the pecuniary impact to arrive at the supposed value in case the risk takes place. By adding up the expected values of the all the expected risks, we get a monetary value that represent the risk exposure of the project in question. PRINCE2 recommends that, each risk should be recorded when they are expected to occur in order to give the proximity of the risk. It also suggests that the possibility and the impact of a risk ought to be put into consideration to establish whether this show a discrepancy over time. Apart from just considering when a risk may or may not occur, PRINCE2 considers the causes of risks. This gives a deeper analysis in identifying and assessing risks thereby providing a better approach to the process of risk management. Not all risks results in negative impacts; some risks are opportunities. According to PRINCE2, there are three approaches to an opportunity: exploitation of the opportunity by ensuring that it occurs, increasing its probability of occurrence, or rejecting the opportunity (Hinde, â€Å"Better Risk management with PRINCE2† 5). The responsibility of a project manager entails searching for more prospects that would make a project better, by making this a component of the process of managing risks; the project manager are in a position to recognize more risks Project Assurance Normally, the work of project assurance is to provide independent views on the progress of the project. In PRINCE2, the scrutiny of project reassurance is divided into three; client, organization, and the specialist. Project assurance is all about checking the progress of the project to ensure that it remains within th e budget and that it is cost effective, this is referred to as business assurance. User assurance entails examining whether the consumer’s requirements are being offered whilst specialist reassurance involves inspecting whether the project is offering the anticipated solution. In the majority projects, assurance is carried out by a self-regulating panel (referred to as the â€Å"project assurance team†), although in other assignments, it is the panel in the project board that carries out the assurance (Anon. â€Å"PRINCE2 methodology overview† 3). Project Support Projects involve a lot of administrative work, everyone has to be informed about the progress, meetings have to be arranged, plans have to be updated, and files have to be kept properly, among other activities. In small projects, the project managers do most of this work, but if the project is big, they delegate some of these duties to members of the project team. PRINCE2 recommends that a project suppo rt office should be set up to help the project manager carry out his duties effectively and also gives a guideline of how some of the responsibilities should be delegated to the project team members. Controlling Change PRINCE2 involves more than just describing and analyzing the responsibilities required of each member. It also explains how risk can be managed, how to achieve quality results, and how to control the project. Management of risk involves forecasting on the future and determining the problems that can be encountered in the process of the project and designing appropriate mechanisms to tackle such challenges. On the other hand, the management (quality) is all about probing the value of the work done through appraising or re-examining it (Office of Government Commerce 342). During the project’s life-cycle, many alterations take place, for instance, members from the team may well change their mind, the client or user possibly will change some of the given instructio ns, or other things may perhaps take place, which may possibly affect the value of the project. PRINCE2 has a unique technique that enables project managers to control the changes that may take place in the execution of a project in order to ensure that such changes do not impact the project negatively. Disadvantages At times, PRINCE2 is regarded as unsuitable and unproductive for small projects, because of the work implicated in preserving and generating documents, and lists. This time and again results in a misinterpretation of which parts of PRINCE2 should be useful. PRINCE2 does not take into consideration the size of the projects but assume all projects are the same and that they should follow the same procedure. However, this may be quite ineffective for small projects which have a smaller budget. Creating and maintaining some of the documents and lists is an expensive process which can not be done by the project manager alone. He has to hire an additional employee which may n ot be possible according to the budget. PRINCE2 provides many ideas for the management of projects. However, the quality approach can sometimes be entirely inappropriate because it redefines the original meaning of quality. According to the dictionary, the word quality means standard of excellence. On the other hand, PRINCE2 defines quality as something fit for the purpose, which it can be designed without taking into consideration the standards of excellence. This re-definition of quality creates a lot of controversies in the application of PRINCE2 to many project managers (Hinde, â€Å"Why PRINCE2’s approach to quality is flawed† 2). At the start of PRINCE2 project, the project manager agrees with the customer about the attributes to be created from the project, in other terms known as the acceptance criteria. After the products have been delivered to the customer, he will only sigh against them if they fulfil the acceptance criteria. However, this is under the assum ption that, the customer understands what they want, but in most cases, the do not. This is a problem in PRINCE2 projects which assumes that users know the quality of the products that they want. PRINCE2 defines a project according to its uniqueness and the more unique a project is, the harder it becomes to specify what is required of the end product. PRINCE2 Processes PRINCE2 process that was revised in 2009 takes place in almost 40 separate activities which are organized further into seven processes. This can be summarized in following chart. [from: aipm.com.au/resource/PRINCE2%20Overview%20-%20AIPM%20v1.pdf} Starting Up a Project The first process is the start up of a new project. A project team is appointed in this process, and the purpose of the project including the expected outcome is prepared. It is in this process that decisions regarding the approach to be adopted are made and the next process is discussed and planned for. After doing this, the project board authorizes th e stage that follows, that is, the initiation of the project. Key activities in the start up process include but not limited to selection of the project manager and a supervisory member, management panel selection, project brief preparation among others (Anon. â€Å"PRINCE2 processes, components, and techniques† 2). Initiation Stage Main activities involved in this stage include planning for a quality approach, planning for the project, redefining project brief into business case, creating project files, creating project controls, and bringing together a project instigation document. This process continues with the work instigated in the start-up stage and augments the brief into a business case. The executive, project manager, and project management team work together to define an approach for testing quality of the project with a general objective of controlling the entire project. This stage involves the creation of project files which act as a general plan for the entire project. The next stage is also created and all information resulting from this stage is forwarded to the project board for the purpose of authorization. Directing a Project The main activities in this stage include but not limited to authorization of project initiation, authorization of projects, authorization of a stage plan, giving of direction, and project closure conformation. In this process, the roles and responsibilities of the project board are stipulated; the main role of this board is to control the entire project. As seen earlier, it is the work of the project board to authorize the initiation stage as well as the project itself. The directing stage stipulates how the project board is supposed to approve a stage plan, and other plans that are designed to replace the stage plan due to unforeseen conditions (Murray 2). This stage also gives an overview of how the project board is expected to direct the project including the activities involved in closing down a project. Co ntrolling a Stage According to PRINCE2, projects should be divided into processes and sub-processes dictating how each phase ought to be monitored and controlled. This includes the method of authorizing and receiving work packages. It also explains how the progress of a project ought to be monitored and how major outcomes of the project ought to be reported to the board. The controlling stage also puts forward the technique to be espoused in capturing and gauging issues interrelated to the project and how counteractive action should be implemented. It suggests the method to be adopted in delivering project issues to the project board. The key activities in this stage include authorization of work packages, reviewing progress, investigating project issues, assessing the stage of the project, report major events to the board, taking remedial action, and rising project issues. Managing Stage Boundaries As seen above, the controlling process suggests what must be done in a given stage. On the other hand, the managing stage boundaries suggest what have to to be prepared when a stage is near completion. This phase also states what ought to be done if a stage is going through difficulties or of it has gone ahead of those levels that can be tolerated, and how the finishing point of the project have to be reported to the panel. The core actions in this phase include: bringing up to date the plan for a project, business case, and the risk record, setting up a stage, reporting the end of a project, and creation of elimination plan. Managing Product Delivery The purpose of this stage is to ensure that, there is co- ordination between the project team and the project manager. Main objectives are; To make certain that the project manager consents to the work of the group and that it is decided upon by the panel members To certify that the panel members, the project administrator, and suppliers comprehend the anticipated result, and that they are able to work within the set time limit, and cost to produce outstanding results (Watling 2) To ensure delivery of every products as per the project’s arrangement and within the financial plan To make sure that the project director is provided with truthful information on a habitual basis as regards to the development of the venture in order to deal with the expectations satisfactorily In summary, the core activities involved in this phase include: recognition, implementation, and work-package delivery. Closing a Project This comprises of the actions that have to be completed just before the end of a project. In this stage, the project is officially de-commissioned and resources distributed to other activities. Then the project is evaluated and follows on actions identified. The key activities in this stage include: project decommissioning, project evaluation, and identification of the follow-on actions (Watling 4). PRINCE2 techniques Quality Review The purpose of this technique is to ensure that, the products resulting from a project are of good standard, that is, they meet the quality criteria. More often than not, this is done in a quality reassess meeting in which inaccuracies in products are recognized. It is worth noting that the quality review meeting is not under any obligation to resolve the errors identified in products, its work is to bring the interested people together and to help the project team in addressing the identified issues (Anon. â€Å"PRINCE2 processes, components, and techniques† 3). Product Based Planning This technique defines a project according to the output and not its activities. Before a project is initiated, the project managers have to understand the products required by the users. This helps them in planning for the activities that should be incorporated in the project but it is not the activities that determine the end product (Murray 4). Change Control This technique gives a procedure on how to log and assess the impacts of a project, h ow to escalate issues to the board, and how to manage changes. PRINCE2 Components The components of PRINCE2 are given in the outer part of the chart below [From: aipm.com.au/resource/PRINCE2%20Overview%20-%20AIPM%20v1.pdf] PRINCE2 has eight main components, these are: Business case- This is a justification for a project Organization- This gives an overview of the roles and responsibilities of all the people involved in a project, this includes project managers, project team, and the project board. Plans- This gives a definition of products expected from a project, how work is shared and carried out among the parties involved. This includes; timescale of the project, budget, and when to make frequent reports to the project board (Anon. Managing and Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 3). Controls- This component gives an overview of the procedure to be followed by project managers and the board in controlling the activities of a project Management of risk- Every undertaking involves taking risks; this component explains the approach to be adopted in managing risks in a project. Quality in a project Environment- This explains how quality products are ensured within a project and how such products are delivered Configuration management- This gives an explanation how to identify and track the products of a project Change control- It is common for changes to occur in the process of execution of a project. Change control explains how such changes should to be managed to ensure that, the quality of the end products are not compromised. Conclusion PRINCE2 has made Project management easy since it contains well defined framework. It provides a clear procedure on how to coordinate activities and the project team members, how to plan for the project, how to supervise it, and how to handle the challenges that comes along the execution of the project. PRINCE2 defines all the processes involved in a project with specifications on key inputs, output, goals, and act ivities to be undertaken. This helps project managers to control any deviations that may occur in the plan. It also ensures that all available resources are controlled efficiently, projects are carried out in an organized manner and they are easily monitored in an organized way. PRINCE2 is a well structured method that is widely acknowledged and understood by many project managers who have done either the foundation or practitioner examinations. It provides a basis for communication where all participants are able to communicate in a common language. Major tasks and duties concerned in the managing of a project are illustrated without a doubt and are well-matched to the proficiency of a firm and the complexity of the project. PRINCE2 also helps project managers in indentifying risks, evaluating the risk exposures and how to exploit risks into opportunities. Many people just talk about risks but hardly do anything to mitigate them. Others think that it is not their responsibilities t o manage risks and just sit down and watch things go out of hand. According PRINCE2, it is the work of the project manager to manage risks although he can delegate the same to a member of the project team who he feels is in a position to do the work. This management method provides a guideline on how to indentify risks, assess them, or even turn them into opportunities. Management of risk involves forecasting on the future and determining the problems that can be encountered in the process of the project and designing appropriate mechanisms to tackle such challenges. Some of the major shortcomings of PRINCE2 are: it assumes all projects to be the same and does not give a separate procedure for smaller projects and also it re-defines the meaning of quality by assuming that users are knowledgeable of the quality of the products they are requesting for. PRINCE2 method involves different processes, components and techniques. The processes include: start-up of project, initiation stage, directing a project, and controlling a project. Some of the components are: plans, organization, controls, business case, and change control. It has only three techniques; quality control, product-based planning, and change control Anon. Managing and Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2. Press release, June 2009. Web. best-management-practice.com/gempdf/PRINCE2_2009_Overview_Brochure_June2009.pdf. Anon. â€Å"PRINCE2 methodology overview.† ILX Group plc, 2010. Web. PRINCE2.com/prince2-structure.asp Anon. â€Å"PRINCE2 Processes, Components, and Techniques.† Aipm, 2010. Web. aipm.com.au/resource/PRINCE2%20Overview%20-%20AIPM%20v1.pdf Haughey, Duncan. â€Å"The History of PRINCE2.† Project Smart, 2010. Web.. projectsmart.co.uk/history-of-prince2.html Hinde, David. â€Å"Better Risk Management with PRINCE2.† Project Smart, 2010. Web.. projectsmart.co.uk/better-risk-management-with-prince2.html Hinde, David. â€Å"Why PRINCE2’s Approach to Qu ality is flawed.† Project Smart, 2010. Web.. projectsmart.co.uk/why-prince2s-approach-to-quality-is-flawed.html Murray, Andy. â€Å"Best Management Practice for Project, Programme, and Risk Management.† White paper, 2007. Web. best-management-practice.com/gempdf/PRINCE2_White_Paper_v3.pdf Office of Government Commerce. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 (5th ed.). The Stationery Office, 2009. ISBN 978-0113310593. Watling, Shaun. â€Å"A Procedural Worksheet on PRINCE2 Project Management.† Project Smart, 2010. Web.. projectsmart.co.uk/procedural-worksheet-on-prince2-project-management.html

(Pe) Physical Education (Essay, Sac) Training Diary

I designed a training program that i carried out over a 6 week period which aimed at strengthening my upper body and core. I exercised for 60 minutes each day and after ever workout i collected the data and recorded it in a diary which described the exact exercise, number of sets, reps and duration. Before the training program i did a series of post tests which involved a 7 stage ab tests, 1RM bench press and a 1 minute push up test. For the ab test i got to stage 5 which meant i could do 1 sit up and touch my elbows to my knees, with the bench press i could lift a max of 92. kg and with push ups i could do 40 in a minute. After i had finished my program i once again conducted a series of post tests to see how much i had improved. With my ab test i got to stage 6 which meant I could do the same but with a 2. 5kg weight held behind my head, with the bench press i got to 100kgs which is an increase of 7. 5kg and my push up test i got to 47 in a minute. I found that my greatest weekness came from my natural weight tests, with my push ups and sit ups. I belive these were more difficult due to my large weight as i weighted in at 105kg. But after i had finished my program i had put on 3kg due to an increase of muscle mass and a loss of fat. The reason i choose these tests was because they were specific to the exercises i was about to undertake for example with a push up it focuses on the core and all upper body muscles. Before each work out i did a series of proprioceptive neuromuscular facioitation stretches which i held for 6 seconds each stretch and after each workout i did a series of static stretches to help prevent the risk of injury. When i started doing my exercises the energy systems that i used changed between the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. As i did exercises that invloved 10 reps, fast twitch fibres and a duration of less than 15 seconds i worked anaerobically but when i did my core intival training my body used interplay. As i started out my body was working anaerobically but as my heart rate rose to over 80% max heart rate and the workout went for longer than 2 minutes my body started working aerobically and used slow twitch fibre as well as when my exercise intensified to around 85% max HR the onset of hydrogen ions accumalated in certain muscles due to the inabillity to continue my workout and muscle pump in the active areas. After a couple of weeks of training aerobicaly my muscles got trained to be able to pospone the high accumalation of h+. The reason i choose the exercises i did was because each demonstrated a differnt muscular contraction or a mixture of each. flys, planks, sit-ups and push ups used isometric contractions, biceap curls, bench/chest and shoulder presses used concentric contractions and with pull downs and shoulder pull ups used eccentric contractions. All exercises were specific to the muscular area i was trying to improve, each day i worked on one part of the body for example on a Monday i would focus just on my chest and on a wendsday i would work on my biceps. The reason i choose to do my program like that was because it was easier to remember what area to work on and gave each muscle grouple a huge workout instead of doing 5 different areas each day. With reference to my diary each workout showed progresive overload either with an increase in weigth or frequency and after a day or two i explained how my body showed the signs of delayed onset muscular soreness due to the overload. The only issue i ran into with my workout was that some days i wouldnt have a spotter which made my workouts quiet difficult. After i had finished my six week trainig program my muscular strength had increased dramatically with my biceap strength increased 7. 5kg, chest strength increased 7. kg, core strenght increased 2. 5kg and i was able to dely the onset of hydrogen ions from 25 reps to 35+ reps, etc. The whole process was more than enjoyable. I learnt many different exercises from other experience weight lifters and many pointers to help improve my skills. The program has helped me outside of weight lifting, such as being able to pass and throw further while playing basketball. I might of improved my program by working with a friend to make the work out more enjoyable and to help assist me in lifting.

What factors do designers and programmers need to take into account in Essay

What factors do designers and programmers need to take into account in other to make web pages as user friendly as possible Examine ways that we page designers can ease decisions making by users - Essay Example Other than getting business exposure and attracting customers, a professional website also provides a lot of other valuable benefits to any business or a company. Some of these benefits include increased business credibility, increased volume of sales through attracting more customers, enabling a business to reach international market, improved and efficient customer service through online forums, and reduced business activity’s operating cost. Talking about websites and their importance in the world of businesses, let’s get to know why user-friendly websites are more popular among users and the customers and how do they prove to be beneficial for the companies. The main reason for developing user-friendly websites is ease of interaction between the website and its users. If a company makes a website which is very heavy or complex in nature, it will not only waste precious time of the users but will also result in less productivity for the company. It is because customers are the main source of productivity for any company and if the customers do not get attracted towards a company, it can never achieve its desired goals and objectives. So it is very important for a company to be customer oriented. If a company does an online business, it should create such a website for product marketing which should be able to attract customers. And this goal can only be achieved through creating a user-friendly website. There are a lot of factors and issues which should be considered while planning to create a user-friendly website. These factors include appearance of a website, navigation and controls, access to pages, layout and design, and download speed. If anyone of these factors is sidelined during the process of website development, the basic goal of creating a user-friendly website can never be achieved. Appearance is one of the most important factors to be considered while

Reading Responses to Literacy in Three Metaphors, Writing Healing Essay

Reading Responses to Literacy in Three Metaphors, Writing Healing Introduction and Strategies - Essay Example However, working with a large audience in a classroom full of varying personalities makes this a highly difficult task to accomplish. But that is not to say that it is an impossible objective to achieve. Rather, it is one that can be accomplished with the cooperation of the students who have the desire to learn and fulfill their academic requirements. It is a well known fact that all universities and colleges have began to enact signed agreements between students and teachers / professors at the start of each academic season with the aim of clarifying the expectations and accomplishments of each party in the classroom setting. Such an agreement certainly helps to clarify the learning and discussion points during the lesson and forces students to take responsibility for their own actions within the classroom, be it in real time or cyberspace. The electronic classroom as students have come to become familiar with in the 21st century allows them too much freedom to be themselves and take their classes lightly because the professor is not within their eyesight. The students in an actual classroom treat their professors with a disrespect that is brought about by their misplaced sense of entitlement. By forcing students to acknowledge that they have an academic responsibility towards themselves, the students, both on the internet and in real time are forced to follow a certain sense of decorum that in the long run, proves to benefit both the students and professors as each party becomes an important tool in providing a conducive learning environment for their fellow classmates.

SIMS Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SIMS Review - Essay Example As these discounts are likely to be provided on several years terms, it is impossible to eliminate the cash shortage problem by changing these discount immediately. This measure would affect the quality of the patient care in the hospital and make it lose even more money. The company must try to cut down the variable costs of the company which are usually subject to economies of scale. Up to certain point the marginal cost of providing extra unit of care is less than the average cost and thus the company should try to achieve the optimal level of servicing clients and try to cut down the variable costs. The second problem was estimated as giving nurses too high wages as the need for acute nurses was not met. If the increased wages were due to the fact that there was need for such services, this choice cannot also be eliminated and the staff should not be downsized. On the other hand, the best strategy would be to downsize the agency staff costs which are not directly associated to providing care services and thus must be at the optimal level. The agency staff hiring that the optimal number needed for successful hospital operation was estimated wrong and must be revalued as agency or contract staff is usually paid twice as much as regular workers for the same amount of utility they bring to the hospital. The third problem was low medical reimbursement levels which amounted to 70% charged to clients. As the hospital derives approximately 40% of its' revenues from Medicare patients this is a big loss for the company and this reveals that the staff hired to work in this direction is not performing efficiently thus resulting in working capital shortage. As the Medicare payments cannot be changed directly by the hospital and are set based on historical costs, the company can eliminate this problem only by providing efficient system of monitoring in time receiving these payments. The company has also experienced dramatic growth in current liabilities which mean that the company was spending a lot even though no major purchases for the company were made. This means that the hospital is not allocating resources efficiently. The next problem was estimated as unused equipment in patients' rooms which means some strategic mistakes which lead to purchasing this equipment but now it is not used. Together with reducing agency staff expenses the second strategy was chosen to reduce the staff benefits which include health insurance, retirement, salary increases above the market salaries, different bonuses and paid leave benefits. This can be a bad strategy in the long term as the best doctors can leave the hospital but the optimal choice would be to reduce these benefits for the newcomers to the hospital and reward those who add the highest value to the hospital services quality. This will on the other hand give incentives to newcomers to work harder to achieve higher rewards. This will generate sufficient cash flows for the hospital in the short term and will not affect the customer services quality hypothetically and slightly. These two measures of cost reduction will save the company $4,717,000 while the hospital has savings goal of $900,000 and is expected to receive over $2,300,000 in three months that is why it has to generate some cash until