Smith's Accounting and Tax Service-Can Amanda Turn Her New Business Assignment

Smith's Accounting and Tax Service-Can Amanda Turn Her New Business Around - Assignment Example Factors like ethics, global competitiveness and environment are the factors that are seen to influence how the mangers perform the four functions. Planning Planning is the process of identifying the organizational goals for future performances and then decides on the task and the resources required accomplishing these goals. In simple terms planning says the manger regarding what the organization wants to achieve in future and how they can achieve that. Planning also specifies when and how the task should be performed. Managers are seen to exactly outline what to achieve and how to achieve. By this the managers are not only concern with the success of the organization in achieving long term goals but also short term goals as well (Agarwal, 2008). In this case Amanda has committed the mistake of not planning how she will be running the business. She even failed to plan how she would run the business if it is undergoing through crisis. Lisa was recruited not on the basis of her experie nce or qualification; she was recruited simply because of her acquaintances with Amanda. This shows that Amanda was totally unprepared for the business; otherwise she would have followed proper recruitment processes. Amanda developed the mission and vision of her company after the business has been already started. The target market was even chosen by Amanda after starting the business. Both the things need to be done prior to starting the business. Moreover she even did not plan any thing for the slack period that her business will be facing. When the slack period commenced, she started wondering about she will be paying her employees and eventually end up into losing them. Moreover she was taking... The four management functions are very important for the managers to follow in order to make the organization achieve its goals. If any of the four functions are not implemented by the manager then it creates a huge negative impact on the performance of the business. In this case, though Amanda has huge experience in auditing and taxation but was incapable of implementing the four function of management. She tried to do a lot of things and even done some of them but all at a wrong time. †¢ She should now first plan how she would be running the business, where she needs to also focus on some provision in case if the business fails to achieve its expected results. Recruit a human resource manager and an operational manager who will be looking the recruitment and day to day operations respectively. Amanda should engage herself more proactively regarding monitoring the performance and assessing them so that feedbacks related to necessary correction can be provided. Proper flow of in formation regarding the goals of the organization should be ensured.

Internet Cafes Essay Example for Free

Internet Cafes Essay WITHIN a few months China will overtake America as the country with the worlds largest number of internet users. Even when you factor in (include s/t as a relevant element when making a decision) Chinas size and its astonishing rate of GDP growth, this will be a remarkable achievement for what remains a poor economy. For the past three years China has also been the worlds largest exporter of information and communications technology (ICT). It already has the same number of mobile-phone users (500m) as the whole of Europe. China is by no means the only emerging economy in which new technology is being eagerly embraced. In frenetic (fast and energetic) Mumbai, everyone seems to be jabbering (talk rapidly and excitedly) non-stop on their mobile phones: according to Indias telecoms regulator, half of all urban dwellers have mobile- or fixed-telephone subscriptions and the number is growing by 8m a month. The India of internet cafà ©s and internet tycoons produces more engineering graduates than America, makes software for racing cars and jet engines and is one of the top four pharmaceutical producers in the world. In a different manifestation of technological progress, the countrys largest private enterprise, Tata, recently unveiled the â€Å"one lakh car†; priced at the equivalent of $2,500, it is the worlds cheapest. Meanwhile, in Africa, people who live in mud huts use mobile phones to pay bills or to check fish prices and find the best market for their catch. Yet this picture of emerging-market technarcadia (ideal techno paradise) is belied (fail to give a true notion) by parallel accounts of misery and incompetence. Last year ants ate the hard drive of a photographer in Thailand. Last week internet usage from Cairo to Kolkata was disrupted after something—probably an earthquake—sliced through two undersea cables. Personal computers have spread slowly in most emerging economies: three-quarters of low-income countries have fewer than 15 PCs per 1,000 people—and many of those computers are gathering dust (1). And the feting (celebration) of prominent technology projects in emerging economies is sometimes premature. Nicholas Negroponte, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has long been championing a $100 laptop computer, presented with most fanfare at the World Economic Forum in Davos two years ago. The laptop was supposed to sweep through poor countries, scattering knowledge and connectivity all around (2). But the project is behind schedule, the computer does not work properly and one prominent backer, Intel, a  chipmaker, has pulled out. So how well are emerging economies using new technology, really? Hitherto, judgments have had to be based largely on anecdotes. Now the World Bank has supplemented the snapshot evidence with more comprehensive measures.

How does temperature affect the rate of reaction between sodium :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

How does temperature affect the rate of reaction between sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid? Aim: The aim of this experiment is to find out how the temperature affects the rate of reaction between sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid. Prediction: I predict that the higher the temperature of the solution the faster the reaction will take place because the particles will collide more when the temperature rises. Plan Apparatus: Measuring cylinders Tripod Bunsen burner Heat proof mat Gauze mat Thermometer Conical flask Water (30ml) Hydrochloric acid (5ml) Sodium thiosulphate (20ml) Piece of paper with X on it By lianne milbanke Pliminary results: I decided to do some preliminary work because then I could see what amount of Sodium thiosulphate, Hydrochloric acid and Water I needed for the reaction, I tried it 5 times before I found one that was not too fast and not too slow. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Sodium thiosulphate Hydrochloric Water (ml) Time (sec) (ml) acid (ml) 50 5 0 36 40 5 10 51 30 5 20 70 20 5 30 133 10 5 40 395

Macbeth A Character Analysis O :: essays research papers

A Character Analysis of Lady Macbeth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “What’s done cannot be undone'; This is what Lady Macbeth said to her husband when he returned from murdering King Duncan. The statement is subtle and explains her way of thinking. Although Lady Macbeth is not completely evil-minded, she does play a big part as the antagonist in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is a cold, heartless, and deceitful character. What did she get for being evil?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare did not supply us with much solid information about Lady Macbeth’s outward appearance. Context clues are all that can be used to assume what she looks like. Examples of context clues are her manner of speaking, actions, and the surrounding characters’ actions. Lady Macbeth often spoke hastily and interrupted. She is a cold, two-faced woman who resorts to going through extremes to get her way. Lady Macbeth also assisted Macbeth in the murder of King Duncan by giving him the idea of killing the King. In scene 1-5 Macbeth addressed his lady as his “dearest partner of greatness';. He might have meant that he sees her as his equal in authority. Most people see people in power and authority as being solid characters. Lady Macbeth might have been a solidly built woman, perhaps brunette, and elegantly dressed, for her husband was of importance and they probably were higher in the social ladder. Through her actions and words, Lady Macbeth’s personality can be summed up in one word: deceitful. She would have done anything to get her way and made sure to do so. In act 1-7 she stated that she easily would have killed her own baby if she promised to do so. She is not trustworthy of anyone but her husband, if that. If it weren’t for her, many murders would not have taken place. She was the driving force is Macbeth’s reasoning and his added to his downfall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Knowing now her personality traits and assumed physical traits, it’s clear how they fit together. Although she hid it well, any suspecting character could have very well seen the ice in her eyes. Lady Macbeth did not radiate kindness from her appearance because that was not what she felt inside. Her amoral motives showed in her body language, for a truly innocent being would be graceful and could never harm another with such ease.

Men Are Superior to Women Essay

Men are Superior to Women for the Appellation of ChineseThe cultures in china, Men are stereotyped as a muscular, tough, and strong figure. Until now, the positions of men are still the same. In the traditional Chinese point of view, they deem that men are better. I don’t deny this opinion because I am a man. As a result, my assumptions for the man culture in china in the following aspects, parental training, education and social expectations. First of all, in my country, parents or grandparents used to treat sons better than daughters. According to my culture, â€Å"men should take care of the outside (means earn money), and women should take care of the business inside (means domestic). † My assumption is in the poor area, when a lady is young; she is not got the best from her parent. They used physical punishments when she was misbehaved; she can not allowed to sleep on the bed or couch, instead, she had to sleep on the ground; while she can not allowed to receive education. Besides parental training, education is another area that I think being a man is better in china. My assumption is there are more choices for men in either high school or college most of the time. It is because in china, the educational system in high schools is divided to two major which is art and science. There are no such requirements that woman couldn’t take the science streams. As well as the education and parental training, there are conscious different in social expectations between males and females in china. It is always true that there are more social expectations of males than females. My assumption is â€Å"A male without a job is seen as somebody who is simply not fulfilling his or her major social role, whereas a woman without a job is more acceptable. † The responsibilities for men are taking care of their soul mate and their family. After leaving school, men just work. All the entire life is about work. However, there are no such things for woman. No one will blame a woman who does not have a job. Even so, once I born as a male, I deserve the challenge. Is it become a men are easier than women? There is no certain answer for this question. I strongly believe that men cultures make their life easier in the following aspects, parental training, education and social expectations. As a result, my assumptions for the men culture in china in the following aspects, parental training, education and social expectations. I am proud of being a man and I know my assumption is negative for the women. Indeed, I do not deny that most of the Asian’ nations limit the female’s opportunities. Thus, encouragement needs to be given to girls to help them get past the societies limits on girls. Today, woman power going up and a lot of people talk about men and woman should be more equal. My positive assumption for the future is Chinese culture will start change due to china opens the door to accept new thing form the west. It should be good for women and I hope women’s life will be better. Now they start trust that men and women are equal in importance, either one side has a heavier proportion.

The Tempest and The Explorers essays

The Tempest and The Explorers essays You taught me language , and my profit ont Is, I know how to curse.The red plague rid you for learning me your language! Caliban. The two texts The Tempest and The Explorers are shown to be both highly influenced by the time period in which they were composed.The targeted audience also played a significant role in the formation,language and ideas conveyed within the texts. The most notable influence and theme throughout the tempest would have to be Montaignes essay On Cannibals in which he continually asserts that what is natural is synomous with what is good, and that nature herself ought to be the light which human action is guided. Shakespeare incorporates this theory in the character of Caliban, the mere name Caliban mirrors the word Cannibal. Both Montaigne and Shakespeare explore the relationship between nature and modern civilisation. Montaignes idealisation of cannibals contrasts sharply with Shakespeares portrayal of the brutish Caliban. Shakespeares cannibal (Caliban) appears to be as pathetic,crass and vulgar as any individual can possibly be portrayed Calibans first speech emphasises the conflict that arises from his lack of gratitude towards his master. Prospero, having drawn Caliban away from his savagery and towards modernity, believes that Caliban owes him a debt of gratitude. Caliban essentially feels betrayed and this is evident in the tone and language used to address Prospero in his first speech: This Islands mine by Sycorax my mother,which thou takst from me. When thou camst first, Thou strokst me and made much of me...... .......and then I loved thee........... For I am all the subjects that you have,Which first was mine own king, and here you sty me in th...

Health Care Reform and Incentive for Physician Practice

Health Care Reform and Incentive for Physician Practice In recent years the integration of insurance companies and health service delivery organizations has led to radical change in the health care market. The attempt by these organizations to lower costs of health care by redistributing risk throughout the demand of the market has led to considerable changes for the suppliers in this markets, the physicians. To understand the dynamics of this affect on physicians, we must, first, understand the specifics of exactly what types of reform have taken place. The emergence of Health Maintenance Organizations, HMOs, has led to a major part of the reform in the health care market. These organizations serve to provide patients(health care consumers) with health care insurance and the service of medical care. In these types of organizations physicians are considered employees of the HMO, and are paid by a borne plan. This is to say that for each patient cared for, a physician receives a fixed quantity of money. This is dramatically different from the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) plan where physicians receive payment based on the amount and difficulty of work performed on a given patient(Folland, 93.). From these statements about managed care and traditional health care, we can see the bodywork for a disincentive for a physician to supply labor under an HMO type situation. Thro! ugh an expectation of a salary decrease, a quota to treat more patients in the same amount of time used in traditional care, and an increased possibility of legal suits correlated to the way in which health care is administered in a managed care model, we can see a major disincentive for upcoming physicians to work. The changing of a price model in modern health care has considerably lowered expected earnings of practicing physicians. Those physicians that participate in HMOs receive a flat rate on each patient treated. This is to ...

How To Computerize Your Accounts Essays - Information Systems

How To Computerize Your Accounts Essays - Information Systems How To Computerize Your Accounts Mark Demayo OUTLINE THESIS: I will explain the steps that need to be taken to computerize business accounts. The steps are planning and informed selecting of hardware, software, and training. I. Making the decision to computerize II. Choosing the correct tools A. Software B. Hardware C. New and old technology III. Installation and training In the normal course of a day our lives are affected by the technology of computers in ways we can only begin to imagine. The word ubiquitous means ever-present or occurring everywhere. This term could be used to describe the use of the computer in the business(Perry 11). The business worlds benefit alone is enough to make your head spin. Every time you go to the grocery store, the bank, the local ATM, or even the neighborhood gym you cannot help but benefit by the use of computers in modern society. The common civilians encounter with computers is not the only area where technology has changed our lives. Many fields in business such as accounting depend on the convenience, speed, accuracy, and reliability that computers have become known for. But not all companies are large enough to benefit from the use of computers. First a company must research the impact a computer will have on keeping track of its accounts. Then they must choose the correct hardware and software to best suit th eir particular needs, while at the same time making themselves familiar with the new enhancements that increase productivity. Finally, the company must allow time for installation and training. When evaluating the need to convert from a manual accounting system to a computerized accounting system you also need to forecast the future demands of your company. After all to survive in the business world you must anticipate the future and not react to the past. How do you know when it is time to make the critical transition? It is when management finds itself unable to keep track of its business. Which products are profitable? Which are not? Which customers pay on time ? Which are delinquent? Having easy access to this data is essential to running a healthy and competitive business(Stevens 106). When your company has grown so large that management no longer has access to the data used to make informed decisions, then it is probably time to switch to a computerized data management system. These computerized data management systems are often called information systems. The company now has two choices. It can either hire a professional consulting firm to help select and install the computer system, or venture out on its own to make these important decisions. Adequate planning is the most important step in assuring the successful use of computer technology (Perry 23). Most companies would be better off seeking the aid of a consulting firm. They are better informed on the different types of hardware and software that would best suit your computing needs. An outside firm is a better choice because they are less likely to make a costly mistake when choosing the new system. Another benefit to using a consulting firm would be their help in setting-up the procedures for using the new computer system and the necessary training to implement those procedures. Once you have decided that your company can benefit from computer enhancements it is then a matter of choosing which software and hardware at would be most useful. Software is just another name for the programming that computers run on. It is the language that tells computers what to do. When choosing accounting software it is important to, make sure to select the right number and combination of software modules to meet your companys accounting needs. Most software packages include modules for accounts receivable, accounts payable, general ledger, inventory and payroll (Stevens 108). The objective is to come up with an integrated system by selecting the modules important to your company. Here is an example of an integrated accounting system. Say you send a bill to customer. With manual systems you would have to post it three times: to the sales journal, to a customer receivable account and to the general ledger. But with an integrated computer system you can make one entry and the da ta will be posted automatically to all

The Voice of the People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Voice of the People - Essay Example Burr gets involved with the girl next door, Eugenia. Burr and Eugenia were involved in a love situation but as life went on, the girl came to realize that the love will never go yield anything as they come from different class. Burr got involved in politics as he grew up. In politics, Burr was honest and dynamic. Due to this, Burr became the governor of Virginia. Despite the enmity in politics, Burr was loved by the people who voted for him. His childhood girlfriend had left him as she ran away and married another person. After a while, she realizes that she made a mistake with her marriage as it was built out of no love. She regrets having the marriage as she loosed a man with integrity. The story goes on and talks of Burrs’ death as he was liked. It was a mob that killed him as he was intervening them to stop the mob from lynching a black man. The author brings out the two themes of the Southern society, clearly as being the role of class and race (Glasgow,

Homosexual and Heterosexual Marriages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homosexual and Heterosexual Marriages - Essay Example Tripp (1981) declares that homo and heterosexual marriages are comparable because both are set up on a vow to understand each other, to provide with strong support and love and also to fulfill sexual needs and desires of each other. Tripp explains an optimal space between partners and explains that to promote sexual attraction there's a need to have some differences and some intimacy, a massive amount of either of these is awful for a healthy relationship. Male and female genetic and emotional dissimilarity set up a distance for attraction, where men and women are made complementary from beginning. "Each sex becomes systematically incompetent regarding tasks and abilities ascribed to the opposite sex" (Tripp, 1981, p. 68). McWhirter and Mattison (1984) declare that in homosexual marriages, one of the partners demonstrate inability in some of the tasks which the other partner enjoys to carry out. Studies reveal that traditional marriages bring much happiness and more likely to bring less misery for the partners. Traditional marriages provide an extra 8 years of life to the partners. They live a healthy and secure life from long-term sicknesses.

How to Be a Successful Investor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How to Be a Successful Investor - Essay Example Market efficiency Eugene Fama in 1970 developed the concept of market efficiency on the basis of EMH (efficient market hypothesis). He suggested that at any given time the prices of stocks are purely dependent on the information present in the stock market regarding stock or overall market (Moyer, McGuigan & Kretlow 2008). He also concluded that no one can efficiently predict the exact future return on any stock because no one has access to the information which is not easily be predicted or available to everyone else (Damodaran 2002). Fama divided efficiency of a market into three levels: Strong-form efficiency Shows that stock price truly reflects all the information available, whether it is public or private. Investors did not get any additional value because it is quite impossible to predict the prices. Even the availability of insider information does not benefit the investor in any way (Moyer, McGuigan & Kretlow 2008). Semi-strong efficiency Movement of asset prices truly refle cts the availability of public information; therefore investor having insider information gets the investing advantage. The investor does not get any stock advantage through any fundamental or technical analysis. Weak form efficiency   Type of efficiency which states that today’s Prices of assets and securities shows the reflection of past prices. Therefore, technical analysis is useless to predict the prices in order to beat the market (Chandra 2008). Efficient market hypothesis (EMH) is also called as Random Walk Theory (Hebner 2006). This theory suggests that the movement or fluctuation of the stock price is a true proposition of all the related information regarding the value of the company that is available in the market. According to this theory, nobody earns profit more than the overall return of the market. In other words, it can be said that depending on the available information everyone earns the same level of return on the investment of stock. There are some cri tics of this theory that are related to fundamental and electrifying issues of finance. For example, why the price of stock change frequently and what are the factors that cause this change. All the stock related information has very important value for both investors as well as financial managers (Cai 2009). The concept of â€Å"Efficient market â€Å"was first developed by Eugene Fama in 1965 and he said that â€Å"in an efficient market, on the average, competition will cause the full effects of new information on intrinsic values to be reflected "instantaneously" in actual prices.† (Arffa 2001) The primary target of all the investors and finance managers is to invest in the stock that outperforms the market and provide more return as compared to other stocks. Similarly, most of the investor selects the securities that are undervalued having expectations that their price will beat the market, and in the end, they get their desired return. All these decisions are based on different valuation techniques of stocks, future expectation and predictions depending on the available information. Effective use of the valuation techniques and prediction enables the investor to get more return on the investment made.

Principles of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Marketing - Essay Example The formulation of a long term marketing plan ensures that the resort remains a popular tourist destination and highly competitive. In 2007, Alton Towers joined Merlin Entertainment Group which is the second largest and the most dynamic tourist attraction (Fyall et al., 2008). Merlin manages tourist attractions, hotels and holiday villages in different parts of the world. The growth strategy involves the continuous investment in all the attractions to improve quality of the customer service and experience. The company also aims to develop the theme parks into short break resort destinations with the inclusion of accommodation options and more quality entertainment along the Alton Tower model. Alton Towers is the ninth most visited theme park in Europe and the most popular park in the UK. The park attracts approximately 2.7 million visitors annually (Alton Towers, 2010). The resort has developed a 10 year plan to remain a favorite tourist destination and to ensure its competitiveness. Upon finalization, the plan should be handed over to the Council to notify them about the review process for the production of a n ew (SPD) Supplementary Planning Document for Alton Towers. Alton Towers should consider its environment before choosing the marketing principles to apply. The internal environment is composed of the staff, office technology and the departments in the organizations. The micro environment is composed of the customers, distributors and suppliers while the macro environments is composed of the Political (Legal) forces, Economic, Socio-cultural and Technological forces which are popularly referred to as PEST (Hooley et al., 2004). These factors play an essential role in the creation of a marketing strategy. The success of an organization goes beyond the PEST analysis since it should consider the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which are referred to as the SWOT analysis. The resort has positioned itself

Innovation of Emirates 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Innovation of Emirates 2 - Essay Example Appraisal of the Organization The Emirates Airlines has had a profitable run for a while now, and this calls for an in depth look at the company. This will involve looking at the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities that the company has and the threats that the company has to its profitability. Strengths of the Airline As seen above, the company has managed to be profitable within the economic downturn that has faced many of her competitors. This certainly points to the strength that this company has to its advantage. One strong point of this company is the level of stability in terms of management that the company has. In light with this, the company is able to transact with its clients who have a high level of trust that the company will deliver when it promises to do so. Another upside to the state ownership is the fact the company has a secure source of funding for its existent or future plans. Unlike most other airlines that compete with the Emirates Airlines, t he issue of funding does not bring in as much headache as it does to a lot of her competitors. This is because the state is in complete control of the airline and has a much wider purse with which it can fund the airline’s operations. This, to a large extent explains why the company has been able to remain successful in the long run. The airline is also committed to the use of technology in improving its services. The company has embraced the use of online booking of its tickets as a way of easing congestion as well as improving the overall customer experience. The company has adopted the use of Verified by Visa (VbV) technology (Pan and Polishuk 2004). This is a move that has been calculated to ensure that the airline has a safer mode of transaction with its clients. Aside from that, this technology is also poised to place the airline on a leadership vantage point in relation to its competitors. In addition, this has the advantage of mounting the trust that the clients place on the airline securing their return services. The airline has also strength in terms of the services that it offers to its travellers. The premium customers will get a limousine ride from their homes or office to the airport (Shaw 2011). This action, which is part, of the company’s product differentiation strategy, is calculated to encourage more clients to explore the premium package. This is further accentuated by the services that the clients will get once they arrive at the airport. These services include a kerbside check-in facility to eliminate the hustle of carrying heavy language into the terminal and further a luxurious lounge and ease for the passenger during checking-in (Shaw 2011). This, obviously remove many of the hustles that go with travelling. Therefore, this has had the effect of ensuring that customer loyalty is upheld as well as customer comfort throughout their travel. Weaknesses of the Airline The airline has a number of issues that limit its performan ce. Some of these issues have a lot to do with the ownership and by extension the management of the airline. Accordingly, the government, having full ownership of the airline highly controls the running of the airline’s operations. The government’s say in the running of the airline is a hindrance in many times (Betz 2010). Though the government having a say in the airline is not such a bad thing in the ultimate outlook, it may constitute interference when it decides to overhaul a decision that the airlines’

Principles of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Marketing - Essay Example The formulation of a long term marketing plan ensures that the resort remains a popular tourist destination and highly competitive. In 2007, Alton Towers joined Merlin Entertainment Group which is the second largest and the most dynamic tourist attraction (Fyall et al., 2008). Merlin manages tourist attractions, hotels and holiday villages in different parts of the world. The growth strategy involves the continuous investment in all the attractions to improve quality of the customer service and experience. The company also aims to develop the theme parks into short break resort destinations with the inclusion of accommodation options and more quality entertainment along the Alton Tower model. Alton Towers is the ninth most visited theme park in Europe and the most popular park in the UK. The park attracts approximately 2.7 million visitors annually (Alton Towers, 2010). The resort has developed a 10 year plan to remain a favorite tourist destination and to ensure its competitiveness. Upon finalization, the plan should be handed over to the Council to notify them about the review process for the production of a n ew (SPD) Supplementary Planning Document for Alton Towers. Alton Towers should consider its environment before choosing the marketing principles to apply. The internal environment is composed of the staff, office technology and the departments in the organizations. The micro environment is composed of the customers, distributors and suppliers while the macro environments is composed of the Political (Legal) forces, Economic, Socio-cultural and Technological forces which are popularly referred to as PEST (Hooley et al., 2004). These factors play an essential role in the creation of a marketing strategy. The success of an organization goes beyond the PEST analysis since it should consider the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which are referred to as the SWOT analysis. The resort has positioned itself

Competitor Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Competitor Analysis - Research Paper Example The company has further sought to streamline the electronic payment process as a way of boosting consumer confidence on the purchasing processes offered by the company. eBay has further introduced an application that allows consumers to order goods from vendors online and have these goods delivered to them in about 1 hour. This application promises to increase online sales as it intends to make shopping an entertaining affair. Indeed, the main idea behind the introduction of this application was to make shopping a form of entertainment thereby attracting more potential customers (Jeff, 2013). One of the key features of eBay’s future is the digital wallet. Digital wallet refers to a form of payment where a consumer gets to pay through their phone. Amazon, on the other hand, relies mostly on ‘showrooming’ as a way of interacting with its consumers. Showrooming allows consumers to check products in a store with a view to purchasing them online from a different vendor. This approach to online shopping has made Amazon the default online shopping destination for most consumers. One of the benefits that come with this approach is that it allows consumers to make a guided decision before they can purchase goods. Amazon, just like eBay, can be blamed for trying to drive retailers out of business. The two companies use drones to deliver purchases and in the process eliminates retailers from the chain of distribution. Over the last few years, physical retailers have lived under threat from these two companies. Unlike eBay, Amazon provides a bar-code scanner in most of its mobile applications that enable consumers to compare prices while doing shopping online (Bob, 2013). Upon choosing the goods they would like to buy, consumers have the privilege of having these goods shipped to them. The shipping process used by Amazon is similar to the one

Fast Food in the Cafeteria Essay Example for Free

Fast Food in the Cafeteria Essay Many people think that fast food is bad for our health and that it shouldn’t be allowed in school. More healthful options should be promoted but what’s the use of healthy food in school if the kids don’t want to eat it? Nobody least of all adults LIKE eating healthy if given a choice everyone always goes for the fast food. When we eat lunch at school we get the bad end of the stick. they feed us cardboard pizza, meat that isn’t even meat and has been washed in ammonia to kill bacteria, we get fries that aren’t fries, slimy ravioli, and lunch that generally looks unappetizing and tastes little better than that. the dilemma is should schools offer fast food such as KFC, Taco Bell or McDonalds? I say yes. Based on 2009 US Industry report, there were 303,989 fast food locations in the US alone. â€Å"Fast food was the main food source for up to 38% of children† stated researcher Shanthy Bowman, PhD, with the U. S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland. She also demonstrated that when kids eat fast food, they eat more food all day long and over one year time period, a child can pack on 6 extra pounds because of high fast food eating. The result of overeating is a nation that is becoming obese and overweight. The result of obesity? More illness and soaring healthcare problems. When we say fast food, we are thinking junk food yum (insert drool here). Fast food has become one and the same from hamburgers to pizzas, to French fries, hot dogs and more. Fast food has high calories, fats, saturated fats, sugar and salt content. The fats, sugar, and salt in fast food draw us kids like a magnet and because fast food doesnt contain much fiber we dont feel full afterward so we tend to eat more later on. Compared with kids didnt eat fast food, fast food eaters ate an average of 187 more calories a day. At that rate, â€Å"the child would gain 6 extra pounds each year, if they didnt get enough exercise to burn it off†, wrote PhD Bowman. At the same time, fast food causes a number of health problems in children. The excess of sugar in fast food and sodas lead to diabetes in children; their bodies failing to produce the insulin that controls the sugar levels and metabolism. Fats and saturated fats lead to high levels of cholesterol in the blood, Cholesterol leads to various heart problems, These heart problems increase the risk of major heart diseases such as Coronary Heart Disease. Also the lack of vitamins can make the children become anemic, lethargic and get tired very easily. Deficiency in calcium makes their teeth, nails and bones weak. Many times the added preservatives and coloring agents used in fast food can cause cancer in children. The most common and the core cause of all the diseases in children, is obesity due to fast food. Obese children spend little time doing physical activities or sports, and this lack of activity leads to a sedentary lifestyle, which further on leads to mental stress and other emotional disturbances. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, results from 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that 17 percent of children and teenagers ages 2-19 years are obese. That means one in 6 children is obese. Are you tired of eating nasty, dried, greasy, overcooked, overpriced cafeteria food? I know I am. Its time to make a change. It would be a good idea for a fast food chain to consider opening their newest location in schools because doing so would help students and increase money for the school. â€Å"As they try to keep pace with student taste, lunchrooms across the country have given up meatloaf and mashed potatoes for brand-name fast-food items. † (source B) Bringing in a fast food restaurant as a matter of fact would be good because it would help students. Students would stop skipping lunch a start eating in the cafeteria, Eating lunch is better than not eating. Studies show how test scores improve when students eat. When students like lunch, they’ll eat it! They won’t be tempted to throw it out or give it to another student. In addition to helping students, a fast food restaurant in the cafeteria would benefit the school because first of all, the restaurant would give a percentage of its profits to the school and secondly the restaurant might even participate in the Adopt-a-School program. With more students buying lunch, profits would increase, and if other students hear that that school has fast food in the cafeteria they might be attracted to the school because of the restaurant, increasing profits even more. All this extra money could be used for supplies, computers, or books, all of which would make our educational experience at school much better than it is now. Helping students and schools is something that everyone enjoys doing. Putting a fast food restaurant in place of cafeteria food would do both. Hopefully if we got this restaurant no one would ever think of the food as being nasty, greasy, overcooked or overpriced, everyone would be happy. Cafeterias are a vital part of a students high school career. It is a place of social interactions and various degrees of shenanigans, whether it is over breakfast, lunch, or walking to classes with friends. Cafeterias are not just for keeping societys niches alive, however, as school cafeterias are also used to provide a form of food for the general student body. Cafeteria food has been a theme of debate for years and will remain to be so for years to come. From the bagged-lunch versus the school-prepared dilemma, to the question of what exactly is in the meat-like substances cafeteria food has an air of mystery and intrigue. While there are admittedly many reasons not to consume the cafeteria food, it has a few redeeming qualities about it. Food provided through the public education system can sometimes have a less-than-savory flavoring when first chewed over, but soon becomes edible when the taste is acquired. Cafeteria food may be tasteless and inedible at times, but remember: what doesnt kill you, makes you stronger. After four years of consuming the bland entrees, students graduate high school with brand-new taste buds and an aversion to all things flavorful and delicious. If variety is the spice of life, cafeteria food is as spicy as a Flamenco dancer. One never knows what he or she will receive on Wednesdays- pizza, hotdogs, or a creative combination of the two. Not only is the student unsure of exactly where the chicken patties come from, or what they are really made of, but the school lunches provide an array of fruit and salad. Most students have no choice in what they eat for lunch they eat it because they are hungry and have no other option. fast food in the cafeteria though would change that. Students could eat what they liked and even if they paid for it the funds would go to the school and the school could use that money to buy things for the students that would enhance our learning experience. every student would go to lunch and actually eat the food even if they had to pay for it because it’s something they like to eat, not tasteless junk. So overall putting fast food in the cafeteria is a good thing but also a bad thing. It’s a debate that would probably go on forever but nobody would win. decide whether to put it in the cafeteria or not. either way it makes no difference except to our taste buds. BIBLIOGRAPHY Nicole Harms ehow contributor â€Å"obesity coronary heart disease† Monycutza007 â€Å"Children Adn Fast Food† 11/27/10 http://www. cyberessays. com/Term-Paper-on-Children-Adn-Fast-Food-23508/ Amy Kalafa August 22nd, 2011 â€Å"Whats in Your Childs School Lunch? † â€Å"The unsavory nutrition facts on cafeteria food† google. com fast food in the cafeteria.

Benefits of Employer Sponsor Childcare

Benefits of Employer Sponsor Childcare Purpose In this paper, I will explore whether employer-sponsored childcare has any effect on attracting and retaining employees in order to make recommendations to organizations that provide employer- sponsored childcare benefits. Significance One of the primary goals of companies is to attract, hire, and retain the most competent employees. Employers are constantly researching for benefits that will attract employees, and produce a return on their investments. With the ever changing demographics of the workforce, employers are faced with the challenge of providing benefits that are attractive to their target demographics. Over the years, there has been an increase in single parent households, dual income households, and the number of women entering the workforce. Thirty years ago, just 34 percent of married couples with children younger than six were dual income households; today the figure is almost 60 percent (McIntyre, 2000). With the increase of women, and dual income households, there are more families in need of childcare. There has also been an increase in childcare expenses over the year, and employees are constantly searching for affordable childcare. Employers recognized the need for inexpensive childcare, and h ave found creative ways to provide opportunities for childcare that are affordable, accessible and available to employees (Oekerman, 1997). One of the benefits that employers are providing in response to this need is on-site childcare. By providing employer-sponsored childcare such as worksite daycare, employers are setting themselves apart from their competitors. An on-site childcare is one that is funded by the employer and the company usually pays for the start-up cost, initial operation losses and portions of the ongoing cost (Oekerman 1997, Miller 1984).. It is estimated that businesses lose nearly 3 billion dollars due to childcare- related absences (Harper, Densmore Motwani, 2001). Those who support on-site childcare claim that it increased the ability to attract employees, lowered absenteeism, improved employee attitudes, generated favorable publicity about the employer, and improved community relations (Miller, 1984). Miller (1984) also states that critics of on-site childcare argue that there is not enough documentation of savings available for the cost associated with starting and operating an on-site childcare center. Nevertheless, with an increase in single parent households, there is definitely a certain way to attract women and a diverse workforce. Yet, there are not many employers that have taken the initiative to include this as one of their benefits. As small business owner in the home healthcare field, I am interested in learning about the benefits of employer sponsored childcare. Some of the challenges home healthcare business are faced with are high turnover, and absenteeism. The workforce demographics for home healthcare companies are predominantly women, and I want to research if this will be an attractive benefit for home healthcare companies to offer. I am also interested in finding out the return on investment associated with employer-sponsored childcare, as well as other benefits that are not easily measured. As a single mother, I am interested in knowing the pros and cons of employer sponsored childcare, to aid my decision in future career endeavors. I hope to discover solid evidence that employer-sponsored childcare is effective in attracting and retaining qualified employees. If there is contrary evidence, I want know what the limitations are, and what further research is necessary in this subject matter. Scope This paper is going to explore whether employer-sponsored childcare has any effect on employees. I am going to be looking at companies that have successfully implemented this program, and how it has affected their bottom line. There are also those who believe that the absence of a childcare was not the leading cause of absenteeism, but the sickness of a child was more likely to lead to higher absenteeism (Miller, 1984). For the purpose for this research, I will focus on on-site childcare. I will touch briefly on sick-childcare. I will also be researching employer-sponsor childcare benefits from the employees point of view, and how it is valued by employees. I will not be discussing pre-paid care, such as employees childcare account benefits. I am focusing on childcare that employers are directly involved in the process. Terms Direct Care. Business provide on-site or nearby care centers for daily care, after-school programs, and summer camps (Oekerman, 1997). Indirect care. Companies contract with existing centers which provide care for employees children (Oekerman, 1997). Emergency care. Businesses arrange care for emergency care in a short time frame including care for sick children (Oekerman, 1997). Prepaid-care. Companies institute special accounts into which employees contribute pre-tax income to be used toward child care (Oekerman, 1997). Referral care. Employers contract with referral services that maintain up-to-date information on child care available in the area (Oekerman, 1997). On-site childcare. An on-site childcare is one that is funded by the employer at the job-site or at another location, and the employer usually pays the start-up and operational cost ( Oekerman, 1997). Worksite childcare. See Onsite Childcare. Absenteeism. Back-up care. Afterhours care. Are childcare services that are provided outside the normal business hour of nine to five PM. Near site. Chapter Two: Literature Review This chapter will review literature on the effect of employer sponsored childcare on employees. This section will begin with a brief overview of employer sponsored childcare, and then provide research on some of the problems identified by employees. Research on the effects of employer sponsored childcare on retention, recruiting, absenteeism, and productivity is presented next. Findings from studies on employers commitment are covered in this session, and the last session is about ethical consideration followed by a brief summary. Issues affecting employees in childcare Contrary to popular belief, employer on-site daycare is not a new phenomenon. Evidence has shown through research that employer-supported childcare extends at least as far back as the Civil War, when on-site childcare was offered to the women who sewed for soldiers (Miller, 1984, McIntyre, 2000). As more women entered the workforce in the 70s, the idea of on-site childcare expanded to hospitals, government, and private companies (McIntyre, 2000). As the country experienced labor shortage in the 90s, employers were compelled to offer benefits like on-site childcare to encourage nonworking women to join the workforce (Keyser Hartley, 2002, Connelley, Degraff, and Willis, 2004). In 2000, it was estimated that approximately 80 % of children six and under were spending an average of 40 hours weekly in some type of non-parental care (Marshall, 2004 as cited in Sphancer Burnett-Murphy, 2006). However, quality childcare is still a major a concern for majority of parents today (Keyser Hart ley, 2002). Childcare crisis. Childcare is listed as one of the major crisiss that businesses, government and human resources department are faced with (Zampetti, 1990, Duncan, Edwards, Reynolds Alldred, 2004). However, on-site childcare is still lagging in its growth, and it has not grown as much as anticipated (Oekerman, 1997). Nevertheless, the demand for childcare has increased significantly, with the increase of women in the workforce (Keyser Hartley, 2002). It is also projected that over 85% of the workforce in the next five years will be working parents, and there has been a significant increase in the number of single parents households in recent years (Keyser Hartley, 2002). Employees are often faced with the challenge of finding quality childcare that is also convenient (Durekas, 2009). Employers on the other hand, are faced with the challenge of developing a childcare program that will work effectively for all employees, given the diversity in todays workforce (Zampetti, 1990). A s urvey conducted in 2000 showed that only nine percent of the 1000 companies with 100 or more employees survey had on-site childcare (McIntyre 2000). While this number is significantly greater now than 20 years ago, this still lags behind the demand created by the approximately nine million families with children under six years old that are in the workforce today (McIntyre, 2000, Oekerman, 1997). Childcare-related issues can hinder an employee from working at their full potential, and has led to employers losing millions of dollars due to absenteeism, decreases in productivity, high turnover, and increased training costs (Oekerman, 1997). Some of the problems cited by parents about childcare are cost, quality, availability and flexibility (Oekerman, 1997; Keyser Hartley, 2002). Research has shown that childcare issues can cause stress, tiredness, lack of motivation and loyalty, reduced productivity, unauthorized absences and accidents (Connelley, Degraff, and Willis, 2004; Oekerman, 1997). Researchers believe that some of the problems created by childcare crisis can be eliminated or minimized by employers offering on-site childcare (Connelley, Degraff, and Willis, 2004). Supporters of on-site childcare argue that well-designed programs can positively influence parents behaviors towards work, improve the wellbeing of children, and positively influence parents attitudes toward s their job, and life as a whole (Milkovich, 1976). Cost. The number of parents experiencing childcare crisis has significantly increased over the years (Durekas, 2009). The cost for childcare is significantly high and most low income and single parents cannot afford childcare without assistance (Harper, Densmore Motwani, 1993). Parents with more than one kid are often faced with the challenge of finding childcare programs that does not cost more than the monthly income of one of the parents (Harper, Densmore Motwani, 1993). With the current state of the economy and the increasing cost of childcare, the affordability of childcare has created a struggle for many parents (Durekas, 2009). Lack of quality and affordable childcare serves as a major barrier for women returning to the workforce (Skinner Finch, 2006). Many families turn to informal childcare options, by using family members, however, while this method is cheaper or cost effective, some researchers believe that is not as reliable as a formalized childcare facility (Hughes Gary, 2005). On-site childcare is advantageous to employees; employers often offer rates that are lower than what other childcare facilities charge in the community (Harper, Densmore Motwani, 1993). Employers usually pay for the start-up and operating cost, thereby minimizing the overall cost to employees (Oekerman, 1997; Miller 1984). Quality. Parents are interested in childcare facilities that are of high quality, to ensure the proper growth and development of their children (Abraham Bowdidge, 1990, Sphacer Bennett-Murphy, 2006). Quality is a paramount concern for parents, because studies have shown that children who attend quality preschool are more likely to graduate from high school, less likely to end up in jail, and are more likely to pursue advanced education, providing employers with a more highly-qualified workforce (Durekas, 2009; Langland-Orban Malsbary, 1990). The quality of on-site childcare is viewed by employers as a driving force in attracting and retaining talented employees (Miller, 1984). Employees are attracted to such a company, because of the convenience and peace of mind that on-site childcare offers. Employees are confident that their employers will hire competent, trustworthy staff members that will deliver quality education to their little ones (Durekas, 2009). Parents are demanding hi gher quality childcare from employers, and companies that are unable to provide such options will seem less attractive to the workforce (Langland-Orban Malsbary, 1990). Some employers are responding to the demand of offering quality on-site childcare benefits to their employees, by gaining accreditation from nationally recognized institutions and boards (Oekerman, 1997). Employees are no longer satisfied with the minimum standards for childcare, employees expects employers to provide a facility that is on par with other quality programs in the area (McIntyre, 2000; Cohen, 1991). Employers also see on-site childcare as a reflection of their image, and are determined to run a facility that reflects their value (Cohen, 1991, McIntyre, 2000). Running a lower quality on-site childcare can serve as a deterrent for employees to join a company (McIntyre, 2000). Availability. As more women entered the workforce, the demand for childcare has exceeded the supply (Harper, Densmore Motwani, 1993). Parents are looking for a program that is high quality and affordable (Miller 1984; McIntyre, 2000). There is also a need for childcare arrangement that is close in proximity to the parents worksite, and a facility that provide options for those that do not work during the regular business hours (Leask, 1999). Overall, parents are concerned about the location of the childcare center, the hours of operation, and the availability of space in quality childcare centers (Durekas, 2009). The demand is even higher when it in regards to on-site childcare (Miller, 1984). There are not many companies that offer on-site childcare, there by creating a greater demand for the service (Miller, 1984). On-site childcare helps to decrease the demand by providing a childcare center that operates during the companys regular business hours, and having a facility that address the needs of their current work force (Leask, 1999). Some employers offer 24 hours facilities, in direct demand of their current workforce (McIntyre, 2000). Flexibility. With the increase in single parent households, mostly run by mothers, single mothers find on-site childcare, and emergency childcare as an important tool in assisting them to find balance in their lives (Schandl, 1992). On-site childcare centers save parents time and provide flexibility, because parents do not have to drive to separate locations during their commute to work thus saving them time (Oekerman, 1997; McIntyre, 2000). On-site childcare also provides the flexibility for parents to work longer, because parents are not in a hurry to pick-up their kids before the daycare closes (Kiger, 2005). The flexibility of parents having their kids close by benefits employers, because employees are still focused on their task at hand at the end of the work day, instead of being concerned about getting to their kids childcare on time (Zampetti, 1991). It is believed that the flexibility enhances the overall productivity of employees, because flexibility reduces the overall str ess of employees which assist employees in finding a balance in their work and personal lives (Robinson, 2005). Employers response to the childcare crisis Research has shown that as the country continues to experience an increase in single parent households, most which are headed by women, the type of benefits desired by the new workforce has changed (Zampetti, 1991). Employers are searching for ways to respond to this new demand (Elskick, 2001, Durekas, 2009). Some employers have responded by offering flexible work schedules, providing daycare vouchers, reserving spots in daycares for their employees, and pooling resources to provide appealing daycare options (Hartley Kelsey, 2002, Kiger 2005). Other companies have gone above and beyond by offering on-site childcare option. Employers who have taken the initiative to provide on-site childcare state that they are seeing results in lower absenteeism, increased in productivity, higher retention and increased employee morale as well as good corporate image (Oekerman, 1997). Others argued that on-site childcare is not the only solution to the childcare issue, and actual benefits associated with on-site childcare are difficult to quantify, and many reports that these benefits have been achieved are based upon poorly designed studies, using such data as employee opinions (Lang-land Orban Malsbary, 1990). Advantages of on-site childcare Recruiting. Researchers agreed that on-site daycare is a way of attracting qualified and more diverse workforces (Connelley, Degraff, and Willis, 2004). Quite often, companies that offer on-site childcare are on the top of the list of Best Place to Work, which make such companies attractive to jobseekers (Durekas, 2009). Publicity about a company offering on-site childcare has made companies attractive to employees, and companies are being contacted by potential employees, thus saving the company money in recruiting advertisements (Oekerman, 1997). On-site childcare has in some cases has led to companies saving money in recruiting and having a larger pool of applicants to choose from. According to Connelley, Degraff, and Willis (2004) not only can employer sponsored childcare act as a direct incentive for women to enter the labor market, but it also has the potential to attract and retain fathers of young children who seek to facilitate their wives employment or who are single parent s. Women and young families are often attracted to such companies, because it offers employees peace of mind (Schandl, 1992, Connelley, Degraff, and Willis, 2004). The idea of having their kids only a few feet away in a safe environment creates security, which is an incentive for potential employees to be drawn to a company (Schandl, 1992). A 1997 study that was conducted by researchers at Simmons College in Boston discovered that companies with on-site childcare had 42 percent of employees named childcare as the reason they had joined the company, and one out five stated they would passed up an opportunity at another company because their desires to keep their kids at the companys child care center (Kiger, 2005). Some companies believe that without on-site childcare, they wouldnt be able to compete in a tight labor market, especially when it comes to recruiting female employees in the high-tech industry (McIntyre, 2000, Schandl, 1992). These employers believe that on-site care is a significant tool for recruiting and retaining high-tech workers (McIntyre, 2000). On-site childcare gave companies a competitive advantage against their competitions, because on-site childcare is different from traditional benefits, and it is been offered by few companies (Schandl, 1992). On-site childcare also shows an employers commitment to their employees, which sends a message that the company is invested in the wellbeing of their workforce (Durekas, 2009). On-site childcare also enhances the companys image, which make the company attractive to new and diverse talents (Durekas, 2009) Retention. There are many employers who have benefited from higher retention and performance due to on-site daycare (Connelley, Degraff, and Willis, 2004). One such company is Abbott Laboratories, where employees with children in the on-site childcare center have a retention rate three times higher than the norm (Kiger, 2005). Employers are seeing an increase in retention, because of the flexibility and peace of mind that on-site childcare provides for parents (Casey Grzywacz, 2008). Knowing that their child is only few feet away in a quality facility, serves as a motivation for parents to remain with an employer (Friedman, 1986 as cited in Oekerman). Companies such as Procter Gamble has taken proactive steps by opening a 24 hour childcare facility to accommodate night shift workers that are unable to leave their kids home and Trout Blue Chelan Inc, has taken the initiative to run an on-site childcare facility outside the normal business hours (McIntyre, 2000). According to the manager at Procter Gamble, their new facility is demonstration of their commitment to their employees and has served as an incentive for employees to remain with the company. She further explained that it conveys a message that the employees are cared about, and this has in turn increased employees loyalty (Leask, 1999). Companies who offer on-site childcare are starting to see their employees rejecting offers from other companies, and employers are starting to view on-site childcare as a way to remain competitive in the future (Connelley, Degraff, and Willis, 2004, Zampetti, 1991). Productivity. Researches believe that childcare-related issues can bring about stress and concerns that affect the overall productivity of an employee (Hartley Kelsey, 2002). Studies also show that companies who offered on-site childcare are experiencing an increased in productivity (Leask 1999, Zampetti, 1991). Managements at such companies believe that on-site daycare creates an environment in which employees can focus their task at hand, alleviate those concerns that serve as a distraction, and affect productivity (Zampetti, 1991). On-site childcare has led to increase in productivity because employees can now concentrate fully on their work, because they trust that their child are been taken care of my competent staff (Leask 1999; Zampetti, 1991). An example is at SAS, where parents are allowed to visit their children during the day or join them for lunch in the cafeteria. According to the company, this has enormously increased morale and performance, and the overall productivit y of employees (Leask, 1999). Absenteeism. The National Child Care Survey reported that in 1990, 15% of all employed mothers missed work due to child care problems (Hofferth, Bayfield, Deich, Holcomb, 1991 as cited in Oekerman, 1997). Employers lose millions of dollars each year due to absenteeism caused by childcare- related issues (Hartley Kelsey, 2002). According to Durekas (2009), some large employees can lose close to a million dollar each year, because of absenteeism. Absenteeism is a major concern for employers, because it affects overall productivity, and morale on the job (Miller, 1984; Hartley Kelsey, 2002). By providing on-site childcare, employers will reap the benefits of decrease absenteeism in the company as a whole (Hartley Kelsey, 2002). Employees will take fewer unscheduled days off as a result of lack of childcare (Milkovich, 1976). Employers also believe this has led to decreases in absenteeism, tardiness, accident rates, turnovers, and employee stress (Milkovich, 1976). Several studies have suggested that employers felt absence of childcare was not necessarily a cause of absenteeism among women workers, but the sickness of a child was (Miller 1984, Milkovich, 1976). Parents are more likely to take days off to tend to the well being of a sick child (Langland-Orban Malsbary, 1990; Herman, Koppa Sullivan, 1999). Also, most childcare facilities have straight rules about sick children coming to childcare, because of fear of other children becoming infected (Herman, Koppa Sullivan, 1999; Langland-Orban Malsbary, 1990). In those cases, parents are left with no other alternative, but to stay home with their sick child. Various companies have arranged for back-up child care, and offer emergency childcare option to help address this issue. It is believed that with backup care, a far greater number of people can be covered than conventional on-site care because it is not being used daily (Kiger, 2005). Other companies have resorted to reserving spots in lo cal child-care centers for employees emergency use (Kiger 2005). Emergency childcare has led to employees taking fewer days off, due to less severe illnesses of their children (Schandl, 1992). Some employers have addressed the absenteeism problem by providing afterhours care (Cohen, 1991). One study concluded that by providing afterhours care; companies could minimize absenteeism by 20 percent and recover the cost of an on-site center in five years (Connelly, Degraff Willis, 2004). The director of Childcare at one company describe on-site childcare as a way to create good morale, bring in younger to middle-age workers that need a second income and have a more stable attendance at work (Leask, 1999). In some cases, onsite childcare has also encouraged women employees to return to work sooner after the birth of a child, because of the companys infant daycare (Aschbacher, Burud, 1989 as cited in Oekerman 1997, Leask 1999). Women are more comfortable having their infant closer to their job, then leaving than in a childcare somewhere across town (Oekerman, 1997). She explained that parents are more secured, because if there is a problem or concern, they are only a few feet away from their little ones. Others argue that employers flexibility has an even greater impact on absenteeism, compare to on-site childcare (Miller, 1984). In a study conducted by Casey and Grzywacz (2008), the result show that an increase in perceived flexibility was associated with a decrease in sickness absences and work-related impairment and improved job commitment. Employers Image Supporters of on-site childcare see on-site benefit as a significant demonstration of the companys investment in their employees, and what result their policy on childcare will have on employees, and their overall standing in the community (Hartley Keyser, 2002). Companies that offer on-site child care argue that it is not about breaking even or quantifying the benefits. These employers believe that the savings and benefits obtain from on-site childcare programs are not necessary shown in the numbers but in things such as morale and performance, which are difficult to quantify (McIntyre, 2000; Connelley, Degraff, and Willis, 2004). Companies that sponsor child care programs believe that benefits can be seen in increased recruiting potential, morale, productivity, and quality. It is more of a moral dimension to the company, companies that provide on-site childcare believe that it not done because of profit, but providing on-site childcare is the right thing to do (McIntyre 2000). Acc ording to Kiger (2005), companies are utilizing child-care programs to mitigate one of the most painful and destructive ills of the 21st century economy: parents decreasing contact with their kids and increasing alienation from family life. On-site childcare is a way of helping to strike a balance between work and personal life and a social responsibility of employers that also creates a competitive advantage (Elswick, 2001). Employer sponsor childcare benefits is viewed as a demonstration of an employers commitment to employees and leadership in the community, which has resulted in enhanced morale and company image, as well as an increased the companys ability to attract talents (Durekas 2009). Supporters of daycare emphasize that not only is it the employers social responsibility to provide day care services, but also the employers responsibility to properly staffed and designed program (Milkovich, 1976). Disadvantages Financial. With all the benefits associated with on-site child care, such as higher retention, lower absenteeism, improved performance and high morale, there are not many companies are jumping to offer this benefit (Morrissey Warner, 2008, Kiger, 2005). A study conducted in 1998 found 8000 firms on-site or near-site care (McIntyre, 2000). Most companies are afraid to underwrite the cost of starting a new facility because onsite childcare is expensive to start and operate (Land-Lang Orban Malsbary, 1990). Although there are numerous benefits from opening an on-site childcare, many companies are not willing to commit a substantial amount for start-up cost (McIntyre, 2000). Companies also have to take into consideration the investment in land, buildings, operation of the center, and potential liability issues (Langland -Orban Malsbary, 1990). Quality childcare centers are likely to operate at a loss. The capital requirements are substantial, and actual losses and capital requirements have the potential to exceed forecasts (Langland-Orban Malsbary, 1990). For example, one accounting-firm executive estimates that most hospital-sponsored childcare centers lose $250,000 to $500,000 annually (Lutz 1987, 46, 48 as cited in Langland-Orban Malsbary, 1990); and another hospital-owned childcare center reports that fees cover only 75 percent of operating costs (Wayne and Burud 1986, 83 as cited in Langland-Orban Malsbary, 1990). So even though state and federal government offer tax incentives, it still has not been enough to overcome companies fear of the added cost and responsibility associated with operating an on-site childcare (Kelley, 2000; McIntyre, 2000). Onsite child care centers are not viewed as money makers, in many instances companies have to subsidize the budget for the operation of one (McIntyre, 2000). Management. Many employers are not equipped to manage an on-site childcare and some authors (Langland-Orban Malsbary, 1990) suggest that employers can use many strategies to respond to employee requests for quality childcare that do not require entry into the unfamiliar childcare business or incur a substantial capital investment or operating loss. The management of on-site childcare entails different levels of expertise that companies are not necessarily equipped with (Keyser Hartley, 2002). Supporters of on-site childcare claim it is the social responsibility of employers to provide a childcare facility that is well-managed (Milkovich Gomez, 1976). Some companies hired competent childcare aides, but such individuals are not necessarily equipped to manage the day to day activities of an on-site childcare center (Keyser Hartley, 2002; Milkovich Gomez, 1976). Some Langland-Orban Malsbary (1990) further emphasized that providers of on-site childcare centers may encounter conflicts with employees, particularly regarding annual rate increases, assessing penalties to parents who are late in picking up children, or the decision to terminate the center operation. On-site childcare program is a direct reflection of employers commitment to their employees, and without effective management of on-site childcare programs, employers will be faced with dissatisfaction, and complaints from employees which will have adverse impact on recruiting and retention (Keyser Hartley, 2002; Langland-Orban Malsbary). Critics however recommend that some employers should stay away from managing on-site childcare programs, because employers that have no expertise in managing child daycare centers increases their companies financial risks. Although child-development specialists are often employed, they do not have the expertise to manage an on-site childcare (Langl and-Orban Malsbary, 1990). Return on investment. The potential to enhance employee recruitment and retention through child daycare exists, but potential savings are difficult to quantify accurately (Segal 1984 as cited in Langland-Orban). There are little to no research on the actual dollars a company saves from offering on-site childcare (Durekas, 2009; Miller 1984). Some researcher argued that a company can attract and retain employees, by offering other childcare benefits instead of investing in an on-site childcare (Zampetti, 1991). Those who support on-site childcare stressed that, the return on investment is can be found in areas such as good public image, decrease in absenteeism, increase in productivity, and employees commitment (Kelley, 2006). While the benefits are difficult to quantify, company are gaining competitive advantage which is a substantial return on investment (Zampetti, 1991; Leask, 1999). According to Durekas (2009), research has also shown a childcare center could save a business as mu ch as $500,000 annually in turnover costs-10 retained workers at $50,000 per worker. Ethical Issues Some of the ethical questions surrounding on-site childcare are: Is on-site childcare in the interest of the child? (Oekerman, 1997) and is on-site childcare fair to everyone

Stephen King Essay -- essays research papers

The Master Of Malice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room. Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around† states Stephen King in his book On Writing (94). Stephen King is a world-renowned author for his works in horror fiction, fiction, cinema and television. He has published more than forty novels and written nine screenplays (Adams 1). Stephen King draws a great deal of his inspiration from his surroundings, his job and his life experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947. Stephen came as a surprise to his parents, Nellie Ruth and Pillsbury King. Mrs. King was told she would never conceive. The couple had adopted a son, David, Stephen’s older brother. When Stephen was just a toddler his parents divorced. Nellie moved Stephen and David to Indiana for a short time then to Connecticut. At the age of twelve, Stephen’s small family moved back to Maine (Stephen King.com 1-2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stephen showed an interest in writing at a young age. When he was growing up his brother would allow Stephen to write articles for â€Å"Dave’s Rag†, his brothers independently published newspaper (Full Biography 2). Throughout his childhood he would read articles from horror comics and become inspired. He began to write short stories and sell them to his mother’s friends for a nickel (King On Writing 15). Stephen graduated from Lisbon Falls High School where he was sought after to be on the newspaper staff. Stephen sold his first professional story to Starting Mystery Stories in 1967 (Stephen King.com 1-2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stephen King met his wife, Tabitha, while attending the University of Maine at Orono. Tabitha and Stephen were married in January of 1971. The couple lived in a small apartment; their only source of income was Stephen’s salary as a laborer at an industrial laundry. In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching sophomore English in Hampden Maine and working on short stories on the evenings and weekends. In 1973, his first novel Carrie was published. Not long after that his second novel ‘Salam’s Lot was published. With the money made from the two novels Stephen and Tabith... ...e natural talent (Adams 2-3). King believes that a strong desire to write is what fuels brilliant story telling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of life, friendship, relationships, sex and work† (King On Writing 157). Stephen King is the 2003 recipient of The National Book Foundation Medal For Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He is also the world’s best selling novelist (Stephen King.com 2). When Stephen is not writing he spends his time playing guitar in a rock band called â€Å"Rock Bottom Remainders† (Full Biography 5). The way King parallels his life with his writing without making it seem like every story is a biography is amazing. His stories are compelling and inspiring. â€Å"These are just interests which have grown out of my life and thoughts, out of my experiences as a boy and a man, out of my roles as a husband, a father, a writer and a lover† (King 208). Stephen King is a phenomenal author who has written many classics of the twenty-first century. He has cleverly told the world about himself and his life through his immortal words.

Wordsworth’s Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 Essay

Wordsworth’s Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 The sonnet, â€Å"Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802,† shows Wordsworth’s appreciating the beauty of London and demonstrating it as â€Å"emotion recollected in tranquility.† It’s characteristic of his love for solitude that it is set in the early morning when there is no bustle and noise. Wordsworth is in awe of the scenic beauty of the morning sun radiating from London’s great architectural marvels. However, there are numerous religious connotations throughout this poem. This is indicated in his choice of the words: â€Å"dull,† â€Å"soul,† and â€Å"majesty† in the following lines, â€Å"Dull would he be of soul who could not pass by A sight so touching in its majesty; This City†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The word â€Å"majesty† portrays â€Å"This City† as anointed by God to represent his kingdom on Earth. Dead in spirit would one be if he of she was not moved or appreciated its beauty. Wordsworth also uses the word â€Å"temple† a few lines down. He could have written church. The word â€Å"temple† was used to enhance the belief that the city was chosen by God. ...

Agricultural Revolution of the 10th Century

This paper will look at the Agrarian revolution that occurred in 10th century and the resulting effects on the political, social, cultural and economic conditions in Europe.Agricultural revolution in Europe was a period where there was witness of sustained changes in the way people carried out their farming activities. It had to do with increased output of products and general changes in the methods of carrying out agricultural activities on farmland.  10th century Europe fell under the â€Å"Middle ages, an era when agricultural methods of production were mostly peasantry in nature. Most of the populations during the 10th century Europe were serfs who were employed by other people to work on their farmlands† (Chris, par. 2).There was no clear sub-division of land and the main tool farming was the ox drawn plow and the system of farming was the two field system. This was a system of farming where one field was cultivated while leaving the other one fallow so as to reclaim th e soil’s nutrients. Population growth during these ages was very low. This can be attributed to the poor methods of farming which led to low yields hence food insecurity.Agricultural revolution came about with the systematic changes in the methods of production. One major indicator of the revolution was through the consolidation of common land that led to introduction of individual ownership of those properties.Thus rights of ownership were created through the abolition of the open field system of cultivation. The plow as the main tool of cultivation underwent redesigning, and also, the two-field crop rotation was changed to a three- field, and hence these served as contributors to the increased food production that occurred.The Agricultural revolution that occurred at this time brought great impacts to the socio-economic conditions of Europe as a whole. One impact was increase in population, mostly in the towns. Individual ownership of land led to many people selling off the ir lands.The consequences were that there was increase in the number of people without land, but who were working as laborers for the big landowners. Others migrated to towns and thus contributed to rapid population growth.Furthermore adoption of better methods of farming led to increased food production and hence surplus production. This surplus production was then traded for other goods that were lacking. This served as the beginning of exchange of goods and services and also development of trading systems.The agricultural revolution also served as the main cause of change from feudalism to capitalism. Introduction of wage labour whereby landlords entered agreements with workers served as the springboard on which market economy fundamentals were established and power over the land which was appropriated by those who controlled it.Developments that resulted from the agricultural revolutions in terms of new towns, migrations and changes in land ownership necessitated changes in the political and cultural system of the people.There were changes from â€Å"feudalism as the most dominant form of political organization to formation of the nation-state† (Adriaan, par. 4). Development of ideas of sovereignty led to establishment of monarchies in countries like France and England which were seen as the reflection of civilization.â€Å"Moreover changes in the cultural mentality of the people were witnessed with the spread of renaissance ideas, diffusion of old ideas and the rise of secular attitudes in art, education and politics.† (par. 6).ConclusionThe agricultural revolution was a crucial event as far as mankind is concerned.   Interactions over time throughout man’s history that have brought about inventions and development of man’s civilization cannot be said to be complete without reference to the Agrarian revolution.Works CitedAdriaan Verhulst. â€Å".Medieval Socio-economic Historiography in Western Europe: Towards an Integrated Approach.† Journal of Medieval History. June 1998. Mechelsesteenweg. Antwerp. Belgium. 12 Nov. 2008< http://www.sciencedirect.com/science>Chris, Butler. â€Å"The agricultural revolution in medieval Europe.† The Flow of History.2007:  12 Nov. 2008 < http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/west>

Ethic Essay Essay

Assume that Mark pledge to look after his sister’s son while she goes to the grocery store to buy some food. Instead, he goes to a computer shop to play poker in the internet. Supposedly, Mark should find another person to baby-sit the son of his sister. This is the moral responsibility of Mark for his obligations to the child and his mother. Secondly, Mark’s sister has also a moral responsibility in circumstances when it would be right to ethically commend or hold responsible Mark for his actions. If Mark failed to find a baby-sitter, he is morally responsible for the failure of his sister to buy some food in the grocery store. Mark’s actions are reflected to moral agents. Agents are reflects to situations and intensions of actions (Q1 & Q2). I found my self altruistic to other people. If I have something (i. e. some money, food, clothes, etc. ), I intend to give it to other people. I didn’t count those things but I just want to help other people even at small things. Altruism in ethical concept in psychology is the purposeful pursuit of welfare of other people and/or public interest. In layman’s term, the concept of altruism is the unselfishness of one person for the welfare of other people (other than his/her family). I find it odd since I’m attracted towards helping other people like beggars and street people and charities rather than giving help my family’s lives (Q3 & Q4). The top three values I have are being altruistic, kind, and serious. I think these values came from my family and the culture we have. I also think that being altruistic and kind are some of the professional ethics in psychology that are most compatible with my personal values. The notion of psychological egoism I believed is the notion where people are inspired by self-interest and concerns to others for the reason that this kindness will be returned back to them and will benefit them. (ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT, 2002). Conversely, this is only a viewpoint of how things are but not what is expected to happen or ought to be (Q5 & Q6). References ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT. (2002) American Psychological Association.

AQR vi.d.9 assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

AQR vi.d.9 - Assignment Example In this analysis, the number of times a company pays a dividend was considered. Also, price to earnings ratio was considered. Consequently, the two approaches resulted to the selection criterion whereby the firms with a high price to earnings ratio and paid dividends four times a year were preferred. Finally, technical analysis was conducted. Under this analysis, the main consideration was the price activity on the stock chart. As such, the firms with a relatively stable trend were preferred. The combination of the three forms on analysis was used to arrive at the selected stocks and the amount of stocks that were invested in each. The beta value of the portfolio is -25.15180862 against a benchmark of -32.701. The figure is computed by summing the change in value of the portfolio and dividing the figure by the summation of changes in value of the benchmark. Therefore, the portfolio Beta beat the market value Beta since -25.1518062% is greater than -32.701%. However, in the two cases, Beta is negative implying that the general trend is opposite to that of the market. The game serves as an eye opener on the importance of computing individual beta value. The reason is that having an individually computed Beta value eliminates the limitation that may be found with the S & P 500 benchmark due to its generalization. As a result, one can have precise Beta value for a portfolio which specifically focuses on the stocks themselves. The approach improves the accuracy in one’s ability to predict the

Answering the questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answering the questions - Essay Example t even though the tree is dead from the inside and it will only be a matter of time before the leaves fall out and reveal the real nature of the tree (Brown 234). While Christian doctrine offers pardon from sins through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our savior, secular humanists believe that humans are basically noble and have no need to ask for forgiveness from anyone for their â€Å"sins†. Thus secular humanists cannot discard their guilt and once a human compiles too much guilt, then overtime he becomes accustomed to these feelings of guilt and the signals from the conscience and has no trouble behaving sinfully and immorally (Brown 233-238). Almost all the aspects of the Christian doctrine comply with humanist world views, the doctrine teaches about respect for fellow human beings, sanctity through the unity of a man & woman, staying truthful, and not doing anything that is sinful in nature according to the Bible. More and Erasmus were some of the greatest preachers of Christian Humanism and were considered exceedingly moral and intelligent. Being close friends, More and Erasmus had high respect for one another, Erasmus even talked about More’s sole being â€Å"purer than snow†. While their outlook and views about Christian humanism were analogous, their methods were different in the sense that More was much more radical than Erasmus. (Hauerwas and Wells 142) The Pope was and is a prominent figure all over the world, and believed to be the foremost religious authority and the most righteous man. So when Martin Luther advertised several gross allegations against the Pope and the Church’s officials in his 95 Theses; this immediately gained popularity, as do many scandals in the present day. (Graham 118-119) In less than 2 weeks, the popularity 95 theses had covered all of Germany and within 60 days the publicity reached all over Europe; mostly through word-of-mouth publicity and the scandalous nature of the texts. (Graham 119) The main reason why

3 key differences between managers and leaders Essay

3 key differences between managers and leaders - Essay Example Kotter asserts that when an individual is playing the role of a leader he comes up with new ideas and plans and persuades his/her followers into thinking about a future that is both positive and beneficial in nature (KOTTERMAN, 2006, p.15). A leader always has to keep his eyes open for opportunities and develop new techniques and strategies in accordance to these opportunities. On the contrary, a manager has the responsibility of maintaining how the organization is currently running and the culture that has been adopted by the organization. His main aim is to secure the organization’s bottom line and maintain discipline through his controlling role. According to Nicholaides’ research that the role of a leader is to inspire his/her followers to make them perform at their best and he is well aware of how follower’s pace of work can be increased (Nicolaides, 2010, p.32). He asserts that success in leadership is not dependent on what the individual leader does; it is rather dependant on what the followers do in response to a leader. On the other hand a manager is an individual who uses his control over the employees and subordinates by assisting them in developing their personal asserts and helping them in using their best talents. Any individual within the organization can become a leader, a leader’s power are not dependant on the position he is assigned to within the organization. For example: a leader can be an executive working in the information technology department. This is because he has expertise and information that nobody else within the organization has and in order to obtain his/her expertise, followers accept him/her as a leader. Stanley suggests that a manager obtains his power due to his/her management level position within the hierarchy of an organization (STANLEY, 2006, p.33). Grint asserts that even managers are followers of a leader as a leader creates the

Assessment Based Learning Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assessment Based Learning Goals - Essay Example teacher and the student and the teacher is in a better position to design the lesson in such a way that it is easily understood by the targeted audiences. The main advantage of conducting classroom based assessment is that it helps the teacher to gain first hand information about the measures that can be taken to improve the teaching and learning English Language Learners. Three goals for student learning based on classroom assessment are discussed below. The first goal is to check for language proficiency in terms of reading and pronouncing different words. The students are asked to read different words and they are also asked if they can remember the concepts discussed during the lesson in class. As a recap, the teacher will ask the student to mention the things he or she still remembers from the lesson that has been conducted on that particular day. Language proficiency is developed through constant practice and this helps the English Learners to grasp basic concepts and words as well as to develop their speech. The other goal is to ensure that student teacher interaction is conducted in English no matter how bad it may be. This helps the students especially from lower backgrounds to master some English terms as well as to create confidence among them so that they can quickly learn this language. However, the teacher needs to permit the use of the student’s first language in a situation where they would be explaining certain concepts that appear to be difficult. The last goal is to check if the student is capable of trying to work out the meaning of certain terms and statements on his or her own without consulting the teacher or other students. Working on the meaning of certain terms on their own is a very effective strategy that can help the students to quickly understand English as a second language. The teacher should try to break certain words and explain the meanings of different components such as their roots, prefixes or suffixes. This helps the

Human Rights Act 1998 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Rights Act 1998 - Essay Example In 1998,Parliament enacted the Human Rights Act,which had expressly given effect to Convention rights. Previously, Convention rights under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms had only indirect application in the UK, when courts voluntarily refer them in their decisions, but domestic courts are not obliged to abide by them. This is because the UK is only bound by the Convention under international law, but not domestically. With the passage of the HRA 1998 however, Convention rights have been domesticated and become part of English law to which courts are obligated to legally defer to in their decisions. Despite the negative reviews that some quarters gave the law, particularly right-leaning groups who think that it impeded the efforts to go after terrorists and politicians who perceived it as fostering the politicisation of the judiciary, the HRA 1998 has a considerable impact on certain aspects of the English legal system. This is particularly true with respect to statutory interpretation and the law on privacy rights. The law has expressly given the judiciary the prerogative to subject legislations to scrutiny to determine if they are consistent with Convention rights, which seems a dilution of the parliamentary sovereignty doctrine. In addition, the HRA 1988 has helped in the development of the common law right to privacy, which was once declared to be absent from the English legal system.... aw, a state can bring an action against another on behalf of its citizen, but a citizen can also bring an action against his own government in the ECHR Court located in Strasbourg. This right was acknowledged by the UK in 1966 (Miles et al 438). Nonetheless, it would take a lot of procedural snags for a UK citizen to hurdle before being allowed to pursue an action at the Strasbourg Court. For one, a UK citizen must exhaust all remedies available to him under domestic laws before a case can be pursued at the ECHR Court. Moreover, an ECHR Court decision favourable to him is not really binding domestically because of sovereignty issues. As a matter of fact the ECHR has limited application domestically and only in the following conditions: to aid the interpretation of domestic laws in cases they are not clear; to guide the judiciary in the exercise of its judicial discretion, and; to establish the extent of common law (Miles et al 438). All of the aforementioned conditions were establish ed in the cases of R v Secretary State for the Home Department, ex parte Brind [1991] AC 696, Attorney General v Guardian Newspaper Ltd [1987] 1 WLR 1248 and Derbyshire County Council v Times Newspapers Ltd [1992] QB 770. In R v Secretary, a group of journalists challenged the Home Secretary’s directive prohibiting the publication of speeches of terrorists. The Court held that the Convention is not part of UK law and can be resorted only when a domestic legislation is ambiguous. On the other hand, in Attorney General v Guardian, which was about the publication of the memoirs of a retired secret service employee, the Court held that the judiciary could look to the ECHR for guidance in the use of its discretionary duty to decide on matters such as duty of confidence. Finally, in the

Competitive Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Competitive Intelligence Essay Introduction Competitive intelligence (CI) refers to a tool used for marketing used by business organizations to study the competing surrounding. The process incorporates a determined information gathering based on the operations and other factors considering the competitor that enables proper decision-making of the organization management. Gower. Moloi and Iyamu, (2013) indicates that CI is significant in making marketing-related decisions and the development of market–oriented companies. Different companies use different methods to gather competitive intelligence. Companies study an array of industry specific and general publications to provide information of the current competitive intelligence. However, the most mentioned source of industry information are monographs. Monographs refer to the grey literature that may not be disseminated through conventional publishing channels. These include academic theses, business schools, technical reports, scholarly papers, case studies, and private and public sector documents. Sometimes the monographs are published that provides the most cost-effective and comprehensive source of CI information. Industry monographs are instrumental in providing information of the industry secular progress and historical background. Profits analysis can be obtained through long-term perspective that is compost of a richer experience variety as opposed to when only recent developments are considered. However, the major downfall is that the company conference proceedings and monographs date speedily. Internet searches, and the British Library form the major sources of grey literature. According to Murphy (2005,) the press reports and features provide the source of current and retrospective understanding of the competitor. The journals such as Financial Times sectoral surveys enable a company to obtain an excellent overview of the competitor of various business lines. Likewise, it outlines the individual players’ profile and the most pressing current issues affecting the competitor. Numerous trade journals provide annual surveys of the major trends and events in their specific business line. Furthermore, Murphy (2005) writes that the regulatory authorities also provide a great quality of information may be availed at a modest cost. The studies and reports provided by the Competition Commission have plenty of significant data and analysis that provides an excellent model on the procedures of undertaking the studies of the competing industry. The public watchdogs charged with the roles of overseeing the public sector forms excellent targets of CI information. Company circulars that they have to send to their shareholders under specific conditions are also significant sources of CI. For example, material acquisition and classified information on the listing rules provides information on the size of the company. Circulars contain FSA that may require the researcher to visit the company headquarters to obtain the corporate documents. Furthermore, Murphy (2005) indicates that shareholder data that has special rules that apply to the reporting of the changes within the entire PLCs. The Companies’ Act provides that PLCs are always documented in the company annual reports. This information provides the holdings of 3 percent of the total voting share capital of the firm. The information provided in such notifications that are subjected to public scrutiny provides CI information. Murphy further writes that company patents provide mechanisms of obtaining competitive advantage and the trademarks that provides the insights that describe the company enrichments. However, some companies believe that human resource intelligence. Company investigators may use direct contact with company human resource intelligence through identifying the subjects and planning of interviews. Human resource provides updated information on the company; however, it may be difficult to secure the potential individual to approach for such CI information. A typical example of CI mentions the stock traders who analyze the data based on the price movements and prices to determine the best investments. They possess similar data to other traders, yet data analysis provides their difference with others. Moreover, Japanese automobile industry that analysed the U.S automobiles of in the 1970s based on the products and the demands of the customer (Wagner Van 2011). The smaller families and high gasoline prices created a demand in the U.S for fuel efficient and smaller cars. Therefore, the Japanese automobiles applied CI methods to establish a trend and further made the decisions on manufacturing based on the results of CI information. The produced cars defeated the U.S Big Three in the market due to fuel-efficiency and high-quality cars. Despite the entire pool of information sources, the internet and human resource intelligence may be the most effective sources of information in terms of accuracy, ethics and cost-effectiveness. The company websites provide an array of information that can be easily assessed compared to published documents. The website provides comprehensive information on the new developments, business practices, and detailed information on strategies and tactics established by the company. Likewise, as Wagner and Van (2011) establishes, the internet can provide detailed information based on the vision, CEO statements, goals and objectives, and the overall management of the firm. The commitment of the firm to quality, consumer problems, investments and plants, structure are also provided in the web pages of the company. Likewise, human resource can be maintained for a long period once the first interview is secured. Although it is a subject of ethics, human resource intelligence will provide the most updated information on the company plans. References Gower. Moloi, R., Iyamu, T. (April 01, 2013). Understanding the Deployment of Competitive Intelligence Through Moments of Translation. International Journal of Information Technology and Web Engineering (ijitwe), 8, 2, 33-45. Murphy, C. (2005). Competitive intelligence: Gathering, analysing and putting it to work. Aldershot, England: Wagner, L., Van, B. J.-P. (January 01, 2011). Web Mining for Strategic Competitive Intelligence.