Inventory Controls And Inventory Control - 986 Words

Inventory tracking In the interview, Celine mentions that the company is lacking inventory control. There is no regular auditing in place to keep track of stocks. This practice is unacceptable. I recommend that the manager makes sure inventory is regularly checked. Businesses spend a great deal of time with tracking inventory. Even for a small company like AC Medical Supplies and Equipment there is a need for inventory control. Inventory management is considered a best practice in the business world. When a company does not audit its inventory, it is taking a gamble on unwanted risk. Some companies have experienced financial losses in the result of failed inventory controls. Regular inventory control improves accuracy in products that are stored in the company. Employees will know what products are available and what product will need to be restocked. Inventory control can prevent a shortage and overstock of products. There is also a reduction in time spent on counting inventory because regular audit reports will have product information in real-time. Regular inventory audits will prevent loss and mismanagement of products. Losing products is not good for business. Companies have yearly shrinkage of products that went missing. Losing products can place a financial burden on a small business. According to Fortune, companies saw a 1.4% shrinkage in inventory. While that percentage is small, image if the company is making a million dollars in sales. One million dollars times aShow MoreRelatedInventory Management : Inventory Control1257 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is inventory control? Inventory control means a lot of key things that are very important to a firm or small business to maximize use of inventory. The goal of inventory control is to strive and create the maximum profit from the least amount of inventory investment without interfering with customer s satisfaction relationships. Retailers and distributors have a really heavy impact on the processes of inventory because of the investment into it. Having too much of a product could result inRead MoreIntroduction Of An Inventory Control Method963 Words   |  4 PagesI. Introduction to Just-in-Time When discussing just-in-time most people will focus on its initial position as an inventory control method that attempts to match production as closely to sales as possible. This system attempts to do this by producing or purchasing items just in time to be used, and thereby minimize the cost of holding inventory (Lee Ebrahimpour, 2007; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 1995). One expert has stated that just in time seeks to â€Å"produce and deliver finished goodsRead MoreRfp Inventory Control Essay5651 Words   |  23 PagesRequest for Proposal An Inventory Control System Just Seeds Unlimited Co. 4105 Stuart Andrew Blvd Unit #3 Charlotte, NC 28217 704.222.2222 Distribution List (TBD) Linnea L. Williams lwilliams.lwilliams@gmail.com PM598 – May 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS 5 1.1. General Description of Work 5 1.2. What Must Be Included with Bid 5 1.3. Schedule of Bid Period Activities 6 1.4. Location of Work 6 1.5. Pre-Bid Meeting 7 1.6. Owner Contact for QuestionsRead MoreThe Principles Of Supply Chain And Inventory Control1125 Words   |  5 Pagesof the owner, the trustee of the bank Milwaukee Bank has taken control of the company’s affairs. Milwaukee appointed a new company president and he has identified several problems, one of which pertaining to the inventory control system. The new president requested recommendations among his employees on revising the inventory control system and detailed analysis as to why these changes are to be implemented. To improve the inventory management system the best way would be to identify the systemsRead MoreInventory Control System Case Study: Kudler Fine Foods1326 Words   |  6 Pagesand has generated over $45 million in revenue. Smith Systems Consulting was contracted to develop a frequent shopper program by developing a hardware platform, network connections, software development tools, database information, user interfaces, controls and security measures . Each of these aspects will be explained and developed in the following documents. Hardware PlatformKudler Fine Foods has three locations, La Jolla, Del Mar and Encinitas that all must implement the same hardware to ensureRead MoreInventory And Inventory Control System1235 Words   |  5 PagesINTRODUCTION: The more inventory a company has†¦ the less likely they will have what they need. -Taichi Ohno What is Inventory? Inventory is considered to be the raw materials, work-in-process goods or completely finished goods that are a portion of a business s assets that are ready for use or will be ready for sale to customers. Possessing huge amount of inventory for longer period of time is not considered to be usually good for a business because of inventory storage, obsolescence andRead MoreThe Importance of Inventory Control1587 Words   |  7 PagesInventory is defined as any stored resource that is used to satisfy a current or future need (Render, Stair amp; Hanna, 2012). Many things come to make up inventory a few examples of what make up inventory are finished goods, raw materials, and work-in-progress. When it comes to a company’s most important and often times most expensive assets you discover inventory makes up as much as 50% of a company’s total invested capital (Render, Stair amp; Hanna, 2012). This paper will take a look at theRead MoreBusiness Inventory Controls1957 Words   |  8 PagesBusiness Inventory Control Meghan Farrar, Amanda May, Nancy Dinges, Scott Moore and Bianca Holmes American Public University Introduction â€Å"Inventory is one of the most expensive and important assets to many companies, representing as much as 50% of total invested capital. Managers have long recognized that good inventory control is crucial† (Render et al, 2011). Therefore, it is really no surprise that companies place such a high importance on inventory control. An analysisRead MoreArticle Review : Inventory Control918 Words   |  4 PagesArticle Evaluation Essay Hongyi Li Here is an article evaluation essay based on the SCORE association’s inventory control hand out, the link is showing below: http://www.ct-clic.com/Newsletters/customer-files/inventory0602.pdf Inventory Control This article, â€Å"inventory control†, was written by SCORE association. According to the SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration) The SCORE association is a nonprofit organization; it is also known as the â€Å"Counselors to America’s Small Business†, which is a governmentRead MoreThe Test Of Radioactive Inventory Control1395 Words   |  6 Pagesoperators. 5.2. Test questions The 33 question test includes a mix of multiple choice, true and false and fill in the blank questions on key elements from the following procedures: AGHCF-SR-116, AGHCF Radioactive Material Inventory Control (11 questions), Radioactive inventory is a staple procedures within the facility this procedure is performed on a daily bases when the project is active. Currently this procedure is on revision 13 and the original training was performed via a classroom setting

Should Gmo Be Banned - 1582 Words

Should Genetically -Modified Foods Be Banned? In the past decade genetically modified foods have been have made a world of stir about whether these foods are beneficial to our society or if they are actually hurtful.There is plenty information that is available to help support both sides of the issue but for every positive thing there is also a negative consequence.With genetically-modified foods being a trendy topic and being like all great debates it has its prons and cons, so it all comes down to whether the good will supercede the bad, or vice versa. The word GM foods or sometimes labeled GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is created for human and/or animal use by using the most advanced molecular biology procedures. The plants†¦show more content†¦Producing plants that can live through extended times of drought or and groundwater will help people to produce crops in formerly inhospitable areas as well. Malnutrition is very common in third world countries where the poor peoples rely on a single crop such as rice for the main ingredient of their diet. Since, rice does not contain a sufficient amount of all the vital nutrients to prevent malnutrition, but what if rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, so that certian nutrient deficiencies would be reduced. Its a proven fact that every person will become ill atleast once in there lives and the use of medicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes may require special storage techniques that is not available in third world countries, and now researchers are working to patent edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines. To not be misleading not all GM plants are grown as crops, soil and groundwater pollution still remains a problem in almost if not every part of the world. One example of an effort to help eliminate this is the use of poplar trees, these trees have been genetically engin eered to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil. On the other hand you have critics like Martin Teital who states that geneticallyShow MoreRelatedShould Gmo Be Banned?1292 Words   |  6 Pagescontroversies in the food industry is GMO which stands for genetically modified organisms such as plant ingredient in a food or as standalone food for example corn or soybean has its genetic blueprint altered through technology by scientists in laboratories in a way to gain development benefits. Some are against this practice based on how loosely this practice gets regulated and concern rise over the amount of power this gives to food corporations that are making GMO foods as well as concerns of healthRead MoreWhy GMOs Should Be Banned674 Words   |  3 Pagesfoods (GMOs) is very complex. There are many aspects of this process we must consider when deciding if GMOs should continue to be sold. Due to many human health, environmental, and economical concerns the sale of all gene tically modified foods should be banned. Here is some history of GMO: In 1980 the first GMO patent was issued by the U.S. Patent Office. This in where the battle of GMO started. Many years later in 1994 the first GMO begins sale in grocery stores. In 1999 the amount of GMO crops hasRead MoreWhy Gmo Should Be Banned1382 Words   |  6 PagesThere are roughly sixty countries that require GMO labeling and they do not have the problem that the United States have. Some countries even go as far to ban GMOs and only let some in. They have to go through many processes and tests to examine the effects and quality of the plant and/or product. These countries have lower rates of GMO food purchases and their environment is much cleaner than the United States. Monsanto has always tried its hardest to prevent any law from passing to regulateRead MoreGmo Labeling Laws Should Not Be Banned1331 Words   |  6 Pagesof the foods that the average person consumes there reside harmful ingredients and chemicals. Citizens and scientists ali ke have posed questions and concern about not only what a GMO is, but why the government refuses to pass GMO-labeling laws, while still claiming GMOs harmless characteristics. GMO-containing foods should be labeled to the fullest extent due to the fact that people have the right to know what they are consuming, regardless of what the government and big-box companies have to say aboutRead MorePersuasive Speech About Gmo984 Words   |  4 Pageschose â€Å"GMOs should be banned in Philippines† is because I want all of us to be aware what GMOs are and why GMOs should be banned. So first of, what are GMOs? GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms is simply known as the transfer of genes. According to my internet sources, GMO is a gene from one organism that is purposely moved to improve or change another organism, GMOs are created when a gene from one species is transferred to another, creating something that would not be found in nature. GMOs areRead MoreThe And Its Effects On Th e Country Of Norway Essay1244 Words   |  5 PagesEverything that is labeled on the products is genuinely honest. There are certain foods in certain countries that are specifically banned. Russia has banned corn that has been produced in the United States. Also, Peru has passed a law for a 10-year ban on GMOs and products that contain GMOs due to GMO infested food that has been shipped from the United States. Poland has banned potatoes and corn! Creating genetically modified food and other products is detrimental because it contains cheaper ingredientsRead MoreLet s Protect Our Nation By Banning Gmo858 Words   |  4 PagesModified Organism should be banned because genetically modified research is not reinforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).The health of our citizens is more important than the affordability of the foods that GMO provides. GMO’s corporations are harming our environment and needs to be stopped. Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) should be outlawed in the United States. Genetically modified organism research are not reinforced by the Food and Drug Administration, thus should prohibited in ourRead MoreThe Genetic Modification Of Food1654 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many different views concerning GMOs and quest the ideological and moral arguments related with this subject. Survey factors affect the decision of nations or each person on whether GMOs are condensing or harmful to health. Veganism is a â€Å"type of vegetarian diet that refuse meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients† (Hackett, 2014) . Interview someone who followed veganism but became vegetarian, vegans don’t support GMOs. They â€Å"like to eat as close to nature asRead MoreSupport Traditional Crops1634 Words   |  7 Pagessupport traditional crops. Some GMOs are even designed to help prevent vitamin deficiencies by adding needed nutrients to crops that do not typically have a particular nutrient. One of the leading arguments for the supporters of GMO’s is the possibility that it will enable the world to produce enough food to continue to support the growing population. According to Madeline Ostrander as it is estimated that the population of people on the earth will increase to 9.5 billion people by 2050 and thatRead MoreA Long Day At Work And Now1574 Words   |  7 Pagesdo some research and find out that it is a Genetically Modified Organism. ( GMO) A GMO is, â€Å"an organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there.† Having that in mind, is it okay to alter genetics? Whether it’s food or a living thing? Before you can answer that, there is much to be learned about these GMOs. The history of GMOs go way back to the mid 1800s when a monk named Gregory Mendel published his

Personal and Professional Development Free Essays

string(63) " things done also causes me stress when I have too many tasks\." Introduction My own journey to â€Å"today†, thankfully, did not happen individually. I smile when I remember so many helpful people who were contributed in my own learning, growing and developing. I came from Lithuania 8 years ago, immediately after finishing my Secondary School. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal and Professional Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now My first work in Ireland was â€Å"Argos† shop, based in Cavan Town. This job built on my past particular interest and experience in the Retail and Customer service processes. After spending 3 years in Argos I have decided that I can do something more than just being a sales advisor. So I did 1 year FETAC Level 5 course- Business and Secretarial in Cavan Institute. After the successful training I realized that I need to go for higher studies and get myself in to the Management Environment. In order to achieve these goals I need to keep developing myself in both ways: personally and professionally. In this assignment I intend to look at my competencies; analyze all my strengths and weaknesses and list my Personal Development Plan. The competencies required by me as a manager Learning is the method and process which uses personal-power, knowledge and experience to: * make sense of things, (by thinking) * make things happen, (by doing) bring about change, (by moving from one position to another) Learning involves developing skills and competencies in response to both present and anticipated future challenges. Good managers often have many qualities in common. Below is a list of competencies or characteristics that generally lead to good management skills. Consider how well management job applicants have demonstrated the following capabilities in t heir previous position. Typical Management Competencies: * Analysis Individual Leadership * Oral Communication * Customer Service Orientation Initiative Organizational * Awareness Delegation Judgment Quality Management * Developing Organizational * Talent * Managing Work Teamwork * Empowerment Maximizing Performance Written Communication * Follow-up Negotiation As a manager and a leader I will be judged not only on the results I have achieved but the level of competence I have attained and applied in getting those results. Competence is about knowledge and skills – what people need to know and be able to do carry out their work well. The following list is an example of competencies required by me to become a good and successful manager: Achievement orientation. The desire to get things done well and the ability to set and meet challenging goals, create own measures of excellence and constantly seek ways of improving performance. Business awareness. The capacity continually to identify and explore business opportunities, to understand the business priorities of the organization. Communication. The ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, orally or in writing. Customer focus. The exercise of unceasing care in looking after the interests of external and internal customers to ensure that they wants, needs and expectations are met or exceeded. Developing others. To desire and capacity to foster the development of members of his or her team, providing feedback, support, encouragement and coaching. Leadership. The capacity to inspire individuals to give of their best to achieve a desired result and to maintain effective relationships with individuals and a team as a whole. Planning. The ability to desire on courses of action, ensuring that the recourses required to implement the action will be available and scheduling the programme of work required to achieve a defined end-result. Problem solving. The capacity to analyse situations, diagnose problems and identify the key issues. Teamwork. The ability to work cooperatively and flexibly with other members of a team. However, I think that managerial competencies and skills are not the same. Of course, foreground is important resource which is using by doing any work, but they are not always related to our specific activities or functions of the job. Competence in managerial terms, by contrast, refers to the absolute ability to perform a specific job according to prescribed standards. Competence can be defined as a behavioral repertoire, allowing an organization in a particular way to achieve adequate performance to the strategic goals of the organization. In other words, competence means the work necessary to accomplish missions or play the role of ability, skills, knowledge, and a mix of skills. My SWOT analysis against these competencies The positive strengths of a manager are not measured based solely on productivity levels and completed sales. They are measured based on how well a manager understands his employees and is able to create an environment in which employees can be creative, innovative and driven. Strengths My basic strengths for successful managing would be my qualification, knowledge, general skills, health, strong points of character and personality. One of my biggest strengths is my friendliest and ability to learn things very quickly. I am also proud that I can easily speak 4 languages: Lithuanian, Russian, Latvian and English. My second best strength is my flexibility to handle change. As customer advisor at my last job, I was able to turn around a negative working environment and develop a very supportive team. I easily became a good companion to all my colleagues. I can also say that I am very punctual person, I don’t like to get late and I don’t like when other people are late too. This would be one the most important strengths for managers as it shows how politely and responsible they are. Weaknesses Of course everyone must have some weaknesses too. Some people know how to handle their weaknesses in the right way. Others keep hiding them and do not want any help. I believe that the more I look and analyse at my weaknesses the more I intend to develop myself in to the better way. My greatest weakness in managerial role would be that I like to make sure that my work is perfect, so I tend to perhaps spend a little too much time checking it. However, I’ve come to a good balance by setting up a system to ensure everything is done correctly the first time. This same need to get things done also causes me stress when I have too many tasks. You read "Personal and Professional Development" in category "Essay examples" I also get nervous when presenting ideas to clients or colleagues and a public speaking often takes the passion out of me. I don’t really like delegating people; I think it takes more time to explain than to do the job myself. I believe that only good experience and training can help me to overcome these weaknesses. Opportunities I’m currently perusing Management Practice course in CITC and it will surely help me to improve my management skills. Financial institutes and Banks can offer funding loans for paying tuition fees for my future studies. Treats Global economy is facing significant possibility of recession. New technology. Device a personal development plan to ensure your own effectiveness in managerial role Personal and Professional development is important. Organisations need to create opportunities for different types of experiences and ensure people are nurtured. As people development involves moving people by one position to another, this means that learning will be needed; changing and learning are directly connected. One of the difficulties with learning, however, is that many people think they can get along without it. They either think that their knowledge is sufficient already, or they believe that they will learn by experience without any conscious effort. Needless to say, this views to hold in times of continual challenge, and new developments. My personal development plan will be based on analysing my personality, my leadership style and my learning style. As Mullins (2005) states, â€Å"Psychologists have defined personality as consisting of stable characteristics which explain why a person behaves in a particular way†. Besides, to take a holistic view of personality, it is important to take into consideration the dynamic processes, which means focusing on the ways in which an individual’s traits interact. Armstrong (2006) indicates that personality can be regarded as the relatively stable and enduring aspects of individuals that distinguish them from other people. The aim of this Professional Development Plan is to establish a process of self-management and self-development. To develop myself, it is important to have an idea of my strengths and weaknesses and how can I convert my weaknesses to strengths. It also contains the opportunities that I have in me, I can take advantage of them, and if any change happens in the environment, how can I face this change and get adjustable to these changes. This personal development plan is the key to carry out my goals. It will not only help me to develop myself but also will help me to reach my goals and be successful. SKILLS: There are two type of skills require to achieve my goal: 1. Fundamental skills 2. Professional skills 1) Fundamentals skills: * Discipline and time keeping * Team work * Stability 2) Professional skills * Supervisory * Sales skills * Group activities Above skills are useful to achieve my personal development plan and my long terms goal. There are more skills required such as communicating, roll model, attitude, self-motivation, decision making, hard work dedication, safety in work, carefulness etc. I did my on exercise to achieve some skills. These are skills use to achieve my goal where I am now. I will try to complete all skills, which are taking me to my manager goal I think that many personal development skills in one way or another connected with professional and personal development: professional development develops personality. Therefore, the performance of personal development training is affecting human and professional growth while strengthening their professional skills and abilities. My personal development should take place through a series of types of planed experiences. The following list gives examples of some other types of development activities that I might use to meet my development needs: Creativity in education * Self-confidence, positive self esteem * Healthy lifestyle * Time management * Public Speaking * Delegation * Nonverbal language * Modern table etiquette * Improvisational workshops * Dance workshops * Art workshops * Singing workshops * Reading * Networking. ,, If you don’t have clearly defined goals, you will never make it to your object ive. You will be like an airplane without a rudder drifting in the clouds rather than heading toward a specific destination you have marked on a map. Goals are made up of tasks. When you successfully complete all of the tasks in a goal, you have met your goal â€Å"(David Rye 2009). According to David Rye words it is easier to achieve our goals if we make a decision as early as possible: who we want to become in the future and how long will it takes to achieve it? Whatever goals people choose to pursue, they must believe that they are attainable. The following list is my short, medium and long term development needs that I am planning to achieve: Short term development goals- I want to become a member in a voluntary organization and take an opportunity to attend day training courses according to management role. Medium term development goals- Take some other professional courses related to business studies. Long term Development goals- I look forward to get a manager job. I see myself in a management role, leading my team to new innovations and growth. I have a desire to develop my skills as a manager, I’m sure I will eventually get there. These gaols are SMART: Specific- I know what I want, I know why is important, and when I am going to do. Measurable- I can measure and see changes. Attainable – is a not too far goal, it’s going to stretch me slightly and motivates me. Realistic- I can attain these goals. Timely – In 5 years I am going to achieve all above mentioned goals. Conclusion In conclusion I would like to say that if I want to become a good and successful manager I have to achieve my defined objectives, keep learning and continue to pursue my personal and career development plan. Also I need to strive constantly to improve my own effectiveness and the effectiveness of the operation or service for which I will be responsible. This involves playing a significant part in any organizational programmes for continuous improvement as well as subjecting my own activities to scrutiny so as to ensure that operational problems are identified and overcome. Everyone has the potential to become a Leader, but isn’t accomplished overnight. No matter where you’re starting from, you will get better at leading over time. There are many complex facets of leadership, including experience, emotional strengths, people skills, discipline, vision and motivation. The many factors that come into play in leadership are what makes becoming a leader both challenging and rewarding. (David Rye 2009) References 1. David Rye, (2009) â€Å"Stop Mnaging and Lead†. 2. Web Sites: www. palgrave. com www. businessballs. com www. open. ac. uk/safari/ 3. Class notes from tutor Arthur MCKeown. Bibliography 1. M. Armstrong â€Å"How to be an even better manager† 7th edition (1988) 2. Sally Palmer, (1998) â€Å"People and Self Management†. 3. Stuart Emmett, (2008) â€Å"Developing People†. Appendix Curriculum Vitae. Related article: Time Management – Work File How to cite Personal and Professional Development, Essay examples Personal and Professional Development Free Essays string(63) " things done also causes me stress when I have too many tasks\." Introduction My own journey to â€Å"today†, thankfully, did not happen individually. I smile when I remember so many helpful people who were contributed in my own learning, growing and developing. I came from Lithuania 8 years ago, immediately after finishing my Secondary School. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal and Professional Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now My first work in Ireland was â€Å"Argos† shop, based in Cavan Town. This job built on my past particular interest and experience in the Retail and Customer service processes. After spending 3 years in Argos I have decided that I can do something more than just being a sales advisor. So I did 1 year FETAC Level 5 course- Business and Secretarial in Cavan Institute. After the successful training I realized that I need to go for higher studies and get myself in to the Management Environment. In order to achieve these goals I need to keep developing myself in both ways: personally and professionally. In this assignment I intend to look at my competencies; analyze all my strengths and weaknesses and list my Personal Development Plan. The competencies required by me as a manager Learning is the method and process which uses personal-power, knowledge and experience to: * make sense of things, (by thinking) * make things happen, (by doing) bring about change, (by moving from one position to another) Learning involves developing skills and competencies in response to both present and anticipated future challenges. Good managers often have many qualities in common. Below is a list of competencies or characteristics that generally lead to good management skills. Consider how well management job applicants have demonstrated the following capabilities in t heir previous position. Typical Management Competencies: * Analysis Individual Leadership * Oral Communication * Customer Service Orientation Initiative Organizational * Awareness Delegation Judgment Quality Management * Developing Organizational * Talent * Managing Work Teamwork * Empowerment Maximizing Performance Written Communication * Follow-up Negotiation As a manager and a leader I will be judged not only on the results I have achieved but the level of competence I have attained and applied in getting those results. Competence is about knowledge and skills – what people need to know and be able to do carry out their work well. The following list is an example of competencies required by me to become a good and successful manager: Achievement orientation. The desire to get things done well and the ability to set and meet challenging goals, create own measures of excellence and constantly seek ways of improving performance. Business awareness. The capacity continually to identify and explore business opportunities, to understand the business priorities of the organization. Communication. The ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, orally or in writing. Customer focus. The exercise of unceasing care in looking after the interests of external and internal customers to ensure that they wants, needs and expectations are met or exceeded. Developing others. To desire and capacity to foster the development of members of his or her team, providing feedback, support, encouragement and coaching. Leadership. The capacity to inspire individuals to give of their best to achieve a desired result and to maintain effective relationships with individuals and a team as a whole. Planning. The ability to desire on courses of action, ensuring that the recourses required to implement the action will be available and scheduling the programme of work required to achieve a defined end-result. Problem solving. The capacity to analyse situations, diagnose problems and identify the key issues. Teamwork. The ability to work cooperatively and flexibly with other members of a team. However, I think that managerial competencies and skills are not the same. Of course, foreground is important resource which is using by doing any work, but they are not always related to our specific activities or functions of the job. Competence in managerial terms, by contrast, refers to the absolute ability to perform a specific job according to prescribed standards. Competence can be defined as a behavioral repertoire, allowing an organization in a particular way to achieve adequate performance to the strategic goals of the organization. In other words, competence means the work necessary to accomplish missions or play the role of ability, skills, knowledge, and a mix of skills. My SWOT analysis against these competencies The positive strengths of a manager are not measured based solely on productivity levels and completed sales. They are measured based on how well a manager understands his employees and is able to create an environment in which employees can be creative, innovative and driven. Strengths My basic strengths for successful managing would be my qualification, knowledge, general skills, health, strong points of character and personality. One of my biggest strengths is my friendliest and ability to learn things very quickly. I am also proud that I can easily speak 4 languages: Lithuanian, Russian, Latvian and English. My second best strength is my flexibility to handle change. As customer advisor at my last job, I was able to turn around a negative working environment and develop a very supportive team. I easily became a good companion to all my colleagues. I can also say that I am very punctual person, I don’t like to get late and I don’t like when other people are late too. This would be one the most important strengths for managers as it shows how politely and responsible they are. Weaknesses Of course everyone must have some weaknesses too. Some people know how to handle their weaknesses in the right way. Others keep hiding them and do not want any help. I believe that the more I look and analyse at my weaknesses the more I intend to develop myself in to the better way. My greatest weakness in managerial role would be that I like to make sure that my work is perfect, so I tend to perhaps spend a little too much time checking it. However, I’ve come to a good balance by setting up a system to ensure everything is done correctly the first time. This same need to get things done also causes me stress when I have too many tasks. You read "Personal and Professional Development" in category "Papers" I also get nervous when presenting ideas to clients or colleagues and a public speaking often takes the passion out of me. I don’t really like delegating people; I think it takes more time to explain than to do the job myself. I believe that only good experience and training can help me to overcome these weaknesses. Opportunities I’m currently perusing Management Practice course in CITC and it will surely help me to improve my management skills. Financial institutes and Banks can offer funding loans for paying tuition fees for my future studies. Treats Global economy is facing significant possibility of recession. New technology. Device a personal development plan to ensure your own effectiveness in managerial role Personal and Professional development is important. Organisations need to create opportunities for different types of experiences and ensure people are nurtured. As people development involves moving people by one position to another, this means that learning will be needed; changing and learning are directly connected. One of the difficulties with learning, however, is that many people think they can get along without it. They either think that their knowledge is sufficient already, or they believe that they will learn by experience without any conscious effort. Needless to say, this views to hold in times of continual challenge, and new developments. My personal development plan will be based on analysing my personality, my leadership style and my learning style. As Mullins (2005) states, â€Å"Psychologists have defined personality as consisting of stable characteristics which explain why a person behaves in a particular way†. Besides, to take a holistic view of personality, it is important to take into consideration the dynamic processes, which means focusing on the ways in which an individual’s traits interact. Armstrong (2006) indicates that personality can be regarded as the relatively stable and enduring aspects of individuals that distinguish them from other people. The aim of this Professional Development Plan is to establish a process of self-management and self-development. To develop myself, it is important to have an idea of my strengths and weaknesses and how can I convert my weaknesses to strengths. It also contains the opportunities that I have in me, I can take advantage of them, and if any change happens in the environment, how can I face this change and get adjustable to these changes. This personal development plan is the key to carry out my goals. It will not only help me to develop myself but also will help me to reach my goals and be successful. SKILLS: There are two type of skills require to achieve my goal: 1. Fundamental skills 2. Professional skills 1) Fundamentals skills: * Discipline and time keeping * Team work * Stability 2) Professional skills * Supervisory * Sales skills * Group activities Above skills are useful to achieve my personal development plan and my long terms goal. There are more skills required such as communicating, roll model, attitude, self-motivation, decision making, hard work dedication, safety in work, carefulness etc. I did my on exercise to achieve some skills. These are skills use to achieve my goal where I am now. I will try to complete all skills, which are taking me to my manager goal I think that many personal development skills in one way or another connected with professional and personal development: professional development develops personality. Therefore, the performance of personal development training is affecting human and professional growth while strengthening their professional skills and abilities. My personal development should take place through a series of types of planed experiences. The following list gives examples of some other types of development activities that I might use to meet my development needs: Creativity in education * Self-confidence, positive self esteem * Healthy lifestyle * Time management * Public Speaking * Delegation * Nonverbal language * Modern table etiquette * Improvisational workshops * Dance workshops * Art workshops * Singing workshops * Reading * Networking. ,, If you don’t have clearly defined goals, you will never make it to your object ive. You will be like an airplane without a rudder drifting in the clouds rather than heading toward a specific destination you have marked on a map. Goals are made up of tasks. When you successfully complete all of the tasks in a goal, you have met your goal â€Å"(David Rye 2009). According to David Rye words it is easier to achieve our goals if we make a decision as early as possible: who we want to become in the future and how long will it takes to achieve it? Whatever goals people choose to pursue, they must believe that they are attainable. The following list is my short, medium and long term development needs that I am planning to achieve: Short term development goals- I want to become a member in a voluntary organization and take an opportunity to attend day training courses according to management role. Medium term development goals- Take some other professional courses related to business studies. Long term Development goals- I look forward to get a manager job. I see myself in a management role, leading my team to new innovations and growth. I have a desire to develop my skills as a manager, I’m sure I will eventually get there. These gaols are SMART: Specific- I know what I want, I know why is important, and when I am going to do. Measurable- I can measure and see changes. Attainable – is a not too far goal, it’s going to stretch me slightly and motivates me. Realistic- I can attain these goals. Timely – In 5 years I am going to achieve all above mentioned goals. Conclusion In conclusion I would like to say that if I want to become a good and successful manager I have to achieve my defined objectives, keep learning and continue to pursue my personal and career development plan. Also I need to strive constantly to improve my own effectiveness and the effectiveness of the operation or service for which I will be responsible. This involves playing a significant part in any organizational programmes for continuous improvement as well as subjecting my own activities to scrutiny so as to ensure that operational problems are identified and overcome. Everyone has the potential to become a Leader, but isn’t accomplished overnight. No matter where you’re starting from, you will get better at leading over time. There are many complex facets of leadership, including experience, emotional strengths, people skills, discipline, vision and motivation. The many factors that come into play in leadership are what makes becoming a leader both challenging and rewarding. (David Rye 2009) References 1. David Rye, (2009) â€Å"Stop Mnaging and Lead†. 2. Web Sites: www. palgrave. com www. businessballs. com www. open. ac. uk/safari/ 3. Class notes from tutor Arthur MCKeown. Bibliography 1. M. Armstrong â€Å"How to be an even better manager† 7th edition (1988) 2. Sally Palmer, (1998) â€Å"People and Self Management†. 3. Stuart Emmett, (2008) â€Å"Developing People†. Appendix Curriculum Vitae. How to cite Personal and Professional Development, Papers Personal and Professional Development Free Essays string(164) " eventually get bored and loose the motivation of working Frustration: Frustration is a silent killer in workplace which creates motivation and enthusiasm problem\." Hotel manager is the person who is responsible for management of the hotel and its entire staff (SAGAS, 2012). We can also say hotel manager is someone who is accountable for managing the business of hotel and also assure the quality, radioactivity, performance of employees Cones Lockwood, 2004). Hotel manager is responsible for planning, budgeting, financial management and also directing and leading all hotel service. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal and Professional Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now This profession requires various types of skills, knowledge and experience which has to be developed starting from the bottom. Despite the fact this area is accessible for all graduates with an HAND but the following qualification or subject may enhance the chance such as business or management, Hotel and hospitality, business study with different language and travel and tourism (SAGAS, 2012). But it’s not always necessary to have an HAND or inundation course to enter this profession since the employers puts a lot of priority on relevant experience. A minimum standard of education is sought and most of the people work their way up to this management level gradually by training on the Job and external qualification. Employers often look for relevant work experience but not only related to hotel but also customer focused such as retail, catering, bar and language skills also an advantage specially a hotel related to international chain. 2. 0 SOOT analysts: So aim of the topic is to critically analyses my C.V. with the help of SOOT in term of the rarer I have chosen and Justify the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat. At the end I will conclude the topic with recommendation of what needed to be improved in future. 2. Strength: Effective communication skills can boost the overall performance of a business and in my chosen career of hotel management it’s the only way where I can establish a good relationship with the customers and increase staff engagement to increase overall performance. I have systematically represented my communication skills and the efficiency of it in my C.V.. I have the ability to communicate in a very effective and reflections way with different people by carefu lly listening to client and address my message to them. During my time at Marriott hotel I have demonstrated my effective communication skills while working on reception and feedback from customers for my performance were excellent. 2. 1. 2 Team Work: Team work is two or more people working together co-operatively in order improve the performance and achieve their goal. In hotel management profession it’s very important because when numbers of people working together their knowledge, skills, experience from several source coming together. I am a very co-operative team layer and able to work with different people from different sort of background. I know how work with the team as a supporting hand and encourage other team working skills and achieved better result while I was working in Ginsburg as a team leader 2. 1. 3 Customer Service: In my preferred career of hotel management customer is very important to satisfy the customers and make sure they come back again and again. I have tried to be focused on highlighting how good customer service I can offer in my C.V.. I am able to compromise with all sort of customer in effective way from different country and aground and solve any quarries they have with a positive attitude and satisfy them to come back to us again and again. While I was working in Ginsburg I have been awarded best customer service assistance 2010 twice. 2. 1. 4 Management skills: Success of hotel industry depends on effective management and it’s important for planning, organizing, controlling, directing and decision making. In my C.V. I have shown my ability to manage team and plan ahead during a busy environment. During my time at Marriott hotel I improved my management skill through different aspect such as problem solving, organizing, team building and decision making in a implicated environment. I believe I can properly utilize these skills and create value in my hotel management career. 2. 1. 5 Relevant experience: Relevant practical experience always gets priority in hotel industry career. In these industry for new requirement employers always looks for relevant experience. During my time at Marriott hotel hotel allowed me have a proper customer engagement help me to earn a better understanding of customers needs and expectation. I can deal with different sort of customer in a professional way and achieve 100% customer satisfaction. . 1. 6 Language skills: I am able to speak and understand other language such as Bengali, Hindi, Urdu. Multi-lingual skills are very important for hotel industry where you get to meet international customer’s every day. While I was working in Marriott hotel if the customer from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh customer who couldn’t speak English well and I used to communicate with them the other language that I know. 2. 1. 7 Computi ng skills: In the 21st century computer is very essential for every aspect of business. I have the ability to use all computing feature required for business purpose such as MS Word, MS Excel and MS Powering. I used to create work Rota, revenue sheet and daily sales data entry while I was working for Marriott. Also during my time at ELSE library I have used computer to keep the data of books borrowed by students and delivery statement. 2. 2 Weakness: 2. 2. 1 Lack of various work experience: Having lots of different work experience always gets priority for any Job. Though I have relevant work experience for this career but I have worked only in few places. Whereas working is various place would have allow me to gain different experience which I could have use in my career path. 2. 2. 2 Intention to change Jobs: Another weakness of mine is I can’t work in same place for long time. If I work in same place for long time I eventually get bored and loose the motivation of working Frustration: Frustration is a silent killer in workplace which creates motivation and enthusiasm problem. You read "Personal and Professional Development" in category "Papers" In work place when things don’t go as I planned or senior colleagues perform an action which I don’t think is fair makes me frustrated. During my time at ELSE library my senior used to abuse me by giving extra responsibility they suppose take care of and this used to make me frustrated and eventually I lost the motivation to work there and left the Job. 2. 2. Short tempered: I am a very sort tempered person which is not expected for being in a management of hospitality industry. In workplace my short temper can be triggered by over talkative person, people getting to my physical space and when people drug my personal life to workplace. When I lose my temper I always make harsh decision which makes me regret later on. 2. 2. Can’t say â€Å"no†: I am a very helpful person as a result when people ask me to do something or ask for help I can’t say know even if there is lots of work pressure on me. For example when I was working on Ginsburg one of the managers asked me to take the delivery and at he same time another manager asked me to fill up the shelf and I couldn’t say no to him as a result I ended up middle of two tasks and none of the task was completed properly. 2. 2. 6 Working with large group: I prefer to work with small group because it’s easier to organize and transmit the information and I can assess the performance and productivity of my team easily. But on other hand when I am forced to work with large group I find it hard to control and organize this large amount of people. 2. 3 Opportunity: In this current time the hotel management industry have vast employment opportunity. Furthermore when globalization getting acceptance in almost every country, the hotel management industry becoming global. Since hotel chain owners are trying to open new hotels in every big and small cities, demand of trained hotel management profession are colossal. So I believe having a business degree and relevant work experience will allow me to start a good career in hotel management industry. According to Economic and social research council static hotel industry contributes El ban to I-J economy and it offers 7% to 8% of total country employment which shows the amount of opportunity it offers. 2. 4 Threat: We have seen so far in hotel industry experience always gets priority. Though I have relevant experience but I have worked in one place which is related to my chosen career so far so it might be not be enough for the management level I am trying to start the career with. When it comes to comparison recruitment team might choose someone more experienced than me. 3. Conclusion: After the discussion above and SOOT analysis I can see my own strength, weakness, opportunity and treats which gives me a better vision of where I need to be improved in order to fulfill the requirements of a successful hotel management career. I can say y strength and opportunities in current Job market is very potential as the demand of skilled and experienced professional manager is increasing. I believe I need to work on my drawbacks and try to absorb related experience and a good internship from reputable hotel which I might use as reference later on. SAGAS, e. , 2012. Online] Available at: HYPERLINK â€Å"www. Prospects. AC. UK† www. Prospects. AC. UK [Accessed 11 September 2013]. Jones, P. Lockwood, A. , 2004. The Management Of Hotel Operation, an innovative study of hotel management. Cornwall: Thomson Learning, TX international Appendix: Cover Letter MR. Simon Dickson Streets Berkshire Hamlet James Webber Recruitment UH Berkshire HRS RE 2013 Dear Simon Dickson, 82 Wesson Tower London E 23 August I am here by showing interest and writing to apply for the role advertise on Caterer. Com and enclose my C.V. which I have prepared systematically with the key skills you require. First I became aware of The James Webber group by surfing in internet and was really impressed by the current stands of the company profile and its reputation. I am mainly attracted by the attention you company puts on working with different clients from various country and provide a top rated service and also the passions it wows to the hospitality and management. I am very excited about its graduate development and training project which offers a great learning and future career opportunity. The roles and requirements advertised really suits my skills and knowledge I am have achieved on my degree and my practical working experience. My degree offers some key elements vital in business such as staff and customer management, business strategy and decision making skills and also improving quality and efficiency. I am also a reader of financial press and well aware of current financial market trends and attitude which is vital in current professional industry. I have systematically prepared my C.V. which shows various roles where I have shown high rated communication skills and presentation skills and I am well confident that I will be able to maintain friendly and productive relation with the client and staff of your company. I would like to draw you attention of my work experience at working in a star Marriott hotel in one of the most challenging city like London. I can use the achieved experience and skills in your organization to make a highly productive and professional environment for the organization. In my C.V. I have demonstrated my experience of managing financial issues and manage complicated roles during a busy environment and under pressure. I hope that after kind consideration of my C.V. I will be given a chance to prove my ability and potential as a member in your company. Looking forward to hear from you and I am available for interview anytime. Yours sincerely Mitten Bar Curriculum Vitae Flat-I 0208153536 82 Whetstone street, Telephone: Mobile: 07825184078 E UH Email: HYPERLINK â€Å"maillot:mithuncox@gmail. Com†mithuncox@gmail. Com Personal Details Summary Business studies with English undergraduate. Ability to speak Hindi and Bengali and Urdu. Practical work experience with a top 5 star hotel. Skills and Achievements Effective Communication listening to clients as testified during my work at Ginsburg Supermarket. Fluency on English, confident and strong presentation skills, also able to demonstrate face to face to group of people. Customer Service Able to deal with all sort of customer in an effective way and solve their any problem and quarries with positive attitude as practiced during my retail experience in under pressure environment. Ability to build a quick friendly relation with customer and aka them to come back to you again and again with top rated customer service. Teamwork I am a good team worker and I believe team work puts force for motivation. During my time at Top Marriott hotel demonstrated top rated excellent customer service in a busy environment. Administration Great ability to plan ahead of work and manage team under pressure. Improved time management skills and managed complex role during my time at Marriott Hotel. Excellent ability to balance my professional and student life. Shown a top rate of service and quality at my full time work while I was managing my two courses at university and scored 70% grade. Experience of Tourists’ needs My recent time at Marriott hotel allowed me face to face interaction with various tourists from different country that gave me the experience to understand the expectation of tourist and holiday customers’ needs. Initiative For all my courses I self funded myself and used my plan ahead skills to balanced my study and work at the same time and take control of my career. This shows that I am fast learned and can handle stress and still continue my work and study together. Sales knowledge Acquired financial sales knowledge during my internship at Marriott hotel. How to cite Personal and Professional Development, Papers Personal and Professional Development Free Essays string(91) " skill set in realistic terms, comparing it with the skills needed to get on in my career\." Abstract An account of the author’s experiences of a ‘personal and professional development’ module. The two main sections analyse the learning experience, and focus upon a particular area for self-development. The analysis of learning covers aspects of the module which were found useful, and why, and describes ideas such as Kolb’s ‘learning cycle’ which were used for the process of self assessment. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal and Professional Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now It also covers negative and positive experiences of the module. The section on competence development focuses upon self-confidence, and sets out ways in which these can be improved. The author’s experience of the module overall is summarised. 1. Introduction The following looks at my experience of the ‘personal and professional development’ module. Taking part in this module has been a significant learning experience for me. I thought initially that I had nothing to learn, and that I had already got an idea of how I wanted to progress in my career, and also a good understanding of my abilities and weaknesses. I felt I had a number of areas of weakness, particularly self-confidence and my susceptibility to stress. I didn’t believe that anything could be done about these, and felt they would always hold me back in my career. I had a less clear idea of my strengths. I also had little idea of my development needs, as I now see I had an unchallenged belief that it is not really possible to change or work on weak areas. Through taking part in the course (an experience which was initially challenging) I found out that I was wrong in lots of ways, particularly about what I am capable of, and also discovered that it is possibl e to make changes in areas of personal performance that are weak. I have been inspired and enthused by working through the module.I am better able to assess what I am good at, and what needs work, and now posses the tools to improve. 2. Analysis of learning One aspect of the module which I found very useful was the learning journal.I would say that I both enjoyed it, but also found aspects of keeping it uncomfortable emotionally, as it made me confront aspects of my behaviour that I hadn’t been aware of, and which I wanted to change when I became aware of them. The concept was introduced in the module in a straightforward way, as a way of enhancing learning. I liked the idea that it did not have to be in a conventional format or written in academic English, but that it could contain notes, jottings and thoughts recorded in different ways such as diagrams (Moon 1999). I also liked the idea that it could be a way of expressing my personal feelings about my educational and career journey.Once the idea had been introduced I could see the potential of it as a way to reflect upon things which I had done or which happened to me. The actual process of writing down my reactions to situations was cathartic in itself, as it helped me expres s what I’d been feeling at the time, and I would usually feel calmer afterwards, if it had been a stressful incident for example.But it also allowed me to reflect upon the situation I’d recorded in my journal. I was able to read over the material I’d put in the journal a day or two later, and then I would write notes about what now felt about the situation. I used an idea by Kolb (1984), the ‘Reflective Cycle’ to understand this process. Kolb suggests that learning takes place through a cycle of thinking about experience, in four stages. First, a concrete experience forms the basis for reflection. This is just a description of events. This is followed by reflection and observation on the experience, thinking over what could have been done differently. This stage leads to the generation of theories or abstract ideas about how best to act in future, which prompt new actions and hence new experiences for reflection (Moon 2004). For example, I initially found having to do any form of speaking to the module group extremely stressful. I was simply aware that I felt like running away when I had to give my opinion. I used my learning journal to write about this experience in great detail. I wrote down everything I could remember about the experience, and included diagrams of the class. It was fairly traumatic to write it down, as I realised I was physically affected by the situation, and had thoughts about being useless running through my head. A few days later, I read through it. I realised people had actually reacted well to my comments, and we had had an interesting debate about some of my ideas. I also realised that my physical stress symptoms had subsided once I started talking. I decided next time to remember how well things had gone, and say to myself ‘you are feeling a bit stressed, but it will pass’. I tried this out the next time I had to offer an opinion in class, and I felt much less wor ried, my physical symptoms were much less and I actually felt slightly excited. This convinced me how useful a tool the learning journal is.I was particularly surprised at the way something I had thought of as an academic discipline – writing – could be used as a tool for self expression, but more importantly that I could use the tool to make real changes to my feelings and behaviour. As the learning journal was introduced in the early stages of the module, I found it also useful to assess my changing feelings to the module as it progressed. During the seven sessions, I noticed a real change in my attitudes and abilities. Initially, although I had an idea of how I wanted to develop in my career, I hadn’t really examined this in any detail, for example looking at my present skill set in realistic terms, comparing it with the skills needed to get on in my career. You read "Personal and Professional Development" in category "Essay examples" I also had a very fixed idea that success in my career would automatically bring me success in other aspects of my life, and the unrealistic idea that I would enjoy every minute of it.At the same time, I had very fixed ideas about what I saw as my failings. I considered I was someone who suffered a great deal from stress, and I felt it was holding me back. I thought there was nothing I could do to change my basic nature. I also had, I feel now, unrealistic ideas about my strengths. I tended to concentrate on my weaknesses and underplay the things I was good at. Overall, I would describe my position at the start of the module as ‘lacking in self-knowledge and unaware of the possibilities for change’. Looking back, I can see that we were introduced to lots of useful tools in the early sessions. As mentioned above, I immediately took to the concept of the learning journal, and started to write down my feelings and experiences at once. However, it took a bit longer for all the other ideas to make sense to me. Overall, by around the third or fourth session, I was feeling very confused by the module. I could make academic sense of the ideas that we had covered, however, I struggled to work out how they could all be useful. I felt like I was overwhelmed by the information, and that I did not have the skills to use the tools properly. I see now that I was assuming a pessimistic view of what I was capable of. I assumed that I had a set of personality drawbacks that I was unable to change. However, at the time, I just felt as if I was struggling, and could not get to grips with the course as a whole. The learning journal helped me in particular situations, but initially not with the overa ll picture.I tried to persevere, and somewhere around the 5th session, I felt I had made a break through. I was conscientiously using my learning journal, writing down how I felt, both about particular issues and about the module as a whole. I started to find that I was going back to my feelings of confusion with new insights. I was starting to use other tools, such as the notion of personal development planning, behaviour modification and the use of feedback, which I had learnt, and realised I could use these to plan for my future through analysis of my past experiences. The module as a whole really started to ‘come together’ and make sense at this point.I also noticed that I was really enthusiastic in class, eager to join in discussions and work with others. By the end, I felt I had gained a set of tools that I can take with me in my future life, that will help me not only deal with day to day situations in my working life, but will help me assess where I am and where I want to be in a dynamic way, not a static one. I feel able to reflect upon my personal life as well and see if I am happy overall with the way my life is going. I also feel much more positive about myself and my skills, and really understand that change is possible although it is very difficult at times. The module helped me discover many things about myself that I hadn’t been aware of. There were many particular things I learnt, for example that I had poor listening skills (I had thought I was a good listener), but that I was good at leading people and bringing out the best in them. There were many other aspects of my personality and skill set that I became aware of, however I would say the overall thing I learnt was self-awareness. I thought before the module that I knew what motivated me, what my talents were and what I was bad add, but I realised that I lacked the skills to really understand what I was about. The module taught me how to become properly self-aware through some simple tools. I am now, I feel, much more self-aware, though I still have a lot to learn (and I am looking forward to learning it). The only thing that I felt affected the way I engaged with the module was my sense of stress and being over-whelmed at the mid stage, which I describe above. At one point I felt like quitting the module altogether, as I felt I just wasn’t getting to grips with the course as a whole. However, I used my learning journal and that helped me pull through this period and really enjoy the module as a whole. I felt lucky that this was the only issue; some people in my group suffered with health problems, and had to miss one or two sessions. 3. Competence development For the first assessment stage of this module, we were asked to complete a ‘professional development matrix’, listing competencies in key areas including self-management interpersonal skills, personal leadership and self-development. Carrying out this assessment and completing the matrix was invaluable in assessing the development of one particular competency. My four competencies I discussed originally were stress management, self-confidence, personal leadership and goal setting. In this section I am focussing upon self-confidence, as this was one of my early successes I had using my learning journal, and I also feel that it lies at the heart of other competencies for me. Learning how to improve self-confidence helps reduce stress, as one feels naturally able to handle different situations. It also means leadership is easier, because if I don’t have confidence in myself, I cannot expect others to do so. It is also vital to self-development as one needs to have co nfidence that one can make the changes necessary for future development.I also focus upon this competency as I have always had a problem with believing in myself. This has led me to suffer stress in the past, for example when I was in high school I had a difficult exam. Although I had done well in previous exams, and although my teacher told me I had no need to worry, I really doubted that I would be able to pass. I had sleepless nights when I thought about how stupid I was, asking myself why I wasn’t able to remember the easiest thing, and thinking I would never achieve anything. Overall, at the start of the module, I would say I was still pretty low in self-confidence. I struggled to think of positives about my abilities and personality, although I could always think of bad things! The module has been invaluable to me in showing me practical ways to work on self-confidence, for example seeking feedback on how I have done from others, rather than relying upon my ‘inner critic’. However, I wish to focus on this competency not just because I feel it is at the core of the other competencies I have discussed, but because I feel I have a great deal of work still to do to improve my self-confidence further. For example, my self-confidence issues mean I would find it hard to give a presentation to a large group of people (I am now happy presenting to small groups for example my module group), or standing on a stage to present information. In order to improve my self-confidence, I felt I needed to assess my current levels, in order to isolate where I need to improve. To do this I carried out a number of tests I found online, for example one posted by an association of counsellors and psychotherapists (OACCPP [online] 2011) which assesses self-confidence levels in terms of three areas, ‘achievement and accomplishment, ‘being valued and valuing others’, and ‘acting on beliefs’ (Commitment to values). I found that I scored particularly low for sense of achievement and accomplishment, highest on acting on beliefs, and rather low for being valued and valuing others. This suggested to me that I need to focus upon building my sense of achievement first, and also pay some attention to how I believe others value me. I felt there was a need for a practical and theoretical framework to help me do that, although I saw I could use some tools that had been taught during the module: for example skills taught in session about confidence and assertiveness as well as listening and communicating were helpful. I did some research into different frameworks for building self-confidence, and found that Burns (1993a; 1993b) had put forward a respected model for improving levels of self-esteem. I found it particularly useful as it offers a step-by-step way to tackle problems, and you are able to work alone or in groups. I also liked the fact it incorporates principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (Mruk 2006). Cognitive behavioural therapy is a way of identifying behaviour patterns and thoughts which are not helpful, and then identifying ways of challenging the thoughts and intervening in the behaviours. (Wilding and Palmer 2010) I felt Burns’ ideas were presented in a way similar to the module, in that tools were given for both assessing levels of ability and to change my actions and beliefs. Particularly, because Burns (1993a) offers a plan which includes activities, ways to carry out assessment and also ways to improve, I felt it fitted well with my learning journal and Kolb’s cycle of learning. My present level of competence in self-confidence is higher than in the past, but I feel still lower than it could be. I want to build upon the successes during the course, where I found out that by trying new things which might challenge me, I can become more confident. There are a number of situations which I want to seek out to build confidence, working with Burn’s tools. I want to develop my ability to speak to others in large groups, and also my ability to convince them of a particular point of view. I will try and take such opportunities as they present themselves. For example, if I am in a class where the leader asks a question, I will try and answer even if I am not 100% confident of what to say. I will also join a debating society, which I believe will give me practical tools to help convince others of what I say. I am also going to ask for feedback from my friends much more often, and of other people as well, where the opportunity presents itself. I would also like t o build my confidence in interview situations, as I will face a number of these when I move into the working world. To work on this I am going to read about best interview technique, and will ask friends if they will help do ‘dress rehearsals’ of interviews, with feedback. I am also going to contact the university careers service to see if they offer practical help. I will set out a schedule for these activities using my learning journal. I will make notes every couple of days (after an exercise) and will read back these every few days and again at the end of the exercise, to reflect upon how the challenges went. 4. Conclusion The above offers an account of my development as a result of taking the module. Completing the seven session has contributed tremendously to both my personal and professional development, and has also helped me see these as two interconnected elements, each of which impact upon the other. I started the module with, I thought, a clear idea of my capabilities, ambitions and limitations, but working through the course made me realise that I had not realistically assessed my capabilities. It also made me realise that I could change things about my performance that I did not like, and has given me a blueprint for my future career and personal life which I will take with me. Overall, I am pretty happy that I took full advantage of the opportunities of the course. Although I found it a little challenging at the early stages, I tried hard with the exercises, especially the learning journal, and did work beyond the course requirements. For example, I was inspired to research different ways of keeping journals, which was very helpful. I can see that although I have made a lot of progress, there are always going to be things which I want to work upon. In fact, I see it as one of the benefits of the module that I can now be realistic about what I have achieved and build upon my successes in the future. I want to continue to work to improve my self-confidence, as there are some areas, such as speaking to large groups of people I don’t know, where I feel I am still weak. But I’m optimistic that I can improve and will actively seek out opportunities to work on this area. I am going to continue reading and talking with a few friends who are also interested in taking personal and professional development further. We might work in a group to help each other with feedback and new ideas. All in all, I am really looking forward to my future now. 5. References Burns, D D (1993a) Ten Days to Self-Esteem, Quill, New York. Burns, D D (1993b) Ten Days to Self-Esteem: The Leader’s Manual, Quill, New York. Kolb, D A (1984) Experiential Learning experience as a source of learning and development, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Moon, J A (1999) Learning journals: a handbook for academics, students and professional development, Routledge, UK Moon, J A (2004) A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: theory and practice, Routledge, UK Mruk, CJ (2006) Self-esteem research, theory, and practice: toward a positive psychology of self-esteem (3rd edn.), Springer Publishing Company, 2006 New York OACCPP (2011) ‘About self-confidence’ [online] (cited 30th September 2011) available from http://www.oaccpp.ca/survey.html ‘About self-confidence’. Wilding, C and Palmer, S (2010) Boost Your Self-Esteem with CBT: A Teach Yourself Guide, McGraw-Hill, USA. How to cite Personal and Professional Development, Essay examples

Music and the First Amendment Essay Example For Students

Music and the First Amendment Essay In this paper, we will see that having explicit material in music protected by the First Amendment will be resolved by using the media effects theories and concepts which includes the Cumulative Effects Theory, censorship and the Great Happiness Principle. As of right now, explicit words and actions are used in different types of music, which can be accessible by anyone of any age. The types of explicit material can be bad words, sexual references, violence, drugs and degradation of different people including genders. Some of these things can cause people to go to jail or receive a fine if done physically, but if they are sung about in music it does not happen. Why should this type of material be protected only because they are made in an artistic way? People will listen to this type of music and believe it is okay to do it. For example if someone were to talk to a peer about an experience they had that involved violence, the people listening to this might want to do the same. This will only happen because the listener might think it is right to do that. This is only a PG rating example, now imagine when the things that are being said are far more violent and explicit that they cannot even receive a rating. What will people hear? Sexually degrading lyrics common today not only are disgusting, they also put matches to the powder kegs known as teen hormones, and the results are devastating (Gore, 2006). What Gore is trying to say here is similar to the previous example, people will do what they listen. In the article, Tipper Gore explains that because music talks about sexual acts, teenagers are more likely to undergo those activities. Gore explains that rap music can be a factor of diseases and teenage pregnancies. As we can see, this is an issue that is causing many problems. We can see how this type of material is bad by using the Cumulative Effects Theory. Sometimes listening to music will not cause you to act with violence right away, but hearing it multiple times just might do so. That is how the Cumulative Effects Theory works. Receiving information over and over again will cause the message to be embedded in the brain and may spark people to follow through with the action. According to the Media Effects Theories PowerPoint from class, Repeated media exposure accumulates and ultimately does have an effect (Nettleton, 2014). It will not happen right away, but eventually it will. Elisabeth Noelle-Neuman explains that advertisings does this by showing numerous of times the same message (Vivian, 2013). Knowing this information can be a reason to stop this type of material from being presented. If we know that these types of messages will spark some type of negative behavior, we should find a way to stop it and this is where censorship comes in play. According to the First Amendment there can be any kind of speech, which actually covers Artistic speech according to the Media Law PowerPoint (Nettleton, 2014). Legally, people are allowed to expresses different types of explicit material only because are protected, not because it is right. This is where it would need to change. Different types of censorship rules need to be enacted so things like these can be taken off the market. Censorship, the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are offensive, happens whenever some people succeed in imposing their personal political or moral values on others (ACLU, 2002). This did happen in the 1980s. Tipper Gore and a group people wanted to censor different type of music not associated with hip-hop/rap (Schineder, 2011). In 1985 however, the association between bitch and rap music is not clear or present, and neither were any consistent themes associated with censorship of this music (Schineder, 2011). .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 , .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .postImageUrl , .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 , .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2:hover , .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2:visited , .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2:active { border:0!important; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2:active , .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2 .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ufc920908cf7cc56a3e9b93395d7977f2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Music Unit Argumentative EssayIn the end they were only able to get labels that explained some albums had explicit material in them. Censorship can happen if more people like Gore are able to express interest to the issue. Figuring out a way to resolve this issue will only be able to occur with support. As of right now, people might be aware that there may be an issue with this type of music, but they choose not to do anything about it. This may be something normal in their lifestyle. This is where the Great Happiness Principle can come into play. If people felt that something is good and right, then there can be an initiative to change something. The Great Happiness Principle is where the greatest happiness of something is from a group of people, not the individual (Nettleton, 2014). This would mean if the majority were happy about a topic, they would be inclined to agree with it as well. This is what would need to occur to be able to block explicit material that is being shared between people of all ages. This can potentially protect people especially children from the bad influences this type of music is trying to demonstrate. Public pressure on Time Warner in 1992 led to the removal of Cop Killer from Ice-Ts heavy metal album after the songs violent lyrics led to controversial headlines (McCormick, 2010). The song by Ice-T was causing issues, which the public did not enjoy. The publics happiness was for the song to be banned so that people would not listen to that. As we can see, the issue with explicit material is something that only a few people might be interested about. We have evidence on how this type of music can be a potential issue for children and actions that might cause. Also we saw that the censorship on music can work but only if a lot of people were to put pressure to the music that mandates this. Lastly to pursue for something to be censored people need to find out what they actually want, what their true happiness is and have that be what they promote. Hopefully by seeing the evidence the public can understand that explicit material in music is actually a big issue that needs to be tackled. Bibliography: ACLU. (2002) Freedom of Expression in the Arts and Entertainment. American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU Gore, T. (2006). Bad rap: Lyrics linked to teen promiscuity add to parents concerns. Columbus Dispatch, The (OH). McCormick, J. (2010). Protecting Children from Music Lyrics: Sound Recordings and Harmful to Minors Statutes, 23 Golden Gate U. L. Rev. (1993). http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/ggulrev/vol23/iss2/8 Schneider, C. J. (2011). Culture, Rap Music, Bitch, and the Development of the Censorship Frame. American Behavioral Scientist, 55(1), 36-56. doi:10.1177/0002764210381728 Vivian, J. (2013). The media of mass communication (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson.

Modern Technology Role in Effective Business Communication

As it would be observed, communication is an integral part of human life. This simply refers to the process or act of passing information from one party to another through various interactive ways. As a matter of fact, nothing in this world can successfully be accomplished without effective communication between the parties involved. The power to communicate gives people the ability to exchange information and be able to understand each other. In this regard, communication plays a crucial role in our daily lives.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modern Technology Role in Effective Business Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Effective business communication is the basis upon which the reputation and credibility of any business are placed, and for that reason, it is essential for the success of organizations. In order to survive and prosper in modern competitive business environment, organizations should always maintain good relationships with their clients and stakeholders through effective communication. There are numerous communication methods that are applicable in today’s business environment. However, businesses should settle for the most appropriate methods that would eventually ensure them to successfully achieve their business goals and objectives. This paper examines the use of modern technology as an appropriate method of communication in today’s business environment. Nothing fulfills an obligation better than doing it in the most appropriate way. The current human generation lives in an era of rampant technological advancements where things change very fast, as a result of innovations in technology. Everything in life, including the way we communicate with each other, has completely changed due to the impact of modern technology. Computers and other modern technologies have significantly changed the way people interact in business settings. For instance, t he social media together with electronic mail have become increasingly popular mediums of business communication. Nowadays, people spend more time exchanging ideas and information over popular social networking sites, such as, Facebook and Twitter, or among other common interactive platforms. These World Wide Web-based portals have proved to be appropriate ways through which people could pass and receive important information in a secure and convenient manner. With the advance of the mobile phone sector, the use of modern technology for effective business communication has just taken another course. People do not need computers in order to go online, since various interactive Web-based portals are now easily accessible through the applications of a Smartphone, where we can freely interact with colleagues, business associates, and close family members. The global use of Smartphone is observed to have grown substantially in the last few years. This, however, is a clear indication of t he kind of attitude and confidence which the global populations have on the gadgets, which are not only reliable communication devices, but also convenient instruments of Web-based interaction.Advertising Looking for essay on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As it is evident in this paper, modern technology offers a convenient basis upon which important information between key business units could be exchanged. In that respect, businesses should see modern technology as the most appropriate method of communication in today’s business environment, considering the great potential offered by the technological advancements. This essay on Modern Technology Role in Effective Business Communication was written and submitted by user PaperDoll to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

A Simple Plan essays

A Simple Plan essays The book, A Simple Plan, by Scott Smith, was much more effective than the movie version because the book was more descriptive and it allowed us to view everything from the main characters point of view. However, the story or plot of the movie was better than the book. The book version of A Simple Plan was better because it was more descriptive than the movie version. The author was able to give more details in the book than you would notice in a movie, for example, It was farmland, unrelentingly flat but made over to look like it wasnt. The roads curved around imaginary obstacles, and people constructed little hills in their front yards, like burial mounds, covering them with shrubbery. The houses up and down the street were tiny, each one built right up against the next... (5). Another example of the details in the book is, The collie was sitting on the porch. It didnt bark this time though; it simply stared at my station wagon, its ears erect, its thin, angular head rotating slowly on its shoulders... (108). The final example of the books details is, The suit made him look young, even fit, a brown paisley tie knotted beneath his chin, a handkerchief sticking up crisply from the breast pocket of his jacket. (267). The book described in d etail the land, the dog, and the suit, whereas in the movie, the viewer would just get a quick glance and may not notice these things. The book did a better job of making the reader feel like they were a part of the story because it was told through the eyes of the main character and let you know all his thoughts and ideas, whereas the movie only showed the expressions on his face and body language. For example, in the book Hank thinks to himself, I didnt have a hat with me, and I wasnt wearing boots-I hadnt planned on hiking through the snow-but I knew that both Jacob and Lou expected m ...

History of caribbean Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History of caribbean - Essay Example These have had as their main objective the establishment of a viable socioeconomic basis for nationhood and the improvement of the well being of the region’s citizens. The new international context that took shape following the end of the Second World War gave fillip to earlier moves towards decolonization in the Caribbean and other parts of the colonial world. The Depression in the 1930s had spawned Keynesianism in the Industrial world as well as social and political unrest in the Caribbean region. At the end of the 1970s the Caribbean region along with much of the rest of the Third World found itself with problems of an economic and social nature that it was unable to resolve. Some of these had their genesis in the state centered policies that had been pursued over the years, ‘government failure’ as it is referred to in some quarters. Others had their basis in the wider structural problems of the world economy, still not recovered from the effects of the oil crisis of earlier years. In addition to political corruption, stagnant, undiversified economies plagued by fiscal deficit and debt, a weak local productive sector and an inefficient State added to the woe of these societies. These countries were left with no choice but to go to the international financial institutions for aid and assistance and to adopt the Neo-liberalis t structural adjustment policies that they promote. The term Creole was first used in the sixteenth century to identify descendants of French, Spanish, or Portuguese settlers living in the West Indies and Latin America. There is general agreement that the term "Creole" derives from the Portuguese word crioulo, which means a slave born in the masters household. A single definition sufficed in the early days of European colonial expansion, but as Creole populations established divergent social, political, and economic identities, the

Should the tax laws be reformed to encourage saving(pro and con) Essay

Should the tax laws be reformed to encourage saving(pro and con) - Essay Example When similar activities are subjected to different tax treatments, households and businesses respond to the tax code rather than the underlying economic fundamentals. Economic efficiency is increased by broadening of the tax base and lowering of the tax rates. The costs of distortions caused by high tax rates will be reduced. These are approximately proportional to the square of the tax rate. Also, a simpler tax code would reduce the considerable resources which are presently devoted to complying with current tax laws; and the freed-up resources could be used for more productive purposes. Another important principle is that some predictability in the tax code would facilitate better forward-looking economic decision-making by households and businesses. (Greenspan, Allan: Chairman 2005) The tax code includes many incentives intended to increase savings to finance retirement, health care, higher education, and so on. These savings incentives, which exempt some income from tax, have moved the current tax system in the direction of a consumption base. Researchers have raised questions about how much if any, net new savings they stimulate. (21st Century Challenges†¦p.73). If designing a tax system from scratch, one based on consumption rather than income, would be better for promoting economic growth. A consumtion tax is likely to encourage saving and capital formation. The retail sales tax, value added taxes, the personal consumption tax and the flat tax are all types of consumption taxes. They vary in their collection points and structure. In future it will become increasingly important for the nation to boost resources available, through greater national saving and enhanced incentives for participation in the labor force. The tax system has the potential to con tribute importantly to those goals, and so at the very least tax reform should not hinder the achievement of those objectives. Importantly, fundamental, thorough tax reform include difficult choices

Business Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Economic - Essay Example In our ensuing discussions, we will look at three main industries of Germany and compare them with respect to various economic parameters. As of 2009 estimates, agriculture sector forms only 0.8% of the GDP (cia.gov). The level of employment in this sector as of 2005 was only 2.4% of the total labor force (cia.gov). Hence we can see that agriculture does not form a very substantial part of the country’s economy in terms of contribution to the GDP or the employment. Graph 1 above shows the value added data in agriculture since 1980. We can easily see that this is on a declining trend over the years. The graph 2 showing the real value added in agriculture shows a lot of fluctuation with negative growth during many years. This means that agriculture is giving way to other industrial segments in terms of contribution to the GDP. However, agricultural land accounts for half of the nation. The above figure shows that since 1990 there has not been much substantial change in the arable and pasture area and it has remained more or less constant. Total farm land has remained around 50% of the total land in Germany. However, there has been a substantial change in the agricultural sector if East and West Germany are looked at what they were before the 1990 unification. In former East Germany, farm employment fell by 20% of its 1989 levels (oecd.org). The West German part contributes to 75% of the livestock farming of the country. The farm sizes here are very small. The Eastern part has huge farms (200 hectares) and most of the agricultural produce of the country comes from there. Most of the farming here is capital intensive farming (oecd.org). â€Å"With a share of 61 percent of all sales in agriculture in 1998, animal production is the main reason why Germany still is one of the leading agricultural nations in t he EU (total production: DM 63.9 billion, crop production: DM 25.9 billion, animal production: DM 38.0 billion†

Reduction of Lead Time by Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM)

Reduction of Lead Time by Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) is a strategy which needs to applied throughout the company and whose primary goal is the reduction of lead-time in each and every operation of the company while simultaneously reducing costs and improving quality. QRM can be defined in two contexts: Externally (Customers point of view): QRM means quickly responding to customer needs by designing and producing goods customized to cater those needs. Internally, QRM stresses on reducing the lead times throughout the organization, leading to lower inventory, better quality, reduced cost, and greater responsiveness. QRM uses Manufacturing Critical-path Time (MCT) as the metric for measuring the success of QRM processes. MCT is an extension of the concept of lead-time, which is the time from the receipt of order from the customer till the product is delivered to the customer. There are 2 ways of implementing QRM: one is using large breakthrough improvements and the other is through continuous improvements. QRM was developed by Rajan Suri, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is famous for his works on continuous improvement programs. He not only gave the theory but also the practical ways by which QRM could be successfully applied and integrated in the operations of the company. QRM is basically an extension of Time based Competition (TBC), which was a strategy used by Japanese firms in the 1980s. TBCs philosophy is to use speed to gain competitive advantage. QRM is more particular as it is restricted to manufacturing firms only. QRM finds its first foray in history in 1993 with the foundation of the Center for Quick Response Manufacturing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[2] In 1995, Rajan Suri published the article Slaying the Beast which put forth some bad policies which were prevalent in manufacturing companies and also offered explanations for the same. This helped QRM gain a lot of recognition and importance.1 The positive response spurred Dr. Suri to con tinue working on this subject and this further led to his consulting businesses in implementing QRM and successfully applying the same in many companies. Since then, the Center for QRM has helped in applying QRM in nearly 180 companies resulting in reduced lead times and increased market shares.2 QRM Principles: Traditional View: Everyone will have to work faster, harder and longer hours, in order to get jobs done in less time. QRM Principle #1: Find whole new ways of completing a job, with the focus on lead-time minimization Its not necessary to work harder, faster and longer hours to complete job earlier. One can focus on finding new ways to complete a job that takes lower time. Most of the time a job spends in a queue instead of in process and traditional approach only look to reduce processing time (touch time) and in QRM focus is on lead-time (total elapsed time) and not just processing time. Out of total lead-time 34 days only 19.5 hours is a touch time so it makes sense that we should focus on whole 34 days. But generally organizations are not designed to focus on lead-time. Mainly because organizations dont recognize the cost of waiting they mainly focus on processing time like one need to reduce batch sizes to reduce waiting time but it will increase number of setups that will increase their processing time which is mostly opposing to company goals. So, Companies need to change their accounting systems and reward systems so that benefits of reduction in lead-time can be measured and rewarded appropriately. Examples of Organizational Waste Due to Long Lead Times: Expediting of hot jobs or late orders: Requires Systems, Air Freight, People, even Top Management time. Production Meetings required to change and update priorities. Overtime costs for trying to speed up late jobs. Time spent by Sales, Planning, and other Departments to develop and update forecasts. WIP and Finished Goods holding costs, including space. Obsolescence of parts made to forecast but not used. Quality problems not detected till much later; lots of rework or scrap. Opportunity for: Order changes or even cancellations. Feature and scope creep. Loss of sales to competition. Sales time devoted to expediting and explaining delays to customer. Complex systems required to manage the dynamic environment. There is one major problem with cost based systems that hinders QRM implementation that is functional structure of an organization. Looking the figure one can see how organizations fell into vicious circle by delaying regular jobs because of hot jobs and then again increase in hot jobs due to insertion of safety time due to delay in regular jobs. This is also called response time spiral. And so the spiral grows. QRM focus on reducing system in time like we do in service industry but this will require substantial reorganization of most of the processes. Basically, we will end up with cellular organizations in shop floor and also in offices and each cell will focus on its customers. The POLCA material control system helps coordinate production across multiple cells. Also, new operating methods such as time slicing are described, to help cells share non-cell resources. Traditional Belief: To get jobs out fast, we must keep our machines and people busy all the time. QRM Principle #2: Strategically plan for spare capacity plan to operate at 80% or even 70% capacity on critical resources. This principle is hard to digest as we believe that we should utilize capacity to its maximum possible value. Any reduction in the same would mean losing out on productive opportunities, resulting in increasing costs. However, by keeping all the machines busy at tall times does not necessarily transform into higher output or higher productivity. We frequently encounter the problems of growing queues due to the presence of a few bottleneck machines and jobs spending a lot of time waiting for resources due to mismanagement. All this ultimately results in increasing the lead time of the jobs which culminates in the increase of the organizational costs, which have been enlisted in the previous table. In the long run, these costs actually prove to be greater than the opportunity costs of not utilizing the spare capacity. Hence, the spare capacity should be considered as a strategic investment that will pay for itself many times over in increased sales, higher quality, and lower total cost s. Traditional Belief: In order to reduce our lead times, we have to improve our efficiencies. QRM Principle #3: Measure the reduction of lead times and make this the main performance measure. Eliminate traditional measures of utilization and efficiency. This is again a measure which is very hard to digest. We always measure the usefulness of any process through its efficiency and utilization. However, the problem with the traditional belief is not that efficiency is not an important measure, but that most measures of efficiency result in increased lead time which ultimately harms the organization. Large batches are used in a lot of companies in a bid to reduce the setup costs. However this very measure results in increasing the lead time which can culminate in the same problems as enlisted in the previous principle. There are numerous examples to show the scope of reduction of lead time in organizations, a prominent one being the case study in Becker (2001) which showed how lead time for a line of spare parts for the oil drilling industry dropped from 40 days to 5 days using reduction of lead time as the main performance measure in a manufacturing cell. QRM says that the quantities as calculated by EOQ are not appropriate and consistent with the goal of reducing lead time as EOQ doesnt consider many costs of large lots like expediting of late orders, overtime cost for trying to speed up late jobs, WIP holding costs including space. Also quality problems are detected much later than with small lots and the amount of rework and scrap generated is also much larger. At the same time, another important point which is missed in EOQ is the lack of responsiveness which occurs when the process is carried out with large lots. Large lots and planning for the same makes it difficult for the organization to respond quickly to change in customer needs. Nor can good lot sizes for QRM be predicted by the MRP system, since it assumes fixed queue times regardless of workload. Hence, in order to reduce the lead times throughout the organization, it is important for everyone in a manufacturing firm, and especially for senior managers, to understand the dynamics of factory operations. The senior managers need to have a broad outlook and decide on the policies of manufacturing and performance measures only after fully understanding the effects of capacity utilization, efficiency measures, and lot sizing policies on lead time. Traditional Versus QRM Views of Capacity and Lot Sizing. Source: QRM and POLCA:A Winning Combination forManufacturing Enterprises in the 21st Century Rajan Suri. The differences between the traditional and QRM views can be observed from the figure given above. Traditional performance measures of utilization and efficiency encourage managers to exploit their resources to the maximum possible value. Production is considered infeasible only when the capacity utilization exceeds their maximize resource utilization, and only think about their capacity limit as a boundary between feasible and infeasible production targets. Also the perception is that larger lot sizes lead to increase in efficiency. However, QRMs focus is solely on reducing lead time, and hence the impact of utilization and lot size on the same is studied. Higher utilization leads to increase in lead time, whereas lead time first decreases and then increases with increase in lot size. It is essential to consider all such manufacturing dynamics in order to come up with a process that minimizes the lead time and thereby costs. Traditional Belief: We must place great importance on on-time delivery performance by each of our departments and our suppliers. QRM Principle #4: Stick to measuring and rewarding reduction of lead times. According to QRM on-time performance is an outcome not a performance measure. Because if on time is considered as performance measure departments will quote longer lead-time to match up with on-time delivery. Again this will result in Response time spiral and results in poor performance of organization. But with QRM, organization will focus on shortening lead-time as a performance measure. In QRM its called QRM Number (measure of lead time reduction). This will eliminates Response Time Spiral and performance of organization will improve. Traditional Belief: Installing a material requirements planning (MRP) systemwill help in reducing lead times. QRM Principle #5: Use MRP for high level planning and coordination of materials. Restructure the manufacturing organization into simpler product- oriented cells. Complement this with POLCA, a new material control method that combines the best of push and pull strategies. MRP systems are of great help in managing material supply and ordering but lead-time cannot be reduced using MRP. MRP should be used on high level planning and coordination not on cell level in a cellular structure implemented by QRM, whereas POLCO can be used to manage material between cells and inside cells. POLCO basically a hybrid of push and pull systems using benefits of both. Traditional Belief: Since long lead-time items need to be ordered in large quantities, we should negotiate quantity discounts with suppliers. QRM Principle #6: Motivate suppliers to implement QRM, resulting in small lot deliveries at lower cost, better quality, and short lead times. This phenomena can be again seen as entering in Response Time Spiral in which if company buys in large batches this makes supplier to have longer lead time and company to order even larger batches. Internal and external incentives like discounts motivate ordering in large batches. The results this can be verified in John Deere where implementation of QRM with suppliers reduced cost and also improved quality with shorter lead-time and batches. Traditional Belief: We should encourage our customers to buy our products in large quantities by offering price breaks and quantity discounts. QRM Principle #7: Educate customers on your QRM program, and negotiate a schedule of moving to smaller lot deliveries at reasonable prices. Not only at the supply side, the small lot concept needs to be applied at the distribution end too. Normally it is the tendency of the sales force to get higher orders by offering quantity discounts. This will again lead to the spiral of increasing lot sizes, both during the process as well as on the procurement side, ultimately leading to lowering of delivery performance. By implementing QRM, a company can reduce its costs manifold which can then be passed on to the customers. There is a need to demonstrate to the customer that the company can deliver high quality at low prices even for small lots, which would be more beneficial both to the company as well as the customer. Thus, the idea of small lots percolates throughout the organization, from top to bottom, as well as throughout the supply chain, from supplier to customer. Traditional Belief: We can implement QRM by forming teams in each department. QRM principle #8: Cut through functional boundaries by forming a Quick Response Office Cell (Q-ROC), which is a closed-loop, collocated, multifunctional, cross-trained team responsible for a family of products aimed at a focused target market segment, and empower the Q-ROC to make necessary decisions. The traditional approach might result in local quality improvements in the respective departments. However, QRM is more concerned with the overall organization than just one department. The requirement is to cut the overall lead time for manufacturing as well as office operations for which Q-ROCs are more appropriate. Such Q-ROCs result in significant reduction of lead times for jobs such as cost estimating, quoting, and order processing. Closed-loop implies that the team would be self-sufficient in dealing with all the problems related to reducing lead time. This implies cutting across functional boundaries and changing the reporting structures to ensure the success of the process. Needless to say, this team needs to be given power in order to make the decisions as reducing lead time is the primary goal of the organization. The best example would be that of Ingersoll Cutting Tool Company, in Rockford, which reduced its engineering and order processing time for customized cutters fro m 10 days to half a day after implementing QRM principles. However, QRM should not be considered as an application of Reengineering as by using principles of system dynamics in the design of Q-ROCs, providing specific engineering and management principles for manufacturing organizations, plus by changing management principles and performance measures and adopting a company-wide approach, QRM goes much deeper than Reengineering. Traditional Belief: The reason for implementing QRM is so that we can charge our customers more for rush jobs. QRM Principle #9: The reason for embarking on the QRM journey is that it leads to a truly productive company with a more secure future. Also, lower cost/price, higher quality and shorter lead times result in highly satisfied customers. Charging more for speedy response is sustainable only in the short-term. In the long run, it is quality which differentiates a product from its competitors, and the same purpose is served by QRM. Searching for ways of squeezing time out uncovers quality problems and wasted efforts. Changing policies and adopting measures to rectify the same results in higher quality, lower WIP, less overhead, lower operating costs, and greater sales. The QRM Approach yields even better results than Lean Manufacturing as it ignores the wastes caused by long lead times. QRM takes the goal of waste reduction to the next level, creating an even leaner enterprise that will remain a formidable competitor for years to come. Traditional Belief: Implementing QRM will require large investments in technology. QRM Principle #10: The biggest obstacle to QRM is not technology, but mindset. Management must recognize this and combat it through training. Next, companies should engage in low-cost or no-cost lead time reductions, leaving expensive technological solutions for a later stage. As we have seen in many quality improving methodologies like Six Sigma, House of Quality the most important factor in the success of these initiatives is their acceptance by all the members of the organization; and QRM is no different. Realigning of all employees, from the shop floor to the boardroom, from desk workers to senior managers, to the QRM principles is a pre-requisite for the success of QRM, and hence training gains significance. Normally, performance measurement is tied to the cost accounting system which is an impediment to the successful implementation of QRM. Performance measurement must be aligned with the principles of QRM if the company has to benefit from the same. In a nutshell, the following points can be summarized about Quick Response Manufacturing: It requires measurement and efforts to minimize the metric, Manufacturing Critical-path Time (MCT), which is defined as the typical amount of calendar time from when a customer creates an order, through the critical-path, until the first piece of that order is delivered to the customer. This can be measured using the QRM number. Some changes in the structure of the organization are necessary to ensure the success of QRM. It basically requires the strategy of the organization to change from cost-based to entirely time-based with full emphasis on lead time minimization. Functional to Cellular:Cellular manufacturing is a pre-requisite of QRM as the cells yield greater flexibility in manufacturing. Top-down Control to Team Ownership:QRM requires the formation of closed-loop, cross-functional teams which need to be given complete power for monitoring the processes. Specialized Workers to a Cross-trained Workforce:Since the success of the process requires reduction in lead times across all the departments, there is a need to provide proper training to the workers so that they can perform multiple tasks and have a broader outlook. Efficiency/Utilization Goals to Lead Time Reduction:The evaluation parameters, performance measures have to shift from the traditional accounting measures to the goal of lead time reduction. The following steps need to be implemented in the organization so that QRM is a success: Creating a QRM mindset: The most important part is to make people realise the advantages of QRM over the previous measures i.e. the wastes created due to long lead time which are even ignored in Lean Manufacturing. Thereafter, a high-level QRM Steering Committee needs to be formed to oversee the QRM efforts. Also, like Six Sigma,by providing QRM training, some employees can be made QRM champions who can then be entrusted with the responsibility of the projects on a daily basis. Changing of organizational structure: Cross-functional planning team are formed to study feasible projects to which QRM can be applied. This would require the management to indulge in a detailed analysis of various consideration like Manufacturing Critical PathTime, product volumes, needs relating to strategy and other factors. Thereafter, QRM cells are formed and training and cross-training is provided to the operators in these cells by an implementation team which consists of members in the new cell as well as planning team members. Measurement of MCT is done to monitor lead time. Including of system dynamics: QRM requires going through the policies on utilization and efficiency in order to determine the proper loading of the cells. It also calls for making provisions for spare capacities and reduction in the batch sizes in order to reduce the lead time. Enterprisewide expansion of QRM: The process would typically begin with a single project. If the project is a success, its results need to be conveyed to all the members of the organization and more projects need to be undertaken based on QRM principles. QRM should not be restricted to the organization alone but should be extended through the entire supply chain. E.g. the suppliers should also be motivated to inculcate and apply the principles of QRM which would have mutual benefits for both parties. POLCA: The Material Control System for QRM: POLCO is Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards. To implement this system the company need to create cells of the production process focusing on subsets for similar parts and then it processes a given customer order through differing cells depending on the needs of that order. High Level MRP is used to provide high level planning and coordination of materials from external suppliers and across these internal cells. But cells are managed individually. To explain POLCO we can take an example of a shop floor. Assume P1 focuses on color printing and P2 on black white printing after which we have three Formatting Cells, F1, F2 and F3, which convert the printed sheets into reports with the desired pages. After formatting comes binding operation, which include punching holes and notches, cutting the sheets, and bending, A1 to A4. Finally, all orders go to the Shipping Cell S1, where the packaged plates are placed in shipping containers and then loaded onto carts. The material control system used is POLCA where High Level MRP and a cellular organization is a prerequisite. In this case all Release times are created with the help of High Level MRP. But even after authorization of POLCO work will not begin until all conditions are met. POLCO cards are used to communicate and control the material movement between cells. As Figure shows the POLCA card flows for a particular order at any organization based on initial design. This orders routing takes it from P1 to F2, then to A4 for binding, and finally to S1 to be shipped. This order will therefore proceed through the POLCA card loops with the pairs P1/F2, F2/A4 and A4/S1. If cell P1 has a job authorized that is going to F3 next, then a P1/F3 card must be available at P1 in order for it to begin that job. If a P1/F3 card is not available, that means that there is a bottleneck at F3 and working on that job will only add to the work-in-process at F3. Instead, it would be better for P1 to put its resources into a job that is needed by another cell that is not backlogged. So the cell team at P1 skips the P1/F3 job for now, and looks at the next authorized job to see if a card is available for that job, and so on. Differences from KANBAN: POLCO cards only control flow between cells not within. POLCA cards are not product specific but they are specific to particular pair of cells. POLCO cards are used as capacity signal whereas Kanban is used as inventory signal. As return of POLCA card from a downstream cell signals that the cell has available capacity. Benefits yielded by POLCA: POLCA helps in managing short-term fluctuations in capacity and also assists in reducing congestion on the shop floor. If a POLCA card from a downstream cell is not available, it means that that cell or some other cell further downstream is backlogged with work. Hence it does not make sense allocating further work to that particular job, without replanning of resources, as this will only increase inventory in the system since somewhere downstream there is a lack of capacity to work on this job. A better alternative would be to use this cell for some other job during the time being. POLCA cards flow in longer loops which allows the production to respond to changes in demand or differences in the complexities of jobs. The additional jobs in the loop can act as a buffer to absorb variations in demand and product mix which makes it highly suitable to meet the needs of responsiveness. On the contrary, the pull system stresses on achieving constant takt times throughout the organization, ignoring the fact that a variety of products will require different manufacturing times. Benefits of Quick Response Manufacturing: Product Leadership: The main objective of QRM is to minimize lead times. By implementing QRM, a company attains many beneficial and competitive advantages. Benefits of Quick Response Manufacturing: Product Leadership: QRM enables a firm to have shorter time to market. Thus a firm can reach out to customers with the latest technology while competitors play catch-up. There are two ways of looking at it. The first is that a given point of time a firms product would be superior to that of its competitor. Another point of view is that since a firm has shorter lead time it can deliver technology that is openly available to the market much earlier. Thus, the firm can skim the market due to its superior product. This can be depicted on a time line . Lower working capital: Lower lead times permit companies to have lower raw material and finished goods inventory. As a result the working capital requirement is decreased. This places the firm in a better strategic position to utilise their resources and capital. Better position to increase market share: The lower lead times increase the firms responsiveness to opportunities in the environment. This increased responsiveness helps the firm attract customers and increase its market share. Increased inventory turns: Since the production system is triggered by demand, smaller batches are produced, inventory decreases, and the number of inventory turns increases. Many inefficient producers have substantial amounts of capital tied up in inventory; therefore, their inventory turns are low. Reducing the cost of quality by minimising rework: Cellular manufacturing places more responsibility and accountability on specific production teams. This results in specialization which inherently increases the quality of the product. It is much easier to pinpoint defects since the problems are directly traceable to certain teams or members. This has a positive impact on the quality of products. Cost Reduction: QRM aims at finding opportunities to improve the existing process. This results in lower operating costs. Using QRM, companies are able to save, in some cases, up to 25% of total operating costs by solving problems before they happen. Increasing Long Term competitiveness: QRM ultimately aims at enhancing the long term competitiveness of the team. The above mentioned benefits are only the stepping stones in the right direction. The enhanced competitiveness of the firm ensures that is objective of enhancing shareholder value is fulfilled. Issues of Quick Response Manufacturing: Increased reliance on suppliers: QRM requires a strong relationship with ones raw material suppliers and partners. To react to demand, a manufacturing firm must closely partner with suppliers that will quickly accommodate the firms production schedule. However, if the supplier cannot provide raw materials due to problems such as quality assurance/control, equipment repair or union labour, the manufacturing firm may not be able to meet customer requirements. This could result in stock outs and backorders. Change Management: It can be very difficult to implement QRM in a manufacturing environment. QRM is a business enabling philosophy that works top-down and therefore, changes the roles and responsibilities of the employees. Traditional roles, from lower levels through upper management, are drastically modified and the corporate infrastructure is typically altered. Employees can be extremely apathetic to these changes, which is a barrier that could significantly hinder the implementation process and the success of QRM. To implement QRM, companies must have representation from all functions i.e line and support functions (production, planning, purchasing, engineering, manufacturing, quality, finance and human resources) to facilitate the implementation. All functional areas need to buy-in to QRM philosophy to successfully implement such a major change in the way the firm does business. What Differentiates QRM from Lean? First and foremost is the QRM mindset: the driver for all the principles and strategies in QRM is reduction of lead time. This time-based mindset results in many operating policies that are different from traditional ones. In contrast the driver in JIT/Lean is waste reduction. Although the business press has been talking about the importance of lead time reduction, or speed, for over a decade, we find that most companies still lack the knowledge and the tools to effectively reduce their lead times. Worse still, policies are in place that are lengthening, rather than shortening, lead times. QRM devotes a substantial amount of effort in educating management and workers on why these traditional policies result in long lead times, and in showing them the QRM principles that must be put in place instead. QRM is a companywide strategy. While the original implementation of JIT/Lean at Toyota may well have encompassed the whole company, most Western implementations of JIT/Lean have focused on manufacturing and materials management. In many cases, JIT/Lean has been interpreted even more narrowly as merely implementing a pull system with kanban cards. In contrast, QRM clarifies at the outset that it is a companywide strategy with implications far beyond the shop floor, and principles for other company areas, such as, office operations, are clearly presented as part of the QRM philosophy. QRM provides rational principles and tools for lead time reduction. QRM uses an understanding of system dynamics, and exploits this understanding to define the best structures and policies that will reduce lead times. QRM begins by educating employees and giving them insight into these system dynamics. This then helps justify, to management and workers, the need for changes in policies. State-of-the-art analysis tools such as the MPX software package incorporate this analysis of system dynamics and help to derive the specific changes needed and to quantify the benefits that would be achieved. For companies making a large variety of products with variable demand, as well as for companies making highly engineered products, the JIT/Lean strategy of pull is either wasteful or breaks down altogether. For such companies, QRM provides an alternati