Recommendations For International Expatriate Assignments

Recommendations for International Expatriate Assignments Ted Liu Many company organisations are globalized due to foreign direct investment and decrease in trade barrier between countries, the number of expatriate assignments start to increase. Many specialists from different specializations are starting to working overseas, cultural shock and adaption to other countries are often unavoidable and can be difficult to cope with. This essay will explore and recommend approaches that company can take to help expatriate assignments to be successful. It has been a myth that the rate of failure for expatriate assignment is very high. From previous researches, there are many way of measuring expatriate assignment, Harzing (2004) concluded that the failure is simply the early return from expatriate assignment. Other researches also showing that the definition of failure should not be just early return from expatriate assignment but also lack of ability to adapt and learn new things in order to meet required performance Survey have been done for international companies mainly in the United States and America based showing 7% of expatriate assignment failure (GMAC, NFTC and SHRM, 2004, p,50). Other data from 1970s indicated that the recall rates are between 10% to 20 %, in some companies, 20% to 40% were overserved (Hofstede, 2001). Cost of expatriate assignment can be expensive, the direct cost and indirect cost can cost a company between $125,000 to $250,000 (Cole,Show MoreRelatedDesigning A Sales Subsidiary Structure1710 Words   |  7 Pagesthe balance sheet approach in international compensation. Finally, in international performance management, I listed several issues need to be concerned and suggested adopt not ‘TCN role conception’ but ‘PCN role conception’. Introduction The main object of this portfolio is to provide the board with useful advice for Winch-It to develop an international business. Since they are uncertain of what type of organizational structure they would build for international operations and what country toRead MoreEssay about bus 325 assignment 21133 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Assignment 2: International Assignments BUS 325 Summer 2014 1. Determine four to six (4-6) components that the pre-departure training will need to cover. Provide a rationale for the use of using the training components in question. The four components that pre-departure training will need to cover are cultural awareness training, preliminary visits, language instruction, and assistance with practical, day to day matters . A well-designed cultural awareness trainingRead MoreWhy Do Many Mncs Continue to Recruit Internally from the Home Country Instead of the Local Labour Market When Seeking to Hire Managerial Staff for Overseas Subsidiaries? What Are the Limitations of This Approach and How1533 Words   |  7 Pagesapproach in various aspects of the process. These limitations are associated with the failure of the international assignments and are addressed in this paper in order to deduce comprehensive suggestions for management that will minimise or at least reduce the risk of failure, that the hiring of PCNs at overseas subsidiaries pose. The choice of hiring a PCN instead of a HCN for an assignment in a foreign country can be defined as the ethnocentric approach to recruitment. It uses PCNs, the majorityRead MoreSpanning the Globe1717 Words   |  7 Pagesinput and output manufacturing firm with its head office in San Antonio. After its establishment in the 1970s, they have over 5 production facilities, 3 research and new product development facilities over the world. Additionally, they have 7 international sales, distribution and customer service centers universally but mainly concentrated in Asia. Below is a brief company and employee history to aid with the case study analysis. The first step in identifying the various challenges faced by Tex-MarkRead MorePerformance Compensation Management Annotated Bibliography1213 Words   |  5 PagesO’Sullivan, A. O’Sullivan, S.L., 2008, ‘The performance challenges of expatriate supplier teams: a multi-firm case study’, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 19, No. 6, pp. 999-1017. This article is about the performance management of team based international assignments and how they should be managed differently from individual expatriate assignments. The article covers some key areas that expatriate teams face including: technical (i.e. task related) performance requirements;Read MoreExpatriate Training3280 Words   |  14 PagesTHE 21ST CENTURY OFFERS MANY ALTERNATIVES TO THE TRADITIONAL CONCEPT OF ENGAGING IN THE EXPENSIVE AND FRAUGHT RIDDEN ACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPATRIATE STAFF. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS ISSUE GIVING YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO AN ORGANISATION CONSIDERING ABANDONING ITS EXPATRIATE PROGRAMME, CITING APPROPRIATE MODELS AND EXAMPLES TO SUPPORT YOUR KEY ARGUMENTS. INTRODUCTION The world economy is moving away from the traditional economic system where national markets were considered as distinct entitiesRead MoreManaging International Staff2990 Words   |  12 PagesTOPIC 1 INTERNATIONAL STAFFING IN A MALAYSIAN MULTINATIONAL ( PROTON ) MANAGING PEOPLE IN MULTINATIONAL ORGANISATIONS TBS 981 MASTER OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SYDNEY BUSINESS SCHOOL – INTI CAMPUS PREPADED BY: Yeow Sin Kah (4785149) LECTURER: Dr. Peter McLean SUBMISSION DATE: October 19, 2014 Executive Summary This report examines and evaluates various topics concerning the difficulty of international staffing. We aim to provide a holistic guideline and report that can aid and assistRead MoreThe Challenges Associated With An International Assignment1995 Words   |  8 PagesGalbraith (1977) define expatriates as â€Å"Individuals who irrespective of their national origin are transferred outside their native country to another country specifically for employment purposes†. Cohen (1977) also defines expatriates as a voluntary and temporal migration of a person abroad for specific purposes with an ultimate return to his or her country. Multinational countries looking for uniformity across their subsidiaries send out expatriates in order to act as international managers to manageRead MoreWinch-it Pty. Ltd: Company Analysis2804 Words   |  12 PagesAs the board have agreed to go international, there are many International Human Resource Management aspects to be taken into consideration before Winch-it Pty. Ltd expands their business. There are several areas of interest to be analysed that requires specific attention to assist in commencing an international operation. The five main areas of interest that are analysed covers: the organisational context, the staffing context, recruitment and selection, international compensation and performanceRead MoreSolvay Group Analysis Essay2538 Words   |  11 PagesQuestion 1 - Would you grant any of the special requests of the four expat candidates? Provide your rationale. Solvay’s HR group wants to develop consistent policies for the International Mobility (IM) program and be more transparent about the expatriation process. Therefore, it is important to minimize the exceptions because exceptions require a deviation from standard protocol. However, HR must also remain flexible in order to meet the strategic needs of the company. As noted in the case

El signifcado de los colores Essay - 980 Words

EL COLOR â€Å"La visià ³n del color es una percepcià ³n. Sin la mente no existirà ­a el color† Isaac Newton. El color es una propiedad de los cuerpos que depende de la luz del entorno y de su intensidad; todo lo que percibimos sobre el color en los distintos objetos que nos rodean es en realidad una sensacià ³n creada por nuestra mente con la ayuda de la luz que se refleja sobre los cuerpos y llega hasta nuestros ojos. La luz del entorno (luz solar) esta compuesta por varios colores, Isaac Newton demostrà ³ esto hace muchos aà ±os, al descubrir que la luz blanca o luz solar se descomponà ­a en siete colores (algunos documentos dicen que son seis, pero que Newton incluyo el cian para completar siete colores por que se asume que el 7 tenà ­a un†¦show more content†¦Nuestro sistema visual esta conformado por dos tipos diferentes de cà ©lulas receptoras los conos y los bastones; como nuestro sistema visual esta basado en el tricromatismo (es decir que con tres colores se pueden generar todos los colores del espectro), en el interior de nuestro ojo se sità ºan los conos que son los encargados de percibir el color, para los tonos rojos con mayor longitud de onda se utilizan los conos L (Large), para los tonos verdes que poseen una longitud de onda media se utilizan los conos M (Medium), y para los tonos azules con menor longitud de onda se utilizan los conos S (small), cada color puede ser representado estimulando en determinadas cantidades a estos tipos de conos; los bastones por otro lado no permiten percibir colores, los bastones perciben principalmente las variaciones de luz por ejemplo en un lugar oscuro lo importante no es percibir el color sino los objetos y su distancia, es allà ­ donde mejor trabajan los bastones. Todos los colores que se pueden percibir por el ojo humano han sido dispuestos en un dibujo llamado el cà ­rculo cromà ¡tico, en el cual à ©stos se han dispuesto de tal manera que

Carpe Diem Free Essays

Alex Rohret Mrs. Oxley English 1302 22 February 2013 The Light and Dark Sides of the Force The first time I heard the phrase Carpe Diem, I wasn’t sure what to think. First of all, I had never heard either of the words used in the phrase. We will write a custom essay sample on Carpe Diem or any similar topic only for you Order Now Secondly, after repeating the words in my head a few times to see if I was getting them mixed up with some other words that are actually in the English Language. I later came to figure out that these words weren’t in the English Language at all; they’re in the dead language of Latin. This phrase’s literal translation in English is â€Å"Seize the Day. There are a number of similar phrases that are popular today that might be easier to understand. The most recent, and possibly more popular, is Yolo, meaning You Only Live Once. These two phrase’s purpose is to tell people to live each day like it’s their last. Robert Herrick’s Poem; To the Virgins to Make Much of Time, is a perfect way to tell others how to live each day to the fullest when he says â€Å"Gather  ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying : And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying. This is the first stanza to his poem, and in my opinion is t he best stanza of the poem. Herrick’s meaning behind this stanza is basically to Seize the Day. This stanza’s translation, to me, is to do what you want while you can because you will not live forever, and if you don’t do what you want today, then tomorrow you might not get the chance to do anything at all. The reason that we’re studying Carpe Diem is because of the movie Dead Poets Society. The setting of Dead Poets Society takes place in the 50’s at an all boy’s prep school, where it always seems to be cold. A new English teacher, Mr. Keating, at the school inspires a group of kids to start an underground poetry reading group, where the students read poems written by dead poets, or written by themselves. All of the poems read at these meetings follow the same meaning: carpe diem. The name of this group is the Dead Poets Society. Out of Herrick’s same poem â€Å"That age is best which is the first, When youth and blood are warmer; But being spent, the worse, and worst Times still succeed the former. † This excerpt explains that it is better to live life to the fullest while you’re young, because as you age, you lose chances to seize the day. The Dead Poets Society is adolescent boys, which is exactly the time to seize the say according to To the Virgins to Make Much of Time. The adolescents in this society interpret Carpe Diem differently, because there is more than one way that it can be interpreted. Since there are different ways to interpret Carpe Diem, each character does something different. For example, a boy named Knox meets a girl from the local public High School, and falls for her. He works up the courage to call her one night, and she invited him to a party at her boyfriend’s house, where he kissed her, and proceeded to get beaten by her boyfriend. Another boy, Charlie, changes his name to Nuwanda, and insists all of the dead poets to call him as such. During a school wide meeting, Nuwanda brings in a phone and pretends to get a call from god, he then tells the headmaster that the call is for him. All of these boys do exactly what Herrick says in his poem. They are gathering ye rosebuds, while they can. I like to think of Carpe Diem as similar to The Force in Star Wars: there is a dark side, and a light side. The side that most of us would like to know is the side where one does whatever they want and only has fun doing it, which is known as the light side. The dark side is where one does what they want, but what they want to do may be way overboard, and the repercussions of their actions may lead to serious consequences, or even death. One of the boys, Neil, has an overbearing father that is making him go to school to be a doctor. But what he really wants is to be an actor. Mr. Perry would say things like, â€Å"You have opportunities that I never even dreamt of, and I am not going to let you waste them! †(Dead Poets Society). This, to me, is what set Neil over the edge. I believe that at this moment he realized that his father was trying to live through him. This was the moment that Neil finally has had enough, this was Neil’s climax. What happens to Neil brings out the dark side of the force that is known as Carpe Diem. Instead of talking to his father about what he wants, he does something as drastic as taking his own life. Neil went entirely too far with living each day like it is you last, because he would have lived the next day, if it were not for his poor choices. The resolution of this film doubles as another boy’s climax. Todd is a very bashful boy that only tries to do what is expected of him. Todd was even bashful through Mr. Keating’s teachings of Carpe Diem and all of the Dead Poets Meetings that took place. But at the end of the film, Todd finally broke his silence, and stood up on the desk saying O captain my captain, defying his temporary replacement teacher’s orders. He does this in honor of Mr. Keating, and everything that he taught them. Soon enough all of the members of the Dead Poets Society, as well as a few other students that have no relevance, are standing on their desks saying the same phrase, O captain my captain. To the Virgins to Make Much of Time played a big role in the Dead Poets Society, by capturing the lighter side of carpe diem. This poem also captures what I believe carpe diem means to me: Live life to the fullest, and to live life while the blood is still warm. This poem embodies carpe diem, and everything that the Dead Poets Society stood for. Understanding how the film and the poem connect so deeply helps the viewer, or the reader, appreciate them both just that much more. Works Cited Herrick, Robert. â€Å"To the Virgins to Make Much of Time. † Trans. Array  The Poerty in Dead Poets Society. OxleyPrint. Weir, Peter, dir. Dead Poets Society. Writ. Tom Schulman. 1989. DVD. 10 Feb 2013. How to cite Carpe Diem, Papers

Big Data to Estimate Consumer Surplus †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Big Data to Estimate Consumer Surplus. Answer: Introduction: In the current technical era, Application software has become of the most widely used technologies. Not only large or business organizations but also many of the start up businesses are also using the concept of application software for commercial success. For this report the nominated topic is Analysis of UBER Technology Inc. environment and its market competition. During the project progress phase many challenges were raised and accordingly In order to present the final report with all added values there are certain phases those have to follow during the report formation period. Just after the selection of the topic the project group has been formed and before starting the assignment a schedule has been planned accordingly. For the successful completion of each phase time has been estimated. In order to accomplish the assignment it is necessary to complete each of the phases within the allotted time. At the beginning the project group was formed and the group was consists of four students, as more than four students are not allowed in a group. After successful formation of the group the project group had to register the proposed project topic that is Analysis of UBER Technology Inc. environment and its market competition. Group issues: As the project group was consists of four different people thus their thoughts were different and they failed to meet one project requirement following a single path direction. Challenges with internal analysis: During the project development phase, internal environment analyses are done in terms of SWOT and PESTLE. During this phase are the project group faced major challenges. Challenges with external analysis: During external environment analysis, or while measuring competitive market of UBER Technologies, many other service providers and their service details such as OLA, Taxi for sure etc are also analyzed. During this phase also the project group faces serious challenges. Growth strategy analysis: The growth strategy used by UBER is very much complicated thus while analyzing the growth strategy of UBER the project group faced major challenge accordingly. As the nominated project was based on real world company thus in details, company background rather the company profile has to be submitted before further progress. In order to give proper information about the project it may happen that the project group has to interact with the employees or executive of the company. Thus, in the project initiation phase the project submitted a requested permission letter from the UBER Technologies itself. This is referred to as an solution for the project group that evidentially mitigated the issues of professional project development. After getting approval from the lecturer the student group can easily move for further detail analysis. It is expected that from company survey the employee and executives will help a lot to prepare the project report. As per the instruction the final project report has to be submitted within 15 weeks from the starting. Thus, the total time was divided accordingly. After the completion of some of the phases the progress report 2 was prepared. During the project progress phase 2 many challenges are raised. The lists of challenges are as follows Lack of support: First of all UBER Technologies Inc does not have any particular office where the student group can contact directly to request from the permission letter. Most of the helpline numbers of UBER are toll free and computerized thus the student group were unable to share their actual requirement. Undefined project goal: Undefined goal was another issue, because the aim of the project was just not to analysis current environment of UBER Technologies rather analyzing its competitive market also. As there are many companies which serve similar services like UBER, thus competitive market analysis was a major challenge. Scope changes: Scope creep was another challenge faced by the project development group, this happened because during the project development phase, the project scope extended beyond the original objective set in the project initiation phase. Inadequate skill: Due to inadequate skill and previous knowledge regarding project development, during the project development phase certain issues were raised. Lack of accountability: As it was a student project team thus there was no one leader who might lead the project team towards success. The project faced a long time halt due to lack of proper project accountability. Lack of technology usage: During the project development phase many information were collected but as the student group was using traditional information management aspects thus many time it was become difficult to fetch a single data. Thus, information management was raised as one of the major difficulty rather challenge during the project development phase. Lack of communication: The members belong to the project team are not necessarily thinks in same way. As the entire project team members gave their ideas for developing the project thus, serious conflict raised within the project team as they were not professionally trained. Incorrect risk management: It is necessary for any project that whether in the starting or in the development phase it will face some risks. As the student group failed to develop professional risk management approaches thus, the project group faced serious challenges. During the project development phase the project group faced many challenges thus accordingly they also planned to develop certain solution to combat the challenges and to implement the project successfully. Professional training on communication: In order to avoid all inert organizational and intra organizational conflicts the project group took professional training during the project development phase. Adoption of technical advances: In addition to professional training as the project group was facing data management challenges thus, after certain time they adopted a digital automatic system. It helped them to insert and access information easily and the system was not at all time consuming. Supervisor assistance: Apart from this the above mentioned solutions for all the challenges the major solution was getting support from the project supervisor. The project supervisor helped the project team a lot during information collection and its analysis. References Alley, J.K., 2016. The Impact of Uber Technologies on the New York City Transportation Industry. Cohen, P., Hahn, R., Hall, J., Levitt, S. and Metcalfe, R., 2016.Using big data to estimate consumer surplus: The case of uber(No. w22627). National Bureau of Economic Research. Cramer, J. and Krueger, A.B., 2016. Disruptive change in the taxi business: The case of Uber.American Economic Review,106(5), pp.177-82. Enoch, M.P., 2015. How a rapid modal convergence into a universal automated taxi service could be the future for local passenger transport.Technology Analysis Strategic Management,27(8), pp.910-924. Geradin, D., 2015. Should Uber be allowed to compete in Europe? And if so how?. Groff, A.L., Callegari, P. and Madden, P.M., 2015. Platforms Like Uber and the Blurred Line Between Independent Contractors and Employees.Computer Law Review International,16(6), pp.166-171. Isaac, E., 2014.Disruptive innovation: Risk-shifting and precarity in the age of Uber. Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy,[University of California, Berkeley]. Salnikov, V., Lambiotte, R., Noulas, A. and Mascolo, C., 2015. OpenStreetCab: exploiting taxi mobility patterns in New York City to reduce commuter costs.arXiv preprint arXiv:1503.03021.

The Reason Behind the Practice free essay sample

Standing in a dusty old batting cage, the sun beating down on my burnt pink skin, I weakly swung the bat and completely missed the ball that was softly thrown my direction. It was Summer which meant baseball season, and the only thing I got to do other than play baseball games, was practice. My family is big on baseball. My grandpa coached his team to two Jr. College World Series’ and won them both. My father played for 3 different colleges and was asked to try out for the Los Angeles Angels. Minutes before I was born, my parents and all the nurses were watching Field of Dreams. You could say I was born to play the game, but all throughout elementary school I hated it. I spent most days of my summer at Kalina Baseball Park either taking batting practice or fielding every position on the diamond. It sounds like I should be really good at baseball given I practiced almost every day, but the amount of effort I put in was extremely low. We will write a custom essay sample on The Reason Behind the Practice or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I wouldn’t hit the ball hard, I wouldn’t throw the ball accurately, and I wouldn’t hustle anywhere. If my dad or grandpa would ask me if I wanted to practice, my answer was always no. They soon figured out that they just wouldn’t ask anymore, they would simply make me go whether I liked it or not. Getting me to go practice was like trying to get a fat dog to go for a walk. This same old routine went on for years, they would make me practice and I would put no effort in, until around freshman year. I was older and smarter than my 12 year old self. Freshman year was when I finally figured out why my grandpa and my dad forced me to practice every day. Once I learned their motive behind the practices, I started to like going to baseball and spending time with them. It improved my performance in the sport and I made the freshman baseball team that year. The reason why my grandpa and my dad pushed me to go practice isn’t because they wanted me to get better, but because they wanted to spend time with me. They were just trying to share a special part of their life with me. They didn’t care about how bad I did which is why they didn’t mind my lack of effort when we went out to the field. They wanted to make me a part of something that has been in the family forever. Once I got this I wanted to go out and practice and mess around with my grandpa and dad. I stopped seeing it as work and saw it as a bonding experience. This has changed the way I am today because I have learned to think past myself and really figure out why someone is doing something. I was angry that my dad made me go to practice until I found out the reason he was doing it. This helps me be a more sympathetic and less judgemental person in life. Without the forced practices and the tough love I got from my dad and grandpa, I would not be the thought ful, sympathetic, and caring person I am today. Now, whenever my dad asks me if I want to go hit or field, my answer is always yes. I figured out the reason behind the practice and it has taught me the useful life lesson of finding out why someone does something before jumping to conclusions.

Diagnostic Summary Paper Essays - Autism, Free Essays, Term Papers

Diagnostic Summary Paper Essays - Autism, Free Essays, Term Papers Diagnostic Summary Paper Diagnostic Summary Paper AUTISM Autism is a disorder that impairs the development of a person's capacity to interact with, communicate with, and also maintain regular normal bonds with the outside world. This disorder was described in 1943 by Leo Kanner, an American psychologist. Autism is considered one of the more common developmental disabilities, and appears before the age of three. It is known to be four or five times more common in males than in females. It most cited statistic is that autism occurs in 4.5 out of 10,000 live births. The estimate of children having autistic qualities is reported to be 15 to 20 out of 10,000. The gender statement noted before is not uncommon, since many developmental disabilities have a greater male to female ratio. Autistic characteristics are different from birth. Two more common characteristics that may be exhibited are the arching of the back while being held, to avoid contact, and also failing to anticipate being picked up (limpness in the body). Infants with autism are described as being either very passive, or very agitated. Sometimes during infancy there will be cases of head rocking, and or banging, against the crib, but this is not always the case. Approximately one-third of children develop normally until the ages of 1 1/2 to 3, and then the symptoms emerge, referred to as regressive autism. During childhood, there is a commonality of the affected child insisting routine. The reasoning is that the child is not able to cope with novel situations. Wearing the same clothes, or eating the same foods during meals, are examples. Tantrums can occur when these perseverative behaviors occur. Twenty years ago, most autistic individuals were institutionalized. Now only the most severe cases live in institutions. During adulthood, autistic individuals are known to live with their parents, in residential institutions, and some do live independently. Because there are so many forms of this disorder, it has been said that there is no true adjective to describe every type of person with autistic symptoms, or autism. My research shows that there are no physiological tests that can be performed to determine whether a person has autism. The diagnosis is given when a person exhibits the characteristics of the disorder. Note: In the last five years, researchers have agreed that those who display autistic characteristics are commonly suffering from other related but distinct disorders, such as Asperger Syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Landau Kleffner syndrome, Rett syndrome, and Williams syndrome. Physiological researchers have discovered abnormalities within the brain, but the reason for the abnormalities is not known, and it is not known where the relation to autism lies. These abnormalities range from underdeveloped areas in the limbic system, to Vernal lobules VI and VII, being smaller than average. Biochemical research has found elevated beta-endorphins, relating to pain tolerance in autistic action. In the cognitive realm, there is much talk of the theory of mind, or the inability to realize that other people have their own unique view of the world. Some Cognitive theorists think that the autistic person isn't able to understand that other people have different thoughts, plans, and perspectives than their own. Cognitive theorists also examine the 10% statistic of savant skills, an ability that is considered remarkable by most standards. These savant skills are usually spatial in nature. Interventions and therapies are difficult. Family theorists try to work with the family of the patient, to try to develop appropriate behaviors. There is no reported drug that can be considered primary for the patient, although Ritalin is dispensed in many cases. Behaviorists look at the changing of behavior through positive reinforcement, behavior recess, and in turn examine the self-stimulatory and self-injurious behaviors. Physiological work such as visual training, and auditory integration training, is used to reduce sensitivities to sounds above normal range, or to sounds the patient can consider painful. When it comes to autism, the most important thing to remember is that parents and doctors in the medical field are now realizing that there can be treatments, and interventions, that can be effective. In addition, note that Federal Law now requires the states to provide early intervention services for autistic children between the ages of one to three. The services exist to provide tools to develop the children

I Am Qualified, Why Not Me - Why We Hate HR Case Study

I Am Qualified, Why Not Me - Why We Hate HR - Case Study Example There should have been a policy encouraging promotion from within as the priority over external applicants. It was clearly stated that his performance appraisals are excellent; therefore, he was most qualified for the previous positions he applied for. The only thing he lacked was more confidence in his ability, as when Friedman asked him if he thought he was better qualified than the others they hired, his response was negative. Having realized this, he could effectively apply in future senior positions after duly emphasizing his excellent qualifications and ability to do the responsibilities noted. The benefits of promotion from within policy are that the current pool of human resources who would be the priority for higher positions would be better motivated to perform their tasks and therefore, exhibit greater productivity within their scope of responsibilities. This is advantageous for the firm since increased productivity would tantamount to effective achievement of organizational goals. Such a policy would be appropriate and most beneficial for Crystal since currently employed personnel have already been trained on the rudiments of the firm’s operations and are duly competent to address problems that occur within their jobs. Promoting from within would provide much-needed motivation in the workforce, lessen employee turnover, create job satisfaction and opportunities for greater productivity. The article â€Å"Why We Hate HR† written by Keith H. Hammonds, reported to be the deputy editor of Fast Company published it as a cover story to increase awareness on the reasons why HR remain to be seen as inefficient in linking strategies to the organizational outcome. As disclosed, there were apparently six reasons why HR does not effectively deliver to the achievement of organizational goals: (1) lack of most competent and qualified HR personnel; (2) pursuing efficiency instead of value; (3) the inability to HR to conform and adhere to responsibilities expected by the organization; (4) lack of direct connection between HR goals and that of the organization’s ultimate objective of increasing the bottom-line.  Ã‚  

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 23

Economics - Essay Example Brooks argues that this migration to what he terms â€Å"sprinkler cities† is a part of the American character. While taking a tongue-in-cheek look at the peculiar nature of these new exurbanites (massive outdoor grills, SUVs and shopping at mega-box stores) he focuses more sincerely on his observations about what really motivates this group of people to live in sprinkler cities. Brooks concludes that it is a combination of factors that are uniquely American. He says that the belief that greener pastures are always to be found in another place is a part of American mythology. This desire for movement is coupled with the desire to be surrounded with people that are similar to them. The belief in technological solutions to modern problems, the desire for relaxed camaraderie and providing a traditional childhood for their children drive them to create new spaces that fit their ideal. Katz feels that the real cause of the outward expansion of population from city centers isn’t caused by something inherent in American culture. He identifies a lack of cooperation between governmental entities as the real root cause of the problem. He argues that misguided land use policies and funding for transportation systems that encourages exurban growth create the atmosphere needed for the expansive growth. He shows that as households move away from urban centers and older suburbs, what they leave behind is broken neighborhoods and crumbling social and physical infrastructure. I agree most with the article written by Katz because his focused on sound economic principles. Actually, Brooks alluded to these principles but did not identify them as a real part of the problem. Brooks speaks of the underused six-land highways, the in-ground sprinkling systems and the availability of enough treated water to have lush grass even in the most arid climate. He identifies these trappings as necessary for the new exurbanite to create their own little

Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Critique - Essay Example There have been various incidences where music has been used asan important therapeutic tool for people suffering from mental and other kinds of health diseases and challenges (Bayley, 2010). People’s tastes and preferences for music varies from one group to another. While some opt to listen to live bands and presentations, others prefer listening to music that is recorded, as they point out that this experience allows them to listen to it repeatedly. This paper examines the concept of recorded music and how it is influencing people’s preference for leisure. It focuses on ome of the advanatges that accompny recorded music for both artists and their respective audiences; additionally, it examines how technology is influencing the music industry. Music recording refers to the process of re-creation and inscription of different forms of sound waves like singing, spoken voice, sound effects and instrumental music. Music can be recorded in two main ways, either in analog or digital systems. Analog recording is often facilitated by a microphone, which has the ability to detect and pick sound waves, thus recording them as graphic representations of the particular sound waves. Analog music recording was commonly used many decades ago before the invention of effective and efficient systems of music recording, it can store music for a long time and be listened to and watched in different places easily (Cook, 2009). Digital recording, which is an advanced form of the analog music converts analog sound waves and signals picked up by a microphone into digital forms through the digitization process. In all forms, digitally recorded music is often regarded as being of high quality compared to music recorded by analog systems. Currently, various storage devices have been developed by different companies to enable people to carry recorded music to different places

The boundaries between phenomenon and context

The boundaries between phenomenon and context The basic aim and objective of this chapter is to describe in perspective the research methodology that would be used to check the correlation between multinational oil corporations participation in economic activities in Nigeria through the means of international trade policy and its effect on economic growth and the influence such corporations exert on international foreign trade policies of the host country Nigeria. In order to achieve these set objectives, the research was carried out through rigorous collection and analysis of data using qualitative case study methodology with a bit of quantitative data since the researcher wont be generating own data but careful analysis of already generated data. 3.2 Justification for the approach used Alternatively, the selection of tools may be at the discretion of the researcher to know the most valid approach to be used, Yates (2004 p14) goes on to argue that positivist thinking has influenced quantitative or numerical research. Ticehurst and Veal (2000 p18) argued that there is a considerable debate among scholars,about the relative merit and value of qualitative vs. quantitative business research and that the debate is often aligned with differing philosophical positions. They went as far as illustrating with a diagram on approaches and methodology. Approaches and methodology Experimental Qualitative Positivist Lab simulation Applied Observational Descriptive Historical Evaluative Ethnographic Feminist Social action Critical interpretation Quantitative Experienced qualitative researchers like Altheide Johnson (1994), Creswell, (2009) Eisner (1998), Gall, Gall Borg (2007), Glaser (1992), Howe Eisenhardt (1990) have offered a variety of standards that may be used to evaluate a qualitative research study and they suggested a general criteria; Purposefulness Explicitness of assumption biases- identifies bias that may affect data collection or interpretation Rigor Open mindedness Completeness Coherence Persuasiveness- logical arguments Consensus Usefulness 3.2.1 Case study method Robert K. Yin (1984) defines the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which multiple sources of evidence are used. Though critics of the case study method claim that the study of a small number of isolated cases can not establish a reliable or general acceptability of the research, but over time well known researchers like Robert E Stake, Helen Simons and of course Robert Yin have proven the success of the case study technique . Some critics feels that the intense exposure to study of the case biases the outcome of the research while others dismissed case study research as a useful exploratory tool. Researchers continue to use the case study research method with success in carefully planned and crafted studies of real-life situations, issues, and problems and I wouldnt be different. Morris and wood 1991 in their att empt defined the case study strategy as a considerable ability by a researcher to generate answers to questions like why? When? What? and How? (Saunders, 2009). Stake, Simons, and Yin have written about case study research issues and suggested techniques for organizing and conducting the research appropriately and successfully. They proposed six steps that should be used when using the case study method: Determine and define the research questions Select the cases and determine data gathering and analysis techniques Prepare to collect the data Collect data in the field Evaluate and analyze the data and finally Prepare the report 3.2.2 Method Used The method to be used in this research is mainly qualitative research with a bit touch of the quantitative aspect due to the simple fact that I have no intention of generating numerical data but analyses sourced data. And also qualitative research is more interpretive since I would be considering words rather than numbers and as the focal aim of this research is best served by a well conducted qualitative inductive interpretive research reasoning (Silverman 2008). Qualitative research believe that the researcher ability to interpret and make sense of what he or she sees is critical for understanding any social phenomenon. In this sense, the researcher is an as much the same way as an oscilloscope, sociogram or rating scale is an instrument (Leady and Ormrod 2010). Furthermore, some qualitative researchers believe that there isnt necessarily is a single, ultimate truth to be discovered, instead there may be multiple perspectives held by different individuals, with each of these perspectives having equal validity or truth (Creswell 2009: and Guba and Lincoln 1998) one goal of a quality study might be to reveal the nature of these multiple perspectives. All enquires of some starts are in a qualitative form (Lauer and Asher 1998) when little information exists on a topic when variables are unknown when relevant theory base is inadequate or missing, a qualitative study can help define what is important that is what needs to be studied. According to Peshkins (1993), Qualitative research studies typically serve one or more of the following purposes Description They can reveal the nature of certain situations, settings processes, relationships, systems or people. Interpretation They enable a researcher to a) gain new insights about a particular phenomenon, b) develop new concepts or theoretical perspective about the phenomenon or, c) discover the phenomenon that exists within the phenomenon. Verification They allow a researcher to test the validity of certain assumptions, claims, theories or generalization within real world context. Evaluation They provide a means through which a researcher can judge the effectiveness of particular policies, practice or innovations. Qualitative research methods are the least prescriptive (Eisner 1998). 3.3 Research design and methodology The research is design and methodology is the focal point for the researcher, it conducted so as to ensure accuracy in organization and consistency. Research design ordinary should be systemic and comprehensive to safe guard the gathering of the data, recording of the data and data analysis to protect against obvious data disorganization. There are five basic components of a good research as posited by Yin (1984). These are . The research questions . The research propositions .The unit of analysis . The logic linking of the data to proposition and . The criteria for interpreting the findings Miles Huberman (1984) laid more emphasis on the need to focus and bound the data within a conceptual framework. They suggested beginning the research with general research questions would help to make the research straight forward and less vague without limiting the vision of the research (Miles Huberman 1984) there by agreeing with the process suggested by Yin. The appropriateness of a qualitative, case study method in this particular project has already been explained in dept. The relationship between philosophy, theory and research methods is an important one; Easterby-smith et al (2002) said it allows one to. Take a more informed decision about the research approach. Decide which methods are appropriate for the piece of research and To think about constraints which may impinge on the research? 3.3.1 Interviews The Interviews to be conducted in this research is via telephone and four different individuals of different background would be used to get probable balanced opinions on the subject matter. Interview questions are being streamlined along the ideas of experts on qualitative research like Creswell (2009), Eisner (1998) Shank (2002) and Silverman (1993) along the following premise, Identify some questions in advance, avoid leading questions, questions such as what is going on now? What is it like to work here and what is a typical day like? Can stimulate informative conversation without suggesting that one kind of response is somehow more desirable than another (shank, 2002). Consider how participants cultural background might influence this response (Howard Shuman 1967). As Shuman discovered cultural background can influence interview responses in ways you havent necessarily anticipated. If you are interviewing people from Asian cultures you should be aware that they are less likely to brag about their individual accomplishment than Westerners are (Heine, 2007) culture plays a significant role in how participants interpret questions. Make sure your interviewee represents a group. Find extremist and mentor them in your notes. Find a suitable location Get written permission Establish and maintain rapport, during the interview you must show compassion and interest in other ways e.g. body language , smiling , maintaining eye contact leaning forward and such neutral encouragements go on Focus on the actual rather then on the abstract or hypothetical Dont put words in peoples mouth. People may reveal inconsistent lies in there recollection, attitudes and logic; their perceptions will not necessary all fit together in a neat little package ( kvale, 1996) Record responses verbatim 10) Keep your reactions to yourself 11) Remember that you are not necessarily getting the facts Interviews can yield a great deal of the useful information. The researcher can ask questions related to any of the following Fact e.g. biographical information Peoples belief and perspective about the facts Feelings Motives Present and past behaviours Standards for behaviour (what people think should be done in certain situations) 6. Conscious reasons for actions or feelings (e.g. why people think that engaging in a particular behaviour is desirable and undesirable) (Silverman, 1993) 3.4 Selection of Participating Persons 3.4.1 Selection of Persons The suitability of the persons approached for the research was established through the criteria adopted by the researcher. The criteria adopted emerged from the aims of the research as outlined in Chapter 1. 3.5 Data management 3.5.1 Gathering data The means of data collection for this research is by both primary and secondary research data collection for both the qualitative and quantitative analysis . Primary Research This is basically telephone interviews of four persons to shed light on the issue being researched. Secondary Research- This is going to be data sourced from Academic Journals, Periodicals, Textbooks, Studies and Reports of institutions, Newsletters, and other relevant published academic materials both electronic and print. Saunders et al (2000), in their write ups posited that research designed is the logic that links data to be collected to the initial question of the research. They used what they called the research process onion for proper illustration thus: C04NF001 Source: Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill (2003). The layers represent . Research philosophy .Research approach .Research methodology .Time horizons .Data collection techniques and methods . Research Philosophy is the choice between two primary alternatives, a positivist and a phenomenological philosophy. (Easterby-Smith et al., 1991; Saunders et al., 2000) highlighted the basic elements of these choices by outlining the key features of these paradigms Key features of positivist and phenomenological paradigms Positivist paradigm Phenomenological Paradigm Basic Beliefs The world is external and objective The world is socially constructed and subjective Observer is independent Observer is part of what observed Science is Value- free Science is driven by human interests Researcher Should Focus on the facts Focus on meanings Look for causality and fundamental laws Try to understand what is happening Reduce phenomenon to simplest elements Look at the totality of each situation Formulate hypothesis and then test them Develop ideas through induction from data Preferred methods include Operational concepts that can be measured Using multiple methods to establish different views of phenomena Taking large samples Small samples investigated in depth or over time Source: Easterby- Smith, Thorp R and Lowe A (1991) The research philosophy for this dissertation would be phenomenological paradigm since it is related to theories and filled with valid and reliable data. Research Approach is the application of either the deductive or inductive approach, and research can be based on empirical or non empirical approaches since there are four types of research namely, Exploratory, descriptive, analytical or predictive, and are based on empirical evidence (Hussey and Hussey 1997). Research Strategy and methodology: The third layer of the onion according to Saunders encompasses the use of any of the following research strategies; Experimental strategy Survey strategy Case study Strategy Action research Strategy Grounded theory strategy Ethnography Strategy and Archival research Strategy For the data collection method of this proposal which will be leading to dissertation, both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected though a secondary source. Data will be collected for books, reports, internet and any written facts concerning the information i will be relevant to my research. 3.5.3 Analyzing and interpreting data Huberman and Miles (1994) define data analysis as three linked sub processes i.e. data reduction in terms of data selection and condensation which are reduced in anticipation or conceptualized framework which are chosen and as instruments, cases and questions are refined,, Data are summarized, coded and broken down into themes, clusters and categories., Data display which is the second sub process described the way in which reduced data are displayed in diagrammatic, pictorial or visual forms in order to show what those data imply, it should be viewed as organized ,compressed assembly of information that permits conclusion drawing and action taking and another sub process is Data conclusion drawing and verification which is where the displayed data are interpreted and meaning is drawn. This part is the most significant of the study, and need to be handled delicately, since it deals with the research methodology where the sources of data collection, method of data analysis, model spec ification research hypothesis and sample period would be examined and determined. For instance, the growth rate of the Gross domestic product (GDP) would be measured to ascertain the changes during the course of this research According to Schram (2003) experience do not speak for themselves nor features within a research setting, directly or spontaneously announced themselves as worthy of your attention. As a qualitative field worker you cannot view your task simply as a matter of gathering or generating facts about what happened. Rather you engage with an active process of interpretation noting things as significant, noting but ignoring other as not significant or missing other potentially significant things all together if you are not careful. Creswell (1998) described a data analysis as a spiral of activities geared towards a final result that is as equally applicable to a wide variety of qualitative studies. After the collation of data, it is organized into different bases, which is then perused, later classified into categories that then synthesized into hypothesis or propositions and finally the end report is arrived at, a diagrammatic illustration is given below. THE FINAL REPORT Synthesis *Offering Hypothesis or propositions *Constructing, Tables, Diagrams. Classification *Grouping data into Themes categories *Finding meanings to the Data Perusal *Getting over all sense of the data *Jotting down preliminary interpretation Organization *Filing *Creating a corporate database *Breaking large units into smaller bits THE RAW DATA 3.7 Research quality Silverman (1993) posited that, only an handful of researchers would not accept that the cultural world has different properties from the natural world. It is generally acceptable that a research work would be regarded as scientific if the methods of study used are acceptable to the subject matter involved in the study. Research in the social sciences is considered to be scientific if the methods used are appropriate and the methods used in the collection and data analysis are rigorous, critical and objective. Kvale (1995) suggests that emphasis on the validity (truth) of findings may if consistently repeated could actually create suspicion in the observer with the preoccupation of maintaining the truth, beware when they swear they are telling the truth (Kvale 1995:34). Silverman (1993) in reinforcing the argument notes, the two central concepts to be considered in any discussion of rigour in research are reliability and validity. Reliability and validity are central to all measurements; they are concerned with how indicators are developed. Perfect reliability and validity are almost impossible to achieve, but they do need to be worked towards. It is important in business and social research to maximize the reliability and validity of indicators and measures used. 3.7.1 Research Reliability Reliability is about the researchs indicators dependability and consistency. If the indicator being used is reliable it will give the same result each time repeatedly. It is about the replication of results. Hamersley (1992) refers to reliability as the degree of consistency with which instances are assigned to the same category by different observers or by the same observer on different occasions. Reliability ensures that any information given does not vary as a result of the characteristics of the indicator, measurement device or instrument used. Nueman (2002) identified three kinds of reliability, namely; Stability reliability, Representative reliability and Equivalence reliability, he also gave four principles that he suggests should be followed in order to increase reliability, . Clearly conceptualized constructs; . Using precise levels of measurement; . Using multiple indicators; and . Using pilot tests 3.7.2 Validity An important way that the researcher has tried to ensure validity in the findings in this project was to generate rather than to test theories. There are three types of validity; construct, internal and external. According to Yin (1994) definition, Construct validity establishes correct operational measures for the concepts being studied, Internal validity establishes a casual relationship linkages as against uncoordinated relationships and finally External validity establishes the domain to which the research findings are generalized. Case study research tends to the more subjective, so it is important to enhance the subject of construct validity. Yin (1993) suggests the following measures: multiple sources of evidence, chain of evidence and review of procedures by informants. 3.8 Researchers role and position 3.8.1 Ethical issues There are three ethical elements that was identified by Neuman (1997) as being of immense importance and absolutely relevant to all researchers especially this particular research, these are; Privacy, Anonymity and Confidentiality these are the three factors that corresponds to the second, third and fourth of Walkers five areas for consideration. All three of these factors are important to this research. Walker (1980) has five areas for which a researchers must concentrate on for ethical consideration, these five areas are; Researcher involvement in the issues or situations or event under study. Confidentiality of data. Issues related to access and control over any data collected Preserving anonymity of persons granted the interviews or gave the necessary information. Problems arising from interpretation of the data. 3.8.2 Researcher integrity The researcher who adopts the qualitative, the interpretive path are questioned by their more positivist colleagues as to their ability to remain objective and unbiased. When conducting the type of research that involves watching, interviewing and recording, there arise a number of opportunities for the personal influence of the researcher to affect the findings of the research. Researcher integrity becomes a real issue. Walker (1984) argues that an important reason for the increased reliance on quantitative methods, replication and statistics in social research is about a lack of trust, We set stringent statistical criteria not because logically they are crucial for establishing a theory but because our intellectual community is socially distrustful of the honesty of investigators. Walker (1984) All research, whether it is quantitative or qualitative, places some degree of trust in the researcher. The reader of qualitative research usually places more trust in the integrity and interpretation of the researcher than they would in the quantitative researcher. It is incumbent on the qualitative researcher to ensure that their research accurately reflects the evidence and that they have all possible checks on the evidence. In order to strengthen any claims made from the evidence collected, the researcher considers what others might say, they look for confirming evidence and they check, as far as possible, for internal consistency. 3.9Research Report A reliance for studying the case A detailed descriptive of the facts related to the case A description of the data you collected A description of the patterns you formatted A connection to the larger scheme of things 4.0 Chapter Summary

Essay --

4) What does the future hold for the fashion industry in France? With many of Paris’ fashion houses being over a century old, it is necessary that the houses to have successors for their head designers. In recent years, houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Balmain have acknowledged new head designers and creative directors. When houses are changing such a critical role in their brand, they must be extremely careful that the successor will keep the essence of what made the brand respected for so many years. Parisian houses are recognized for taking ample time in doing so, and they usually make the best choice. In the near future, Paris and the rest of the â€Å"Big Four† will be facing some new competition. The Top 5 Quickest Emerging Fashion Markets are the major South American countries, China, Turkey, the UAE and Kazakhstan (Top 5 Emerging Markets†¦). Many Asian and Middle Eastern cities are quickly edging their way up the Top 20 Fashion Capitals List. The rapidly expanding Middle Eastern city of Dubai provides very â€Å"western world† lifestyle. The growth of Dubai has been constant since 1966 when oil was discovered in their land. In such a short time period, Dubai has gone from dependent upon trade and labor to the 22nd most expensive city in the world, and the most expensive in the Middle East. Many luxury brands that are coveted in Europe and the US like Hermes, Cartier and Louis Vuitton have thrived in this wealthy, metropolitan area. As of 2012, it was number 31 on the Top Fashion Capitals list and #1 in the Middle East according to the Global Language Monitor. With the influences of surrounding countries being a bit more ethnic, the cultural diversity is very strong. India is known for their rich, elaborat... ...the fashion industry for hundreds of years, as it is home to the world’s leading designers and has imbedded a natural sense of effortless style in its residents. Paris Fashion Week is the finale of the four fashion weeks and is still depended upon for dictating next season’s trends. The world’s most glamorous names in fashion like Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and many more are still based out of the city. Paris was home to the first fashion house and it was the city to coin the terms of haute couture and prà ªt-à  -porter. To this day use they implement high standards and use unions to protect these sects of the industry. It is home to the Golden Triangle; shopping districts of Champs-Elysà ©es, Avenue Montaigne and Avenue Marceau. For these, and plenty of other reasons, France can still rightly claim its title of world fashion capital.

Is Daycare Harmful to the Development of Infants Essay

There have been many concerns over the past several years on whether or not early daycare causes negative or positive effects on the development of children. These fears are influenced by the fact that the early separation of a baby from his mother may cause emotional harm to the child or disrupt the mother-infant bond. Studies continue to research the effects of early daycare on children The cost of living has made it nearly impossible for mothers to stay at home even in the very beginning of their newborn’s life. This means that someone else will be responsible for ensuring that the baby is cared for while their mother is at work. Each and every day well-meaning and loving parents are forced by economic pressure to place infants, even as young as two weeks old in daycare. Studies have shown that the beginning of a baby’s life, especially the first year is a critical period in the attachment process. The question is â€Å"Is childcare harmful to the emotional developm ent of infants†? There have been many concerns over the past several years on whether or not early daycare causes negative or positive effects on the development of children. These fears are influenced by the fact that the early separation of a baby from his mother may cause emotional harm to the child or disrupt the mother-infant bond. Studies continue to research the effects of early daycare on children. If a mother is forced economically to work during her child’s early stages of development that means that during the child’s waking hours, he will have no contact at all with the person/persons with whom he must develop a strong and stable emotional bond (usually, his parents). This fact has to interfere with the attachment process of infants. In an article I read it stated that the results when mothers of infants work outside the home are completely neutral, but further on in the article (page 63) we learn that child behaviors after the mother works full-time outside the home in the first year of life, together with consideration for the timing of the start of that work, be it at three, six, or nine months after birth: At age 4.5, children whose mothers had worked (full-time) at three months, six months, or nine months have significantly more externalizing behavior problems than children whose mothers did not work in the first year and this also was the case when the children reached first grade. (MROZEK, A, 2010) I) Effects of Childcare on Emotional Development The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) conducted a comprehensive study between 1991- 2007 to observe and document the effects of daycare on over 1,000 preschool age children. The â€Å"Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development,† revealed key areas of child development that were influenced by day care providers and experiences. In some instances when a young child was left with a day care provider, the child exhibited a range of negative emotions and behaviors which included crying and clinging to parents, and screaming or hiding from the daycare provider after their parents had left. These children frequently developed insecure attachment issues and separation anxiety however other children adjusted more readily and eagerly joined their peers, barely acknowledging when their parents had left the room. These children demonstrated more security, less separation anxiety and greater preparedness for eventually entering school. II) Effects of Daycare on Behavioral Development Children who attended daycare at an early age were more likely to develop negative behavioral issues, which included aggression and noncompliance. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH) they demonstrated a connection between children’s poor behavior and the amount of time spent in day care settings. According to the NIH study, elementary school teachers reported that students who regularly spent ten or more hours per week in day care tended to be more argumentative, disobedient and unruly in class. However in regards to a high quality daycare the NIH found that these attentive, stimulating day care environments produced children who were overall more cooperative and positive in their interactions with caregivers, peers and parents. III) Effect of Daycare on Cognitive Development School age children who spent significant time in daycare as infants frequently have better verbal, reading and math skills throughout the elementary school years. This is often the case in children from disadvantaged families wherein they excel more in academic development if they had spent time in daycare during their infancy and the early childhood years. This may be because the daycare setting may offer more opportunities for them to improve their skills. Children who participated in daycare during early childhood tend to have a larger vocabulary which enhanced their language development. Research conducted by the National Institutes of Health published in Child Development suggests that children frequently benefit from daycare in terms of cognitive development. The study showed that children who spent time in daycare during their early childhood continued to score higher on academic achievements even into the high school years. IV) Effects on Social Development Children in daycare settings at an early age had a greater ability to form relationships with peers and adults than children who did not attend daycare. This is because there are instances when aside from daycare the child would not be in consistent contact with other children their age, therefore daycare provides them with that opportunity. Conclusions and Findings After reviewing the research concerning the effects of daycare attendance on the emotional, cognitive, and social development of infants a wide spectrum of results can be noted. I believe that if the parent’s commit themselves to finding a high quality daycare the effects on these areas of development could even be considered positive especially in terms of an infant’s social and cognitive development. References MROZEK, A. (2010, Aug 19). Research unclear on how daycare affects child development. The Gazette. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/746423295?accountid=32521 Pritchett, J. (2009, Dec 29). Daycare opens doors of opportunity; proposed early learning and child care act seen as positive step for young mothers, children. Telegraph-Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/423338000?accountid=32521 http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload/seccyd_06.pdf http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20070404.html

Writing Your Personal Statement

What Is the personal statement? The personal statement is your chance to demonstrate what an excellent candidate y o are for your chosen course/ s. The statement cannot be more than 4000 characters including spaces or 47 lines. AAAS use sophisticated anti plagiarism software, so make sure your statement is all your own work, under no circumstances should you be tempted to Inc elude catapulted material from any source! How should I structure my personal statement?The recommended structure is as follows: paragraph 1 – explain why you are passionate about your subject and why you are such a good candidate for the course paragraph 2 – demonstrate what skills you have already developed from your A level studies and wider experiences paragraph 3 – demonstrate what personal qualities you have, and how much of a contribution to university life you can make The best statements will also start with strong opening and closing sentences, but war et the main 3 sections first before you start to worry about these.Guidelines for each section Paragraph 1 – academic interest This should be the largest section of your statement (at least 50%) The key points for this section are to: show real passion and enthusiasm for your chosen subject show that you have academic curiosity This Is best achieved by Including examples of your wider reading and/ or talks you have attended and/ or other activities you have taken part in outside of your A level lessons. It is

StressMgmt HealthPromotion Essay

StressMgmt HealthPromotion Essay StressMgmt HealthPromotion Essay Pender Ch. 8 â€Å"Stress Management and Health Promotion† More than  ¾ of visits to health care professionals are attributed to or made worse by stress. Stress is inevitable, unavoidable, human experience in any society and more often with rapid and accelerating change. General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)= internal and external manifestations of stress; â€Å"fight or flight† response. Examples of stress behaviors: dilation of pupils, ↑ respiratory rate, ↑ heart rate, ↑ perspiration, ↑ BP, ↑ muscle tension, ↑ gastric motility, ↑ blood glucose level, release of adrenaline, cold, clammy skin. Due to release of catecholamines (adrenaline), glucocorticoids (cortisol), and other hormones. Allostatis= continuous process of adapting to potentially stressful events ~ achieving stability through change. Allostatic load= cumulative negative effects of prolonged environmental and psychosocial stressors. Allostatic load has potential to predict risk for variety of diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Stressors= environmental and internal demands and conflicts among them, which tax or exceed a person’s resources† Body systems that respond to stress: nervous, endocrine, immunologic systems ïÆ'  eventually affect all organ systems. Coping regulates stressful emotions (emotion focused coping) and alters the person- environment relationship that is causing the distress (problem- focused coping). The World Health Org, (WHO) & Global Burden of Disease Survey estimate that stress related disorders & mental illness will be the 2nd leading cause of disabilities by 2020. Stress and Health- In heart disease, long term stress is though to sensitize arterioles to catecholamines, (short term stress= causes over constriction of the vessels & endothelial damage). Evidence proves that providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it. Psychoneuroimmunology= effects of social and psychological phenomena on the immune system as mediated by the nervous and endocrine systems. P.197 Study of male undergraduate college students some w/ high heart rate reactivity were compared to those with low heart rate reactivity- both took a math test. High reactors showed higher stress related levels of plasma cortisol and increased natural killer cell lysis than the low reactors. Results= people deal w/stress differently possible cause is due to hypothalamic-pituitary adrenocortical axis and the sympathetic adrenomedullary systems. Epigenetics= study of how environmental influences regulate gene expression, is an attempt to describe how experiences such as stress- though not altering the DNA sequence- may modify DNA proteins, leading to enhanced or silenced expression of a specific gene. Stress Across the life span- childhood and adolescence are critical periods characterized by increased vulnerability to stressors. Children experience stress and develop coping patterns early in life. Stress factors in children: self esteem, personality characteristics, gender, social support, parental child rearing patterns, previous stressful exp., and illness. Environmental high risk stressors for children: Personal safety concerns Community violence Prolonged poverty Increased availability of drugs Homelessness Child’s well being and health can be enhanced through constructive stress management. Adolescents= most common stressors are family related, peer stressors, and academic concerns. High stress is in early adolescence is associated with: risk taking behavior, smoking, alcohol, & sex. Effective stress coping processes: Behavioral coping (info gathering) Decision making (problem solving) Cognitive coping (minimizing distress, focusing on positive) Adult social support (talking w/an adult) Relaxation As individuals age, they increase their use of problem solving coping and decrease the use of avoidance coping, compared with the preteen and adolescence years. Young

Consider the problem of global warming in todays society, and suggest Essay

Consider the problem of global warming in todays society, and suggest solutions for the prevention of continued global warming - Essay Example throughout its history and most of the changes have been due to the changing orbital pattern of the earth and changes in the amount of solar energy received by the earth. However the present increase in global warming occurring within the earth is also a result of increased population growth, urbanization and other human activities. All these have caused a net increase in the amount of greenhouse gases which is believed to the major causative factor for the increased warming in the earth (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, n.d). While these changes have necessitated the implementation of suitable policy changes, the global economic crisis and other special interests have nearly halted the progress towards framing such a policy. Devising such a plan, would involve the combined efforts of both governmental and non-governmental organizations for their inputs about possible calamities and in specifying the resources required in the wake of such a crisis. Urbanization and population growth: A principle contributing factor for the rise in greenhouse gases is man-made activities through urbanization and the rapid rise in population growth. Urbanization has had a profound effect on the environment worldwide as it has caused changes to the land, water and atmosphere. The number of people living in urban areas has tripled over the years and studies estimate that more than half the world’s population will reside in urban areas in the next few years (Torrey, 2004). One of the major contributing factors for the rise in urbanization is the population growth which has shown an exponential increase over the past 50 years (Little Flower, 2006; World Population Growth, 2004). This increase as well as migration of the world population will have an effect on the natural environmental resources owing to the increased consumption of food, energy, water and land. It has increased the air, water and noise pollution levels and other phenomena suc h as global warming which is

Reflection on Research Interview Schedule Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection on Interview Schedule - Research Paper Example In this step, one gives an opinion of what should have been done to obtain better results. Finally, an action plan is stated. Specifically, an action plan includes recommendations for changing the situation if it occurs This report is a reflective essay examining the process of developing and conducting an interview. An interview is a data collection mechanism often used in conducting qualitative research. The primary aim of conducting an interview is to comprehend an interviewees perception or experience (Gillard et al., 2012, p. 26-1137).The interview was carried out to collect data from students in the health promotion top-up degree. The three types of interviews are a structured interview, unstructured, and a semi-structured interview. The study used a semi-structured interview in conducting the research. Specifically, a semi-structured interview involves both planned and unplanned questions. For this reason, it is preferred to other methods as it is open and enables the researcher to gather maximum information possible during the interview. Furthermore, it does not limit a person to what they can say. Therefore, it promotes interaction and creates a room for clarification. The interviewee can ask questions that are not included in the manual or plan (Markel, 2013). The semi-structured interview includes different forms of questions covering the same topic. Notably, the questions can be framed in varying formats but still cover the research topic. I felt comfortable dealing with a semi-structured interview because it gives one the freedom to modify questions to suit different contexts (Galletta and Cross, 2013). The Gibbs reflection model was utilized to reflect on the interview. The following questions helped in gathering information about the progress The research topic seemed very particular. The target population was limited to students pursuing the health promotion top-up degree. Proper preparation and implementation were essential

The Appealing Nature of Formulating and Practical Strategies Personal Statement - 3

The Appealing Nature of Formulating and Practical Strategies - Personal Statement Example My profound interest in Business and economics dates back to my teenage years. My father was an Economists. In the course of trying to understand his field of work, I was fascinated by the complex security exchange trading systems in which he spotlighted on. Also, I was fascinated by intricate economic platforms such as online investment hedge funds that were coming up at the time. Owing to my fascination with the subject, Economics as a discipline will equip me with adequate knowledge to master market functionality and enable me to develop skills inherent in my personal endeavors in the business world. The problem-solving aspect of effective management strategies further triggers my concealed curiosity in this course. I have gained a lot from my involvement in various student supporting programs. During my final year in intermediate school, I was fortunate enough to secure an internship at a giant high-tech company in China last summer. All through my internship period, I served in both finance and administration departments. The opportunity provided me with a chance to understand how various systems work together within an organization to effectively enhance its overall performance. My attention climaxed during my field days where I got an opportunity to carry out financial modeling with some experts in the field. I was able to familiarize with policy formulation, an essential component of any institution. My school is described best as welcoming as its environment enabled me to participate actively in all school activities, and I also organized and participated in various functions. As a part of the student council, I represented my faculty in most recreational and sporting activities. I was a member of the school track team and during that period, I managed to secure several trophies.

Management and Keller Essay Example for Free

Management and Keller Essay The centre of the case is a problem between tow management member, Wolfgang Keller (managing director) and Dimitri Brodsky (commercial director). Keller is superior of Dimitri and he he’s not satisfied with Dimitri’s performance since he joined the company two years ago. Keller now is considering three options: firing Brodsky, helping him to improve his performance or reorganizing the company around Brodsky by splitting marketing and sales. Wolfgang Keller is 34 years old. He studied at Harward and University of Cologne. His first job was at a Gemran food manufacturer firm. First, he was a strategic planner there, but soon he became a general manager at an Ukrainian subsidiary and after he got promoted to be a general manager at a German subsidiary. He achieved his first big successes there and gained reputation in his profession. After 2 years he switched to the Ukrainean subsidiary of Kà ¶nigsbrau, a beer amnufacturer, as managing director. There he also made success by increasing the subsidiary’s earnings to â‚ ¬7 million per year. He made significant changes through restructuring the marketing strategy and hiring new top-management group. The top-management in Munich was also impressed by his activity. Recently, Keller spent two month in Brazil to manage a start-up joint venture. Kà ¶nigsbrau’s Ukrainean subsidiary was founded 12 years before Kà ¶nigsburg aquired it. After, a man named Vladimir Antonov took the title of chaiman. Keller could get his job, because his predecessor had bad relationship with Antonov, so he was transfered back to Germany. Keller’s relationship with Antonov is good, but Antonov misses being involved into daily operations. The strategy of the company is to consolidate and strenghten the company’s distributors by offering heavy support. The strategy also includes heavy advertising, quality services and high margins. In the Ukrainian liqueur market personal relationships and trust between the company and distributors is essential. Another challange is converting people from vodka and cheap beers towards premium beers. Keller’s intention was to strenhgten relationships and create personal contacts with the distributors. Dimitri Brodsky is 10 years older than Keller and he has a very different personality. He is a cultivated and intellectual person. Before this firm he was a commercial director at a Ukrainian subsidiary of a US toiletries firm, but he also has experience from the United States and France. He was hired to balance the young  managers at Kà ¶nigsbrau. He has a good but distant relationship with Antonov. The problem between Brodsky and Keller is the very different uptake about how to handle the employees and the business partners. Keller prefers closer relationship with the employees, because he thinks this helps them to be more loyal and enthusiastic. Furthermore, he doens’t avoid personal topics. With the costumers and partners he encourages the same attitude, because he thinks it’s very important and essential for a business relationship. Brodsky, on the contrary, prefers formality and distance. He also beleives in separation between the pesonal and professional life and he deals with the employees and costumers this way. The source of problem between h im and Keller is this different attitude. Keller thinks that Brodsky is just reluctant to take care of everyday business. However, Keller seems inpatient and action-oriented from Brodsky’s angle.

Analysing The Fostering Industry Social Work Essay

Analysing The Fostering Industry Social Work Essay The Competitor analysis consists of finding out how other firms compete with fostering solutions in the market. What they are doing or providing that make them different from fostering solutions and how fostering solutions can improve upon to become a more efficient, much more profitable and recruit more foster carers. This has been done by understanding the current situation of the fostering industry, the challenges its facing. Also the role the local authority plays in fostering industry and finding where the demand exists across UK. After this the competitors are assessed have been assessed on turnover, profit margin, ofsted ratings, location, services provided, placements provided and foster carer allowance paid. This gives an idea as to how these firms compete directly with fostering solutions in the industry. Competitor analysis The fostering industry is going through a phase of challenges. There is a shortage of over 10000 foster care families in UK. Because of this local authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are forced to make placement of children with respect to available vacancy rather than meeting best needs of child.(fosteringnet,2010)Accurate information on the number of foster carers in each country and number of foster carers recruited by each independent agency is less readily available, but statistics compiled by the fostering network for England by Ofsted suggest that there has been an increase in number of foster carers by 12.6% since 2004. However the growth was only 7.2% in England whereas it was up by 60% in Wales. (updatecostfostercare, 2010) A report from researchers at Loughborough Universitys Centre for Child and Family Research (CCFR) and leading charity the Fostering Network has identified a shortfall in funding for foster care in the UK.  The Cost of Foster Ca re, a report published about the fostering industry analysis, shows that fostering industry is an underfunded service, with a need of around  £580 million across the UK immediately to develop a efficiently resourced fostering service that fulfils the needs of children in care.(lough,2010) Following the Governments decision to assert the local authorities more flexibility on making savings, the Fostering Network is of the belief that any reduction in spending on foster care would make the system ineffective, unsustainable and hinder the improvements made in outcomes for children. It warns funding for foster care must be maintained otherwise societys most vulnerable children will suffer. Fostering is under immense pressure due to year-on-year increases in the number of children coming into care and the chronic shortage of 10,000 foster carers. (bbc,2010) Statistics on looked after children There are over 83,000 children and young people looked after in the United Kingom. Out of these children, around 70,000 are looked after away from home, over 54,000 of whom (around 77 per cent) live with at least 45,000 foster families.(fosteringnet1, 2010) Statistics by nation The statistics below provide a picture of the care system on just one day of the year. Many more children and young people move in and out of public care over the course of 12 months. England As of 31 March 2009 60,900  children have been looked after. Over  three fourths  of children are being looked after away from home (44,200 or 78 per cent) were living with foster carers. It is estimated that in England there are at least  37,000 foster families.   An estimate by the fostering network shows a shortage of at least 8200 foster carer families. (fosteringnet1, 2010) Northern Ireland As of 31 March 2009 2463 children have been looked after. Around sixty six percent  of children looked after away from home (1,607 or 65 per cent) were  living with foster carer families. It is estimated that in the Northern Ireland there are approximately  1,800 approved foster families  of which 450 are family and friends carers. An estimate by the Fostering Network shows a  shortage  of around 200 long-term foster families.(fosteringnet1, 2010) Scotland As of March 2009 around  15,288  children are looked after by local authorities in Scotland out of which  around 6,366  are children looked after away from home and their family. Over  two thirds  of children being looked after away from home and their family (4,497 or 71 per cent) were living with foster carer families. There are approximately  3,300  foster families  in Scotland. An estimate by the Fostering Network shows there is a  shortage  of at least  1,700 foster families.(fosteringnet1, 2010) Wales As of 31 March 2009 around 4,705  children looked after. Over  four fifths  of children looked after away from home (3,630 or 86 per cent) were living with foster carers. Approximately 3000 foster families are there in Wales. An estimate by the Fostering Network shows there is a  shortage  of at least  750 foster families in Wales. (fosteringnet1, 2010) Demand Local authorities were asked how many foster families they would have to recruit in order to offer placement choice to the children in their care. Placement choice means having a sufficiently wide pool of foster families so that each child can live with a family that meets their individual needs.(fosteringnet2, 2010) England  8,200 of which North West 1,700 North East 1,300 West Midlands 650 East Midlands 450 East 650 South West 600 South East 850 London 2,000 Northern Ireland  200 (updated in March 2009) Scotland  1,700 (May 2005 figure) Wales  750 (fosteringnet2, 2010) There is maximum demand for foster carers in London and North West of England. Research by the Fostering Network also found 82% of local authorities saw a rise in the number of children coming into care and needing foster homes in 2009-10. (bbc, 2010) Local authority as a competitor When a porters 5 forces model is developed, the local authority is a supplier, buyer as well as a competitor in this industry. The local authority buy the service of the fostering agency, they supply the children for placement to the fostering agencies and they also place children on their own hence they are a competitor. Comparison of Approved foster carers in year 2008-2009 between Local authorities and Independent Fostering agencies Local Authority Independent agencies Total number of foster carers approved 3423 2088 Total number of foster carers held as 23195 9893 on 31 march 2009 Comparison of placements provided between Local authorities and Independent fostering agencies in year 2008-2009 Total number of long term placement 6146 3758 Total number of continuing care placement 1655 1149 Total number of time limited placement 12879 4877 Total number of emergency care placement 824 2013 Total number of intensive fostering placements 1016 874 Total number of treatment care placements 86 150 Total number of short break for disabled children 2876 398 Total number of short break for non disabled children 534 50 (fostering agencies and fostering services dataset,2010 ) The local authority has placed more children in the 2008-2009 period as compared to the independent fostering agencies and are therefore identified as one of the bigger threats to fostering solutions along with the top two fostering agencies Foster care associates and National foster association. On discussion with Michelle about this we came to a conclusion that the reason could be that local authorities do not strive for the inspection quality in their approval process that the independent agencies might be doing. And this was found out to be true when we chose 6 local authorities in random and checked their ofsted ratings. None of whom had outstanding ratings, 2 had satisfactory and 4 had good. (refer to appendix c1) Number of applications from prospective fostering households received Local Authority 7253 Independent agencies- 6607 The statistics show that even though the independent fostering agencies are providing better allowances the prospective foster carers prefer the local authority to independent fostering agencies. The reason here could be because local authorities are key authority in placing children to the foster carers. Hence the myth that if foster carers join the local authority fostering they could get children placed quicker with them. How many foster carers successfully completed the Childrens Development Workforce Councils certificate in Training, Support and development Standards for Foster Care? Local authority- 825 Independent fostering agencies- 529 (fostering agencies and fostering services dataset,2010 ) Local authorities are thus a serious competitor(substitute) for the independent fostering agencies. Competitor analysis-company reports The fostering industry is going through a challenge to recruit foster carers to look after children who are in abundance. In the fostering business agencies recruit foster carers, who are when placed with children or young people get paid for the placement from the local authority. In consultation with fostering solutions we have identified the top 9 independent fostering agencies who directly compete with fostering solutions in the industry. Foster care Associates National Fostering Agency Orange Grove SWIIS Pathways Barnardos Capstone Fostercare TACT By the Bridge Fostering In the Appendix C2 shows the turnover, profit margin, ofsted ratings, foster carer allowance paid comparison of the 9 competitors. Below is a detailed report on each of 9 fostering companies in terms of location, ofsted ratings, services provided, placements provided, number of employees and foster carer allowance paid. By doing so we can find out how each of these companies compete with Fostering solutions in the industry. After each company report we look at a findings/strategy/comparison section to emphasize how they compete in the industry and vs fostering solutions. Due to word limit a detailed analysis of services comparison is provided in the appendix. (refer appendix m3) Foster Care Associates Over 80 Offices in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. (fca1, 2010) Part of Core assets group. The Core Assets Group of Companies provides an international portfolio of social care services, offering innovative business solutions to the care sector. Foster care associates has subsidiaries in UK. Fostering First (Ireland ) Limited Fostering people Limited Outcomes (UK) Limited Fostering First International, a sister company  to Foster Care Associates Ltd, is  currently  located in 7 different countries:  Republic of Ireland,  Finland,  Sweden, Germany,  Australia,  New Zealand  and  Canada. (fcacorp, 2010) Services provided to foster carers(fca2, 2010) They provide a Respite of up to 21 nights per year. They avail the service of a Therapist They hold Regular group meetings held at local fca office They give Membership to foster talk They arrange for Organised activities They hold Foster care training program They provide for Children and young people support workers Placements provided(fca3, 2010) Emergency Short term Long term Respite Parent and child placement Placement for sanctuary seeking children and young people Placement for disabled children Short term breaks OFSTED ratings (ofsted,2010) 2 Outstanding and 7 good Foster carer allowance- 390 Pounds / Week (fca4, 2010) Financial data( FAME) th gbp 2008(data available only for financial year end 2008 Turnover 119612 Profit before taxation 10074 Number of employees 871 Key Issues and Facts(fca5,2010) 2400 children placed as of December 2009. Highest number of placements across all IFAs in the UK.(fca5,2010) Foster carer recruited in year of 2009 above 360 . 94% of local authorities present in England have partnered with them. They claim 66% of the Scottish Local authorities work as partners with them. They claim 95% of the local authorities present in Wales work as partners with them. They claim that 100% of Northern Ireland local authorities work in partnership with them. (fca6, 2010) Findings/Strategy/Comparison FCA have presence internationally whereas fostering solutions is based only in UK. Therefore having presence internationally could be a benefit to FCA over fostering solutions. There is a credibility, brand image and recognition that comes with being present in multiple countries. FCA has presence in North Ireland whereas fostering solutions has no office/branch in Northern Ireland. FCA have a monopoly in Northern Ireland as none of the 8 competitors and fostering solutions do not have an office there. *Turnover is the highest, but profit margin is not may be because the cost is also high. We assume that it could be because it maintains high cost to maintain quality and good service. *financial data of 31-12-2008 only was available for FCA. Thomson research database showed inconclusive data of FCA having round about same turnover for 2009. Services Therapist available for consultation for Fca, whereas Fostering solutions has no mention of providing such a service in their brochure.   Supporting foster carers in negotiating with schools and promoting the childs educational needs, no mention of providing such a service in their brochure. 21 days paid respite per year vs 2 weeks paid respite provided by fostering solutions FCA provides placement for disabled children which fostering solutions do not provide. On consulting with Michelle she highlighted the costs associated with providing such a service and the specialised staff that would be required. In addition to this she added that placement of disabled children is only a small number. Nonetheless its a way in which foster care associates are competing with fostering solutions since they have the staff and specialisation to provide the placement even if its for a small number of placements. Location Their major strengths are their presence in various locations across UK, with over 40 offices. They claim you are never more than 40 miles from an FCA office and their relationship with local authorities as highlighted above, since its the local authorities who are going to give them the placement for their foster carers. People prefer companies/agencies that are local in their presence in the fostering industry. Therefore FCA promotes themselves locally to be able to recruit foster carers efficiently. National fostering agency They are located at Cardiff, Lowestoft and Stirling with Head Office at Uxbridge.(nfa1, 2010) Services provided (nfa2, 2010) The national fostering agency believes that fostering is a service which is to be provided at a local level to be a successful fostering agency. They pride themselves in believing they provide a fostering service with local care and support along with national expertise. Most of the centralised functions occur through their head and regional offices, the key job involving high quality placements for children remains with the local foster carer. The National Fostering Agency claim the foster carers are supported on a 24 hour basis by local professionally qualified and experienced Supervising Social workers. The foster carers are provided support from a professionally qualified social worker They provide a 24 hour telephone advice and support to the foster carers. The provide one monthly visit and a weekly telephone call There are various training and development opportunities They provide foster carers the opportunity to meet with other foster carers at support groups The foster carers are given good financial support for caring for the child They provide membership of the Fostering Network to the foster carers. They provide good legal protection insurance The foster carers are provided regular foster carers news and information. Placements provided (nfa3, 2010) Emergency Placements Task Centred Placements Parent Child Placements Bridging Placement Long Term Placements Foster carer allowance 366 pounds GBP PW(nfa4, 2010) Financial Data FAME database th Gbp 2009 Turnover 43122 Profit before taxation 6623 Number of employees 171 OFSTED Ratings(ofsted, 2010) 2 good Findings/Strategy/Comparison When compared with fostering solutions NFA more or less provide the same range of basic services to foster carers. They have just 4 offices across the UK but their turnover and profit margin is more than fostering solutions. (appendix c2). Their way of operating is, all referrals for placements throughout the UK are managed by four teams located in their offices at Lowestoft, Uxbridge, Cardiff and Stirling. They work in close ties with the regional social workers and thus manage to provide efficient placements. Inspite of being present in only 4 locations their method of working closely with regional social worker staff gives them a local presence. NFA have an interesting strategy to recruit foster carers. They have advertised on job search websites such as reed and jobsite for foster carer recruitment. This strategy has been followed by a number of companies though fostering solutions have not used this method of recruiting foster carers.(reed, 2010) SWIIS Foster care Location ( sw1,2010) SWIIS Foster Care was formed in the year 2000 as an Independent Fostering Provider within the already successful SWIIS group of social care related companies. They have their Head office in London with 6 more offices/branches in England and 4 offices/branches in Scotland. Services provided (sw2,sw3, 2010) SWIIS is dedicated to creating the best opportunities for children and young people in foster care: They believe in creating the best outcomes for children and young people in foster care. They provide a comprehensive package of social work, education and health They work in close relations with placing authority social workers, local education, health and therapy providers They provide each child or young person with a care package that addresses all of their needs They claim to offer the best value for children, carers and placing authorities alike They claim to work with local authorities to help them meet required Performance Indicators They claim their placements provide demonstrable positive indicators of improvement for young people in the five key outcome areas namely being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being They provide all the approved SWIIS foster carers extensive pre and post approval training including the opportunity to take relevant social care training modules and NVQ programmes with the priority being given to issues such as Safer Caring and Managing Challenging Behaviour Health(sw3, 2010) They provide designated health professionals to support children for their health and is an outstanding provision in this area. Education They make sure every effort is taken to ensure children and young people can reach to their potential in education by dedicated staff. There are efficient resources in place to support the children with their education. Types of Placements available (sw4, 2010) short term placements longer term. bridging placements respite placements placements provided for all age groups which includes higher aged teenagers, sibling groups and disabled children. short notice unplanned placements provided. Foster carer allowance 400-580 £ PW- best in the industry.(sw5,2010) Financial Data th GBP 2009 Turnover 13362 Profit before taxation 1074 Profit margin 8.04% Number of employees 81 OFSTED ratings(ofsted- sw, 2010) 2 outstanding 3 good and 1 satisfactory Findings/Strategy/Comparison There is a designated education officer to help children with studies, no mention of any such service in fostering solutions brochure. There is a designated health officer to advice foster carers on health issues for the children, no mention of any such service in fostering solutions brochure. They provide the best financial package of all the fostering companies with 400 580ppw. This could mean since they provide the foster carer a high allowance, they could be charging the local authority a high amount. There is lack of data available regarding charges to local authority by independent agencies and children placed. By looking at their turnover and profit margin we can see that they have done well and ranked sixth in the turnover/profit margin index. This means they have been placing children from local authority to the foster carers.(refer to appendix c1 or above for turnover/profit margin) They have the specialisation and staff to provide placement for children with disabilities provided, whereas as we have already looked above fostering solutions do not. By The Bridge Fostering They have branches/offices at Sittingbourne, Kent, Regional offices in Essex and Warwickshire and West London. (bythebridge1, 2010) OFSTED Rating 1 Only one ofsted report was found at ofsted inspection reports. Outstanding (ofstedbythebridge, 2010) They achieved iso 9001 accreditation in 2009 Advertising board deal with crystal palace football club- Marketing strategy to increase its brand awareness and reputation. (bythebridge2, 2010) Therapeutic Fostering The by the bridge foster carers are committed and have a unique opportunity to enrol into a degree certificate in therapeutic fostering from the University of Greenwich. (bythebridge3, 2010) Financial data th GBP 2009 Turnover 10132 Profit before taxation 2451 Profit margin 24.19% Number of employees 40 Findings/Strategy/Comparison By the Bridge fostering is a small agency with just 40 employees, but they have higher profit before taxation than fostering solutions. This could be due to lesser administration overheads due to its small size. They are recruiting in East, South east, London and Midlands region.(refer to appendix c2) Its key to note that by the bridge fostering has the best profit margin of all the 10 agencies.( refer to appendix,c1) The foster carers are committed to a degree in therapeutic fostering. Thus they have an added incentive of becoming a foster carer as well as a chance to earn a degree certificate in therapeutic fostering. This could be a major attraction to foster carers in joining by the bridge fostering. This unique certificate in therapeutic fostering is provided which is a one year course covering transactional analysis theories combined with social work ideas to help understand what children and others do what they do and how can they be helped, no such service provided by fostering solutions. Orange Grove Location (og1, 2010) The Orange Grove fostering agency was taken over by Hillcrest foster care to operate under the Orange Grove Fostercare. They have 10 Offices in England. Types of placement available(og2, 2010) Teenagers Sibling groups Parent and baby for young people chance to become a parent Special needs Unaccompanied asylum seeking young people Solo placements Services provided to foster carers(og3, 2010) They provide a minimum of 12 supervision visits by a local Social Worker They provide additional support visits on a needs-led basis by our approved Social Workers or Family Support Workers There is a minimum of 1 unannounced visit per annum There is provision for 1 independently-led annual review per annum They provide Psychological support on a needs-led basis plus additional support groups/surgeries as required They provide Out of hours 365/24/7 on-call support service by local social work staff They provide 14 nights of respite They offer Retainer payments (subject to qualifying criteria)*** There is a monthly carer support meeting The agency will endeavour, with the help and support of carers, to ensure that all carers have a Schedule 3 Respite Carer in place*** They provide a published programme of regular training They provide training in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (Fostering)/Management of Aggression with regular follow-up training They provide birthday, Festival and Holiday allowances at The Fostering Network rates There is a target of 4 regional activities per office for carers and children, e.g. Pantomime, Theme Parks, BBQs, etc They provide a weekend break for birth children They provide an independent Childrens Helpline to foster children and birth children They provide an Independent allegation support service Their Social Workers attend at all meetings, conferences, reviews, etc They provide Educational support There is an annual carer conference. Hillcrest ( Orangegrove ) Financial data th gbp 2008 Turnover 23993 Profit before taxation 1906 Profit margin 7.94 Number of employees 526 (FAME,2010) to be done referencing Foster carer allowance 320-461ppw (og4, 2010) OFSTED ratings(ofsted-og, 2010) 4 good 1 satisfactory Findings/Strategy/Comparison Services Target of 4 regional activities per office for carers and children, e.g. Pantomime, Theme Parks, BBQs, etc, no mention of providing such a service by fostering solutions in their brochure. -Training in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, Birthday, Festival and Holiday allowances at the Fostering Network rates, Independent Childrens Helpline for foster children and birth children -Independent allegation support service, no mention of providing such a service by fostering solutions in their brochure. Strategy- orange grove provide a combination of an array of services to foster carers with an upper limit of allowance of 461ppw as compared to 390 being upper limit paid by fostering solutions. They are a strong competitor as they match with fostering solutions on services provided and also pay a competitive allowance whose upper limit is higher than fostering solutions. Barnardos Wide coverage in UK with presence in London, Yorkshire, Midlands, North West, Scotland, Cymru, Northern Ireland. (barnardos,2010) Fundraising Fostering and adoption Research and influencing practice Barnardos have more than around 100 years of experienced in the fostering industry. They have above 30 services recruiting a variety of carers across the United Kingdom. (barnardos, 2010) What facilities they give the foster carers They provide on-going relevant/specialist training They provide 24-hour advice and back-up They provide regular supervision from their friendly team Provision of a generous fee and allowance They provide careful and considered matching with a child They provide the opportunity to lead the way in setting the highest standards for children and young people in foster care. placements provided (baplacements, 2010) -permanent and long term -bridging placement -short term -emergency -parent and child Foster carer allowance- 100-200ppw (cypnow,2010) Current and future strategies and objectives making barnardos influencing work more effective looking to improve the extent to which lessons learnt from its work on the ground leaed to better outcomes for disadvantaged children. Brand and image enhancement- it recognises it needs to be better at explaining to the public exactly how it works and what it stands for so that it can generate more support for its influencing work- Believe in Children- Strap line. Implementing refreshed strategies for participation and volunteering. Increasing net return from fundraising Improving cost effectiveness of support functions both at head office and locally. Loss before taxation -27358 Profit margin Number of employees 7085 OFSTED RATINGS(ofsted-ba, 2010) 2 outstanding 8 good Findings/Strategy/Comparison They compete as a reputed company with 100 years experience in fostering. Its a charity organisation in existence for a long time with presence in number of countries. They do fostering also as a part of helping children and young people. Prospective foster carers might be attracted to foster with barnardos due to its brand name and reputation which could get them a placement quickly. They pay lower allowance to foster carers than any other company which means they might be charging the local authority less than any other independent agency. They being a charity organisation, the prospective foster carers could feel a sense of social cause attachment to the organisation and could be a big plus for an agency like barnardos. Capstone fostercare Locations 7 offices at Birmingham, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Somerset, Kent and London. (cap1, 2010) Services provided (cap2, 2010) All those preparing to become foster carers will attend two days of Skills to Foster training followed by one day of CWDC Workshop training. This gives a detailed picture of what fostering is about and looks more closely at developing the skills and kno