Financial Stability Analysis of Wesfarmers Limited

Question: Examine about the Financial Stability Analysis of Wesfarmers Limited. Answer: Presentation The current examination manages point by point money related investigation of Wesfarmers Limited, mammoth retail organization in Australia recorded under the Australian Stock Exchange. In the current investigation, key proportion has been determined for point by point examination just as comprehension of different features of gainfulness, productivity, liquidity, dissolvability of the organization Wesfarmers Limited. The current report clarifies in detail the foundation of the organization Wesfarmers and diagnostically looks at the budget reports of the organization. Foundation of the organization Wesfarmers is a notable traded on an open market Australian combination that for the most part works in the retail business of both Australia just as New Zealand. Moreover, the organization Wesfarmers additionally works in the business divisions of synthetic items, coal mining, various manure items notwithstanding unique modern just as wellbeing items. Wesfarmers is considered as the biggest firm of Australian from the point of view of income and the business concern has beaten the presentation of another retail mammoth, named Woolworths Limited just as the mining enterprise BHP Billiton (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2017). Examination: Proportion Analysis of the budget reports of Wesfarmers Limited for the period 2014 and 2015: Benefit Ratio: As appropriately demonstrated by Easton (2015), gainfulness proportion helps with doing examination between various things of the salary proclamation and simultaneously helps in calling attention to the capability of the firm to produce benefits from day by day business functionalities. Net Margin Ratio: Gross edge proportion shows the gainfulness state of a specific organization and imperative data can be obtained from the yearly report of the firm for the money related period 2014 and 2015. Business concern having high gross edge apportion shows that the organization will have more noteworthy measure of cash for payment of differing working costs, to be specific pay rates and wages, lease just as installments for utilities among numerous others (Pervan Kuvek, 2013). From the above table and diagram, it tends to be therefore learned that Wesfarmers Limited has a gross edge apportion of 31% both during the year 2014 just as 2015. This shows the productivity has stayed at indistinguishable situation with no critical change during this specific time of two years 2014 and 2015. In any case, the high gross edge proportion calls attention to towards the way that the organization Wesfarmers will have higher measure of cash to take care of its diverse working uses, for example, the compensations and wages, lease, rates and expenses alongside installments for utilities. Besides, this proportion likewise helps with counting benefits from the offer of firms stock and aides in computing by and large deals rate for financing different business activities for examination later on. Net Profit Margin: Henderson et al., (2015) opines that the net overall revenue helps with anticipating a more clear image of the gainfulness of an enterprise as it is counted after modifications of various non-working exhausts brought about by a particular partnership. Table 2 of Appendix represents the net overall revenue of Wesfarmers during the two budgetary year 2014 and 2015. During the year 2014, Wesfarmers has enrolled a net revenue of 0.044 though during the year 2015, Wesfarmers has recorded a net revenue of 0.040. This proportion shows the general deals rate that is required to make up the particular total compensation of the firm. In that capacity, it lists benefits at different degree of deals and measures the companys potential to deal with the costs in relationship to the business (Weygandt et al., 2015). In any case, the net revenue of Wesfarmers has diminished during the year 2015 despite the fact that by an immaterial sum. This shows a troublesome money related cond ition for the organization as higher the proportion it is better. Liquidity Ratio: As accurately demonstrated by Muscettola (2015), liquidity proportion aids scientifically assessing the capability of a business worry in making installments for the current liabilities as and when they become current. Likewise, the liquidity proportion additionally brings up towards the money in an organization alongside the ability of the enterprise to change differing especially resources into business money for reimbursement of the liabilities notwithstanding other current commitments (Collier, 2016). Current Ratio: This specific proportion alludes to the capability of a firm as respects their capacity to reimburse the momentary commitments (Kaplan Atkinson, 2015). Be that as it may, the perfect standard of current proportion is 2:1 as this shows sufficient current resources for meeting the transient necessities of the enterprise. Table 3 of Appendix speaks to the way that Wesfarmers enlisted a current proportion of 1.13 in 2014 just as 0.93 in 2015. The current proportion of the organization Wesfarmers Limited has declined during the period 2015 when contrasted with the earlier years figure showing an unwanted monetary condition for the firm. Be that as it may, the administration of the partnership needs to endeavor to enlarge the capacity of the firm to take care of all its momentary commitments in a most reasonable manner and get it closer to the benchmark proportion of 2:1 (Hoskin et al., 2014). Speedy Ratio: This specific proportion alludes to the ability of the business worry to change over its accessible resources into money for reimbursing its present commitments or, in all likelihood liabilities (Petty et al., 2015). Table 4 of Appendix mirrors the way that the Wesfarmers recorded a fast proportion of 0.48 during the period 2014. Nonetheless, the figure for the snappy proportion diminished albeit unimportantly to 0.28 during the period 2015. A decrease in the fast proportion saw during the period 2015 when contrasted with the year back period demonstrates a horrible money related condition as higher proportion shows a superior liquidity state of the firm. Effectiveness Ratio: As appropriately showed by Besley Brigham (2013), the productivity proportion is a key proportion that demonstrates the ability of a specific business worry to create pay from the assets or, in all likelihood resources accessible to the firm. Especially, the proficiency of a .business concern can be evaluated utilizing the proportion of the records receivable turnover and the proportion of advantage turnover (Adrian et al., 2015). Records Receivable Turnover: The records receivable proportion demonstrates the productivity of a firm and can be determined by isolating the normal deals of the firm in credit by the mean records receivable (Lasher, 2013). Table 5 of Appendix duplicates that Wesfarmers recorded a records receivable turnover proportion of 37.99 during the year 2014 and 42.44 during the period 2015. In this way, the records receivable turnover proportion of the firm Wesfarmers has expanded during the period 2015 when contrasted with the earlier years figure. This basically shows a great budgetary condition as higher receivable turnover proportion additionally duplicates higher recurrence of the general assortment of the organizations receivables (Needles et al., 2013). Resource Turnover Ratio: Asset turnover proportion shows the productivity or as such ability of the firm to create higher figure for deals out of the benefits accessible to the business concern (Delen et al., 2013). Table 6 of Appendix shows that the benefit turnover proportion for Wesfarmers is 1.51 as recorded during 2014 and 1.53 during 2015. This figures for this productivity proportion mirrors the way that the advantage turnover of the enterprise has expanded during 2015 in contrast with earlier years figure albeit inconsequentially. All things considered, higher proportion reflects better monetary state of the business worry as this suggests increment in productivity of the firm to create more prominent measure of deals from the accessible resources (Anwar et al., 2016). Dissolvability Ratio: Wahlen et al., (2014) makes reference to that the dissolvability proportion helps with counting the ability of a business worry to continue business functionalities by methods for doing correlations of levels of obligation of the firm with the value just as resources. Especially, this proportion means to distinguish various issues of a going worry alongside the capacities of the firm to make installments for long haul charges (Weil et al., 2013). Obligation to Equity Ratio: Table 7 of Appendix shows the way that Wesfarmers has enlisted an obligation to value (D/E) proportion of 0.34 in 2014 and 0.38 in 2015. The reduction in the obligation to value (D/E) proportion of Wesfarmers during the year 2015 when contrasted with the year 2014 can be viewed as a positive budgetary condition for the firm. This is so on the grounds that lower obligation to value proportion speaks to a monetarily solid business where the organization has brought down the degrees of obligation in contrast with its value (Brigham Ehrhardt, 2013). Venture Ratio: The cost during it was 36. 57 as recorded during the year 2014 and the cost was recorded to be 37.82. The income was recorded to be 2689 in the year 2014 and 2440 in the year 2015. In this manner, the P/E was enlisted to be 0.013 in 2014 though the P/E was recorded to be 0.0155 in the year 2015. End: The proportion examination of the budget summaries of Wesfarmers Limited in 2014 and 2015 uncovers the way that net overall revenue has diminished in 2015 when contrasted with the earlier year 2014 marginally. In this way, the organization needs to endeavor to create higher income by keeping up the costs of the organization at a consistent or, in all likelihood lower level all the while. The current proportion of the company Wesfarmers has additionally declined in 2015 instead of the figure of 2014. Subsequently, the administration of the partnership needs to improve the ability of the firm to settle every one of its commitments for brief timeframe and endeavor to arrive at the benchmark current proportion of 2:1. Likewise, the figure for the brisk proportion additionally diminished albeit inconsequential during the period 20

Yellow Wallpaper Essay Paper Example For Students

Yellow Wallpaper Essay Paper Eng-1Professor MuellerIt must be around 3 a.m. I am laid up in this medical clinic with bosom malignancy expounding on my life. I was hitched to a specialist, God rests his spirit, yet men in my days were dreadful to be with. I had a downturn issue and I accept he was more troublesome than the downturn itself. Some time ago I simply had an infant, I turned out to be extremely discouraged, and my better half said it would do me well to get natural air. I, the lady of the occasions, needed to show signs of improvement and I confided in my better half, and had no other way. So he took me out in the nation, and I for the most part remained in this delightful house that had become my jail with one room specifically. It was there that I understood no one was tuning in to me, I had become everyones trouble, and my own weights were not to be known about. All things considered, how might I be able to conceivably have any, I was given day by day showers and back rubs, I was not to take care of my child by any stretch of the imagination. I was feed breakfast, lunch and supper. I was advised not to compose; it was generally illegal of it. They thought composing energized a lady to an extreme; something like this was not to be known about. In that 1880s time a lady was to keep an eye on her significant other and the house hold.The room that I remained in had the most ridiculous backdrop. It was yellow, and it a few regions it was blurred or torn. I scorned the backdrop, yet my dear spouse stated, My affection in the event that I fix the backdrop, at that point it will be something different I should fix. So this is a piece of your treatment. You should become acclimated to it.After some time it appeared as though the backdrop connected at me calling my name. It appeared as though a lady was caught inside the dividers. I pondered internally, I should free her. Also, night I would wake up, and I would see her watching me. From the start I was apprehensive, yet now it appears as though we have gotten one. I watch her creeping around out in the yard every now and then frantically searching for opportunity. I needed so awful to free her, however how would I be able to. I needed to ask her, yet how? Perhaps she doesnt need this opportunity I accept she so merits. I was unable to stand by any longer, I urgently tore at the paper, and finally I liberated her. I know now she needed such a great amount to be free. She was so lovely with her yellow dress and the manner in which she slithered down on the ground, allowed to do however she wanted. We will compose a custom exposition on Yellow Wallpaper Paper explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now As I lay her in this clinic bed, I have recounted to my story. I am taking chloroform since I realize longer need to live with the agony that accompanies bosom malignancy. I have carried on with my life the best I knew how and endured to such an extent. I dont feel I can communicate the cruelty of being a lady in my occasions. If you don't mind dont feel frustrated about me as I end my own life God pardons me. English

Google+ SEO What Will the Future Hold

Google+ SEO â€" What Will the Future Hold Make Money Online Queries? Struggling To Get Traffic To Your Blog? Sign Up On (HBB) Forum Now!Google+ SEO â€" What Will the Future Hold?Updated On 10/10/2011Author : Chris MarentisTopic : GoogleShort URL : http://hbb.me/12K59iJ CONNECT WITH HBB ON SOCIAL MEDIA Follow @HellBoundBlogWhen Google comes out with their new ‘shiny objects’ on the World Wide Web, we can’t help but jump on board and try them out as local business owners, and as of late, Google + is the new ‘shiny object’ we’re attempting to test, follow and get our heads around when it come to the impact it has, or will have, on online communicating, interacting and search engine optimization for individuals and businesses alike.As of late, Google+ doesn’t have a set-up for business pages, but undoubtedly, they will, and in the meantime, it’s still wise for business owners to invest the time to set up their own Google+ profile in addition to encouraging their employees and contractors to do the same. In fac t, I recommend everyone set up a Google + account and become familiar with it; it’s as important as setting up and utilizing a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn profile as a pillar of social media. Why?You can add links in your Google+ profile and in the stream that means a boost in SEO for local business. Both, Google+ posts and the “About Me” section links, are showing to have a positive impact on SEO.The links created by users within Google+ can be picked up by Google’s algorithms, unlike those in Facebook, Twitter, etc., which again means better SEO with Google + than with other social networks.Google+ continues to make it easier for individuals to join the network, and they went from 0 to 20 million users within a matter of a couple weeks. They’ll no doubt continue to grow at a rapid pace as people post their Google+ invite links on their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages to encourage their current fan following to join them on Google+, as well.Google+ allows you to s et up Google Authorship which means you can link to external posts with your author profile, and it will show up in Google search engine results to provide more exposure for the author online.READ10+ New Features Of Google Chrome 5Google+ and SEO will continue to be discussed and tested, and like any social network, it’s wise to be careful and not go crazy by dropping links that could make you appear to be a ‘spamster’. It will also be interesting to see how Google+ business pages, once available, will tie into Google Places. No doubt, most companies will want to be a part of it for very good reason. When using Google tools for local business, they typically make it relatively easy to create synergies across the board for all Google products for maximum exposure online. It’s a smart business model that benefits local business owners a great deal in today’s online world.This article is written by Chris. He writes from real world experience building businesses and closing sa les. His company Surefire Social specializes in local business marketing. If you wish to write for us, kindly check this.

PG vs Unilever Executive Summary - 1442 Words

Unilever and Pamp;G – Comparative Analysis Executive Summary The Consumer Products Industry is the biggest industry in the world at the moment, with total revenues amounting to about 50% of all goods sold. It is comparable to the GDP of the 4th biggest economy in the world, and entails most of the products we use in our every day lives. There are 3 key factors that drive the industry today: developing markets, the emerging middle-class of developing countries and the millions of baby boomers in developed markets. The industry faces many challenges nonetheless, such as an increase in prices of raw materials, crude oil, crops and commodities – especially oil prices; the constant broadening of the industry caused by globalization; and an†¦show more content†¦These ratios are above the 40% industry average and especially Pamp;G is very profitable. This first indication is consistent with the further analysis of profitability ratios such as the net profit margin, which is still is 5% higher for Pamp;G than Unilever. So far Pamp;G ha s managed the increasing pressure on margins due to increasing raw material prices more successful than Unilever, but has to adjust its cost-structure to stop the ongoing negative trend of the last five years. Regarding efficiency ratios like return on capital ratios the previous dominance of Pamp;G’s financial performance cannot be confirmed. Instead, Unilever outperforms Pamp;G in all efficiency ratios, like the return on invested capital (16,89% vs. 10,42%), the return on assets (11,26% vs. 8,99%) or the return on capital employed (16,66% vs. 14,06%) for the time span between 2007 to 2011. This indicates Unilever outstanding capabilities to allocate its resources to the most profitable investments and to use the assets as efficient as possible. 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A Comparison of Different Kinds of Advertising Essay

A Comparison of Different Kinds of Advertising Advertising is a multi-million pound industry. Advertising is the act of promoting products, jobs or services by informing the public of the product’s worth. Advertising is a powerful but expensive way. Advertising has dichotomy as it falls into two main categories. One of which is product advertising. Product advertising is a collective term for public announcements designed to promote the sale of specific products or services. For example, adverts of coco-cola, Audi, Levi’s jeans. The second category is for Issue advertising which promotes public welfare. It is used to raise awareness and to get donations to help people and animals. Advertising†¦show more content†¦The sun is just setting which is the hardest time to drive and this is showing how safe and easy the car is to handle. The father is driving and the boy is sitting at the back showing the viewers how spacious the car is whilst also showing the car have interior leather seats. The car is as well as being driven through many types of scenery. This shows Audi is practical and reliable, yet a classic car. The car is driven through all different types of terrain showing how durable the car is as well as being driven through late day and night and through difficult weather showing the car’s excellent performance and safety. The car passes a fair ground, which is of great interest to the boy due to the bright colours. The car then stops at the lights and father taps on the steering wheel showing he is in a hurry The man doesn’t drive through, the lights, as he has faith that the car to get him there in time. They go through a tunnel and then pass a scary looking man but the father and son doesn’t seem at all frightened. This shows the safety of the car, the protecting them from the outside world. Eventually, the car reaches its destination and it’s now night and raining. 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George Orwell s 1984 And The Giver - 902 Words

Imagine a world without freedoms, a world without basic rights, a world without love. This describes the world depicted in George Orwell’s 1984. This dystopian world may have felt a million miles away when Orwell wrote 1984 in 1949. But, in today’s society, the interest in dystopian novels and films continues to grow. Many comparisons can be drawn between various dystopian novels. 1984 is especially similar to the novel and film The Giver. The novels share similarities in characters, memory, time, emotion, relationships, government, and jobs. Winston Smith, the main character of 1984, does not fully believe or trust the Party. He hides away from telescreens, he reads novels, he writes in a diary, and he questions the party to himself, all things that the Party does not allow. Winston works for the Party and his job, rewriting history to favor the government, only gives him more drive to rebel against the party because he knows more about their lies than the average per son. He strives for independence from the Party. He rebels in big and little ways. One of his most rebellious acts is his relationship with Julia. He claims to love her, something strictly forbidden by the Party, and sneaks around meeting her different places. He believes that they have total privacy and tells her everything he thinks about the Party and a rebellion. They were never truly alone and this led to the Party capturing him. Jonas, the main character of The Giver, seems like a normal member ofShow MoreRelatedComparing 1984 And The Giver By George Orwell979 Words   |  4 Pagesgovernment or hold political freedoms. To remain in power, the reigning party must utilize tactics to manipulate its people. These techniques are evident in the novels 1984 and The Giver. Many critics make connections between these books because of their comparable plot characteristics. The Giver by Lois Lowry is similar to 1984 by George Orwell because both novels depict a dystopian society in whic h the authoritarian government conditions its people through the suppression of emotions, and concealment ofRead MoreComparing Utopia Compared To 1984 And The Giver, By George Orwell847 Words   |  4 Pagesperfect qualities; everyone lives in harmony, and all actions are done for the greater good. A book similar to 1984, written by George Orwell, is The Giver which is written by Lois Lowry. Both books carry nearly the same situation throughout the reading: there’s a person or two, who does not fit in because they do not believe in the idea of a utopian society. Unlike The Giver though, 1984 ends in a rather desolate way. Winston Smith has been stripped of any past beliefs and thoughts that he once hadRead More1984 Dystopian Setting Essay974 Words   |  4 Pagesthose in power will manipulate the setting to ensure a controlled atmosphere over its citizens. However, this falsified setting is either displayed as dirty and indigent or as a pristine and neat society with no inb etween characteristics. 1984 by George Orwell is recognized as a dystopian novel that takes place in a futuristic country called Oceania. This society is at non-stop war and experiences spontaneous bombings along with poor living conditions. The novel begins as Winston Smith scribblesRead MoreGeorge Orwell Character Analysis1422 Words   |  6 PagesEveryone has at least one person who has changed there life, either for better or for worse. There is that one person who made a difference. For George Orwell, it is easy to assume, that person was his first wife, Eileen O’shaughnessy. She not only impacted his life, but also his writing, for example, 1984, and some of his female characters. Orwell first met Miss O’shaughnessy in 1935 at a party that he and his landlord was hosting. He described her as â€Å"talkative and lively† and she had lifted herRead MoreHistory of Social Work18530 Words   |  75 Pages.........................................................................28 Mary Richmond.......................................................................................................................................................29 George Orwell, John Howard Griffin, Pat Moore, Tolly Toynbee, Gà ¼nther Wallraff, Barbara Ehrenreich ............30 Sir William Beveridge .........................................................................................................................Read MoreSantrock Edpsych Ch0218723 Words   |  75 PagesProcesses, Periods, and Stages www.mcgrawhill.ca/college/santrock Page 34 Children are the legacy we leave for a time we will not live to see. Aristotle Greek Philosopher, 4th Century B.C. EXPLORING HOW CHILDREN DEVELOP Twentieth-century philosopher George Santayana once reflected, â€Å"Children are on a different plane. They belong to a generation and way of feeling properly their own.† Let’s explore what that plane is like. Why Studying Children’s Development Is Important Why study children’s development

Cultural Food Race Event Samples for Students †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Cultural Food Race Event. Answer: Business Details Cultural Food Race is one-day event that will be going to happen on coming Saturday, 14 October 2017 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. The funds of this event will be accumulated from the students discount. The total price after providing the students discount of this Cultural Food Race event is 15 dollars. The target market will be set to 80 to 100 people. A particular product is aimed at a particular set of consumers who are termed as target market group (Armstrong et al., 2015). The organizers of the event determine the cost of the products. The price of dumpling and Krespe Kreeme are 2 dollars and 2.5 dollars consecutively for each person. The price of cooking has been considered as 1 dollar for each. The price of rice, egg, vegetable and chicken will be 8, 6, 10 and 20 dollars consecutively. The price of the Brazilian Portuguese burger is 7 dollars for each person. The total price of the food cost is 40 dollars for each student. The event organizers would like to choose social networki ng sites and poster publication as its promotional strategy. Facebook, Instagram and WeChat are the social networking sites that are chosen for promotional ground for this event. Legal Issues The major and most important part of this event is food, thus, the legal issues will be on food safety, quality and protection of the consumers against the impure, unsafe food. Food safety, which is not a negotiable issue, is related to provide protection to foods that are injurious to health (Lam et al., 2013). The organizers should follow the International food standards that are regulated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which is a joint intergovernmental body of food safety (Who.int, 2017). The scientific advice of chemical and microbiological hazards on foods is the main standard of Codex. Food quality includes negative and positive attributes such as spoilage, discoloration, contamination with filth and processing method, good texture and flavor. The standing Committee of Chinas National Peoples Congress has revised the Food Safety Law, which came into the effect on 2015. This law will look into the food management and production (Wu Chen, 2013). The other legal issue will be on consumer protection from unhealthy food. Protection and Consumers Rights of China focuses on the consumers rights and interests, promotion of the health development of the consumers (Benney, 2013). However, in this law, the government is bound by providing healthy and civilized consumption that protects resources, environment and minimizes the waste. References Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., Brennan, R. (2015).Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Benney, J. (2013).Defending rights in contemporary China(Vol. 12). Routledge. Lam, H. M., Remais, J., Fung, M. C., Xu, L., Sun, S. S. M. (2013). Food supply and food safety issues in China.The Lancet,381(9882), 2044-2053. Who.int. (2017).International food standards (Codex Alimentarius).World Health Organization. Retrieved 14 October 2017, from https://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-standard/en/ Wu, Y., Chen, Y. (2013). Food safety in China.J Epidemiol Community Health, jech-2012.

The Scavenger Hunt That Boosts Your Resume

For many students, part of the college experience is being on a tight budget: scavenging for free food and events. One of the ways to get around that is by getting job. However, most on campus jobs are mind-numbingly boring, sucking up your precious free time for minimum wage. Thankfully there’s a new way to get paid while having fun and doing what you love. Campus Pursuit is a marketing company that uses scavenger hunts to create brand interactions with college students. You’ve likely seen Campus Pursuit users in action - feverishly digging behind couches and fighting for the winning prize. They weren’t crazy, they were on a mission. Through the app, students get push notifications about prizes that have been hidden on campus, and have to follow clues and solve riddles to find the location. The adrenaline rush from these scavenger hunts help brands create long lasting relationships with college students. Campus Pursuit was founded in 2013 by Binghamton University roommates Scott Wisotsky and Shachar Avraham to help brands advertise to college students. â€Å"We were inspired by an opportunity to impact the college marketing industry through a unique and interactive way,† explained Shachar. â€Å"Who doesn’t love free stuff?† As a college student, you can get paid for serving as a Campus Pursuit Brand Ambassador. Even if you don’t need the money, it’s a great way to build your resume while having fun and gaining marketing and sales experience. Brand Ambassadors are responsible for closing deals with local businesses, marketing the app to classmates, and hiding prizes once a week in the scavenger hunts (hint: you should probably refer to them as â€Å"on-campus events† when you list it on your resume). No experience necessary. Campus Pursuit trains and guides their ambassadors. Benefits of being a Campus Pursuit Brand Ambassador:Earn $500-600 on any single deal you close with a local businessGet paid for each student you get to download the Campus Pursuit app Receive free product samples and goodies from participating brands Campus Pursuit is active on 14 campuses and is expanding to 50 by fall 2016. Find out how you can join an active school or start your own. Rolling applications means right now is a great time toapply.

Managing Corporate Reputation †the Case of Ryanair

Managing Corporate Reputation – the Case of Ryanair Introduction Corporate reputation refers to the values and the association created in the mind of a customer based on organisational communication and other areas of contact between the company and customers. Factors that contribute to corporate reputation include pricing, promotions, leadership, employee attitudes and customer service, among others.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Managing Corporate Reputation – the Case of Ryanair specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A company with a positive corporate reputation is also characterised by market growth and maintenance of competitive advantage. In addition, such a firm has an excellent brand equity and customer loyalty (Bick 2009). Although Ryanair operated successfully for a long time with a negative corporate reputation, profit warnings in financial reporting highlighted the need to change the bad image of the company occasioned by poor communication and in sulting of stakeholders (BBC News). The current study focuses on understanding the corporate reputation of Ryanair, identifying contributing factors to negative reputation and proposing measures to improve reputation of the firm. Background – Ryanair The airline company is one of the best performing businesses in Europe. In fact, it is characterised by the lowest charges. With regard to the number of passengers on an annual basis, the organisation is the second best performing airline in Europe (Ryanair 2014). The company, founded in 1985, is named after its founder Christopher Ryan. Under the management of Michael O’Leary, the airline adopted and perfected the low cost model pioneered by Southwest Airlines and most people associate the affordability and ancillary revenue to Ryanair. While other airlines continued to seek ways of increasing ticket prices, Ryanair focused on reduction and making up for the lost revenue through ancillary sources such as shopping on board , hotel booking, car hire and internet gaming. When providing the low cost services, Ryanair has no frills, operates from point to point, maximises utilisation of aircrafts, has less delayed flights, charges lowest fares, has standardised fleet, and uses small airports.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In spite of being among the most popular airline firms because of its low cost model, the company’s corporate reputation has been questioned by many people on the premises of low quality of customer service (Ryanair 2014). The current situation The stakeholders’ theory is helpful in understanding the current situation in the airline, as poor reputation impacts on internal, external and connected stakeholders. As discussed in the background, the company faces a problem with its corporate reputation. In fact, customers complain of low quality services , rudeness and limited attention from staff members; survey ratings put the company at the bottom in terms of customer satisfaction. Customer complaints, especially in the social media, deal a blow to the Ryanair’s corporate reputation. The situation is made worse when the CEO asserts that the low quality services are the value of the lowest charges that the firm adopts (Topham 2013). The huge blow to corporate reputation resulted in the company’s stakeholders asking for a reversal of the situation, which is possible mainly through an effective communication strategy. The stakeholders theory states that all stakeholders must be considered in the decision-making process of the organisation. This theory focuses on the critical roles that are played by shareholders in order for an organisation to have excellent results (Crowther Seifi 2011). In this case, Ryanair’s stakeholders include managers and employees in the internal environment, customers, financiers, dist ributors, suppliers and retailers as connected stakeholders, and the government, pressure groups, professional bodies, the media, society and local communities being the external stakeholders. Currently, the company has strengths, including the low cost model, online presence, efficient fuel consumption, new aircrafts and plans for effective communication and marketing. On the contrary, as the company corporate reputation is poor because of poor customer services, disregard for customer concerns by the CEO, poor booking process, and the use of destination airports.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Managing Corporate Reputation – the Case of Ryanair specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Because of reputation problems, the company experience declining profits, dissatisfied shareholders, employees and customers, low reputation and popularity of the CEO, falling share price, intense competition in the market, poor communication and service quality (BBC News). The challenge As highlighted in the current situation, Ryanair faces a challenge with its corporate reputation, which had implication on the company’s strategic and organisational aspects. A strategic and organisational analysis of corporate the reputation challenge facing Ryanair reveals various positive and negative aspects of the situation. The company faces corporate reputation challenges as the management often receives complaints from customers and competitors because of misleading advertisements and inappropriate communication in implementing the company’s marketing mix strategies. The company sometimes advices fare prices, which are not consistent with the real prices the company charges passengers. The company’s publicity is dented by the CEO, who insults the company’s stakeholders in a direct manner (Topham 2013). The company, sometimes, announces measures such as extra charges for using the toilet, overweight passengers and standing, which are never implemented. This is an indication that the company intends to seek attention from customers. Reputation is also negatively impacted by the company’s low quality services and bad treatment of customers. The firm fails to provide services that are critical in ensuring relatively higher levels of satisfaction. Social experience is a major problem resulting from negative corporate reputations for the company. People reported of not flying with Ryanair because of negative social influences of others. Impact of the reputation challenge on Ryanair and stakeholders Considering the reputation challenge facing Ryanair, the implications for the organisations and its stakeholders are immense. First, in the recent times, the CEO admitted that the company was having reputation challenges, which call for collaboration to change (Topham 2013). This would contribute to maintaining the company’s position as the leader in the low cost airline market. Second, empirical research indicates the organisational and stakeholder challenges of having a poor corporate reputation. For instance, the article in The Economist newspaper revealed reports of Ryanair being at the bottom most of the surveys conducted to determine customer satisfaction, with most customers expressing their frustration in the social media (The Economist 2014).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, a comparison between Ryanair and other major low-cost model airlines such as easy Jet revealed better corporate reputation and perception of easy Jet, which impacts negatively on Ryanair’s competitiveness. Although the low cost strategy has been the reason for Ryanair’s market leadership and reputation, using the strategy in every aspect of the business including marketing and communication compromises the quality of service. The low cost strategy implies cutting cost of every aspect of the airline. From the information presented, the corporate strategy under the leadership of O’Leary indicates a negative corporate reputation, which results in bad publicity and negative perception of Ryanair (Topham 2013). Furthermore, although the CEO O’Leary’s straightforward nature may be positive for the company it has negative implications as the customers perceive the attitude as that of caring less. Indeed, O’Leary’s harsh response s to customer dissatisfaction and being straight to the point about returning value for customers’ money worsened the corporate reputation (Topham 2013). The leadership behaviour at the top is often passed down to other employees who in turn express the same behaviour to customers, creating a bad organisational culture and behaviour (Ogbonna Harris 2000). On the positive side, the strategy pursued by the CEO is for the good of the business and its target market segment. Indeed, as the CEO, O’Leary asserted, the strategy suits the target customers who are more interested in the punctuality of flight scheduling, safety and low price because of their budgetary constraints (Topham 2013). On the contrary, the negative corporate reputation impacted negatively on the company’s competitive advantage. As research findings indicated, Ryanair experienced negative growth while close competitors such as easy Jet experienced gradual, positive growth (Vizard 2014). Financial and economic reports indicated declining company profits and share price because of customers withdrawing and investors fearing for sustained negative corporate reputation (BBC News 2013). The implications for the organisation and stakeholders highlight the correlation between corporate reputation and organisational growth. The positive correlation indicates the need for reversing the negative image and embrace good communication, which would improve corporate reputation, customer service and identity. The steps result in positive publicity for the organisation and maintenance of the leadership position in the industry. A proposal for improving Ryanair’s corporate reputation Considering Ryanair’s strong reputation as a low cost carrier, adopting an effective communication strategy could contribute significantly towards improving its perception in the public, which in turn leads to being competitive and increase the rate of growth. Therefore, the proposed measures are g eared towards improving the corporate image through effective communication strategies. The major areas identified included promoting the publicity of the organisation through advertising, social media marketing and positive publicity. Improving publicity is in line with making the consumption experience better through high quality customer service and ensuring in-flight conflict. Above all communication will help in creating a positive social influence, which would facilitate the word of mouth advertising (Shakespeare 2013). Improving publicity is in accordance with the assertion of Crowther and Seifi (2011) who considered it as the best way of product and service promotion through media space, with the low-cost model being a major positive for Ryanair. Appearance in the media informs and reminds people about the company’s existence and the benefits derived from it. Rather than using negative publicity, the company can replace with positive publicity, mainly through advertis ing, social marketing and positive publicity from the CEO. To reverse the negative reputation and regain stakeholders’ confidence, the CEO should publicise an apology for insulting stakeholders, announce plans to transform the corporate reputation, being responsive to customer dissatisfaction and apologising in case of unplanned inconveniences. With the negative reputation facing the company, improving publicity would catch consumers by surprise, which gains their attention in addition to maintaining awareness (Topham 2013). Improving the consumption experience through in-flight comfort, service features and quality of services is vital to the communication strategy to be effective (Curry Gao 2012). Although in flight comfort is not a key market proposition for the company, improving customer service on board contributes significantly to a positive reputation. In this regard, positive corporate image is possible with a change in organisational behaviour and culture through p ositive communication from the management. Good communication with staff is reflected in their communication to customers. Other service features to improve corporate reputation include transparency in published ticket prices, flexibility in luggage limits, making booking easy, ticket prices, and making the company website more attractive to enhance communication. Improving social influences in the market is important in ensuring customers affected by negative reputation start using Ryanair services. Employee training is a critical aspect of improving publicity because they are the ones who get in touch with customers first hand (Curry Gao 2012). Conclusions From the analysis of Ryanair’s corporate reputation, various conclusions and recommendations are drawn based on the current situation of the organisation. They are based on internal and external analysis and identification of measures to improve the company’s corporate reputation. Being a leader in the low-cost ai rline industry in Europe and the world, the company has experienced profit decline, which, as the CEO admitted, resulted from negative corporate reputation. The reputation resulted mainly from the company’s poor treatment of customers and the CEO insulting stakeholders openly. Furthermore, the company focused efforts on negative publicity through straightforward communication and failure to respond appropriately to customer dissatisfaction issues. The dissatisfaction resulted in profit decline, which necessitated changes in communication (BBC News). As the CEO admitted to harmful implications of the bad reputation, the study proposes measures to improve the situation and achieve positive reputation. The measures proposed include publicity improvement through advertising, social marketing, in-flight comfort, customer service, and improvement of social experience. The improvement measures do not compromise Ryanair’s low cost strategy because cost differential is the majo r source of competitive advantage of the airline. References BBC News, Ryanair shares plunge after warning over profits. Web. Bick, G. C. 2009, Increasing shareholder value through building Customer and Brand Equity, Journal Of Marketing Management, vol. 25, no. 1/2, pp. 117-141, Crowther, D, Seifi, S. 2011, Corporate Governance and International Business. Bookboon, London, United Kingdom. Curry, N. Gao, Y. 2012, Low-Cost Airlines- A New Customer Relationship? An Analysis of Service Quality, Service Satisfaction, and Customer Loyalty in a Low- Cost Setting, Services Marketing Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 104-118. Ogbonna, E. Harris, L. 2000, Leadership style, organisational culture and performance: empirical evidence from UK companies, International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 11, 4, pp. 766-788. Ryanair, 2014, Cheap Flights | Cheap Flights to Europe | Official Ryanair Site. Web. Shakespeare, S. 2013, Ryanair charm offensive may heal its brand reputation. YouGov: What the world thinks. Web. The Economist, 2014, Price or quality-pick one. Web. Topham, G. 2013, Ryanairs new touchy-feely OLeary hits turbulence but sees clearer air ahead. Web. Vizard, S. 2014, EasyJet narrows gap on Ryanair in passenger battle, Marketing Week (Online Edition), vol. 2, no. 1, p. 9.

Brochure on Islam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Brochure on Islam - Assignment Example The Five Pillars of Islam include fasting, hajj, zakat, prayer and ritual dedication of faith. Islam worship, study the Quran and pray at mosques with Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem regarded as sacred places (Berkey, 2009). The Holy Islamic book of Quran Major Festivals Islamic faithful celebrate quite a number of festivals. Such festivals include Eid ul Fitr  and Eid ul Adha among others. Eid ul Fitr marks the end of the month of fasting, coming as the last ceremony of the holy festive month. The early Muslims first staged this celebration in the year 624 CE (Berkey, 2009). On this day, usually a public holiday, Muslims give thanks to Allah for giving them strength to exercise self-control during the period of fasting. The festival kicks off upon an official sighting of the new moon in the sky. During this occasion, Muslims put on their finest clothes, decorate their homes and pay visits to friends and family members. Additionally, Muslims practice special acts of generosity and grat itude by feeding the poor, giving donations to the mosques and holding processions in the streets. Finally, the day ends by sharing a meal during daytime for the first time in the month of fasting. Forgiveness and repentance are encouraged during Eid ul Fitr. Eid ul Adha is termed as the Festival of sacrifice to mark Prophet Abraham’s sheer obedience to the will of Allah when he was asked to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Berkey, 2009). This festival is celebrated on the last days of hajj, which represents one of the pillars of Islam and the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims join those on the pilgrimage to celebrate the occasion to remind themselves of their commitment to offer any form of sacrifice He demands of them. According to the Quran, God sent Abraham to Mina to sacrifice Ishmael but later replaced him with a ram. During Eid ul Adha, Muslims sacrifice a lamb or another type of domestic animal with the family, friends and the poor getting a third of the total share. Meditation in Islam Muslims practice meditation, which according to the Quran is a method of reaching the Divine Presence of Allah. Meditation can be undertaken in any silent place including the mosque or at home. It is practiced by sitting in a preferably dark room, covering oneself and to cut any connection with the surrounding. During meditation, Muslims should not only feel, hear or think of nothing but also being in the presence of Allah. Meditation can last from five and more minutes but it is never a ride in the park (Perreira, 2010). An individual is believed to be successful in meditation when they are able to attain ultra-power which translate to some supernatural signs like flying away according to the Muslim teachings. During meditation, Divine Presence offers one an audience with Allah leaving everything behind so that no physical harm can be inflicted. The partaker of meditation enters their spiritual being. This can only be achieved by following strictly the special r ules of Islamic meditation. Meditation also offers relaxation and delivery from stress (Perreira, 2010). Islamic Rites of Passage Rites of passage in a Muslim’s life are marked to signify important transitions of life including birth, marriage and death. These practices together with the Five Pillars regulate the religious lives of every Muslim. Moreover, the Quran also prohibits practices such as smoking, usury, gambling, eating pork and drinking alcohol (Berkey, 2009).

Organ Donation in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organ Donation in the USA - Essay Example I have learned that in the United States only, there are more than 20,000 organ transplants performed every year, but this has not entirely solved the challenges facing organ donations in the medical field (Brezina, 2010). The first organ transplant experiments caused controversies where people who did not believe the procedure to be possible. Organ transplant is facing challenges from religion, philosophy, and politics and in the field of medicine. Quite a number of people are in need of organ transplants, for instance, in the United States, there are citizens in need of organ transplants such as people who have organ failure who may die, and this has raised questions about the organ donation system (Brezina, 2010). This led to the committee in charge of the organ donation to consider a number of approaches to increase the number of donors to sustain the need of patients suffering from organ failure. One of the approaches the committee had was the registration of the donor, intentio ns being to solve the issue of conflict between the next of kin and the medical committee avoiding time wasting (Price, 2000). The financial incentive for choosing to be a donor is another approach. Organs have diverse waiting times because their need varies and from statistics, kidneys have longer waiting times than another organ transplant. Research shows that there is a deficiency of obtainable organs including tissue transplants. Organ transplant involves a complex line of interactions. Among them are the patients, family members, medical professionals, organ procurement and transplant coordinators, the hospital where the donation takes place, the organ procurement organization that facilitates the acquisition and distribution of the organs, and the transplant center (Brezina, 2010). The organ donation system has focused mostly on deceased donors whose death has been determined by neurologic criteria.  

Enabling a Remote Workforce. Essay Example for Free

Enabling a Remote Workforce. Essay Productivity Are employees who telecommute more productive than their traditional office colleagues? 1 Savings What types of savings from a telecommuting program should employers expect? 2 Planning What kind of planning does an organization need to do to properly implement a successful telecommuting program? 2 Eligibility How do managers determine the eligibility of employees for telecommuting? 3 Social Interaction What types of social limitations do remote workers experience? 3 Communication Limitations Are organizations disadvantaged due to communication limitations with remote workers? 4 Management How do managers successfully manage and support remote workers? 5 Technical Issues 5 Network What are the security, bandwidth, and infrastructure implications for the company network to support remote access? 5 Hardware/Software Needs What are the hardware, home infrastructure, and software licensing needs for the remote user? 6 Telecommuting Variations What are alternative solutions or variations for telecommuting programs? 7 Connectivity What are the tools and considerations to accommodate remote network access? 8 Communication How do you allow your employees to communicate electronically and verbally from home? 9 Collaboration What are the tools that foster communication? 9 IT Support What are the options and challenges to providing remote employees with technical support? 10 Cost How much does deploying a remote workforce cost? 10 Conclusion 11 Introduction There are a number of good reasons why companies should consider supporting a remote worker program including an expanded labor pool, reduced traffic congestion costs (late arriving/stressed out employees), improved recruitment and retention of staff, facility cost savings, reduced parking costs, reduced sick leave and improved worker productivity. Conversely, there are some disadvantages that companies should also be aware of including an isolated work force, family turf problems, lack of social interaction with other employees and the fear by remote workers that they will be overlooked for promotions. Companies obviously have a lot to factor in deciding whether or not to implement a telecommuting program. Thus, the goal of this paper is to provide consideration points to many of the common questions facing such companies. The questions and discussion herein are divided into two primary categories: technical and organizational. They are intended to provide more generalized information that decision makers can use to enhance their understanding of telecommuting issues. Organizational Issues Productivity Are employees who telecommute more productive than their traditional office colleagues? In general, remote workers appear to be more productive than traditional office workers. In an October 1995 survey of Fortune 1000 managers, 58% reported increased productivity by employees who telecommuted. Also, according to the State of Californias Telecommuting Pilot Program, companies that implemented a remote work force experienced productivity increases ranging from 10 30%. Further, telecommuters working for American Express produced 43% more business than their office-based counterparts1. Clearly the case can be made that remote workers are indeed more productive. The primary explanation for improved productivity is a quieter work environment, which offers fewer interruptions. Certainly the remote worker also faces interruptions in their daily work, such as family business, neighbors, chores, television, etc. However these interruptions are generally much fewer than those experienced by the traditional office worker. Savings What types of savings from a telecommuting program should employers expect? The biggest savings for companies result from reduced absenteeism costs and reduced real estate costs. Oftentimes when employees need to take care of personal business such as doctor visits, car repair, tending to children, etc. they call in sick for the entire day. However, remote workers can take care of personal business and still accomplish some or most of their work tasks from home. The International Telework Association Council estimates that employees who telecommute can save their employers $10,000 each in reduced absenteeism costs2. According to PC World, telework can cut corporate real estate costs from 25 to 90%, which can result in substantial savings for employers. In fact, ATT saves $25 million per year from employees who are full-time telecommuters3. Many companies who have implemented a successful telecommuting program have instituted hoteling systems in their offices. A hotel is essentially an empty cubicle that is set up with a phone, network connections and basic office supplies that any employee can use, often by making a reservation with an office administrator. Hoteling offers telecommuting employees a place to work in the office when necessary without employers having to provide them with a full-time workspace. Planning What kind of planning does an organization need to do to properly implement a successful telecommuting program? Without doubt one of the most important keys to implementing a successful telecommuting program is proper planning. And since every organization has their unique differences (i.e. size, industry, complexity, culture, locale), there is no single formula for such planning. However, successful telecommuting programs should address the following at a minimum: * Perform an initial assessment * Consider organizational strategy and culture * Consider the role of management * Consider the need for staff input * Determine which staff tasks are most amenable to telecommuting * Consider regulatory compliance and legal issues * Determine technology needs * Prepare a cost-benefit analysis and/or ROI analysis4 Eligibility How do managers determine the eligibility of employees for telecommuting? According to Langhoff, tasks that are most appropriate for telecommuting are jobs where a person works alone, handling information such as reports, proposals, data or research. Writers, salespersons, accountants, programmers, graphic artists, researchers, engineers, architects, public relations professionals all are prime candidates for telecommuting5. In determining eligibility for telecommuting, managers should first consider whether the employees tasks can be performed remotely. Second, an examination of the individuals level of performance should be made (i.e. are they hard working and self-motivated or do they need constant supervision and coaching?). Of course it can be tricky selecting who can and cannot telecommute; therefore companies should be aware of the potential legal implications stemming from employees who wished to work remotely but were turned down. Social Interaction What types of social limitations do remote workers experience? Too often companies only view telecommuting as providing benefits to them and to their employees; however, there remains potential downsides. One potential downside is the lack of social interaction between employees. Employees who work at an office setting spend a considerable amount of their day interacting with other employees. These water-cooler discussions foster a camaraderie that translates into value for companies when the same employees work on projects together or are in need of support from each other. Also, the camaraderie indirectly benefits the company when management is trying to achieve buy-in on various initiatives. Lastly, having close relationships allow employees to maintain a healthy mental balance at work resulting in an overall higher level of morale. Once telecommuting is introduced into the mixed, some or all of those relationships are lost. Analysis of past telecommuting research shows that the most cited problem associated with negative impacts of telecommuting is the feeling of isolation and loss of morale6. Although isolation feelings and loss of morale (and the resulting decrease in a companys value) are difficult metrics to measure, some workable solutions have been devised to combat these negative issues. Other solutions have included limiting telecommuting days and making sure to include telecommuting employees in company events7. Communication Limitations Are organizations disadvantaged due to communication limitations with remote workers? The office environment offers some benefits that telecommuting cannot provide. Most important amongst these benefits is the companys ability to communicate to its employees. Most offices display signs of the companys direct communication whether it is embodied in mission statements, annual goal and targets, or newsletters. Indirectly, the company communicates with corporate color schemes, promotion company clothing, and other branding material such as coffee mugs. All of these communications are omnipresent throughout the corporate office setting and help to build company pride, employee loyalty, and a sense of corporate culture. Employees who tend to work remotely are only exposed slightly to this communication through email, conference calls, and other mailed material. This lack of corporate communication may lead to low motivation, lack of identification with the company, and reduced company loyalty8. The solution to the communication challenge is to ensure that corporate communication includes channels to the remote worker. In fact, companies should recognize that off-site employees need more direct and indirect communication such that employees do not develop those negative feelings. Also, companies should make a concerted effort to limit telecommuting days and to include all telecommuting employees in company events9. Management How do managers successfully manage and support remote workers? Another challenge with telecommuting employees revolves around their direct management. Not only do managers find it much more difficult to monitor the productivity and effectiveness of their telecommuting employee, but they are also challenged by having to change their management style to incorporate the limitations brought about by telecommuting10. Managers who have telecommuting employees are also faced with more potential issues such as family conflicts arising from their employee working from home. These conflicts cross the boundary of work and personal life, and almost always negatively impact productivity. Lastly, it is the role of managers to provide organizational support to the telecommuting employee. With the employee being off-site, the manager is usually limited to email and telephone to support his employee. This limitation further restricts a managers effectiveness and typically utilizes more of a managers time in sorting out support logistic11. Solutions to the managers challenge involve setting up a detailed action plan between manager and telecommuting employee. This action plan should be supplemented with an active communication plan12. Once expectations for both parties are clearly outlined in the action plan, both parties can then communicate progress or support needs more efficiently. Moreover, managers can adapt their management styles to telecommuting employees by setting results-based milestones and orienting tasks into projects such that managers still retain control of certain processes13. Technical Issues Network What are the security, bandwidth, and infrastructure implications for the company network to support remote access? Before considering the strategy to deploying remote access for a company, a survey should be done of the existing network and current remote access configurations. Once a complete analysis of the current configuration and future needs are assessed, then the following issues need to be included in your strategy of preparing and deploying the company network for a remote force: security, bandwidth, and infrastructure.14 Table N1 3 Areas of Security15 Internal Network Usually the most secure of the three, but still should be reviewed for any fallacies. External Network Must secure the PC in the remote location (i.e. firewalls, RSA encryption, etc) to prevent unauthorized access and snooping from the remote location. Remote Worker Least secure, must require security policies to be followed about passwords, where to connect, and who to trust. With more remote workers, there will be an increased demand of bandwidth on the network. Will the remote employees be productive with the current infrastructure that your network can provide? Perhaps considerations for upgrading from16: From To Dial-up (56K) ISDN (128K-256K) ISDN (128K-256K) T1 (up to 1.5M) T1 (up to1.5M) T3 (44.736 Mbps) With the increase demand more infrastructure will be required for allowing an increasing number of remote workers to connect to the corporate network (more servers, security hardware, and routing hardware). Hardware/Software Needs What are the hardware, home infrastructure, and software licensing needs for the remote user? For the employees who travel often, they are usually provided some mobile computing solutions and they have found ways to work from remote locations. However the new generation of employees, the remote worker will work from the comfort of their home. Working from home brings a new set of issues in to play. HARDWARE * Can the employee keep work and personal items separated? * If not, should the company provide additional hardware? * If the company does NOT provide additional hardware, then how much of the employees hardware can be expensed if upgrades are necessary? * The employee may need/require a fax machine, an additional phone line, or other office equipment. SOFTWARE * Software licensing has be clear-cut as far as how many computers can use the same license, however what about home workers? * The companys site licensing may not cover home computers and will require the company to pay extra for these licenses. INFRASTRUCTURE * For someone at home who has a DSL, Cable, or Dial-Up connecting, how much of that should the company pay for? * Support, Support, Support. Who will provide the maintenance and support? * Is the home PC secure? If not, who will provide the hardware/software in order to secure it? Also consider how much of the companys data should be on the personal machine. What happens if the home PC is hacked? Telecommuting Variations What are alternative solutions or variations for telecommuting programs? Outlined in this paper is the most common setup for a company to develop telecommuting options for their employees. However most of these configurations allow the employee to use limited resources over the Internet (access to shared folders, documents and e-mail). Depending on the size, the costs of setting up an infrastructure for telecommuting workforce could be unaffordable. The following are other options available to companies who wish to have a telecommuting workforce. Citrix Remember or heard about the mainframe days? Well, history tends to repeat itself. As more PCs were becoming powerful, we moved away from the mainframe days. However with the Internet, the paradigm of sharing resources has returned and now software applications and operating systems have the enhanced ability to handle more than one user concurrently. Citrix17 allows concurrent remote users access to a single server that will give a separate session for each user. Each user will have access to the same set applications on one machine. This solves the software licensing issues of working from a remote location as well as reduces amount of maintenance of hardware/software for the IT department. Satellite Offices Companies are opening satellite offices to reduce commute times for employees and help alleviate city traffic and parking congestion problems. This will result in reduced land costs since these centers are away from the city where the cost of living is lower.18 Telework centers are similar to a satellite office, but operate by independent parties. Unlike satellite offices, numerous employees use them. Think of these options as outsourcing building/infrastructure issues. Connectivity What are the tools and considerations to accommodate remote network access? In todays information environment, connectivity has become essential for a significant portion of the workplace. Access to email, network resources, server applications, and the Internet is a continual activity for the white-collar professional. At a minimum, companies would be well served to support webmail. In much the same vein as portal email (Hotmail, Yahoo), mail is maintained on the company server. This server is then linked to a website, and employees can gain secure access to the company server via any browser. Once logged in, an individual has the full functionality of their account to compose, receive, store, and delete email without explicitly needing to connect to the company network. However, there will be a resulting lack of security employees need to be encouraged to create and regularly modify complex passwords, and to close public web sessions. That said, the security risk is only to an individual email account; not the company network as a whole. A second logical step for an IT department is to enable Virtual Private Networking (VPN). This will allow employees to connect their remote machines to the company network after establishing an Internet connection through an ISP. This machine then behaves just as a networked office-located computer. For users maintaining both an office and remote computer, this solution requires any desktop applications be maintained on both systems. To avoid this duality, many users will first establish a VPN connection and then emulate their office computer with built-in Windows 2000 and Windows XP remote desktop tools or 3rd party tools such as VNC19. In essence, the remote machine then acts as a terminal or monitor to the office computer, and the user can run the applications found on that machine without any needs for secondary software. The downside to this solution is that emulation is only as good as the connection speed. Communication How do you allow your employees to communicate electronically and verbally from home? Todays telephone solutions for the telecommuter generally consist of providing an office phone with call-forwarding features to an employees business cell phone an often times reimbursed expense. This avoids some of the problems associated with using a home line for a combination of business, personal, and dial-up use. The office system simplifies contacting an individual (Simply dial an extension and press 7 to connect to the forwarded line rather than maintaining a constantly changing set of employee contact information). A home line alternative is a distinctive ring system multiple phone numbers (home, office, fax) use a single line with each producing a unique ring that can be directed to an appropriate voice mail box or machine (PC, fax). A second alternative consists of an off-premise-extension (OPX) or foreign exchange (FX) system. While more expensive, these systems truly mimic the office with a separate home line that is identical to an office extension20. Electronic mail is a requirement for most remote users. IT departments can help support employees using multiple computers to access their email by allowing mail to be retained on the company server rather than downloaded to the individual PC. (As an unrelated benefit, this provides much greater redundancy in the event of a computer hard drive crash). Please see the discussion on web mail for more on remote e-mail use. A less intrusive substitute to phone conversations is instant messaging. While this has potential for both misuse and unproductive use (where conversation is more efficient), this is often times an ideal mechanism for sharing small tidbits of information and is especially valuable for troubleshooting. A more extensive tool would be the newsgroup in combination with a company intranet. Here, employees can develop an extensive knowledge base of processes, questions and answers. Collaboration What are the tools that foster communication? At the lowest end of the technology spectrum, there is the traditional conference call a virtual audio meeting with many parties. In an effort to fight the inherent isolationism of remote workers, the videoconference personalizes the conference call as participants better identify with the visual image than the audio. To implement, however, youll need additional webcam hardware, videoconferencing software and a fast Internet connection. Chat rooms (a variation on the aforementioned instant messaging) are suitable for short discussions or as supplements to a meeting (agenda, minutes, links, data, follow-ups) Web conferencing often includes both videoconferencing and chat room features, but distinguishes itself in that it allows a moderator to emulate his/her desktop to the attendees. Among the forefront of the software leaders in this area is WebEx21. IT Support What are the options and challenges to providing remote employees with technical support? One of the drawbacks to working remotely is the absence of immediate technical support for both trivial and complex hardware and software issues. Given that troubleshooting is often a hands-on activity, solving problems for telecommuters is likely to be frustrating and time-consuming. However IT managers can take a number of steps to reduce downtime. * Standardize the equipment and installation. The more alike your users systems are, the better positioned you will be to reproduce and diagnose problems. * Maintain an inventory of back-up equipment in the same way that a car repair shop offers loaner cars. * Set up remote users so their desktops can be emulated by technical support in this way an IT department can provide step by step demonstrations to fix problems * Maintain an easily accessible FAQ and update it with each new problem and solution Managers may also want to consider outsourcing their technical support requirements. Companies like Voyus22 provide 24 hour help desk support and web-based support applications. Cost How much does deploying a remote workforce cost? The decision that the companies face is how much ownership the company will take for each of the types of telecommuters. For an occasional telecommuter, the employee will more than likely take on the costs. For a heavy telecommuter, the company will probably need to cover the costs to the employee. Telecommuter Type Frequency Implementation Costs Involved Occasional Infrequently Dial-up, Web-based applications Regular Scheduled intervals Remote Connection, 3rd Party Software, Laptop, Firewall, Router. Heavy Frequently to Full Time Provide second computer, VPN connection, ISP costs, other office equipment, maintenance. It is not the technology costs that make or break the telecommuting decision, but its the organizational issues that should benefit the company if deployed properly. Conclusion Telecommuting seems to be the answer to the increased workload versus work/personal life balance issue that many companies are seeking. While there exist many challenges towards implementing a successful telecommuting plan, there also seem to be many practical solutions. The real issue seems to stem from whether a company will change its processes and standards to allow for telecommuting to co-exist with office employees. Such a decision, as this paper has outlined, is not as simple as providing remote employees with an internet connection. Rather, the decision has significant technical and organizational ramifications that need to be well thought out before implementation; otherwise, the company is doomed to make the mistakes of many companies that have haphazardly gone down this path. 1 http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html 2 http://www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com/infocenter/facts.htm 3 http://www.youcanworkfromanywhere.com/infocenter/facts.htm 4 http://www.tfw.org.uk/teleworking/contents.htm 5 http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html 6 Pinsonneault, A. (1999). The Impacts of Telecommuting on Organizations and Individuals: A Review of the Literature, Cahier du GreSI, 99(9). 7 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 8 Davenport, T.H. and Pearlson, K. (1998). Two Cheers for the Virtual Office, Sloan Management Review, 39(4), 51-65. 9 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 10 Kirvan, P. (1995). How to Manage Systems for Remote Workers, Communications News, 33, 67. 11 Kirvan, P. (1995). How to Manage Systems for Remote Workers, Communications News, 33, 67. 12 Guimaraes, T., and Dallow, P. (1999). Empiracally Testing the Benefits, Problems, and Success Factors for Telecommuting Programs, European Journal of Information Systems, 8, 40-54. 13 Davenport, T.H. and Pearlson, K. (1998). Two Cheers for the Virtual Office, Sloan Management Review, 39(4), 51-65. 14 Ascend Communications, 2002, Telecommuting Network Guide: A Resource for Planners, Excutives, and Information Managers, http://users.skynet.be/teletravail/PDF/solut_technique.pdf 15 Jessica L. Hirsch, 2000, Telecommuting: Security Policies and Procedures for the Work-From-Home Workforce, http://www.teleworker.org/articles/telework_security.html 16 Bandwidth Savings, 2003, Services In Detailed, http://www.bandwidthsavings.net/servicesdetail.cfm 17 Citrix.com, 2003, Home Page, http://www.citrix.com 18 Hall, Aric, Bilski, Alicia, Wadman, Scott, 2003, Ways People Telecommute, http://members.tripod.com/~trom/page3.html 19 http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc 20 Wrobel, Leo A., February 1997, Helpful Hints for MIS Managers Supporting Telecommuters and Nomadic Users -Part I: Voice Communications, http://www.rewireit.com/articles/w0297.pdf 21 http://www.webx.com 22 http://www.pcsupport.com/

The Ideals Of Instrumental Music Essay -- essays research papers

At one point in the study of the Romantic period of music, we come upon the first of several apparently opposing conditions that plague all attempts to grasp the meaning of Romantic as applied to the music of the 19th century. This opposition involved the relation between music and words. If instrumental music is the perfect Romantic art, why is it acknowledged that the great masters of the symphony, the highest form of instrumental music, were not Romantic composers, but were the Classical composers, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven? Moreover, one of the most characteristic 19th century genres was the Lied, a vocal piece in which Shubert, Schumann, Brahams, and Wolf attained a new union between music and poetry. Furthermore, a large number of leading composers in the 19th century were extremely interested and articulate in literary expression, and leading Romantic novelists and poets wrote about music with deep love and insight. The conflict between the ideal of pure instrumental music (absolute music) as the ultimate Romantic mode of expression, and the strong literary orientation of the 19th century, was resolved in the conception of program music. Program music, as Liszt and others in the 19th century used the term, is music associated with poetic, descriptive, and even narrative subject matter. This is done not by means of musical figures imitating natural sounds and movements, but by imaginative suggestion. Program music aimed ...

A Study on Work Life Balance Essay

For fresh graduates, getting in the big four firms have long been considered as one of the ideal places where everyone aims for. This is because there are significant benefits from working at a Big 4 Firm. For instance, every Big 4 firm offer superior training to staffs, networking opportunities with professionals across different industries, and possibility to be hired at one of the client companies. Hence, many young accountants and fresh graduates are willing to take on lower pay to work in these firms. However, working in a Big 4 firm is never an easy task, especially during peak season from January to April. Typically, an employee has to work ten to twelve hours a day during weekdays and weekends. Heavy work hours has greatly affected employees in maintaining work life balance and brought challenges to both employees and employers. The current study identifies the factors that could affect employees’ work life balance in one of the Big Four accounting firms – Deloitte Macau. Both questionnaire surveys (n=30) and interviews (across two management level) have been conducted and reveal convergent outcomes. Recommendations have been provided to further improve the work-life balance in Deloitte Macau. Introduction of Deloitte Macau Deloitte Macau is an accounting firm that provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to national, multinational and enterprise clients in Macau. The firm is a member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL), a UK private company limited by guarantee. Each DTTL firm is structured differently in accordance with national or local laws, regulations, customary practice, and other factors, and may secure the provision of provision of professional services in its territory through subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities. Currently, there are fifty-nine professionals working inside the company, ranging from junior (A1 and A2), senior, manager and senior manager. Besides, Employee may also have the opportunity to become partner, who receives a share in the profits of the company and have a say in management. Furthermore, The increase in pay is substantial. An audit partner at Deloitte reported an annual salary range of USD $387,000 to $416,000. However, it also means additional responsibilities for bringing in new business and managing employees. Definition of Work-life balance The social structure and complexity has changed rapidly in the past decades, the society is facing massive confrontation of different responsibilities and commitments, these changes were formed as a result in increased global competition, renewed interest in personal lives and family values, aging workforce (Lockwood, 2003), as well as the blurring of work-non-work boundaries (Humbert and Lewis, 2008), work-life balance has become a predominant issue in the workplace. Extensive researches have been conducted about work-life balance; however, the context of work-life balance is very broad and will have different meaning towards different situation and interpretation. Researchers gave different definition of work-life balance, Wise (2003) states that â€Å"work-life balance is about helping employees better manage their work and non-work time. † According to Business dictionary, work-life balance is a comfortable state of equilibrium achieved between an employee’s primary priorities of their employment position and their private lifestyle. It is a stability of body or mind† (Guest, 2001). Thus, different people may have their â€Å"right† combination of paid work and other aspects of their lives. Most psychologists would agree that the demands of an employee’s career should not overwhelm the individual’s ability to enjoy a satisfying personal life outside of the business environment. In this sense, balance is the result of collective actions, not an action in itself. Whereas researchers also define meaning of â€Å"life† in three senses, they define life as unpaid work obligations, leisure in general and ultimately anything that is not employment. Maclnnes, 2008). Focus among the different definition of work-life balance As work-life balance has such broad term of definition, its implication and application to real world situation as a result is comprehensive. According to Lockwood (2003), the working definitions of terms used regarding work-life balance covering different aspects, including work-family, which refers to the work-life balance in specific areas such as quality of life, flexible work , option, life balance etc. ; work-family conflicts, which efers to the push and pull between work and family responsibilities; work-life balance from the employee viewpoint, which refers to the dilemma of managing work obligations and personal or family responsibilities; work-life balance from the employer viewpoint, which refers to the challenge of creating a supportive company culture where employees can focus on their job while at work; others such family-friendly benefits, work-life programs, work-life initiatives and work-family culture etc. ave been evolved as research areas of defining work-life balance. In the current study, we are going to focus on work-life conflict from the employees’ viewpoint, to explore the problems they encounter and what they could do for managing work and non-work obligations. Objectives and methodology of the study After focusing the definition of work-life balance for the study, we have set objectives in line with information collected from employees of Deloitte Macau to come up with several purposes: to find out the causes that led to employee’s non-work-life balance in the work context, to investigate ways that employer can do to tackle the causes for improving the situation, to observe how employees could do to prevent from getting imbalance between work and non-work context, and finally give out recommendation on application for tackling the problems from both employer and employee viewpoint. Methodology of the study  The study is conducted with a combination of pragmatism approach together with the support of literature review for inductive results. By using pragmatism approach, it is believed that causes that negatively affect the work life balance of employees of Deloitte Macau could be found out in a systematic and more comprehensive way, and with the identification of the causes, employer could help enhancing employee’s work-life balance with appropriate strategies. In this case, both questionnaire and interview were used as the research strategies for the appropriateness and applicableness of this paper. Sampling and participants Questionnaires were distributed across the three operational departments of Deloitte Macau, the auditing department, compliance department and tax department for the freedom of choice staff made to complete the questionnaire. On the other hand, a manager from auditing department and an assistant manager who is in charge of supervising both tax and compliance department were selected to participate in this study. Data collection Primary data is collected from questionnaire and interview. As mentioned earlier, pragmatism and inductive approach was used for the research methodology. Both questionnaire and interviews were applied for data collection tool. Target participants of questionnaires were employees from junior to middle management level across the three operational department of Deloitte Macau. The questionnaire sampling was based on the random sampling approach while interview with mangers belongs to purposive sampling. Interpretation of data received will be outlined and elaborated in the findings session. Findings From Questionnaire A survey was carried out from 6th Feb to 9th March 2013 by asking Deloitte audit, tax and compliance staffs to fill a questionnaire. The aim of the survey is to evaluate the work and non-work balance of the staffs and find out the causes of this imbalance. A total 31 questionnaires (sample size) were completed among total 59 staffs (population size). In order to have a better understanding of the causes that lead to imbalance work and non-work life, literature review is carried out in advance and we find that the causes are mainly: Technology boom Lacking appropriate skill Overtime and limiting budget Multi-tasking. Thus, we also set them as the choices in our questionnaire (question 13 in Appendix A) for asking the causes.