Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Business Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2
Business Proposal - Assignment Example This business proposal concerns the introduction of a new private health insurance scheme in the country which will cater to the varying needs of the low to middle income group residents of the United States of America. An oligopolistic market is a market structure in which a handful of firms compete and overshadow. The insurance market in the United States of America is a highly competitive market. As per the principles of Economics, when a market sector is communicably connected between few dominating firms, then it becomes a highly competitive market. In an oligopolistic market, although a few companies dominate, there remains a possibility of a number of small companies operating in the same market. For example, in the health care insurance market of the United States of America, there are multinational companies like Blue Cross organizations, Etna and Kaiser who are the main players in the sector. However, in addition to this, there is also some small scale independent health care insurance coverage provided as a part of creating a support system for the low income groups of people. Also, there are small private insurance companies which provide specialty insurance services for disabled and ne edy people (Economics Online Ltd, 2014). This business proposal is focused on the emerging and existing demands in the market related to health insurance coverage. Also, the factor of the significance of health insurance coverage for the consumers and the manner in which premiums and coverage for these plans change in order to adapt to the external competitive environment are taken into consideration in the selected business proposal. A necessity of examining the results of certain quality metrics related to demands in the health care insurance market has been identified in the insurance market of the United States. The
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Analysing The Changing Transition To Adulthood Social Work Essay
Analysing The Changing Transition To Adulthood Social Work Essay The transition to adulthood looks very different than it once did. The transition to adulthood has been elongated and a sequential pattern to this transition has become less identifiable. No longer do young people transition in a lockstep pattern from education, to marriage, to stable work, to childbearing (Settersten, 2005). Common sequences related to the transition to adulthood reminiscent of life since the 1950s, no longer apply to contemporary young adults. The overarching societal structures have greatly impacted the transition to adulthood, including educational systems and family structure. In the last 100 years the necessary education to meet societal standards of living has changed from minimal attendance to increased necessity of secondary and vocational training to the contemporary necessity of university degrees and continued education even through a individuals career (Kohli, year). This increased educational attainment for young adults requires many young people to in turn delay marriage and family formation as they concentrate on education (source). Concepts and expectations related to family have also changed. Marriage is delayed, divorce is common and cohabitating couples have increased. These factors certainly interact with the experiences of young people who transition into adulthood who may wait to marry or cohabitate for longer periods of time without the commitment of marriage. The definition of adulthood has also changed. Many young people are not able to clearly articulate when they became an adult or if they are an adult (Molgat, 2007) (many people of even older ages may have a hard time expressing this as well, begging the question of what adulthood actually means for the larger population). In the past, adulthood has been marked by certain role changes; the traditional markers relate to finishing school, starting a career, marriage, childbirth, and owning a house. In particular, the onset of certain social roles ensue people to identify as young adults. Parenthood is viewed by some as a definitive step in becoming an adult, particularly because of the responsibilities and role changes associated with it (Osgood et al., 2005). However, in qualitative interviews young people may indicate that it was not even until their second or third child that they felt like an adult. Also, young people may be able to avoid the responsibility of a child by having thei r parents (the childs grandparent) take care of the child. Parenthood does not always equal adulthood. In the past, these markers were also associated with a typical age or age range when young adults experience these markers. These markers, however, have become unsystematic for young adults occurring at different times, at a different pace, and they may not even be reached until the mid to late 30s. As these markers have been pushed back for young adults, does this mean that a 35-year-old was not an adult until they married at age 35 and consider children at age 37? Young adults are likely to have varied definitions of transitioning to adulthood given the recent convoluted experiences of young adulthood. Identification as an adult may be swinging from less emphasis on social roles to the actual attributes young people experience regardless of their circumstance (Arnett, 2000). A sociologist would argue that these attributes arise from the social experiences within a persons life but perhaps these experiences which give young people a sense of adulthood needs to be more broadly defined (Osgood et al, 2005). Many young people report that a feeling independence, self-sufficiency, responsibility or being able to take care of themselves financially leads to them as identifying as an adult (Arnett, 2000). Yet, many 30-year-olds may still be reliant on their parents for financial support, especially given the current economic climate. Does this mean they are not yet adults? As demonstrated the role expectations and contexts of transitioning into adulthood are less clear than 30 years ago. The transition to adulthood can cause confusion for young adults as traditional makers of adulthood suc h as marriage, full-time work, exits from education, and childbearing do not hold the same meanings as these markers did for young adults parents. Again, I turn to the broader social structures that have influenced some of the changes contemporary young adults experience. The life course overall has been elongated. People live longer and healthier than they did compared to 70 years ago). The lengthening of lives and the expectation of living longer afford peoples experiences between life and death to be more varied and less standardized (Moen, 2003). This has also allowed the period of adolescence and young adulthood to be extended. People can delay some commitments because it seems as though they have a lifetime to complete them. Furthermore, fertility is more controlled than 50 years ago (Mayer, 2004). People are choosing to have children later because they can control to some extent with the infusion of birth control; this is also intertwined with education and the economic climate. Couples can also have fertility interventions if they decide to have children late. In American Dream (DaParle, 2005) a young women in the 60s s peaks of her grandmother taking care of her when her mother died, yet her grandmother was only 37. Now, 37 might the time a woman is becoming a parent for the first time and grand parenting will be in the distant future. It may be that the clustering of these experiences with social roles may be the prominent pathways to feel like an adult (Schulenberg et al., 2005). Arnett (2000) also describes young adulthood as unique phase primarily because of the demographic (these are the role changes mentioned above), subjective and identity characteristics unique to this phase. Demographically these roles have been pushed back later in the life course and also happen more haphazardly or in less standardized order than past generations. Subjectively young people are ambivalent about their adult status, not knowing whether to identify as an adult or not. Their subjective experience of being an adult is crucial, however, as opposed to some of the more objective markers. Finally, he argues that young people are still exploring their identities during this time. The identity exploration once primarily connected with young adulthood is now thought to happen more so during a persons twenties. Other theories and researchers argue that it is the overarching structures which have lead to these changes in adulthood (Cote Brynner, 2008). They assert that not all you ng people experience what Arnett (2000) describes. The experiences of young adults are vastly different given young peoples and their families social position in society. Not all young adults have been given the same opportunities or privilege to explore their identity during this phase. This is especially true of more disadvantaged populations of youth, such as youth in the foster or juvenile system, poor, homeless, and rural youth (Settersten, 2007). Social Position As opposed to young people actually choosing these varied pathways, these unique combinations of experiences may relate more to institutional, contextual and social differences between groups of young adults. The timing of when young people experience these transitions and the pace they experience them vary because of institutional and structural factors that influence both the human and social capital of young adults (Cote Bynner, 2008). Many young people get to rely on their parents during these transitions, youth in foster care and from poorer families do not experience this same support. For example, foster care youth are forced to live independently at age eighteen. This will result in very different experiences for these youth as they navigate adulthood compared to youth whose parents still contribute to their finances until they are 25 years of age or even older (Hamilton Hamilton, 2009). Also, youth from poor families may need to help their families after graduating high sc hool as opposed to attending college or working to support themselves. These youth may also be involved in the caretaking of their younger siblings. The parents of these young adults are not an asset to these youth as opposed to their more privileged counterparts. Parents, however, are now needed and expected as a support while young people experience the first time transitions related to young adulthood (Settersten, 2007). The experiences of more disadvantaged young adults may either be especially delayed or fast forwarded. Many other youth are provided the opportunity to attend college where they experience a sense of being semi-independent (Kett, 1977). The semi-independence of college lets young people experience living on their own in a slower transitional mode as they start living in the dorms and may eat in the cafeterias. They are slowing weaned off the full support of their parents into the college support system and finally they experience these transitions on their own and with their own social supports. What happens to youth who did not get to attend college? They do not get the luxury of experiencing a semi-independence or the developmental supports experienced in college. They will likely have less income and fewer opportunities for jobs without the necessary education attainment (U.S. Department of Education, 2006). Marriage may not be typical of these young adults as its delayed patterns become more and more the norm. Moreover, many youth in poverty cannot take advantage of a delayed adul thood. They may experience disconnection from social institutions and be forced into responsibilities (Hamilton Hamilton, 2009). Furthermore, homeless young adults are not only combating the issues of obtaining a job, being self-supporting, and forging life on the streets they are experiencing the stigmas of being homeless (Hagan McCarthy, 2007). Internalizing the stigma of being homeless seems especially crucial for these young adults given this critical period of identity formation. Many of these youth have had catastrophic family backgrounds and experiences on the street and connecting them with social institutions is precarious but essential. The very systems that protect the middle and upper class such as the police force may be too afraid to go into the poor neighborhoods of these young people or may even be the perpetrators of harassment toward these young adults (Hagan McCarthy, 2007). Expectations and social codes are less likely transmitted by family and parents for homeless young adults given their transient relationships. Homeless young adults likely frame their transition to adulthood very diffe rently compared to residential young adults given the hardship of living on the streets and the financial survival methods they must employ. Young adulthood is also experienced differently by geographic locations, urban or rural. The institutional and social structural supports related to the transition to adulthood very significantly for those living in a rural environment. Rural young people may not have the same opportunities to connect to pertinent social structures such as higher education and career related institutions (Wald Martinez, 2003). These youth must choose to stay in their home town with limited opportunities related to work and schooling or to leave their rural setting to pursue education and career opportunities but sacrificing the community and social supports of their home. Thus, another dimension of choosing to leave a familiar lifestyle and community support is added to the already convoluted decisions related to young adulthood. Moreover, the youth who decide to stay in their communities may be more vulnerable related to education and career outcomes (Oyserman Fryber, 2006). To the best of my knowledge I have not found strong evidence of experiences with the traditional transition makers or pathways to adulthood relating to a specific gender (Schulenberg et al., 2005). I am sure this is an area ripe for research but also gender may be a less salient concept for contemporary young adults as many social roles do not carry the same gender connotations as in previous generations. Poverty: An Ecological Perspective of Young Adults Understanding the ecological levels including micro level personal characteristics, meso level relationships, and the broader macro level policies related to young adults in poverty and from impoverished backgrounds is essential. Creating pathways of social mobility is critical during the transition to adulthood as young people experience excess role changes within institutional structures. Young adulthood may be an especially critical time where social mobility can occur as young people navigate these systems for the first time; creating pathways for future opportunities (Hamilton Hamilton, 2009). At the same time young adulthood is likely a particularly sensitive and vulnerable time because young adults are doing these transitions for the first time, meaning they could be volatile or missteps could have long lasting effects into adulthood. At the microlevel, psychosocial characteristics may be essential for young adults to navigate the uncharted waters of adulthood. These characteristics are likely even more vital for young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds (Settersten, 2007). Hamilton Hamiliton (2009) argue that sense of purpose and agency are essential characteristics at the individual level. My research also supports the important role sense of purpose plays in young adulthood (Dolenc, 2009). Having a clear sense of purpose to guide individuals may be crucial as young adults set out to reach goals and fulfill adult responsibilities; consequently, they must have goals and aspirations in the first place. A sense of purpose likely connects young people to social and institutional structures as well. Cultivating a sense of purpose in disadvantaged youth helps them to navigate and guide them during the many transitions of adulthood. Furthermore, youth being empowered and understanding that they can act upon the ir environment to create social mobility is essential. However, institutions which support and cultivate young peoples agency are also important, these individual characteristics surely interact with broader systems and resources available to young people. Hamiliton and Hamilton (2009) also emphasize social capital as essential for young adults in poverty. High quality interactions in the mesosystem are essential for youth outcomes (Bronfenbrenner Morris, 2006). The interactions in the mesosystems that relate to human capital and social capital are important for upward social mobility. Mentoring can help build these social interactions and networks for disadvantaged young people. Institutions can emphasize provide social connections for young people. Furthermore, structural and policy level changes can occur to better support these young adults which create increased social interactions for these youth. Within the macro system policies that provide multiple supports for the multiple pathways of young adults are needed, especially for vulnerable youth. The policies in the macro system also influence young adults related to education and job opportunities. Adolescence and young adults are essentially left out of policies that typically support vulnerable populations. As adolescence and young adulthood are usually viewed as a time of vitality, welfare policies are primarily directed to children and people of older ages. Perhaps policies that could help support vulnerable young adults are in order as well. For instance, extending the familial support of the foster care system to an older age would be more appropriate given the current state of young adulthood. Furthermore, providing ways for youth to gain access to health care when even mimumge wage and entry level jobs are hard to find should be addressed. Understanding how more disadvantaged youth can be equipped with the skills to en ter the labor market and become engaged in their communities is essential. Hamilton and Hamilton (2009) suggest the apprenticeship model of Germany as an example of an institutional support and call for more private/public partnerships that could help these vulnerable young adults. Community colleges in the US have also been explored as a possible alternative mechanism for these youth to access social mobility. As youth age and transition into adulthood their developmental outcomes become more dependent on the environment. Clearly more diverse institutions are needed to support the multiple pathways of young adulthood.
Friday, October 25, 2019
american lit Essay -- essays research papers
When did American Literature begin?      -with the Native Americans Three dominant characteristics/themes of Native American Literature?      1. Relationship with the land      2. Belief in the Great Manito      3. Use of natural images How did Columbus describe the New World?      -astonishing, colorful, marvelous speed of the canoes, a paradise Identify:      -Bay Psalm Book: first book published in America      -manito: spiritual forces      -Walum Olum: painted record      -allusion: reference to something      -concrete language: short, forceful, cleaner      -conceit: controlling image      -analogy: comparison      -simile: direct comparison using like or as      -metaphor: saying it is something its not      -antonyms: two opposite words      -irony: opposite of what's supposed to happen      -sarcasm: low form of irony      -Great Awakening: fervent revival of religious dedication      -pictographs: word pictures Compare and contrast the literature of Puritans and the southern colonies.      -Puritans: simple, religious, practical, examining of spiritual selves, communicated ideas clearly, explained Biblical interpretation      -Southerners: flashy, flowery, ornate, complicated, decorative What is the purpose of ‘A Description of New England?' How does the author go about meeting this purpose?      -to get people to move to New England; exaggerates the good, doesn't mention the bad What does TULIP stand for? Explain each point.      -Total Depravity/inability      -Unconditional election/selection      -Limited Atonement      -Irresistible grace      -Perseverance/preservation for the saints Identify the conceit of ‘In Reference to Her Children' and ‘Huswifery'    &nb... ...ial encounter with the Devil, wife's involvement, terms of tom's deal, occupation, Tom's fate. Translate Thanatopsis. Summarize Bryant's thanatopsis.      -‘view of death,' Bryant's view was deaath is one with nature, be with other great people who have gone before, etc. Define:      -meter: regular rhythm in poetry, unit of meter      -foot of poetry: stressed/unstressed syllables/ one stressed two unstressed syllables How is the Black Cat an example of Romantic Literature?      -focus on self and individual, fascination with the supernatural, gothic Compare and contrast the following views on the dark side of humanity:      -Death Instinct/Spirit o Perverseness: Freud and Poe–dark side is constantly present      -Sinful Nature: Christianity–there is a way out According to Montressor, what are the two requirements of meaningful revenge?      -can't be consumed by it, once you've taken your revenge, drop it      -don't let the person know you're upset with them and seeking revenge
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Hotel and Marketing Mix
B629- Managing 2: Marketing and Finance EMA Problem related to marketing mix and performance measurement By Yennifer Pereira (PI: A8407709) August 2012 Contents Word count: 2415 Section: 1. Description of my organisation 2. Description of the marketing mix 3. Identify, analyse and summarise a problem relating marketing mix 4. Solution 5. Identify, analyse and summarise a problem relating performance management 6. Solution 7. References 1. Description of my organisationTravelodge is budget hotel brand that was launch on the UK in 1985 and currently operates more than 450 hotels in Ireland, Spain and the UK. The company is growing very fast and is planning to operate more than 70,000 rooms, approximately over 1000 hotels by 2020 and be the biggest hotels operator in London by the 2012 Olympics. Around eight million people stay with Travelodge every year, booking the rooms online at the company’s webpage. The chain employs more than 6000 staff and is currently owned by Dubai inte rnational Capital which acquires the chain on 2006.I had been working in Travelodge for three years, working my way through from chambermaid, receptionist to assistant manager, currently been in position lest that 6 months and still learning the company targets and focus in the market. Currently Travelodge is undergoing their biggest remodelling in their hotels in order to gain back the customers lost to Premier Inn their biggest competitors in the low budget market, due to the poor quality in customer service and the quality of service in the previous years. . Description of the marketing mix Marketing mix is refer as creating the right product that will attract the attention of their customers and this can be done by creating the right product, at the right price, in the right place using the appropriate promotions. Travelodge uses the marketing mix technique on their daily basics as part of the revenue team to generate the savers prices that we use online.Travelodge proud itself from providing low prices and clean and fresh rooms to our main stakeholders which are our customers, but in order to achieve that they must have a revenue team in charge of controlling the prices and promotions put online according to the location of the hotel, time of year and other issues, our revenue team works in this by using the 7 Ps of marketing. To start of they focus in the: Product: Our product will always be de same in all the hotels a clean and fresh rooms Price: This is taking into consideration after the hotel is analysing depending the time of year, location, size and other features.For example to book a room in February during the week in Bournemouth will cost you if book in advance as little as ? 19 per night, the same hotel also book in advance for the same day of the week will cost you as much as ? 80, due to the location and the season, in the other hand if you book a hotel in Bournemouth town centre will normally cost you around 20% more that a road side hotel near Bournemouth. That is why is crucial to analyse all the perspectives before setting the prices.Place: This is crucial when planning the revenue of the hotel as a road side hotel will not be as busy as a city centre hotel, or a seasonal hotel is not as profitable in winter as a London hotel in the main shopping street in the same period. Promotion: Travelodge on the daily basic our coming out with promotions to encourage customers to stay with us, a good example of this is that if you book online or by phone on the day, you will get a 10% discount rather that booking direct over the desk.We also encourage guest to purchase food and beverages by always making sure we have promotions available. People: Travelodge focus on hiring the correct team to ensure that our customers has the best service as possible from the moment they book all the way to the moment they check out. This can only be achieved by providing the right training and developing the right skills to ensure customers receive the best customer service. Processes: Travelodge nsures that all our hotels provides the same process across all the company, by ensuring that customers are deal correctly, that layout looks fairly similar, that we provide same services across the hotels and that we always are providing the correct service. Physical evidence: This is the evidence that our customer sees when he comes into a Travelodge and sees that staff all in uniform, everything branded, currently this is our main problem that not all the hotels look the same due to the layout and most of then require a brand update. . Identify, analyse and summarise a problem relating marketing mix Identify Our main focus in Travelodge is pleasing our customers by providing affordable, clean and fresh rooms, but as Travelodge been open since 1985, is difficult to provide the same standard in every hotel, the main problem that we currently have is that our hotels look completely different due to the different refurbishment that we had have over the years, as Travelodge opens a new hotel a new trial runs in that hotel and is use for a few years.Currently when a customer walks into a room in Travelodge they never know what to expect as no all Travelodge’s look the same. Analyse As a customer you expect when you walk into a hotel that will look as similar to the other hotels of the same brand, but when a company has been open for more than 26 years is difficult to maintain the same standard across their hotels. Travelodge is currently having an issue with the Physical evidence in his marketing mix, which is affecting the corporate image in overall.This issue has arise due to cost issues, the company main target in previous years was to spend revenue in building and opening new hotel, as new building arise new refurbishment ideas follow, and different layout happen without been concern on the image and standardization of the brand. Even though Travelodge has been very good in maintaining a set a st rict rule about the advertisement provide in each hotel, all the leaflets and brochures were the same and similar supplier use, the actual hotels rooms due not comply with the corporate image. This in overall affects the perspective not only of the customer, but the staff members.This links with the concept that there are four critical areas of success, the customer perspective that if is currently no been meet, the internal process perspective which are no satisfying customer needs as we are providing in some cases old, out of date and damage rooms, the innovation and learning perspective, also no been accomplish as the repeats customers keeps using this Travelodge’s but no does not sees any improvement or change and the financial perspective which is also no been meet due to having to spend more money in opening hotels and not focusing on refurnishing the old ones.Summary To summarise the problem Travelodge has spend too much money focusing in building new hotels, that focu sing in the corporate image, due to the different layouts in rooms, location of hotels customers expectations are no been meet and this is affecting the perspective no only of their customers but also they employees. 4. Solution Travelodge has realise that this is a major issue and after 26 years has started to listen to our customers complaints and request to update the brand image and improve the rooms.Travelodge has decided to fight back and restructures the image of the company by spending ? 57 million pounds in refurbishment, which 80% of hotels should be completed by autumn, they are planning to change the room design by updating the colours, curtains, acquiring to of the range beds, updating the bathroom to a state of the art power shower, and repaint and redecorate all of the hotels in the company. 5. Identify, analyse and summarise a problem relating performance managementIdentify Travelodge Bournemouth Seafront is currently facing a major problem in performance that is aff ecting the hotel overall and is that due to a fall in cleanliness of the rooms we are receiving a considerable amount of complains on the daily basics that are affecting the way the customer sees the hotel, due to this issues are WYR is not as target by the company. Analyse Every Travelodge receives at the end of the month a scorecard in which it ill inform the hotel what is expected from us, there are targets sets on how many rooms are sold and how much is sold over the bar, but one of the most important things that we look for in the score card is the WYR (Would you recommend), this are the rating that are customers gives us after they have stay with us. Unfortunately there has been a significant drop in are WYR that is affecting us dramatically. SummaryAfter investigating and speaking with our customers we have draw to he conclusion that this is due to the poor standard of cleanliness in the hotel, this was due to the manager been promoted to a new hotel and the hotel had to run through a period without manager on site, due to been the period the hotel was all the time fully book resulting on the staff having to work 6 days a weeks or overtime during all the summer period and the housekeeping department did not have the amount of staff that was needed on the daily basics, as a result they had to clean everyday between 12 to 18 rooms plus there were many issues of not having the right equipment to work. To summarise the problem when the new manager took over he had to face with a big challenge, the performance of the hotel and the targets are not been meet. As a company we use a scorecard (figure 1) that helps us measure the performance of the hotel this divides the hotels into different areas and is clear for as to know that areas that we are failing from the scorecard, if we are doing well a green scorecard can be seen and if is moderate performance will be amber and bad performance will be show in red which is what we are facing in the WYR.Are WYR is spec ifying that room cleanliness is not what customers are expecting this is a result of the issues seen above but also poor management for the last few months as there is not set of measurements in place in the hotel at that moment to see or compare to what is a good room to what in reality we are offering, we did not have the appropriate budget to buy the materials that we require in the hotel or is not been manage appropriately in order to last the time that is require to last. In overall due to poor management during the last month as the consistent of the hotel cleanliness are not been meet and as there was not a manager to be responsible for the hotel or to set targets, the hotel performance drop. 6. SolutionThere are many solutions to resolve this issue the best way possible but it has to be a solution that will benefit the hotel performance and quick and effectively as possible so to improve I come out with a list of effects that can be taking place to start improving the cleanl iness of the rooms. The first issue that the manager should so is decentralise the hotel into areas and give different areas for the assistant managers to focus on, for example one to be responsible for food and beverage, one for health and safety and one for housekeeping area, with the manager overlooking all the department and making sure that everything runs smoothly.The assistant manager or person responsible in the housekeeping department will have to implement the following plan in order to success in the task set firstly is crucial to start by re training the entire housekeeping department in order for then to know what is expected of then and the standards that we need to achieve, secondly an order of products will need to be process in order for housekeeping to have the materials needed to clean the rooms and get the cleanliness up to date, retrain the staff in effectively using the products that they have available without wasting anything, next step will be to make sure t hat a set of task are in place of the linen porter such as cleaning the public areas and making sure that linen and materials are in hand to be use by housekeeping so they do not waste any time having to find then, extra cleaning activities must be set for housekeeper to carry out then every month that can be from a range of task such a kettle discalers, changing shower curtains, mattress protectors and making sure that all the rooms have all the high level dusted done regularly, to top it all daily room checks will have to be carry out by the managers, housekeepers and staff to make sure that every room that is given to a customer is clean as is expected not only by the customer but also by the company. If all of this issues are been done as instructed there such be a difference in the rooms in a short period of time that will help the WYR that in overall will help not only in getting a green scorecard but will make customers satisfy with their stay and willing to repeat their stay with us.Is important to notice that to be able to achieve this a considerable amount of money will have to be spend in getting all the cleaning materials that are require in order to turn around the state of the rooms and a lot of time will be needed to retrain all the housekeeping department in achieving the task but all the managers and hotel staff in making sure the correct rooms checks are carry out daily. 7. References Open University (2009) B628, Managing and managing people; OU: Milton Keynes. www. travelodge. co. uk B629 Understanding Marketing and Financial Information EMA Part 2 Activities and outputs (weeks 15-19) Week 15, Activity 1 Table 15. Advice on outsourcing parks and gardens maintenance operations |Problem identification |Outsourcing parks and gardens maintenance in order to be in | | |budget for the next three years | |Analysis (investigation) |The company has the option to either try to outsource or to | | |maintain the team they already have and try to save the money if | | |possible. Analysing what their currently expenses are and what | | |the company is offering then is better to outsource as the | | |company will run why all the extra costs if they are needed such | | |as extra staff, equipment and other materials. |Conclusion to the analysis (results of the investigation) |To conclude is a better idea to contract the maintenance company | | |for 3 years as they will maintain the same price for the three | | |years and the council will be already aware of how much is | | |expending | |The solution, listed as a set of SMART recommendations |It may take time to adapt to the changes to a new company and as | | |a result staff will suffer from downsizing and being transfer but| | |in overall will result in a profitable result for the council | Week 15, Activity 2 Activity 2- Comparison of absorption and marginal costing The major difference between one and another is that the marginal costing will take into consideration all the variable costs that take to get the product which as a result will always vary from the absorption costs as this will only show just the percentage that the person that wants to sell will want to add on MARGINAL COST = |VARIABLE COST DIRECT LABOUR | | |+ | | |DIRECT MATERIAL | | |+ | | |DIRECT EXPENSE | | |+ | | |VARIABLE OVERHEADS | Week 15, Activity 3 Activity 3- 1. Why organisations prepare budgets: To control better the resources they have and make the company profitable 2. Differences between direct and indirect costs? Both costs should be represented in the financial report to make a clear picture of the reality of the financial situation of the company 3. Fixed and variable costs?Fixed costs are those that will never change and variables can change at any time so is important to present both clearly in the financial reports Week 16, Activity 1 Activity 1 Smallville accounts The differences between creating a income and expenditure account rather that receipts and payments account is that the income and expenditure will explain all that goes on in the business including the loss and profits, will show any outstanding payments from creditors and provides a clear understanding of what is expend and in what areas as how much of the stock is being use. Week 16, Activity 2 Activity 2 Balance sheet for Musical instruments Business Sources ? 000 Resources ? 00 Owners capital 750 Fixed assets 970 Loan 500 Stock 300 Creditors 300 Cash 280 1550 1550 Week 16, Activity 4 Table 16. 2 Advice on maximising reported profit figure |Problem identification |Maximising the report profit figure in order to finish the end of| | |year with a favourable performance | |Analysis (investigation) Robin Williams the owner and chief executive of a catering | | |service business is interested in getting new assesses to his | | |company but in order to do that he needs to provide all the | | |information available to get the financial support he needs, his | | |purpose is to i mprove the financial report by either postponing | | |or going ahead with a few transactions, The focus of this report | | |is to provide as much support in order to make the correct | | |decision. | | |1. First transaction with is spend ? 50. 00 in advertising which | | |will increase in sales by 20% in the next financial year- Perhaps| | |way is a lot of capital that will be invested and will only | | |result in increase in sales for next year. | | |2. Take out goods for his own use- this has to be postponing as | | |will show a lost in goods and not an increase in income. | | |3. Sell goods in credit- this is a great investment as will show | | |in the financial report still as sales but in account. | | |4.Replace a motor van that will cost ? 6000, even though this | | |cost will be divided in 6 years it will still show an investment | | |of ? 1000 this financial year | | |5 . Purchase stocks at a lower price- can be done as will show | | |that we have that quanti ty on assets and has not been a loss to | | |the company. |Conclusion to the analysis (results of the investigation) |To conclude I think that by investing in purchasing goods for a | | |lower price, sell to a customer in credit will help his financial| | |report as even though he will losses in stock he will gain the | | |sales in credit and even though he will lose the capital that we | | |will use to buy stock, will increase his stock | |The solution, listed as a set of SMART recommendations |By making this changes and at the beginning of the financial | | |year invest in advertisement which will help him sell the stock | | |purchase at discount and buy a new van will provide him with a | | |very profitable end of year report and a target for beginning of | | |next financial year. | Week 17, Activity 1 1. Companies hold some assets in form of cash to be able to pay for the expenses they are incurred in the hotel, for example to pay for suppliers, pay bills and other expe nses 2. Holding too much cash in a business can be risky as it is not providing with any investment either in the bank or as stock for the business. 3. The costs of having too little stock is not making the business look very profitable and there is the risk that when stock is needed there is not any cash available to purchase what is needed for the business Week 17, Activity 3 Table 17. Solution to a working capital problem in my organisation |Problem identification |Working capital stock taking too long to be deliver | |Analysis (investigation) |Due to the policy that we have to order food products to be | | |deliver next day, confirmer delivery and process payment which | | |takes 30 days to be pay to the company, there are major problems | | |with the items that are not being deliver to the hotels as it is | | |taking too long for the company to get the payment and realise | | |which item has not been deliver | |Conclusion to the analysis (results of the investigation) |To conclude is crucial that a way is set in which the company is | | |aware of any item that has not been deliver in order to speed up | | |the process of redelivery | |The solution, listed as a set of SMART recommendations |Both companies must agree in the desire idea to resolve the | | |problem which is time consuming | |Strengths and weaknesses of the recommendations |Time consuming, staff needs to be re train which will be cost | | |effectively | Week 18, Activity 3 Financial performance For the hotel that I work for, is required a set of financial reports on the daily basics to be able to get the banking done. These reports consist on the daily trial banking which will explain in detail how much was taking on the daily basics on the different method of payments from example how much was taking in cash, visa, MasterCard, American express and also how much was taking as a prepay before the guest arrive in the hotel.The other report that we use and is very important for us is th e credit cards reports as we need to compare the credit cards against what is showing in the pdq slips reports that are printed 3 times at day at the end of any shift, this will conform that staff is taking the corrected amount of money and reporting it on the system that we use. Third set of reports that are use are the guest on house which explains to use how many guest are in house, which room number are the staying, rate pay and any extra packages, the vacant and occupy rooms which are the reports use in case of a fire and to conclude the arrival list with a list of the guest arriving, rate pay and any packages or special requested. Week 19, Activity 2 |Problem identification |Advice MD about ways in which he can restructure Spellman in | | |order to improve performance. |Analysis (investigation) |Currently Spellman is a very profitable company that focus on | | |buying and selling machinery for ice cream manufactures and also | | |is focusing in providing repairs to their m achinery. | | |The problem that they are facing is that there is one person in | | |charge of making all the decisions and coming out with all the | | |solutions, resulting in problems within the company as there is | | |de motivation, lack of product information and other issues. | |The best propose idea to resolve this problem is for the MD to | | |hire a group of managers that will focus in different areas of | | |the country, in order for every employee to have a manager to | | |respond to and get support, and this managers to have the | | |responsibility of making decisions and solving problems, in order| | |to improve the slow decision problem that the company face before| | |and provide the support needed. |Conclusion to the analysis (results of the investigation) |By having this group of managers available the MD will have more | | |time to focus in improving the business and will have to focus on| | |dealing with this groups of managers rather that all the compa ny. | |The solution, listed as a set of SMART recommendations |Is important to understand that this is a time consuming activity| | |that will require and investment to hire this managers and the | | |time to hire and train the correct staff, and will take time to | | |get the managers train correctly and aware of the business. | | | | |But this will result in staff motivation restore and customers | | |will get the support and solutions quicker. | Week 19, Activity 3 The critical success factors and key performance indicators for airline scorecard The balance scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that focus on the current business activities and compares this to the vision of strategic of the organisation, and it focus in looking at four different perspectives of the business and see how they are performing , this are the financial perspective, customer perspective, internal business process and learning and innovating.Focusing in Ryanair a low cost airline which operates with over 300 airlines with over 30 destinations, their strategic focus in having the low cost in the market and their entire major decisions and focus on this making this their success factor. In order to achieve this they had to take into consideration what do they customers expected for them as a company, which are a cheap, straight forward flight, as they are not expected to get any luxuries in their flights, another key performance indicators apart for their customers’ expectations, is the financial perspective which focus in making sure they are still been profitable, this is achieve by Ryanair by always cutting the luxuries and making sure everything is to their basics.For example charging customers for extra luggage, making sure they print their own boarding pass or pay the penalty which is up to ? 60, offering services such as seat selection and priority boarding for an extra charge, these techniques helps the company reduce costs and increase profits . Focusing in the internal business perspective this can be providing customer support when any issues arise and making sure that their flights are meeting their schedules and as innovation perspective Ryanair is very clever with this as they innovate by finding new routes for their customers and competitive prices in order to maintain market position. Week 19, Activity 4Hospital cancer unit performance indicators of each of the E’s Economy: One performance issues that I’m sure must be important is to maintain cost to certain quantity when referring to getting new beds or material because the other ones are too old, this affects the patient comfort and the staff will have to deal with this resources that can be unsafe to use due to no having a reasonable budget, another one is no having the resources to innovate the drugs, no enough financial support to investigate and get new drugs that can help their patients. Efficiency: Referring to using the minimum amount of reso urces specially when referring to drugs can affect the patient health and the time of recovery, also no having the laboratory services available due to maintain the performance measurement can affect the quantity of patients treated and the staff motivation.Effectiveness: No having the time or resources due to maintain the performance can affect the health of any patient, in the other hand no having the resources to hire and train staff that can deal and provide this treatment is very concerning Equity: Proving access to everyone is crucial, due to the lack of resources and staff this is not always possible and this affects many life’s, is crucial to provide the treatment as soon as possible and often as needed to the patients to be able to save as many as possible. Personally I believe that a performance indicator in a hospital should not be the amount of money spend in treatment, in drugs, in innovating new treatments, training staff or proving comfortable atmosphere to the ir patients but the amount of life’s save.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Analysis: “Hills Like White Elephants”
Ernest Hemingway revolves around a conversation between a girl and an American man. The story Is written In simple sentences and when one reads the story one does not really notice the subtleties present. Hemingway iceberg theory is relevant to this story because though the story seems to be simply about a man and a woman having a causal conversation there are undertones of more serious and pressing issues. It is set at a train station in between Barcelona and Madrid.Hemingway does this on purpose in order to highlight the fact that the relationship between the American and the girl is at crossroads. Throughout the passage there is no explicit sign of conflict however there Is a slight undercurrent of uncertainty and tension. The entire passage Is written in third person, it is objective and just states the facts of the conversation without really giving the reader any background information about the situation or the characters. This is probably been done to maintain a sense of myst ery.The title of the passage is also significant s White elephants' are symbolic of something that is unwanted and as the whole conversation between the American and woman revolves around whether to do an ‘operation' or not to get rid of something that Is supposedly an unborn baby, making the operation an abortion, this symbol is extremely important. The first paragraph of the passage is dedicated to describing the setting. It starts with a description of the hills as ‘long and white' and how there was ‘no shade on this side'.It then goes on to describe the other side across the rail tracks as a Warm shadow of the building and beaded curtain to keep the files out'. By describing the two sides the author creates two contrasting Images, one where there Is shade and another where there Is Just the hot sun. It also mentioned that the American and the girl sit In the shade. This can be said to be symbolic of conflict in the story. The shady area is the easier option, wh ich is going ahead with the abortion while the other side, which is hot, and without shade is the harder choice to keep the unborn baby.The setting is also symbolic as they are physically at a Junction point between Barcelona and Madrid however they re also mentally at a Junction as they are not sure what to do with the baby. The first line that the girl utters; What shall we drink' speaks volumes about her character and relationship with the American she Is with. It Is the start of her uncertainty, helplessness and dependence on the American. This is also conveyed when she says ‘lets drink beer' and then the American goes on to translate it into Spanish.It shows how dependent she is on the man to survive, not only linguistically in this particular setting but also otherwise. Her Indecision of whether to have a new drink with water r not, also conveys the Indecision she faces deeper Issue of whether or not to have an abortion. Also though she Is pregnant she Is consuming alcoh ol, which Is bad for her unborn child indicating that finally she might just agree with the American and go for the abortion. Her preoccupied nature ‘looking off at the line of hills' indicates that something is bothering her though what is not explicitly stated.It should be noted that though she was very eager to drink something when she arrived she is so preoccupied that she does not notice that the drinks have arrived. Also the contrast between the White hills' and the ‘brown, dry countryside portrays the purity of the girl who are at fault. Also the fact that the girl refers to the White hills' as White elephants' shows how unwanted the unborn born child is though the he or she has done nothing wrong. The man who is also the antagonist in the passage is portrayed as the more dominant character and behaves according to Hemingway rigid conception of reality.Hemingway chooses to name the two characters using different categories of pronouns; while he refers to the femal e protagonist simply as the girl†, the man is referred to as â€Å"the American†– hinting at the modernist trends in society prevalent at the time. He represents the freedom and liberation of relationships that were no longer based on romance but on convenience and a mutually acknowledged need for companionship. Throughout the passage the man seems more self-assured and confident than the girl, who looks to him for guidance in terms of mundane tasks as well as defers to his Judgment upon whether she should undergo the abortion.He also remains disconnected, though the girl and the American seem to be in a relationship there is no tangible evidence of love or real feelings, their relationship comes across as superficial and fake having a disagreement over the slightest thing such as whether he has seen White elephants' or not. Through out the passage he acts like he understands her situation and tries to persuade her by using phrases such as ‘perfectly natur al' and ‘perfectly simple' and uses insensitive epiphysis such as letting the air in†that clearly show his insensitivity, lack of understanding and comprehension of the emotional aspects of her situation.Throughout the conversation he tries to coax and convince her to undergo the operation Justifying his stance by reasoning that it would mean a resumption of their carefree travels, never realizing that that is precisely what she is weary of. He is blind to her increasingly apparent desire to settle down; while she considers the birth of her child and the commitment it would entail as a path to be considered (â€Å"Doesn't it mean anything to you? We could get along. â€Å"), the idea never crosses his mind since he cannot envisage forsaking his unattached lifestyle for any degree of responsibility, least of all to raise a child.Hemingway also uses diction and dialogue in order to enhance the readers understanding of the two main characters in the passage and the story . Throughout the girl uses words such as ‘could' and ‘l don't know whereas the man is more confident and sure of himself. He is the girl's pillar of support as she depends on him completely. However later on in the story she does change as she gains the confidence to question the American and reconsider whether or not she wants to have an abortion Thus to conclude Hemingway has used various literary devices and narrative techniques in order to rotary subtle conflicts in the passage.He has successfully used the setting and the actions of the characters to portray the conflict instead of blatantly stating them, thus making it more effective. He also uses two drastically different characters that have a loveless relationship as opposed to the usual romantic one. Also structure of the passage contributes to the effect that it has on the reader as Hemingway first starts with describing the setting and then going on to the characters themselves thus emphasizing the importance of the setting. E passage there is no explicit sign of conflict however there is a slight undercurrent of uncertainty and tension. The entire passage is written in third person, it is objective and Just states the facts of the conversation without really giving the reader ‘operation' or not to get rid of something that is supposedly an unborn baby, making a beaded curtain to keep the flies out'. By describing the two sides the author creates two contrasting images, one where there is shade and another where there is Just the hot sun, it also mentioned that the American and the girl sit in the shade.This first line that the girl utters; What shall we drink speaks volumes about her character and relationship with the American she is with. It is the start of her uncertainty, setting but also otherwise. Her indecision of whether to have a new drink with water or not, also conveys the indecision she faces deeper issue of whether or not to have an abortion. Also though she is pregna nt she is consuming alcohol, which is bad for her unborn child indicating that finally she might Just agree with the American and unborn child while the brown dry countryside is symbolic of the American and the
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