Pay for Performance Free Essays

Pay for Performance Park University Overview Incentive pay, also known as â€Å"pay for performance† is generally given for specific performance results rather than simply for time worked. While incentives are not the answer to all personnel challenges, they can do much to increase worker performance. (Billikopf) Performance pay has various names: merit pay, pay for performance, knowledge-and-skill- based pay, or individual or group incentive pay. We will write a custom essay sample on Pay for Performance or any similar topic only for you Order Now Delisio) Pay for performance systems have further been proven to have two advantages for organizations: attracting more high-quality employees and motivating employees to exert more effort at their jobs. (Gordon, Kaswin) This paper will show the positive benefits of performance pay as well as some steps to implement the pay for performance program. Productivity Implications Companies that have switched from salaries to individual incentives have increased productivity dramatically—some by as much as 44 percent. Linking pay to performance not only motivates but also helps to recruit and retain the most talented employees. New graduates seek to join organizations that make use of performance-related rewards, and they have long-term loyalty to these organizations. The use of performance pay has also grown in popularity, as 67 percent of companies offer some form of performance pay to employees below the executive level. Likewise, the practice of compensating managers below the senior executive level with stock options and other forms of long-term incentives has risen dramatically. This is because performance-sensitive pay aligns the interest of all levels of employees with the interests of shareholders. (Gordon, Kaswin) Implementing a pay for performance system has been shown to resolve organizational problems because it aligns the preferences of firms and employees. In addition, creating a pay for performance system serves as a sorting mechanism to identify and attract the most capable employees. Gordon, Kaswin) The economic downturn has accentuated the need to contain compensation costs by holding down fixed-based salary expenses. To maintain competitive pay plans, an increasing number of companies are giving more employees across different job functions the opportunity to earn variable, performance-driven incentives for achieving individual and organizational goals. (Gordon, Kaswin) Pay for Performance Objectives Developing a pay for performance philosophy and strategy is easier when we understand what such an approach is intended to achieve. If effectively constructed, pay for performance compensation plans should help a company fulfill the following objectives: * Recruit and retain the highest quality employees * Communicate and reinforce the values, goals and objectives of the company * Engage employees in the organization’s success * Reward contributors for successful achievements (The VisionLink Advisory Group) Line of Sight Ultimately, the combination of rewards strategies that a company institutes should help to raw a correlation in the mind of the employees between interdependent elements: * Vision – where is this company going? * Strategy – how is it going to get there? * Roles and Expectations – what role does each key person have in that strategy and what is expected of him or her in that role? * Rewards – how will each employee be financially rewarded for the achievement of the expectations associated with his or her role    Pay for performance is the mechanism that is used to create this â€Å"line of sight† between related elements of company culture and purpose. In the final analysis, compensation needs to reinforce the behaviors that are desired within the strategy framework of the company in a way that is compelling enough to produce the desired performance. (The VisionLink Advisory Group) In adopting a rewards philosophy for how people will be remunerated for their contributions within an organization, a company has to determine what the right balance should be between short and long-term compensation and guaranteed versus performance compensation. Pivotal in that philosophy development is how and to what extent pay will be tied to specific types of performance. This issue will not be treated the same in every organization. However, every business should be able to identify certain performance objectives it wants its workforce to fulfill and the financial outcome that will be achieved if that result is attained. Such a projection can be translated into an increased shareholder value figure. (The VisionLink Advisory Group) Features of Effective Plans Top Management Support Supervisors must understand the incentive pay process in order to support and administer it. Oftentimes, a lack of understanding causes managers to ignore or adapt the process as they see fit. Moreover, if supervisors are not trained on how to measure performance, the process will not be standardized across the company. (Gordon, Kaswin) Having buy-in from key stakeholders is crucial for the success of an incentive pay system. For example, if top management does not support such a program, lower-level managers will place little importance on effectively administering the program. Hence, a lack of top management support often leads to a lack of accountability. (Gordon, Kaswin) Communication Consistent and methodical communication is necessary when implementing an incentive pay plan. It will ensure employees understand what is expected of them while decreasing the likelihood of morale problems that result from misinterpretations of how incentives are awarded. Gordon, Kaswin) Performance Management Oftentimes, a flawed performance management system is the main reason an incentive pay system in not successful. When designing a performance management process that will be linked with pay, it is imperative that both employees and managers know what the individual goals are, how they will be measured, and how they will be compensated when achieved. Managers must also be careful to ensure that there is adequate dif ferentiation between high and low performers. If mediocre employees are given an average merit increase, hey will perceive that their performance is adequate. Conversely, if excellent performers only receive a little more in incentive pay than average performers, they will perceive that the company does not value their performance. (Gordon, Kaswin) Appropriate Rewards The amount of incentive a company should offer to an individual depends on current income, amount of effort needed to invest, likelihood of obtaining the reward, acceptance of risk, equity of reward and contribution, and industry standards. A minimum for incentive pay is considered to be 5 to 15 percent of an individual’s base pay. (Gordon, Kaswin) Considerations before Implementing a Plan The best compensation plans take into account several key considerations. Before instituting a pay for performance system, companies should define which employees should be eligible for the program. Furthermore, it is important for companies to determine the role of equity in a total rewards framework from the perspectives of the employee and employer, as well as in terms of cost. Steps should be taken to (1) review the current objectives and purpose of the equity plan; (2) identify alternative rewards; (3) develop a communication plan for how the effectiveness of the program will be measured; (4) gather employees’ perspectives via surveys, focus groups, or internal research; (5) gather external market information; (6) determine the costs; (7) develop recommendations for design change; and (8) create the communication plan. The communication strategy for the program should encompass the value employees place on various rewards and how the changes will be perceived by employees. It should then monitor and manage employees’ reactions to the changes in their compensation structure. (Gordon, Kaswin) Objectives of a Broad-Based Incentive Plan When creating an incentive plan, the organization has to determine and clearly define the goals for the program. The objectives should be aligned with the business strategy. These goals should be utilized to shape the incentive plan as well as the expectations and objectives of individual employees. A main reason why incentive plans fail is because they are introduced as an inflexible process. The incentive plan should be first implemented on a small group of employees in order to determine the flaws and rectify them before implementing them across the enterprise. Once the plan is implemented, it should be regularly adapted. (Gordon, Kaswin) If companies want a pay for performance system, the firm should define the desired performance and establish methods of measuring it first. Then, connect goals for individuals, for business units, and for the company. Meanwhile, track everyone’s progress and periodically give back the data to raise everyone’s awareness of the program. Sixty-two percent of compensation professionals report that their organizations did not attempt to measure the return on investment of their compensation program. (Gordon, Kaswin) Conclusion Research indicates that broad-based incentive plans can be utilized as a means to encourage both employee performance and productivity. When implementing an incentive plan, several considerations are needed to ensure the plan is successful. However, it is important to note that incentive plans cannot ensure employee productivity by themselves. They must be coupled with effective human resources practices in order to ensure a successful work environment. These include determining the appropriate rewards, instituting comprehensive performance management systems, widespread and effective communication, as well as buy-in from top management to support the compensation plan. Over the past decade and increasingly in the past year, performance pay has become the standard as companies reward strong performance and lower overhead costs. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years. (Gordon, Kaswin) Like most things in business, compensation is something that requires evaluation, study, assessment, strategy, modeling and integration. Achieving a pay for performance culture does not happen without paying attention to the behaviors, activities, rewards and motivations that have to be linked and reinforced through a well-engineered and effectively executed process. And if that process does not tie rewards to shareholder financial objectives, employ the proper mix of compensation elements, result in meaningful dollars, embrace performance that employees can impact and are effectively communicated and reinforced, then the results it produces will likely fall short. (The VisionLink Advisory Group) Pay for performance systems need ngoing attention to keep them functioning properly. Organizational goals will change; performance goals and measures will become obsolete; performance may improve or decline; managers may make errors in evaluating performance or allocating rewards. For all these reasons and more, agencies need to monitor the operation and effectiveness of their pay for performance systems and modify them accor dingly. Only by giving the pay systems and related organizational requirements the ongoing attention that they warrant will agencies be able to obtain optimal results from their pay for performance systems. U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board) Works Cited Billikopf, Gregoria. (2001) Incentive Pay (Pay for Performance). The Regents of the University of California, retrieved from http://www. cnr. berkeley. edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7labor/08. htm The VisionLink Advisory Group, The Five Essentials of Pay for Performance, retrieved from http://www. vladvisors. com/images/PDF/VisionLink_Five-Essentials-Pay-For-Performance. pdf Gordon, A. A. , Kaswin, J. L. , Effective Employee Incentive Plans: Features and Implementation  Processes, Cornell HR Review, 2010, retrieved from http://cornellhrreview. rg/2010/05/31/effective-employee-incentive-plans-features-and-implementation-processes/ U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board, (2006) Designing an Effective Pay for Performance Compensation System. R etrieved from http://www. mspb. gov/netsearch/viewdocs. aspx? docnumber=224104;version=224323;application=ACROBAT Delisio, E. R. , Pay for Performance: What Are the Issues? , retrieved from http://www. educationworld. com/a_issues/issues/issues374a. shtml How to cite Pay for Performance, Essay examples

Memory Essay Paper Example For Students

Memory Essay Paper Word Count: 1384 is defined as the faculty bywhich sense impressions and information areretained in the mind and subsequently recalled. Apersons capacity to remember and the total storeof mentally retained impressions and knowledgealso formulate memory. (Webster, 1992) We allpossess inside our heads a system fordeclassifying, storing and retrieving informationthat exceeds the best computer capacity,flexibility, and speed. Yet the same system is solimited and unreliable that it cannot consistentlyremember a nine-digit phone number long enoughto dial it (Baddeley, 1993). The examination ofhuman behavior reveals that current activities areinescapably linked by memories. Generalcompetent (1993) behavior requires that certainpast events have effect on the influences in thepresent. For example, touching a hot stove wouldcause a burn and therefore memory would conveya message to not repeat again. All of this iseffected by the development of short-termmemory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). Memories can be positive, like memories ofgirlfriends and special events, or they can benegative, such as suppressed memories. Sexualabuse of children and Memory 3 adolescents isknown to cause severe psychological andemotional damage. Adults who were sexuallyabused in childhood are at a higher risk fordeveloping a variety of psychiatric disorders,anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and mooddisorders. To understand the essential issues abouttraumatic memory, the human minds response toa traumatic event must first be understood. Thememory is made up of many different sections witheach having different consequences on oneanother. Can people remember what they werewearing three days ago? Most likely no, becausethe memory only holds on to what is activelyremembered. What a person was wearing is notimportant so it is thrown out and forgotten. Thistype of unimportant information passes through theshort-term memory. Short-term memory is asystem for storing information over brief interv alsof time. (Squire, 1987) Its main characteristic isthe holding and understanding of limited amountsof information. The system can grasp brief ideaswhich would otherwise slip into oblivion, holdthem, relate them and understand them for its ownpurpose. (1987) Another aspect of STM wasintroduced by William James in 1890, under thename primary memory (Baddeley, 1993). Primary memory refers to the information thatforms the focus of current attention and thatoccupies the stream of thought. This informationdoes not need to be brought back to mind in orderto be used (1993). Compared to short-termmemory, primary memory Memory 4 places lessemphasis on time and more emphasis on the partsof attention, processing, and holding. No matterwhat it is called, this system is used when someonehears a telephone number and remembers it longenough to write it down. (Squire, 1987) Luckily, atelephone number only consists of seven digits orelse no one would be able to remember them. Most people can remember six or seven digitswhile others only four or five and some up to nineor ten. This is measured by a technique called thedigit span, developed by a London school teacher,J. Jacobs, in 1887. Jacobs took subjects (people),presented them with a sequence of digits andrequired them to repeat the numbers back in thesame order. The length of the sequence is steadilyincreased until a point is reached at which thesubject always fails. The part at which a person isright half the time is defined as their digit span. Away to improve a digit span is through rhythmwhich helps to reduce the tendency to recall thenumbers in the wrong order. Also, to make sure atelephone number is copied correctly, numberscan be grouped in twos and threes instead of givenall at once. (Baddeley, 1993) Another part ofshort-term memory is called chunking, used for theimmediate recall of letters rather than numbers. .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c , .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .postImageUrl , .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c , .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c:hover , .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c:visited , .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c:active { border:0!important; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c:active , .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3845d41168a056ab6a1f64c6718cdc4c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Make Prostitution Legal EssayWhen told to remember and repeat the letters q sv l e r c i i u k, only a person with an excellentimmediate memory would be able to do so. But, ifthe same letters were given this way, q u i c k s i lv e r, the results would be Memory 5 different. What is the difference between the twosequences? The first were 11 unrelated letters,and the second were chunked into two wordswhich makes this task easier. (1993) Short-termmemory recall is slightly better for randomnumbers than for random letters, which sometimeshave similar sounds. It is better for informationheard rather than seen. Still, the basic principalshold true: At any given moment, we can processonly a very limited amount of information.(Myers, 1995) The next part in the memoryprocess involves the encoding and merging ofinformation from short-term into long-termmemory. Long-term memory is understood ashaving three separate stages: transfer, storage, andretrieval. Once information has entered LTM, witha size that appears to be essentially unlimited, it ismaintained by repetition or organization. A majorpart of the transfer process concerns how learnedinformation is coded into memory. Long-term andshort-term memory are thought to have differentorganizations. Where the STM i s seen as beingorganized by time, LTM is organized by meaningand association then put into categories. Forexample, our memory takes in Coke and Pepsi asdrinks then organizes and puts them in categoriessuch as soda. An important role in the transferringof information into long-term memory is rehearsal. Memory 6 The critical aspect is the type ofrehearsal or processing that takes place during theinput time. Simple repetition, which serves only tomaintain the immediate availability of an item, doeslittle if anything to enhance subsequent recall. Active processes such as elaboration,transformation, and recoding are activities thathave been found to enhance recall. (Asken,1987) Information that is stored in LTM is storedin the same form as it was originally encoded. Major forms of storage are episodic memory andsemantic memory. Episodic memory involvesremembering particular incidents, such as visitingthe doctor a week ago. Semantic memoryconcerns knowledge about the world. It holdsmeanings of words or any general informationlearned. Knowledge of the capitals of all the stateswould be stored in semantic memory. A Canadianpsychologist, Endel Tulving discovered that therewas more activity in the front of the brain whenepisodic memories were being retrieved,compared to more activity towards the back ofthe brain with semantic memory. Retrieval, thethird process related to LTM, is the finding andretrieving of information from long-term storage. The cues necessary to retrieve information frommemory are the same cues that were used toencode the material. Memory 7 For some,positive memories are recalled through music. Certain songs remind people of special times spentwith friends. Couples sometimes have songs thatremind them of their time spent together. Everyonehas some way of remembering good times fromthe past. Along with positive memories come thenegative ones, which are suppressed deep in ourminds. Another word for negative is traumatic, anexperience beyond the range of usual humanexperience, (Sidran Foundation, 1994) and isbrought about with intense fear, terror andhelplessness. Examples include a serious threat toones life (or that of ones children, spouse, etc.),rape, military combat, natural or accidentaldisasters, and torture. So how does trauma affectmemory? People use their natural ability to avoidconcern of a traumatic experience while thetrauma is happening. This causes the memoriesabout the traumatic events to emerge later. Peoplewith Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) whohave survived horrific events experience extremerecall of the event. Some people say they arehaunted by memor ies of traumatic experiences thatdisrupt their daily lives. They cannot get thepictures of the trauma out of their head. Thisbrings recurring nightmares, flashbacks, or evenreliving the trauma as if it were happening now. .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 , .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .postImageUrl , .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 , .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651:hover , .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651:visited , .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651:active { border:0!important; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651:active , .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651 .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf8f4448a6cb6de7a281ae6e7c5cef651:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Road Not Taken EssayVietnam veterans experience this symptombecause of what Memory 8 they saw and livedthrough. Some researchers have proven in thelaboratory that ordinary or slightly stressfulmemories are easily distorted. However, thislaboratory research on ordinary memory may beirrelevant in regard to memories of traumaticexperiences. Other scientists argue that traumaticmemories are different from ordinary memories inthe way they are encoded in the brain. Evidenceshows trauma is stored in the part of the braincalled the limbic system, which processes feelingsand sensory input, but not language or speech. (1994) People who have been traumatized maylive with memories of terror, though with little orno real memories to explain the feelings. Sometimes a current event may trigger longforgotten memories of earlier trauma. The triggersmay be any sound or smell like a particularcologne which was worn by an attacker. Whetherremembered or not, the memories are stored inthe brain, and today with hypnosis, recall can bringforth what has been deeply suppressed. Thequestion is, does one really want to know what isnot remembered? Along with memories that arerecovered, comes the effects that follow. Short-term memory holds every experienceencountered, while long-term memory retains onlywhats important. Memory is stored throughepisodic and semantic memory. The retrieval ofdecoded information occurs the same way it wasMemory 9 encoded. Memory is affected throughpositive and negative emotions, some rememberedothers suppressed. Not only is memory used todwell in the past, it also helps formulate thepresent and the future.

International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology

Questions: Task1 a) Critically discuss stages of system development lifecycle b) Discuss the most appropriate uses of different development lifecycle modelsc) Create feasibility report for Dawn Blockbuster and justify the investment will improve the functionality of organisation d) Evaluate the Impact of different feasibility criteria in systems investigationTask 2a) Undertake a system investigation based on the above scenario and produce a questionnaire to support your system development.b) Using appropriate systems analysis tools I. Draw a level one data flow diagram for the above management system.II. Draw an entity relationship diagram for the above management system.c) Briefly write the documentation for your investigation of Dawn Blockbuster.d) Briefly discuss and evaluate user and systems requirements of Dawn Blockbuster. Answers: Introduction: Dawn Blockbuster is one of the best movie rental providers. Netfix and Redbox are one of its strong competitors. It acquires a huge part of customers and therefore had to suffer with heavy traffic. The new customers who want to be its part have to wait for a long time for the registration process as day by day its customers are increasing unanimously. So it has to face a lot problem and difficulties because handling of so many databases is not easy work. But by using a perfect System Development Lifecycle model these issues could be resolved. Further considering the assignment the Waterfall model of system development lifecycle is proposed. 1. Stages of System Development Lifecycle: The system development lifecycle is a series of different stages with different strategies to analyze, design, construct, implementing innovations to handle heavy traffic and maintaining co-ordination (R.2014). Movie rental stores might have to face problems regarding resource and traffic. However, the SDLC part includes following stages Figure 1: System Development Lifecycle Planning: During this phase the main objective of the project is determined and after that product requirements are considered. A cost estimation chart is prepared which includes personnel and costs along with estimation for new products as per demand. The manpower is estimated as per customers requirement. Analysis: The analysis phase provides an approx estimation of requirements considering the end - users. Also, future strategy and operations regarding increment or decrement are analyzed. The project team prepares and handover a blueprint considering all the requirements of the client and management and take a step forward with the system. Now the design part is also important because Design: This is the architectural part of the system designing (Ahmed et al.2015). The flow design of a movie rental store should be such that it includes available sections of its DVDs collection, Different Category wise divisions (like Animation based, Action, and Comedy, etc.) so that the customer easily could find out as per their requirements. There should be a customer category division as their registration time that enables one to find customer details and make the process easy in updating transaction details of a particular customer. This design strategy is very helpful for the systems facing problem due to heavy traffic. Construction: After finishing design estimation the execution part of the SDLC starts. Here the developers execute the plans prescribed in the design part. The database design is created considering the future traffic so that it remains easy when new client or customer requests their desire to join the project. During construction test, a sample is created and revised as many times as required to refine the procedure. Test: During test stage all plans and strategies and tested that they are working properly or not to maintain the daily transactions, new entries, and heavy traffic. Testing examine the system for integration of older version with that of the new versions keeping upcoming in mind. However, the vital task of a testing stage is to verify that the system contains all the requirements of the end users, testing of integration of older and newer versions. Rollout: Rollout occurs when the customer has requested for any transaction or order, but before completion he got information about something new, upgraded or latest version and wanted to cancel the previous order. So rollout enables customers to receive the latest version of system product as an update and full-scale conversation (Liu, 2013). After rollback, the administration of the system receive feedback from the customers and try to improvise the issues as per required. Now the system development lifecycle includes different methods regarding different organizational projects and works. Some of these are as follow- Waterfall model Spiral model Iterative model Agile Model V- Model Rad model 2. Appropriate model for system: From the above question, analyst decides that the waterfall model is mostly appropriate for developing the system. The Dawn Blockbuster which is a biggest movie rental in London has not any proper system to process the overall job without mistake and problem (Allelein et al. 2012). For this system needs to be totally full planned, maintained and throughout designed. In the above questioned analyst description and design should totally follow the waterfall model to avoid heavy traffic and collision keeping co-ordination. The first process which is introduced to design the life cycle of any system software is water fall model as proposed. It is simple to understand and use. It has no overlapping process in its total life cycle from beginning to end. For approaches the process of software development, it is launched very earlier (Carone et al.,2015). Waterfall model is the first widely use SDLC model in the software engineering which got a lot of success on project. Following the waterfall models diagram is drawn. Fig: Water fall model Analysis of the requirement: In this phase all the requirements which are possible in the system are analyzed. These requirements are needed to develop the life cycle system design. Design of the system: Design is the architectural phase for a system design. The processing data flow is developed by based on the first phase of waterfall models life cycle. In this phase system is designed by the charts, dataflow structure, logical term and condition etc. which are the mostly base requirements for designing the system. For specifying hardware, requirements of the system and also for defining the overall architecture of the system, system design is very much helpful. Implementation the system: In this phase developer develops the code to design the system. During this phase, the plans are executed by the developer after which it is laid out. Firstly, in the implementation phase developer develops the code in small unit or programs. Next database, over all code for the process and the actual whole system is designed by the developer. In the phase of construction or the implementation, prepared the test data and the required code is process completely for ready to test. Test: All the programs those are developed in the construction phase are tested. Firstly unit testing is done that means the codes are tested each unit. After unit testing or the unit testing the whole system is needed to test for detect any error or failure. After system testing, the tester overcomes the failure of the system. Maintenance: After overcoming the failure of the system maintenance is the most important part. Sometime there faced some issues. Those issues are mainly coming up from the clients side. To enhance the future scope the system need to maintain properly. The maintenance is needed to do the customer side as well as the organisation side. The situations where waterfall model can be used efficiently are- The requirements are well structured, fixed and cleared. The definition is stabled. Its technology is easy to understand and it is static. There have no any requirements which are ambiguous. The requirement resources are available to support and develop the project. The project became short if it follows the waterfall model. 3. Evaluation of the different feasibility criteria in system investigation: In this part, analyst discuss about the different possibilities and the importance of the water fall model. Mainly, discursion is all about the advantages and the importance of that model. In that case, Dawn Blockbuster has some problem which is faced mainly by store staff and the members of the rental. Previously, analyst discussed about the entire things of waterfall model. Importance of waterfall model: The waterfall model is one of the mature and most primitive development methods. For the appropriate certification, analyzed data are required which would help for further development. In case of design, each store staff works separately and allocates members for development. Another importance of this model is performance. Basically, operational part is transformed in device language and store in computer which is easy for staff as well as members for further development (Zhang et al., 2013). Error free method is one of the main elements of the model. Different tools, various strategies are used in this model for helping the staff and the members. In the model, effective staff is much needed and increased the membership fees which will help the financially for future prospect of the company. Advantage of the waterfall model: This is very simple model which understands for all classes staff and its helped the members. Minimum income is required for this model. Substantial progress is believed by the staff and the members of the rental. It has extremely visible. In work place, mental factors are also play a critical role for development. In case of waterfall model, it is very simple for staff to work under this process. After each section, output is visible and easy to handle those things by staff and members. For each section, deadline will be fixed for members to submit their books and cards in the time. Time to time, appraise can be done by staffs. The entire things are maintained by this model and set a goal for the deadline of cards. To develop the system of Dawn Blockbuster, this model is important to develop rather than disorganized methods. This model is very much preferable as well as important for staff and members. 4. Feasibility reports for Dawn Blockbuster: Dawn Blockbuster is the main movies letting in London. There are some problems occur in this situation. In this section, analyst makes analysis about the main problems. If a member scrounges three DVDs against three cards from the store, that person will not get extra DVDs from stores. If a member fails to return those DVDs on the specific deadline, then those members are chargeable for that. There are many problems occurs about the cards (Du et al., 2012). When a member or store staffs loses the cards, it will be difficult to check those problems because there is no database system for saving those data in regular basis. In that case, database must be needed for the members as well as staffs. Sometimes, DVD status must be needed for the store staff for issuing the cards. In the corporal system, searching about status is very hard work for every staff. Then, management require the entire reports of DVDs in terms of status, numbers, accounts etc. This is awaked job for staff. 5. Functionality for investment improvement: Analyst works on this topic and improving the whole problem in step by steps. Firstly, database will be made for staff and the members of the store for contain all the details of the DVDs such as numbers, status, dates etc. Many areas have been improved such as cards issue, deadline issues and others. In the case of cards issue, if a card is lost then no money will be paid for that from the staff or the members of the stores. Database will be assigned for helping the management system of Dawn Blockbuster. 6.System investigation: When the new SDLC system introduced into the Dawn Blockbuster, Usually, it is intended to brace the job execute by the rental. The new system is fully dependent on the executed system. The system is handled with the information and also maintain the functions (Sun, 2014). The aim of the system is remained unchanged. The new system design provided by the analysis of the existing system. The other reasons of the system investigation are, From the system investigation, an investigator can determine the future scope of the system. The investigator can evaluate the complexity of the system. Then the developer can overcome the complexity to growth the system quality. In the system, the information is necessary to plan the project and allocated the required resources. System investigation is very important to increase the members confidence. Some aspects of the system investigation are The data and operation of the system are easy to understand among all the members. It is needed to determine what is the problem and then how overcome the problem. The Dawn Blockbuster needs to determine the boundary of the system for developing the growth of the profit. 7. a)The data flow diagram for the above management system. 7.b)An entity relationship diagram for the above management system 8. Investigation Report: Analyst discuss about the full documentation of Dawn blockbuster under the waterfall model. Analyst investigates the entire problem and discusses about the solution. Analyst analyses on the issues and draw a proper model for that. The entire requirement which will be required for the development of the store management. Then, a design is needed for the store and implement those elements in a proper ways. Many things like customers id, numbers, publishers name, movie name, language, cast etc. DVDs has also some elements which are store details, financial details, suppliers details etc. Those elements are tested in proper way and implemented in particular place. Lastly, maintain all those elements and control whole system with the help of water fall model. Each store staff works separately and allocates members for development. Firstly, the store needs a database management system for the entire staff and the members who are registered. In this database, staffs needs to allocate total amount of data which is basically based on the DVDs price, number, name, title etc. There is also publisher, members and Brower who has lots of documents which is also assigns in the database for the helps of the management of Dawn Blockbuster. If many number of members come together at a time for borrow the DVDs then staffs mind feel haphazard, members do not get the proper DVDs. In that case, management should recruit more amounts of staff for avoiding the haphazard situation. Effective staff is much needed and increased the membership fees which will help the financially for future prospect of the company. The total amount of fees of per cards which is lost by members creates a big issue for management. In that case, if member do not pay the amount for the issue, it will be much more benefited for the management of that store. Staff fess should be increased and allocates more amounts of staff for handling the entire members. A proper deadline should be maintained for all members and staff who borrow the DVDs. 9. Requirements of User and the System: From the above discussion, it is clear that after ER modelling activities such as entity and attribute relationship and verification of all the stages takes place in a sequential manner. The ER diagram should be fully clarified to give a perfect scenario of all the works that will be performed in the movie rental store (Liu et al.,2014). All customers and employees should be defined in a data dictionary, which is used in the normalization process to help in elimination of the anomalies and redundancy problems. Along with Waterfall model, the store should use a strong Database Management System (DBMS) that makes the system reliable for every changes and update and avoid collisions. During the modelling process, the system, as well as the system design, must contains- The Proper definition of the entity (Customer, publisher), attributes (Name, Id, address) with appropriate primary key and foreign keys (Category). A proper way to make decisions regarding new entries keeping in mind that end-users do not arise objection. Make the decision regarding treatment of multivalued and composite attributes of customers and adding them to satisfy requirements that are already processing. Avoid ternary relationships that are not needed. It should acquire all data elements in the database. Now, the customers mostly attracted due to new and upgraded collections that are launching day by day. So the shop honour must have good contacts with more publishers of different type of categories. It enables to increase the attraction of the customers to the rental shop (Gillespie et al., 2012).. After getting the appropriate material as per demand, the system needs a simple structure (Waterfall model structure) and process so that the customer does not feel it complex when being one of its parts and borrowing DVDs. The model that is proposed makes the system reliable to apply these requirements. Considering the proposed ER model and DFD the system design should be such that there should be wise category divisions in the store considering different customers different interest of fields that would enable them to find their requirements (Khemprasit and Esichaikul, 2015). The system should collect certain caution money as required from the new registered customers at the time of reg istration and it should be returned when customer ends all the transaction and want to erase their registration from the database of the store. The customer should also follow the system rules to work the system of the store properly and efficiently. Like the customer should return the DVDs borrowed in time otherwise they have to pay late fine automatically by deducting from the caution money. Using the proposed SDLC model and a strong database management system provides the store to be free from complexity, reliability, reduction of the collision, easy way to add new entries and strong systemization between customers and system. The good systematic work would help the system for increasing the registration charge as per services providing. Thus by this strategy the store would be benefitted as well as the customers too (Khemprasit and Esichaikul, 2015).. Good service attracts Conclusion: The proposed architectural model (Waterfall Model) had already been used by most of the systems that are still working efficiently (Ma, 2014). In the given system, the waterfall model would enable the system to overcome the heavy load as well as problems of co-ordination between the customers and the system administration. The strong Database system reduces the problem of updating the details of the customers at every step. The database remains such that it is linked internally with attributes of the entity and therefore automatically the information gets updated entirely regarding the entity (customer) while making the change at one place. The waterfall model would make the Dawn Blockbuster system very efficient for processing of all the works and in applying innovations in different interest areas when needed expansion. In this way, the Store would be benefitted to expand its area and also in making a limited number of new registrations each month as they wanted (Yushui and Jianjun , (2013). References: R. (2014). DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF WORM PAIR USED IN SELF-LOCKING SYSTEM WITH DEVELOPMENT OF MANUAL CLUTCH. International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology, 03(08), pp.427-433. Ahmed Abdelbary, A., Elsayed, I. and Hassen Elshafeey, A. (2015). Design and development of novel lipid based gastroretentive delivery system: response surface analysis, in-vivo imaging and pharmacokinetic study. Drug Delivery, 22(1), pp.37-49. Allelein, H., Kasselmann, S., Xhonneux, A. and Herber, S. (2012). Progress on the development of a fully integrated HTR code package. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 251, pp.400-406. Carone, C., Erlich, J., Sensharma, A. and Wang, Z. (2015). Two-field axion-monodromy hybrid inflation model: Dantes Waterfall. Physical Review D, 91(4). Du, Q. (2012). The Analysis and Design of Internet Course Teaching System for Operation System. AMM, 239-240, pp.1637-1640. Ge, J. (2012). The Design and Realization of Visual Education System for Bridge Structure Analysis. Energy Procedia, 17, pp.1885-1890. Gillespie, PhD, MA, RN, T. (2012). Understanding Waterfall Plots. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 3(2). Hong-mei, S. and Rui-sheng, J. (2012). Research on the Analysis and Design of General Test Database Management System. Procedia Engineering, 29, pp.489-493. Khemprasit, J. and Esichaikul, V. (2015). Design and implementation of a mobile crime analysis and monitoring system (MCAM) based on service-oriented architecture (SOA). Information Development. KIKUCHI, T. and KOBAYASHI, K. (2011). Design and Development of Cylindrical MR Fluid Brake with Multi-Coil Structure. Journal of System Design and Dynamics, 5(7), pp.1471-1484. Li, W. and Han, G. (2011). Design on Highway Information Publishing System and Benefit Analysis of Traffic Control System. Advanced Engineering Forum, 1, pp.343-347. Liu, J. (2013). The Assessment Agent System: design, development, and evaluation. Education Tech Research Dev, 61(2), pp.197-215. Liu, J., Xia, H. and Zhang, H. (2014). A Research into the UML Legend in the Waterfall Model Development. AMM, 519-520, pp.320-326. Ma, J. (2014). Smart Electric Car System Design Feasibility Analysis. AMR, 971-973, pp.718-721. Sun, Z. (2014). Design and Development of Online Advertising Budget Analysis and Optimization of Delivery System. AMM, 556-562, pp.3438-3441. Yushui, G. and Jianjun, S. (2013). Enterprise Business Processes System Analysis and Design. IJHIT, 6(6), pp.281-290. Zhang, C., Zhang, T., Chen, N. and Jin, T. (2013). Reliability modeling and analysis for a novel design of modular converter system of wind turbines. Reliability Engineering System Safety, 111, pp.86-94.

Uzbekistans History, Economic and Culture

Uzbekistan is a country in central Asia which boarders Kazakhstan in the northern side, Kyrgyzstan in the eastern side and Tajikistan in the southern eastern side. During the 4th century B.C it was under the Persian rule that had been conquered by Alexander the Great.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Uzbekistan’s History, Economic and Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The region incorporated Islam as a religion in 8th century when the Arab forces invaded the land. Around the 13th century the region was taken over by the Mongols from the Seljuk Turks. The 16th century saw the region been merged with their neighbors but was not to last for long as the region broke into principalities (Adams 19). However, the city-states, which included khanates, Kokand and Bukhara were not to last for long as the Russians conquered them in the 19th century. In 1924, the territory was a republic but it is in 19 25 that it became an independent under socialist republic. However, in 1991 the country declared its independence making September 1st their national holiday. The country today enjoys independence with a presidential rule. Economically, the people of Uzbekistan are agriculturalist, however, the country is endowed with many minerals. Cotton has been their main produce but has recently been replaced by natural gas. The other minerals that the Uzbekistan people are involved with are gold and uranium. The country has recently grown to be a manufacturing country, especially in the automobiles industrial where they are a big exporter to Russian market. The state has always been in control of most business enterprises, but in the recent past free market has been endorsed (Oliker 46). It is not easy to determine the growth rate of the country because the government keeps unreliable records. However, it is notable much of the wealth of the country is held by the elite in the society with alm ost a quarter of the population living below the poverty line. The government has been instrumental in preventing the country from facing capital outflow by ensuring that the country adopts the policy of substitution of their imports. The actions of the government to control economic activities have even made convertibility of different currencies of the world. The low economy has transformed to some of the individuals in the country getting involved to human trafficking business. The business usually involves girls, as they are traffics to other countries as prostitutes (BoÄ ­kova 181). Amongst the people of Uzbekistan, the elders are the most respected people in the society. They have a mode of greetings where the men put their hands on the heart of other men when greeting them, while women usually put their right hands on each other’s elbow. The mode of dressing especially to women was such that they were to cover their bodies with their heads looking down to avoid any at tention. The people of Uzbekistan are mostly Muslims with a small percentage of people enjoying other religions like Buddhist and Jewish.Advertising Looking for research paper on geography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Traditionally, matters of marriage were left to the man and the women but the approval of the parent was important. Virginity among the women was upheld and women were expected to be married much earlier than the men. Bride price had to be paid by the family of the man, and the cost incurred in the marriage ceremony was covered by the family of the wife (Hanks 83). There were defined duties of both men and women. While men were expected to work outside, the house women were expected to work indoors engaging in activities like weaving and spinning using cotton. Women were expected to cover the whole of their bodies when in public and they viewed it as observance of their faith (Adams 17). Traditional medicine was also incorporated in their treatment where herbs were used for treatment. There was also a taboo of drinking cold drinks since it was viewed as the reason why people caught cold. Arts performance that dated back during the soviet rule is still practiced. They include the crafts work as well as miniature painting. However, the practice of their music by the instruments they used in past is still in practice. Dotars that were put on the legs, flutes, and small drums are still used in the performance of their art. Unlike other countries in central Asia, Uzbekistan has adhered to the principle of legal stability. The constitution gives rights to the people to own private property and it views it as a way of giving self-respect to the people as well as a way of developing the society. Solid constitutional bases have been laid down through the years to promote and upgrade political and social relations. Economic freedom of the citizens has been highly promoted as well as the spirit of entrepreneurship with an aim of eliminating the repugnant old command-administrative system. The country has also incorporated a legal and organization environment where the society of Uzbekistan integrates with the world. Uzbekistan has adopted an open door policy that grants foreign investors reliable regal guarantee and broad economic opportunities in the economic activities. The environment for foreign investors has continually been improved as well as simplification of the procedures that are involved in creation of manufacturing enterprise for foreigners (Karimov 172). Regulatory acts created by Uzbekistan have had a comprehensive system of taxation and incentive against poetical and commercial risk for the foreigners. In turn, there has been active participation by foreign investors in this country. Some of their favorable policies to the foreigners are: freedom of buying property that the state has already privatized as well as ownership rights to these properties. Enterpri ses owned by foreigners are allowed to export without licenses as well to import duty free property from joint ventures (Karimov 173).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Uzbekistan’s History, Economic and Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Economic relations between Uzbekistan and the United States have mostly been controlled by the bi-literal trade agreement signed by the two countries. The agreement was signed in 1994 and one of the benefits the agreements had to Uzbekistan was that it had an exemption provision to many of the United States importing tariffs. In the year 2000, the two countries signed a bilateral investment treaty but it did not come into force because of the weak economic reforms in Uzbekistan. In terms of imports and exports, Uzbekistan imports machines and equipment. Also inclusive in the list of the imports are chemical products and food items, especially the ones that d eal in plastics. The exports to the United States include inorganic chemistry products machines and equipment (Group Taylor Francis 2548). American companies have also been involved in investing in Uzbekistan economy in establishment of technological base in both agriculture and mining sectors. Infrastructure and food processing are also other sectors of the economy where American companies have actively involved themselves in. The American company General Motors has also established a strong link with the government of Uzbekistan and collaborated in manufacturing of cars. It is also notable that Uzbekistan is the biggest export of uranium in United States (Zhukov 213). The relation between United States and Uzbekistan can be traced back to 1991 when Uzbekistan was established as an independent nation. The following year saw the establishment of Uzbekistan embassy in United States. From that time, as part of the U.S policy, campaigns have been launched to support Uzbekistan upheld the rule of law. The relationship between the two countries increased after September 11 attacks, which led to the war in Afghanistan. However, the closeness between the two countries went a drift when United States requested the international community to get involved in investigating the Andijon violence of 2005. The reason behind sourness in the relations on was because Uzbekistan did not want involvement of United States or other European powers in influencing the government activities. However, year 2007 saw the two countries improving the relationship among them (Thackrah 240).Advertising Looking for research paper on geography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The relations were all round as they included security issues civil issues as well as economic issues. It is also an attempt by the United States to ensure that there is peace in central Asia since Uzbekistan is the country with the biggest population and the most instrumental in keeping stability. The new relation between the two countries has since to improve to the best as in the United States assistance budget there was a provision that seeks to ensure better livelihood for the people of Uzbekistan (Group Taylor Francis 554). The relationship between the two countries has also promoted the level of education in Uzbekistan as many students from Uzbekistan have studied in American universities. Works Cited Adams, Laura L. â€Å"The Spectacular State: Culture and National Identity in Uzbekistan.† Durham: Duke University Press , 2010. Print BoÄ ­kova Elena Vladimirovna, R. B. Rybakov. â€Å"Kinship in the Altaic world: proceedings of the 48th Permanent International Altais tic Conference, Moscow 10-15 July, 2005.† Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag , 2006. Print Group, Taylor Francis. â€Å"Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia 2004, Volume 4.† Lndon: Routledge , 2003. Print Group, Taylor Francis. â€Å"Europa World Year Book 2, Book 2.† London: Taylor Francis, 2004. Print Hanks, Reuel R. â€Å"Central Asia: a global studies handbook.† Califonia: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Print Karimov, I. A. â€Å"Uzbekistan on the threshold of the twenty-first century: challenges to stability and progress.† New York: Palgrave Macmillan , 1998. Print Oliker Olga, Thomas S. Szayna. â€Å"Faultlines of conflict in Central Asia and the south Caucasus: implications for the U.S. Army, Issue 1598.† Califonia: Rand Corporation, 2003. Print Thackrah, John Richard. â€Å"Dictionary of terrorism.† New York: Routledge , 2004. Print Zhukov, Boris Z. Rumer Stanislav Viï ¸  aï ¸ ¡cheslavovich. â€Å"Central Asia: the challenges of ind ependence.† New York: M.E. Sharpe , 1998. Print This research paper on Uzbekistan’s History, Economic and Culture was written and submitted by user Silver Gorilla to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

SWOT analysis of Giordano

SWOT analysis illustrates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that a company experience in an industry. Through this analysis, it is possible to establish the competitiveness of a company in the industry. Giordano is one of the most influential companies in the clothing industry in the Asian market.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT analysis of Giordano specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company begun its business in Hong Kong, and has expanded gradually to cover most regions of Asia. Initially, the company ventured into the men’s casual wears business, which made it one of the most reputable firms in the industry. This is attributed to the fact that its rivals were not competitive in terms of service provision and marketing. Over time, it diversified its products and services to meet the needs of its clients. Giordano has gained its strengths in the course of operation. The managemen t culture and style of leadership contribute significantly to its strengths. In this case, the company has instilled flexibility amongst its employees since new ideas are highly appreciated. The culture has made the company venture into new markets, and incorporates new production techniques based on customers’ taste and preference. Meanwhile, the services offered by the company are targeted at satisfying the needs of the customers. Effective service delivery has been one of the ways has been to enhance customers’ relationships. Some of the ways adopted include hospitality of the employees, marketing behaviors and practices of the company. As a result, the company has been able to win the loyalty of customers since they are treated appropriately. The nature of services delivered by the company has contributed to its strengths. In this regard, the company offers varied kinds of products in its retail stores. Since the retail stores are distributed across most markets in the regions, it implies that customers can easily access the products at their own convenience. In addition, the company enjoyed the benefits of being the first company to explore the clothing business, which enabled it to establish its stores at convenient locations in the region. Consequently, the company can invest in any form of customer service campaign easily. Through this process, the company has gained a reputation in the region, which makes it earn substantial profits. The adoption of the up-to-date technology has been critical to Giordano success in the industry. One of the main roles played by the technological facilities is inventory control. For this reason, the company has efficiently monitored the demand of its products and the production process.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result, the management deals appropriately with the needs of the customers a t the retail store level. Furthermore, technological facilities have been critical towards the management of service delivery, and improvement of customer relation with management. Giordano’s practices of product differentiation and market reposition contribute to its strengths. In this case, the company invests significant resources in ensuring that its products and services are differentiated from those of its rivals. For this reason, the company provides consumers with unique and quality products. In addition, the company creates value in its products, which changes its market position in the minds of consumers. Consequently, the company is rated as one of the leading companies in terms of clothing production for both men and women. Regardless of the above strengths portrayed by the company in the industry, it experiences multiple weaknesses. The rapid expansion undertaken by the company contributes to one of its weaknesses. In this case, the company is faced with difficul ties in monitoring the operations undertaken in its retail stores in the international stores. Another factor that contributes to its weakness is the decentralized form of management. Through this initiative, the company is not able to scrutinize effectively the operations of the stores. This is attributed to variation in regional cultures and practices. Consequently, it affects the overall performance of the company in terms of sales and customer-oriented services. Another weakness experienced by the company is the selection of its workforce. Through a tight scrutiny process of the candidates, the company identifies the ideal employees. After this process, the company trains and develops them before they are taken to the field. However, the fact that knowledge and skills acquired during the training and development process may not be effectively employed in the service delivery stage, affects service provision. This notion is attributed to variation in personalities of individuals selected for employment. Consequently, it affects the general performance of the company in the industry. The decision to restrict the number of brands offered within the stores contributes to its weaknesses. In this regard, the company has experienced stiff competition from its rivals. Consequently, this practice will minimize the variety of consumers’ needs addressed by the company. This is because the consumers will view the company as an option rather than the ultimate products’ supplier.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT analysis of Giordano specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Following the strengths and weaknesses experience of the company, there are immense opportunities that it can exploit. In this case, the company is endowed with a substantial capital base, which enables it to invest in diversified investments. Over time, the company has been specializing in production of casual clothes f or both men and women. As a result, the company has potential to segment the needs of the consumers based on demographic factors. This implies that consumers’ needs based on one’s age vary, which offers the company humble opportunity to exploit. Another opportunity attributable to the company is its ideal location of retail stores. In this regard, the company has to offer varied kinds of products and services based on customers’ tastes and preference. Through this process, it can exploit the market segmentation of consumers based on their social status. This will create variation in the margins from the sales made by the company. Notably, the exploitation of technological advancement in service delivery improves the rating of the company in the industry. Consequently, the company can restructure its corporate strategy to suit the dynamism of the market. When all these opportunities are fully harnessed, the rating of the company in the industry will be impressive . Despite Giordano’s impressive performance in the industry over the previous periods, it will face substantial threats in the future. Initially, it is critical for the company to reposition itself against the emerging new rivals. This element is vital for the company since it influences its performance and customers’ loyalty. Another critical element is the sustenance of its previous performance and level of service delivery. Since this element is an output of various efforts, the issue must be consistently monitored to move in relation with customers’ needs. Consequently, it can improve its competitive advantage against its rivals. Lastly, the expansion and diversification of the company contributes to one of the threats. In this case, the company must consider multiple factors, which could hinder its performance in the international market. This involves issues such as marketing mix, corporate strategies and the nature of products and services offered. Throug h an efficient analysis of the critical factors exposed to the company based on SWOT analysis, it is possible to identify measures that can be adopted to improve the competitive nature of Giordano.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on SWOT analysis of Giordano was written and submitted by user H0peSummers to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Haniel Corporate Strategy And Corporate Responsibility Essays

Haniel Corporate Strategy And Corporate Responsibility Essays Haniel Corporate Strategy And Corporate Responsibility Essay Haniel Corporate Strategy And Corporate Responsibility Essay Corporate strategy is an important planning process within a company that links strategies with functions of corporation. Nowadays, social responsibility has developed rapidly and corporations are pressured to do their part in conserving social, economic and environment. Handel is now in the verge of integrating its social responsibilities into its corporate strategies for the group. Part of this process can be derived and analyzed from the case study which I have extracted to explain below. Handel is a family owned international corporation that has an ownership of ever 600 family members. Handel has Strong desire for low risk investment and had been looking for ways to diversify its current portfolio. At present, as a family run company, the family has decided to let outsiders to run the operation in order to be transparent on corporate governance and at the same time maximizing shareholder wealth. I think the management first challenge is to face Handels big group of diverse shareholders. Each shareholder will have different perspectives and references. As Handel employs external managers to run the business, the external team still needs o meet the shareholders demand from the shareholders meeting. Diversity of shareholders maybe resulted in many different objectives the shareholders wanted to deliberate, discuss or to be agreed and carried forward by the management. Sorting out the shareholders need and wants in accordance to priorities is already a huge challenge. : Engaging these shareholders to derive a clear policy on strategies is another challenge. Family members who are shareholders only meet at the shareholder meeting for briefing and finalizing several policies and time factor is the main constraint. Challenge can be observed from financial perspective. Handel commonly gives 25% of the Groups annual net income to family members. Family members are only accepted to sell or transfer Handel shares to each other to maintain the family owned corporation. This clause will under all circumstances plough away certain proportion of the profit from reinvestment in business. This clause also has made the matter worst when financial results showed reduction of profits and cash flow for the last few years. The financial overview as shown in the financial report highlighted poor performance from investments, dividends, profitability and cash flow etc. These challenges also lead to the management to seek diversification of its current projects to cut risks. Diversified and restructured portfolios are the aims given to its management. However, diversification will lead Handel to face another challenge for management as they need to source out for the right investment and business for entire Handel Group. This challenge is made more difficult in the poor global economic performance recently, and Handels team needed to handpick the right company for investment. As Handel now favors more small but innovative company who has yet to make its mark in the market, the worrying question is how many of them can really succeed. Handel is a family owned corporation, so it generally considers as safe investments and the managements have been avoiding venture capitalists. But in doing so, the management needs more attention to divest their investment in smaller investments and extensive monitoring, staffing and meeting may be required. Ill. THE ALIGNMENT OF HANDELS CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY AND CORPORATE STRATEGY Corporate responsibility and sustainability are both important roles for Handel to achieve higher competitive advantages in market. Corporate social responsibility seems a fundamental component of corporate strategy. It reflects that Handel focuses on its stakeholder and strategy. Through Handels survey, corporate social responsibility was regarded as a significant strategy for Handel Group where business life cycle Were observed, divisions played the importance of sustainability leading to an increase of media attention. Besides, Handel has five divisions that have different regional focus, business models and value chains. Each division also has individual corporate responsibility activities. Lately, Handel creates an umbrella function to take into account the new corporate responsibility for combine the adjustment of the business portfolio. The new corporate responsibility is a common corporate responsibility strategy and an explicit framework which can be aligned by adopting a common Handel value. Handel combined corporate strategy with corporate responsibility strategy rooted by Christian ethics and characterized by the representation of the respectable salesman. A common value will help to share common understanding between corporate strategic planning and corporate social responsibility planning. At the end of 2008 Handel created small team at the corporate center to align the corporate strategy with the development of the corporate accessibility strategy. This activity applied triple bottom line on Handels main corporation strategy which wanted the group to look into ups (product, planet and profitability), where product and planet belongs to corporate social responsibility. Handel harmonize the needs of environment, customers and company by applying corporate responsibility to corporate activities along the value chain and beyond the value chain. Handel Group Conference managed the corporate responsibility strategies reflected by the annual top management meeting. Finally, Handel has the Sustainability Council to ensure that corporate responsibility and corporate social responsibility are both aligned and systematically implemented. Handel is also aware of the understanding Of the sustainability strategy which gives benefits for stakeholders in order to align with its corporate strategy in long term goal such as expandable market consumption. IV. MEASURING INDICATOR FOR HANDEL Each division has different structures and roles but divisions can work together to focus on sustainable business. Handels corporate responsibility strategy follows people-planet-profit approach (UP). Therefore, I think this treated can be measured by the criteria of Global Reporting Initiative (GRID). GRID 3. 1 is the current tool for guidelines in preparing the report for sustainability. The criteria of GRID 3. 1 are used to evaluate Handels corporate responsibility strategy performance. I detect the ups strategy above will link to employees (appendix 1), added value chain (appendix 2), innovation (appendix 3) and charitable efforts. According to Labor Practices and Decent Work in GRID 3. 1, Handel improves internal education options introduced by an international management system. This system provides for employee raining (LAB, 10). Environmental and safety standards are also to be raised. Handel identifies potential sources of risk to avoid accidents (49). Next, Handel gives benefits of pensions for employees in order to make a good work-life balance (ALAI). Additionally, environment is an important issue nowadays; therefore, Handel understands to protect resources. The holding company provides a green car policy to reduce CA limitation (KNEE). Employees who take company car not only save money for yearly railways ticket but also contribute to their private pension. Green car policy is friendly tit environment (EN) in order to decrease fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission (EN 18). Through Handels innovation, it optimizes sustainable balance and business model on service logistics, the recycling of raw materials, expansion of green products and transparency in the supply chain. These innovations support Handel to get customers satisfaction by reducing service trips. Handel also promotes human environmental awareness by recycling scraps. Handel focuses on global technical solutions (I. E. The product category of fish) by working with industry partners to prevent illegal behaviors (I. E. Legal fishing). Besides, Handel has contributions to society and economy (SEC 1 Handel has donations to schools and hospitals (I. E. In Disturb-Router). Handel also provides voluntary social benefits (I. E. Workers housing estate and company health insurance). Furthermore, Handel has collaborations with universities to offer practical courses. Handel suppor ts regional education projects by awarding scholarships (OSI These are some contributions that Handel should sustain these activities to raise its corporate responsibility strategy. Final, Handel should refer on criteria of GRID 3. 1 to enhance corporate sustainability responsibility. V. HANDELS SUSTAINABILITY SCORECARD In 2010, Handel focused on sustainable business associated with MA activities may require to find a new tool to measure sustainability. A new tool should measure whether Handel has fulfilled then necessary criteria Of the UP model. At that time, the project team mentioned a public value scorecard that links UP model into five dimensional frameworks (instrumental, financial, economic, political-social, moral-ethical and hedonistic-aesthetic values). Handel used sustainability scorecard to address internal and external perspectives from different stakeholders. Here, simple questionnaires are provided to stakeholders to collect viewpoints in order to improve environmental sustainability. In addition, sustainability scorecard can measure the value of financial contribution. Handel estimates risks and costs in product lifestyle to eliminate waste in the supply chain. Scorecards are used by employees and customers to evaluate Handels performance footprint. Moreover, sustainability scorecard is a measurable instrument with regard to political, moral, hedonistic and utilitarian aspects. Handel uses scorecards such as surveys, assessment or codes of product to understand social perspectives. Thus, Handel can make suitable decisions with corporate responsibility strategy. Sustainability scorecard is a significant part of corporate social responsibility. In recent years, multinationals and government organizations are using sustainability scorecards to focus on both quality management and environmental change as both are becoming a serious issue. Hence, supplier scorecards have been issuing in accordance with quality management and social compliance. Handel can apply the scorecards as a sustainable tool to achieve community engagement and fair labor practices. The scorecards are seemed to provide feedbacks and can also be used as source for data collection from stakeholders to assess energy use and other emissions. Handels sustainability scorecard is a suitable tool to measure sustainability for elaborate comprehensive corporate strategy. VI. THEORIES ABOUT CORPORATE ATTITUDES TO CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORTING Charles Handy emphasizes two main points concerning environmental and individual well-being. A business not only makes a profit but business is also expected to do something more and better. This activity becomes the actual justification for the business. Next, a company will get worse when it normally considers its employees as costs (not assets). The regularly purpose of a company is trying to minimize costs and grow assets. A good business is a community with a purpose, and a community is not something to be owned. According to Charles Handy. There are a lot of highly skilled employees, so they should be treated as assets. A good business should maintain and attract these employees to raise an efficient performance. Otherwise, Charles handy claimed that employees have contribution in production by their skills whilst stockholders have undistributed investments by their funds. Thus, a company is just fair when it pays dividends for both employees and stockholders. In fact, the company does not pay any dividends for employees and only provides more benefits of dividends for shareowner. A good company should create wealth community in workplaces to improve its performance. The company also base on the individual needs to engage its stakeholders. According to Muhammad Yuans, the purpose of social enterprises is trying to provide social responsibility to poor people who are in need of help, including revision of cheap price goods and services for poor people. A social business does not focus on profit minimization. It just serves products to everyone can use. Social enterprises provide products with cheap price to raise poor people at the bottom of the pyramid. This is also a strategy to branding and increase market consumption behavior (I. E. Deanne provides yogurt in Bangladesh). Besides, a social enterprise can reinvest what it earn in social business to increase facilities in order to provide jobs for employees in where it operates. Hence, poor people can improve their income in order to raise life level. Social business is not charity. It creates a system chain of making profits, reserving and recycling profits respectively to sustain its operation in meeting the objective of social responsibility. From Muhammad Yuans model to Charles Hands model, a corporation needs a social enterprise for balance in order to create new objectives. Social responsibility provides skills to employees organization as well as increases customers.

ACT in 9th Grade

Should You Start Prepping for the SAT/ACT in 9th Grade SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success." While Alexander Graham Bell may not have been referring specifically to the SAT or ACT, his words ring as true for these tests as for anythingelse. Scoring highly on the SAT/ACT is all about preparation, and luckily you have plenty of time to prepare if you start early. If you haven't started already, let's discuss some reasons why it's useful to start prepping as a freshman and the best ways for doing so. Why Are the SAT and ACT So Important? Most colleges require applicants to send their scores from the SAT or ACT. Colleges consider these two tests equally, so it's up to you to choose and determine which test will better strengthen your overall application. As college admissions get more and more competitive every year (sorry, but it's true!), a strong SAT/ACT score goes a long way toward making your application stand out among the thousands of other applicants. While your curriculum and experiences in schools may differ across the country and the world, the SAT/ACT are meant to test students on an equal playing field. Some schools have adopted test optional and test flexible policies, so you'll eventually want to make sure you're aware of your college's requirements. But it's safe to say the majority of you who are applying to 4-year schools will be taking the SAT or ACT. The SAT is considered to be more of a critical reasoning test that tests yourskills in math, writing, and reading comprehension and analysis. The ACT also has a math, English, and Reading section, but it additionally has a science section.The science section is almost more like critical reading than a science class pop quiz, which I'll explain in more detail below. Both of these tests cover material that you've learned over the years and skills you've developed by 9th grade. Before delving deeper into the content of the tests, let's discuss why test prep is so important for the SAT and ACT . Test Prep and the SAT/ACT While you gain knowledge and develop fundamental skills in and out of school, most students also must do a lot of focused, test-specific preparation to perform well on the SAT/ACT. This is because the tests are unique in the way they time you and ask questions, so you must pair strategy and specific time management skills with your knowledge and understanding. Through practice and studying, you can become familiar with the structure and types of questions in each section, how to best approach them, and what rules of math, grammar, and literary terms will be tested. You can figure out exactly how to read the SAT passages or the ACT passages with time to spare, what approaches will boost your score in math, and what exactly is tested on the ACT science section, to name a few examples. Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say, nor can you become an expert in the SAT or ACT overnight. Freshmangrade is the perfect time to start prepping for the SAT/ACT, reinforcing concepts you need to know, and taking official practice tests. If you're having trouble getting started, remember that you'll be doing Future You a favor. By taking time to prep now and diagnosing exactly where you need to improve, you'll be able to be more relaxed when you're in the thick of college applications and more intensive classes, like honors and AP classes. Junior Year You will really appreciate all the help you can give him/her now! So how can you start to prep? PrepScholar's online program offers customizable test prep that diagnoses your strengths and weaknesses, plans your study schedule, and keeps track of your progress along the way. This means that PrepScholardoesn't assume you're a junior in high school, but meets you atyour level. You can also start with SAT Questions of the Day and ACT Questions of the Day, which are a quick, easy, and convenient way to start getting familiar with the types of questions you'll see on the tests.You can find online sample questions on the College Board and ACT websites, as well as download and print official practice tests for the SAT and ACT. If you start studying now, you'll become an expert on the test by the time you register for your first test date. Not only will SAT/ACT test prep help you score high on these tests, it also will help reinforce what you're learning in school and may help you get better grades in your classes. Let's check out how the tests and your classwork line up. SAT/ACT and What You're Learning In School Even if you are just starting high school, you've already learned a lot of key skills and concepts that will help you on the SAT or ACT. You may not have encountered all the vocabulary or math concepts yet, but you probably know a lot more than you realize. Some students who wait until junior year actually feel like their classes have gotten more advanced than what they see on these tests, and they have to go back and review material from past years. By taking the time to prep now, you can really make sure you've reinforced this knowledge and have a clear sense of how you can apply it to one of the tests. Let's break down exactly what I mean by this in terms of each major subject. First, let's consider math. Math Somestudents have already taken an algebra class by the time they get to 9th grade, or are at least familiar with the related conceptsof a pre-algebra class. Algebra and geometry make up the majority of the math questions on the SAT, as well as on the ACT. The ACT gets a little more advanced by covering some trigonometry. As I mentioned above, some students are already in more advanced math classes by the time they take the SAT or ACT, like in pre-calculus or calculus, and mayhave gotten rusty with their algebra, geometry, and probability. Apart from reinforcing the concepts you already know with SAT/ACT practice problems, you can also get a headstart on 10th and th gradeby introducing yourself to new math concepts. You might find detailed explanations and practice problems that will help you learn these concepts independently of class, which can be especially helpful for students who work well on their own and want to set their own pace. If you're surprised that you already know a good deal of the math you'll need to do well on the SAT/ACT, you might also be intrigued to realize you already have some key reading skills, too. Let's take a look at what reading skills you'll need. Reading While there are some differences between the SAT Reading and the ACT Reading sections, there are more similarities. Both includea series of passages (including one pair), with questions about each, though the exact type of passagesand style of questions varies slightly. The passage-based questions on both tests want to make sure you understand the general purpose of the passage, as well as its tone or style. You'll be asked to interpret a word or phrase in context, along with demonstrating your understanding of details. These are all skills of reading comprehension and analysis that you'll have developed throughout your years of English classes in middle school and 9th grade. Reading comprehension is a skill best developed through reading widely and often. By prepping for the SAT/ACT as a freshman, along with the reading, writing, and analysis you do in your English class, you'll get better and better at these skills. Closely linked to the reading sections are the writing section of the SAT and the English section of the ACT. Writing and Grammar The Writing section of the SAT and English section of the ACT are pretty comparable. Both test your understanding of rules of grammar and syntax. Both also include an optional essay. Just like in your freshman year English classes, these testswant you to understand grammar rules, parts of speech, and sentence structure. The essays should generally take the form of a five-paragraph persuasive essay supported with strong examples. Practicing these in class and through test prep will help you develop your English language and writing skills, just like with reading. One difference with the SAT/ACT essay and essays you write in class might be that you'll be writing for the tests under timed conditions and by hand. Thus you'll have to learn to plan out your essay in just two to three minutes and draft it fast. Practicing this could be another useful tool for helping you become more efficient with the essays you're assigned for class. There are specific strategies you can use to draft high quality essays in a short amount of time that will help you on the SAT/ACT and in class. Test prep for the writing sections could help you score highly, impress your teachers, and save time while still writing thorough, well-developed essays. While the SAT and ACT overlap in terms of math, reading, and writing, there is one major section difference between the two. That difference is the ACT science section. Science Unlike the SAT, the ACT has a science section. Thismight sound like it requires a lot of memorization, but actually the science section is less about straight recall of scientific facts and more about applying scientific skills, like reading charts and graphs and interpreting data. In this sense, the science section is almost more like the reading section than the math section. Having some knowledge of biology, earth sciences, and chemistry is helpful, though, for being familiar with the terminology and having lab skills that you can apply to real data. Since a lot of students take biology with a lab freshman year, you'll probably be in a great position to do well on the ACT science section. Just like with the other sections, test prep on the ACT science can help reinforce what you're learning in class and give you a glimpse intonext year. It will strengthen your skills in the context of the ACT and prevent you from getting rusty and then having to reference back to material that you learned years earlier.You might even find you're ready to take the SAT Subject Test in Biology at the end of your freshman year! As you can see, you're likely already in a good position to handle the SAT/ACT. Prepping can help you do well on the tests and in school. Besides mastering and getting ahead on the content, prepping early also gives you more test dates to choose from. When Should You Take the SAT/ACT? Figuring out your SAT/ACT testing schedule as a freshman will ensure you have plenty of test dates to choose from. Since a lot of colleges superscore your results, or take your highest section scores across all dates you took the tests, some students choose to build up their SAT or ACT scores section by section. You can also usually use Score Choice for the SAT or select which score reports you want to send from the ACT, so you can just send the scores from whichever test date you choose. There are some exceptions, though, so you want to make sure you understand your colleges' policies regarding standardized test scores. One testing schedule that a lot of students use is to take the SAT/ACT once in the fall of junior year, again in the spring, and then a third time if they choose senior year. Some students may take it earlier, like in 10th or even 9th grade, to give themselves more testing opportunities or achieve their scores and be finished with the SAT/ACT before the busy time of junior and senior year. Students almost always improve when they retake the tests, having learned more about time management and gained valuable real test experience. Plus if you prep thoroughly and effectively, you can target your weaknesses and do better the next time. So how can you stick to a prep schedule in 9th grade that will help you score highly on the SAT/ACT? Prepping for the SAT/ACT As a Freshman As you saw above with the SAT and ACT Questions of the Day, a little bit of prep sustained over time can go a long way. You definitely don't have to spend all your time studying for these tests in 9th grade. I would suggest devoting an hour a week to test prep. This is enough to be useful and help you develop a habit, while also being low-key and manageable enough not to put yourself under undue stress or pressure. How can you stick to this? Just like with your homework, the best way to stay organized is to use an assignment notebook or planner to write down your plans, goals, and assignments and keep track of them. Some planners even break your day up hour by hour, so you could devote a specific time to test prep, like every Tuesday from 6 to 7. Making something a regular routine is the best way to remember it and incorporate it into your life. This will help you in all aspects of your academic life, along with setting and working towards your own personal goals. To Sum Up... By prepping early, you'llsee your SAT/ACT scores go up and up. Your effort will pay off in a huge way over time, especially if you maintain test prep as a regular part of your routine. Your motivation and discipline will positively impact other aspects of your high school career, too. Test prep will help you improve your math, reading, writing, and science skills, plus it will aid you when you take thePSAT. You can root out your strengths and weaknesses and figure out what you need to learn and where you shouldput in extra effort. Finally, it will remind you that all of your high school career is important for getting into college and help you start laying the groundwork for your future after graduation. What's Next? What's a good SAT/ACT score for 9th graders? If you're taking the SAT or ACT as a freshman, you can figure out yourtarget scores here. The best way to prep for the SAT is with official College Board SAT questions. Download official SAT practice tests here. If you're taking the ACT, you want to try some sample ACT questions from previously administered tests. You can find printable official ACT tests here. Besides prepping for the SAT/ACT, should you think about taking the PSAT as a freshman? Read about the most important considerations for signing up for the PSAT in 9th grade. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today!