Creating High Quality Experiences For Young Children

Creating High Quality Experiences for Young Children Delia Rangel Modesto Junior College In order for children to receive high-quality early child care and education depends on the teachers and the environment. The environment needs to be developmentally appropriate for children. It should have interest areas for the children so they can develop their physical, social-emotion, language, and cognitive development. Children that are in a high-quality care help parents stay in their employment. Children that get high-quality care stable child care engage more complex play, demonstrate more sure attachment to adults and other children, and they score higher on measure of thinking abilities and language development. The†¦show more content†¦If teacher have that warm sensitive, and responsive interaction with children it helps them develop security, positive sense of self, and encourages the child to respect and be cooperate with others. The second standard is Curriculum. The curriculum should be consistent for children’s goals and provide learning and develo pment in their physical, social-emotional, language, and cognitive development. A curriculum helps the teachers to plan their daily schedule. It maximizes the child’s learning through effective use of materials, use of play, self-initiated learning, and creative expression. It offers the children the opportunity to learn as an individual or in group according to their interests and developmental needs. The third standard is Teaching. Teachers use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches that will enhance the child’s learning and development in the context of program curriculum goals. The teachers who use multiple techniques optimize the child’s opportunities for learning. The instructional approach creates a positive learning environment for children to develop in all areas. The fourth standard is Assessment of Child Progress. These assessments are ongoing systematic, formal, and informal assessment approaches to help provide information on child’s learning and

Hansel and Gretel Vs. The Simpsons Essay - 1230 Words

At one time or another almost every child has read a story about mystical beings, dashing heroes, and evil villains, all acting out a story in a mysterious place, in a time long, long ago. Fairy Tales, while almost purely of a fictional content, offer us a glimpse into the culture and social staples of a certain society. The classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, by the Brothers Grimm, depicts two young siblings abandoned in the forest by their parents during a time of a great famine. The Simpsons has long been a fundamental element of many adolescent children and is a modern, and somewhat skewed, version of the classic fairy tale. These two mediums of expression, however different they may be, give us concepts and facts about†¦show more content†¦In the story of Hansel and Gretel we are meeting these two antagonists for the first time and we do not know a whole lot about them. During the parents first attempt to abandon their children, we learn that Hansel is a very cle ver boy. While his parents are leading them to their would be demise Hansel is busy dropping pebbles on the forest floor in hopes that it would lead them back to their cottage. He deceptiveness is shown when his father asks, Hansel, why are you always stopping and staring (Grimm 185). His reply was Oh, father, I am looking at my white kitten, which is sitting up on the roof trying to bid me farewell (Grimm 185). As an audience we all know that Hansel is really dropping pebbles so that he and his sister can follow them back to their home. Because of Hansels quick thinking the two abandoned siblings, to the surprise of their parents, find their way back to their meager abode. Their parents attempt to abandon them a second time, again leading them into the forest, this time deeper into this uncharted abyss of trees and creatures. Unable to get pebbles, Hansel drops pieces of his bread, in hopes that he and his sister could follow them back just as they did with the pebbles. When they attempt to find their way home, the breadcrumbs are not there because the many thousands of birds flying about in the forest and over fields had eaten them (Grimm 187). We learn that while Hansel is clever, he could not foresee this happening

Iliad and Hector Free Essays

In the Iliad, both Hector and Achilles display heroic characteristics that go along with the heroic warrior code of Greece. Both characters have their strengths and weaknesses and differences in their approach to being heroic. Even with their differences, they have many similarities. We will write a custom essay sample on Iliad and Hector or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hector is a great leader and family man and a protector of his people. Achilles is a self-centered warrior who is only in it for the glory. Hector commands the Trojan army, while Achilles commands the Greek army. They both have pride and glory and are seen as heroes in the eyes of their sides’ people. Having a passion for revenge might be considered a glaring flaw in today’s standards, but it definitely conforms to the heroic code of Greek society. Hector has mixed feelings about taking part in the war. His wife pleads with him not to go, and he does not want to make her a widow, leaving her â€Å"at the loom of another man†. Hector shows heroism for going to war, but at the same time shows his human side by being indecisive about leaving his family. In Book Twenty-Two, Hector stays outside the ramparts, whereas his supporters are secure. His father Priam, wants him to retreat to safety with Achilles approaching, but his pride and honor prevent him from backing down. His fearlessness is an extremely heroic action. He then flees, which is very unheroic. It seems apparent that there is an inner conflict with emotions and the heroic code. Hector eventually stands his ground and fights. Achilles kills Hector in a very cruel way. Before desecrating Hector’s body, he allows him to die a slow and painful death. His action is another way his behavior conforms to the Greek heroic code. Even the most valiant soldier must have a human side, which definitely must object to the savage killing that is inevitable in war. On the other hand, when Achilles and his soldiers get some type of pleasure from repeatedly stabbing Hector’s lifeless corpse, another kind of human emotion is being displayed. This is the pent up anger and hostility that build up during one’s quest for revenge or simply battle. So, it might be concluded that the heroic code and the human emotions might not conflict after all. Hector is viewed as the more heroic one. He knows his role as the defender of Troy. Although he has a strong love and devotion to his family, he still goes off to defend his country, even after the pleading from his wife. Hector’s traits and character as a husband and father no less admirable than that as his as a warrior. Hector is a man who loves his child and wife and who can forget war when a little child cries. He is seen as the bravest and most accomplished of the warriors. He is a team player, a very gifted leader and soldier. Unlike Achilles, Hector is a more complete and well-rounded person. Hector was a man who was willing to fight until the end. Which he did. Achilles is more of a loner, except of his close friendship with Patroclus. Marriage has no weight in his consciousness. He seems more the estranged youth than the manly defender represented in Hector. He is revered as the greatest warrior in the world, and no man can stand against him. Achilles was a very spoiled and pampered only child. He had a much undeveloped sense of his place in the world. He is viewed as an admirable warrior, and his still in battle boosts the morale of his fellow Greeks when he chooses to fight, but he is an unreliable leader who sulks when he does not get his way. Both Hector and Achilles behave as heroes throughout the Iliad. While they try to win glory in war for their families, their country, and themselves, they both have certain strengths and weaknesses in their character which dictate their very different courses of action and their thoughts. They are both presented with conflicts and dilemmas throughout the story, the resolutions of which must be made using both their human side and their aggressive heroic side, and it appears as if Achilles meets with the most success in this difficult task. Works Cited Homer. â€Å"The Illiad. † Lombardo, translated by Stanley. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. 8th Edition. New York: W W Norton Company, 2006. 107-205. How to cite Iliad and Hector, Essay examples

SWOT Analysis In Grand Wines

Bibliography Questions: 1.Conduct SWOT Analysis giving 5 points each for S, W,O,T2.Prepare Project Charter.3.Prepare Communications Plan. Answers: Swot Analysis Strengths 1.Niche client base 2.Strong brand name 3.Willingness to improve customer satisfaction 4. Willingness of employees in enhancing customer services 5.Financial stability Weakness 1.Delays in delivery process 2.Errors in manual handling of sales database leading to lost orders 3.stock information not available to sales representatives 4.Central sales database supports manual modes only 5.Huge time required for operational activities of the organization. Opportunity 1.Providing the sales employees with wireless data entry systems 2.Development of new information system 3. Updating the existing information system so as to allow automated sharing of information with sales representatives 4.Increasing market size 5.Improve customer satisfaction levels through value added services Threats 1.Customers are dissatisfied 2.Dissatisfied sales representatives 3.Delayed product deliveries 4.Presenc of other competitors in market 5.High end services provided competitors might result in depletion of client base. 2.Project Charter Date: Project Title: The implementation of wireless data entry system at Grand Wines Ltd Project Start Date: The project is expected to start on 6th January 2017 Project End Date: The expected date of completion of the project is 6th June 2017 Budget Information: The entire project would be require a total budget of $45000.00 Project Manager: Name: Please insert your name Email id: Please insert your email id Contact number: Please insert your contact number Project Objectives: a. Project aims The project under consideration is aimed at providing the sales representatives of the Grand Wines Ltd with wireless data entry devices, such that they can update the orders placed by the customers instantaneously to the central database of the organization located at Sydney. b. Project objectives The primary objectives of the project can be outlined as the following: To identify the requirements of the data entry devices to be utilized by the sales representatives, along with the identification of the features that these devices must support. To complete the procurement of the wireless data entry devices that fulfill the system requirements identified in the previous phase. To implement necessary changes in the existing sales database system, such that it supports the feature of automated orders being placed through wireless data entry devices, along with the queries processed through the same. To provide training sessions to the sales representative such that they can utilize the newly implemented system efficiently c.Primary deliverable The primary deliverables of the project are as follows: I.The detailed project plan, including estimated schedule and budget II.The system specification documents III.The project progress reports IV.The wireless data entry devices V. An updated centralized sales database capable of exchanging information with the wireless data entry devices in an automated manner VI.Training programs and manuals for the sales representatives d. Projects benefits to the organisation The successful completion of the project would yield the following benefits to Grand Wines Ltd: i.An increase in the productivity of the sales representatives, as the orders would be directly communicated to the central sales database instead of the manual methods currently being used. ii.The process of registering the newly placed orders in the sales database would not require any additional time, thus eradicating the time delay that is currently experienced in delivering the orders to the customers iii.The number of misplaced or lost orders due to human errors causing wrong entry in the database would be reduced significantly. iv.Information regarding the availability of stock would available to the customers, along with the approximate date of delivery of the products, thus ensuring customer satisfaction. Thus, it can be said that the successful implementation of the project would essentially help Grand Wines Ltd to regain its position in the market and provide tough competition to the other wine producers. e.Project Limitations The scope of the project does not include the following: i.Any changes in the activities utilized by the central sales database in processing sales orders ii. Any changes in the order delivery system currently utilized by Grand Wines Ltd Acceptance Criteria The acceptance criteria of the project under consideration are being outlined below: The project would be completed within the due date (6th June 2017) The project should not require any additional budgetary resource The devices being procured should be easy to use and must have a long lifetime. The transmission of data in between the wireless data entry systems and the central sales database should be smooth and hassle free. Assumptions and Constraints a.Assumptions: The following facts have been assumed by the project management team before commencing with the activity of developing the project plan: i.The project is being solely funded by the higher management of Grand Wines Ltd ii.The organizational heads are interested in including those changes in their existing information technology system that are required for supporting the operational activities of the wireless data entry devices to be made available to the sales representatives. iii.The sales representatives of the Grand Wines Ltd would be able to utilize the newly implemented system after a basic training. b. Constraints Following are the constraints associated with the project. i.Technical constraint: Changes have to be implemented in the central sales database of Grand Wines Ltd in a manner such that it does not affect the current operational activities of the organization. ii.Time constraint: The entire project has to be completed within a time span of just 6 months. iii.Budget constraint: The entire project has to be completed within a budget of $45000.00 only StakeholderList Stakeholder No Name and Signature Role and Responsibility Position Contact Information 1 Please insert your name Overseeing all the project related activities such that project is completed within the estimated time and budget mentioned in the project charter Project Manager Please insert your Contact Information 2 i. Tim Davis, ii. George Bin, iii. Elle Davis, iv. Rivera Jones, v. Alfred Cook Working on the project activities Project team member xxxxxx-xxxx 3 Joe Mathews Using the system being implemented Lead of the sales executives xxxxxx-xxxx 4 Henry Cook Providing the budgetary resources required for conducting the project CEO of Grand Wines Ltd and the sponsor of the project xxxxxx-xxxx 5 N/A Taking advantage of the facilities provided by the IT system being newly implemented at Grand Wines Ltd The customers of Grand Wines Ltd N/A Lessons Learned The following lessons were learnt from the project under consideration: i.Effective stakeholder communication must be developed and utilized ii.Team meetings need to be conducted in regular basis so as to inform all stakeholders regrading the progress of the project iii.Adherence to the estimated project schedule is necessary iv.The team members should also adhere to the team rules. Charter Signoff Please insert your name Please insert date 3.Communication Plan Template Plan purpose The communication plan has been developed and designed after conducting discussions between all the primary stockholders of the project. All upward communications would be conducted through official mails and submission of well-documented reports. On the other hand, all downward and lateral communication would be held at project team meetings. Change management The change management activities of the project would follow the undermentioned steps: Step1: The change requests would be identified and documented in official reports. Step 2: The change request would be reviewed by the managerial personnel associated with the project. Step 3: Changes would be included in the scope of the project in case the same are approved by the project manager. Meeting agenda The following strategies should be taken for conducting team meetings in a successful manner: The meeting agenda , along with the various topics to be covered in the meetings would be mailed to the project team at least 48 hours before the meeting is conducted The predetermined topics should be discussed in the meetings with the aim of finding solutions or alternatives to the issues that have been identified. A brief of the discussions made in the meeting should be mailed to the project team within 24 hours of the said meeting. Stakeholder Information to be shared Frequency of information exchange Location of information exchange Purpose of communication Mechanism for communication Project Manager Day to day progress made by the team members Once in each week Office of the Project Manager To inform the project manager regarding the Status Quo of the project 1.Officail mails containing details of project activities Project team member Any change request made by the sponsors of the project As and when required Office of the Project Manager To inform the members of the project team regarding the changes to be included in the project 1.Officail mails containing details of changes 2. Updated project plan Lead of the sales executives i. The features to be included in the new system being implemented ii. information regarding the use of the system As and when required Office of the Project Manager Inform about the features that would be available to them in the future Board meetings CEO of Grand Wines Ltd and the sponsor of the project Achievements of the project team Once in each 15 days Office of the CEO of Grand Wines Ltd To inform the CEO of Grand Wines Ltd regarding the Status Quo of the project Official presentations The customers of Grand Wines Ltd The features to be included in the new system being implemented As and when required Offices of the customers Inform about the features that would be available to them in the future Brochures and flyers Bibliography Boud, D., Cohen, R., Sampson, J. (Eds.). (2014).Peer learning in higher education: Learning from and with each other. Routledge. Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Chia, R. (2013). Paradigms and perspectives in organizational project management research: implications for knowledge creation.Novel Approaches to Organizational Project Management Research: Translational and Transformational. Copenhagen Business School Press, Copenhagen, 33-55. Flyvbjerg, B. (2013). Quality control and due diligence in project management: Getting decisions right by taking the outside view.International Journal of Project Management,31(5), 760-774. Kerzner, H. R. (2013).Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Leach, L. P. (2014).Critical chain project management. Artech House. Marchewka, J. T. (2014).Information technology project management. John Wiley Sons. Martinsuo, M. (2013). Project portfolio management in practice and in context.International Journal of Project Management,31(6), 794-803. Meng, X. (2012). The effect of relationship management on project performance in construction.International journal of project management,30(2), 188-198. Schwalbe, K. (2015).Information technology project management. Cengage Learning. Shields, P. M., Rangarajan, N. (2013).A playbook for research methods: Integrating conceptual frameworks and project management. New Forums Press. Too, E. G., Weaver, P. (2014). The management of project management: A conceptual framework for project governance.International Journal of Proje

The Purpose of the Order in a Rose for Emily Research Paper Example

The Purpose of the Order in a Rose for Emily Paper To the odder reader, this choice of organization may seems a little strange, but William Faulkner wrote in this way with the purpose of creating suspense, mystery, and sympathy. William Faulkner, in A Rose for Emily, takes a small town scandal and turns it into a heightening story holding the readers attention till the last sentence. Taking the reader from the present to the past creates the essence of mystery, to the reader, by the cleaver use of hermeneutic codes. Starting the story with Emily Gridirons death, cleverly, grabs the readers attention by presenting the question, How did she die? . Another example of Faulkner presenting questions is in one part of the story where the narrator goes back to an account of Miss. Emily banishing the taxes collectors from her house. See Colonel Sartor. , Miss. Emily replied, (Colonel Sartor has been dead almost ten years. ) l have no taxes in Jefferson. Toby! The Negro appeared. Show these gentleman out. So she vanquished them, horse and foot, Just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before about the smell. That was two years after her fathers death and a short time after her sweetheart- the en who we believed would marry her- had deserted her. (31 ) Once again, we see the use of hermeneutic codes, and the mystery Faulkner creates. Why cant Emily come to the realization Colonel Sartor is dead? What smell caused the men of the town to confront her? Who was her sweetheart? Why did he leave her? , each a question that increases the mystery within Emails story. Going hand in hand with the mysteriousness of Emily story, is the suspense building throughout the entire narrative. At the beginning of the narrative, the questions the reader falls on are not of the serious nature, Why doesnt she have any axes? , Why has no one been inside her homer, and so on; albeit, as the story progresses William Faulkner adds in the element of suspense. In one part of the story, the narrator refers back to a time when Emily goes to by arsenic. For what? As readers we do not know, Emily refuses to tell. Reading on we find the towns people rumoring about seclude. Is that how she addled The reader Is left hanging in the suspense, as William Faulkner continues his pattern of leaving the reader guessing by moving too different account of Emily life, only heightening the readers interest In the story. Along with suspense and mystery. We will write a custom essay sample on The Purpose of the Order in a Rose for Emily specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Purpose of the Order in a Rose for Emily specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Purpose of the Order in a Rose for Emily specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer William Faulkner, creates sympathy for Emily by telling the events of her life in this fashion. We start the story at her visitation. When she is buried, Faulkner does not say she is buried with her family, but with The ranked Ana anonymous graves AT Nylon Ana concentrate servers won Tell at ten battle of Jefferson. ( 30) As if to start the story by saying she is Just part of the past. Our next account of Emily is as an old lady, bitter and uncaught-up to the times, insistent of the fact that she does not have taxes and hardened to the realization of a Emily friends death, of nearly ten years. The next account of Emily is even earlier and we see the town gossiping about the smell of her home and the way she has her man servant clean the place. Later, it is speculated that Emily is considering suicide; no longer wanting to live in a world that is ageing around her, subjected to be the talk of the town, and abandoned by her lover. William Faulkner, tells the events of Emily life in an order that makes her sympathetic to the reader, which is why, when Faulkner finally comes back to the present and reveals that Emily is truly a cerographical homicidal psychopath, it hits the reader with a profound effect. Had William Faulkner told the events of Emily Gridirons life in chronological story would have lost its mystery and suspenseful effect on the reader. Also, it would have made it a lot more difficult to sympathize with Emily if we had heard of her life, the rich girl who had everything growing up, from start till finish. By telling the events of Emily life out of order, Faulkner, opens up the mind of the reader. Forcing the reader to draw conclusions, read deeper into the meaning of events, and ultimately causes the reader to be shocked by the ending.

Eyes Wide Shut essays

Eyes Wide Shut essays In Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick explores a world of emptiness. He reveals a society of masks with open eyes that never actually see anything. He uses the relationship between Bill and Alice Harford, an ordinary, although wealthy, couple to show the difference between reality and fantasy. Red is a prominent theme throughout the movie as it represents passion and evil. He also uses mirrors to give an actual, unbiased reflection of the characters. As in many other movies, Kubrick names the main characters with a purpose. Bill and Alice are such everyday names, for everyday people. By naming them with such ordinary names, he is comparing them to the viewer. He follows up on this idea when Bill goes to Somerton and he zooms in on the security camera on the building. Instead of the security camera watching Bill, its as if its watching the camera, or the audience. Kubrick strategically places the color red in places where Bill is giving in to something that will lead to his demise. The door to Dominoes apartment, the Sonata Caf, and the costume shop are all covered in red. Each place is like a warning for Bill to turn back, but he continued on. At Sonata Caf, Kubrick places a more obvious warning. All along the walls are signs that state All exits are final. Once Bill decides to explore the other side, he will lose the wholeness of his reality forever. The masks at Nathansons house, Dominoes apartment, and at the orgy in Somerton represent a loss of reality. With the mask on, the characters can do anything they desire because they are hidden and separated from reality. They lose their identity, and become nameless, empty individuals. In Dominoes apartment, Bill wears a mask, as he stops being the loving husband, and tries to re-establish his masculinity by having emotionless sex. At Somerton, the masks allow the people shed all morality, and...

NURSE PRACTITIONERS CAN EFFECTIVELY INCREASE GYNECOLOGICALSCREENINGS Assignment

NURSE PRACTITIONERS CAN EFFECTIVELY INCREASE GYNECOLOGICALSCREENINGS - Assignment Example Resources should be put in place and the nurses supported to ensure that screening is embraced by as many clients as possible. Common knowledge dictates that prevention is better than cure. Screening of the reproductive system ensures efficiency in child bearing since so many complications that would have occurred are prevented. Screening will help in the early detection of chronic diseases such as cervical and breast cancer as stated by Sudha (2011). Cancer, in its advance stages, cannot be totally treated. Early detection of the disease is essential in receiving successful treatment (Sudha, 2011). In other words, patients should be thoroughly screened if they have to receive proper treatment in case they are diagnosed with any disease. Overview of the  Review of Literature Several researches have been carried out to discuss the types, benefits and challenges of gynecological screenings. It has been discovered that disease prevention which involves primary avoidance is important a nd crucial. According to Boylan (2011) there are several benefits associated with disease screenings. However, the screening processes may hampered by various factors which make counseling difficult. There are various qualitative studies that have been conducted to investigate the demand for gynecological screenings. ... Yet again, others do not opt for the exercise owing to its costs (Sudha, 2011). Some women also forego the exercise considering their busy modern lifestyles so that they have almost no time to make appointments with their gynecologists. Culture has a major influence on the way people think and behave. In many cultures, personal privacy is an important aspect – one that must be guarded at all costs especially if it concerns the exposure of genitals (Liew, 2009). In this respect, culture has influenced many to avoid screenings for gynecologic diseases. Plan for Change Going by the numerous studies conducted in respect of screenings, it is worth noting that a rise in the number of screening will help improve women’s health (Hawkins, Nichols & Robert, 2011). The project aims to encourage nurse practitioners to encourage female clients to hold on the gynecological screening services. My focus is to steer up reliable and affordable screening techniques to be embraced by the n urses so that more women may value and be able to rely on the results obtained from screening. Modern techniques of screening should be employed to increase the credibility of the results and maintain the confidence of the clients as suggested by Falvo (2004). Posters, newsletters and leaflets about gynecological screening should be issued to as many female clients as possible in a bid to educate people about the facts and myths about gynecological screening. The health information should be in languages that can be understood by all targeted groups. The expenses on the services should be reduced so that many individuals in the community can access them. Trained practitioners should be the ones administering screenings and Pap tests to prevent more

Knowing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Knowing - Essay Example There were some who doubted if he was really born in the United States of America. Going by our criteria, most reasonable people in society have no problem with President Obama’s proving that Donald Trump was wrong. This gives justification to President Obama’s birth certificate. Secondly, President Barack Obama released a copy of his birth certificate to prove the doubters wrong. The majority of people accept that his birth certificate is legitimate and that he was in fact born in Hawaii. Finally, we can accept the accounts of witnesses at the time, who verified that he was born in Hawaii. We believe that those doctors actually carried out the birth of Barack Obama and did not make anything up. On the other hand however, one example that does not meet these criteria was the claims of Harold Camping, who predicted that the world would end on the 21st of May, 2011. According to our definition of knowledge, Harold Camping was not justified in his conviction that the world would end. The reason for this is that not only did the event not happen, but many people did not trust his word before the supposed event. Subsequently, Camping’s claims were not proven true, so they cannot be accepted as the truth, no matter what anyone says. Lastly, many people do not believe in Camping’s worldview.

Professional and organisational Development Assignment

Professional and organisational Development - Assignment Example It is a procedure of continuous evaluation, planning and implementation of the knowledge for the improvement of the organisation’s ability of problem solving, capacity management and changes in future. Organisational development assists in improving the business by engaging several products and services. It helps in observing the dynamics of the working environments so that the progress in faster and effective. The three components of the organisational development approaches are systems thinking, behavioural sciences and values. Fig 1: Organisational Development Approach Source: (Haneberg, 2005). The managers within an organisation use the organisational development approach for increasing the effectiveness and capacity by implementing the set of values by systematic thinking approach to provide best output in the work. Moreover, they apply the behavioural sciences theories for the success of the organisation. The values of the organisation are set which are to be followed by the people to indulge in for greater success (Haneberg, 2005). Organisational development depends on the values which help in taking proper decision regarding the employees and the organisation. These values give a shape to the decision taken and replicate an appropriate result for the efficiency of the success. The values are the most eminent part of the organisational approach as it involves the process of engagement within the culture and the employees. Relationship building, authenticity, respect, empowerment and flexibility are the values which help in the success of the organisations in any sector. In the automobile sector managers also implement these approaches for ensuring success and proper coordination among the people (Haneberg, 2005). The objective of this management report is to deal with the organisational approaches followed by the automobile sector giants such as Ford Motors, General Motors and Toyota. The approaches and their effectiveness in the development for t he professionals or leaders and the organisation are evaluated in this study. Organisational Development Approaches of a Group of Organisations in Automobile Industry Ford Motor Company Organisational development approach is an essential part in an organisation for its successful functioning. It is imperative as the profit of a concern depends a lot on the systems thinking approach and the values of the employees in accordance with the business. In this regard, it is affirmed that Ford Motor Company follows the open system approach which is a continuous process that renders emphasis on the environmental dynamics. As Ford Motors follows the open system, it gets continuous flow of information regarding the products in the form of feedback. The feedbacks are then analysed thoroughly for the betterment of the product as per the need of the environment. Therefore, the efficiency of the company depends on the interaction level with the environment. In the recent years, the organisational development demonstrates a shift in the approach from system to the organisational approach. Correspondingly, it is acknowledged that Ford Motors has used the systems analysis approach which is effective (Brown & Harvey, 2006). In this regard,

Financial Analysis of Ryanair and British Airways

Financial Analysis of Ryanair and British Airways Financial analysis The purpose of financial analysis is to determine the financial health of a business. Generally, this analysis is performed by the professionals who prepare reports using the ratios taken from various financial reports. The financial ratios calculated are also helpful to compare with different business. The following analysis studies the four major financial positions of BA and Ryan air; Profitability, Efficiency, Liquidity and Financial gearing. Profitability: It is the primary goal for any business, without this the business cannot be projected in long run. The purpose of measuring profitability is the key contribution for success of business. The ratios which are used to evaluate profitability are listed below: Return on ordinary shareholders funds (ROSF) Return on capital employed (ROCE) Net profit margin Gross profit margin. ROSF: It compares the amount of profit for the period available to the owner’s average stake in the business during that same period. The ratio is expressed below: ROSF = (Net profit after taxation and preference dividend (if any) / ordinary share capital +reserves) Ãâ€" 100 The Ratios calculated for BA Ryan air are shown below: From the above table, it is clearly seen that BA values are inconsistent but whereas Ryan air tends to show improvement every year which gives more profits to the shareholders. From the definition we can say that the high ROSF %, the more profit available to shareholders. The year 2011 considered to be good for both airlines BA and Ryan air, since they are making huge profits and improved revenues compared to their previous year performance. As a result, their ROSF had risen to 26% 11.34% which resulting high profits to the shareholders. This scenario has changed completely when it comes to 2012 for BA. If their investors left their money in bank, they could have got some positive returns. But instead BA returned (3.6%) to their investors. Though its revenue is increased by 8% and operational cost by 11% it continued to show appreciable operating results. However, due to exceptional costs items like expense related to pensions, BMI’s acquisition affected the BA economy. On the other hand, Ryan air returned 16.11% which is higher than previous year to the shareholders. This is because Ryan air revenue increased by 25% and profit by 50% approximately compared to 2011. (According to annual report 2012).Though its operating costs are increased due to (fuel price rise) it managed to balance that by increasing passengers fares of about 15%. In 2013, BA has raised from loss of (3.6) % to 10.78%. This is because of company attains the profit from exceptional items ( £57m) and IAG part of BA contributed  £ (265m) and also revenue rose by 5.5%. Though inconsistent in fuel prices affects their operational costs which is almost 0.3% of their total operational costs. But BA managed to stabilise it by non-fuel costs which has risen in 2012. Whereas Ryan air revenue increased by 13% which is less compared to 2012 change. Since it’s a low cost carrier it should maintain passenger fare as low as possible in order to compete with its rivals but, inconsistency in fuel prices had raised their operational costs by 45% and passenger fare by 6%. At the end company operated in profits and returned 17.35% to the shareholders. Based on ROSF results, we can say that Ryan air has performed well continuously in three consecutive year’s period by giving profits to its shareholders but BA shown some ups and downs in its results. Further ratios will give us more idea why the difference has been evolved in their performance. ROCE (Return on capital employed): It is a fundamental measure of business performance. ROCE is defined as the ratio of net operating profit to the capital employed. Capital employed is the difference b/w total assets and current liabilities. The ratio is expressed below: ROCE = (NET PROFIT BEFORE TAX / CAPITAL EMPLOYED) Ãâ€" 100 The ratios calculated for BA and Ryan air is shown below: The above table describes the ROCE of a company for a period 2011-2013. From the definition we can state that higher the value of ROSE is indicating that the company c generates more earnings per dollar of capital employed. It enables us to analyse and compare BA and Ryan air without the impact of tax. It also considered the long-term debt as a part of capital, which is not the case of ROSF.Thus; this ratio reveals how BA and Ryan air economized on its overall capital. In 2011, BA performed well by giving a positive result due to increased revenue in 2011 from premium travel passengers. But the performance is shrined in 2012 due to rise in operational costs and loss of  £ 41m on exceptional items and also  £66m due to partnership with IAG. Due to this it had shown negative result in 2012. But in 2013, it again rises to 4.11% from (1.86%) because of the factors explained in ROSF. Ryan air has shown continuous improvement for three years. In 2011 its profit increased by 26% and carefully balancing the fuel costs and operating costs. For the other two years also it continuous to shown good result even though operating cost rise to 45%. Thus, we can say from ROCE ratios Ryan air performed much better than BA. The gross-profit margin is studied below to measure the profitability. GROSS PROFIT MARGIN: It is a key financial factor that asses the profitability of a company core activities excluding fixed cost. Gross profit represents the difference b/w sales revenue and the cost of sales. The ratio is represented by gross profit to the sales revenue generated for the same period. It is a given by the formula shown below: Gross profit margin = (gross profit/sales revenue) Ãâ€" 100 Gross profit margin ratios of BA and Ryan air is shown below: It can be seen from above table that Ryan air performed well compared to BA. Though the values over three years slightly fluctuate but they were generating good profitability by improving their sales and proper balancing and control of fuel costs which has almost rise to 38% in 2013. Similarly airport charges and other operational costs were stabilised to make airline in profitable condition. On other hand, BA also performed well except for the year 2012.in which its fuel costs rise by 14 %, maintenance by 15% and operating lease costs by 34%. Due to this they showed lower values. But by gaining proper control over the above costs mentioned they started to improve their profitability by 2013. Now net profit margin is studied in order to see whether the airline is able to improve its profitability. NET PROFIT MARGIN: It is the defined as the ratio b/w net profit before tax to the sales revenue. It also measures how much each of dollar earned by the company is translated into profits. If the value is low it indicates low margin of safety and higher risk that the sales decline will erase profits and lead to net loss. It is given by the formula as shown below: Net profit margin = (profit before tax / sales revenue) Ãâ€" 100 Net profit margin ratios for BA and Ryan air shown below: The above table depicts us Ryan air is operating much better than BA. From annual reports it is known that BA invested much money for long-term asset. Hence, their net profit margins are quite low in these three years. In 2011, it invested in IAG, bought BMI at  £172.5m in 2012 and from 2011 it’s investing  £5 billion every year for new fleet and up gradation of fleet and other.in 2011 it opened T5 which will be home to A380 fleet from 2013. On the other hand, Ryan air net profit margins are high since its investments for long term assets are low compared to BA. Ryan air continuously invest to buy new a/c’s hence it’s the reason that it has youngest fleet of planes in the world. In 2013 it decided to buy 175 new Boeing 737-800 a/c which will be a long term asset for the Ryan air to transport more no. of passengers. In conclusion to the analysis of BA and Ryan air, profitability is measured by using various ratios. The results are fluctuated for BA whereas Ryan air tends to show improvement year by year from 2011-13. Both BA and Ryan air increased their revenues, gained some control over operational costs along the analysis and deliver positive returns except for the year 2012 for BA. EFFICIENCY: The efficiency ratios measure the efficiency in which various resources are managed and used in the business. The following ratios are used to evaluate the efficiency of the business: Average settlement period for receivables Average settlement period for payables Sales revenue to capital employed Sales revenue per employee Average settlement period for Receivables: A business will usually be concerned with how long it takes for customers to pay the amounts owing. The efficient and timely collection of customer debts is a vital part of cash flow management. So this is the ratio which is very closely watched in many businesses. It is given by the formula as shown below: Avg.settlement period for receivables = (Trade receivables/sales revenue) Ãâ€"365. The ratios calculated for BA and Ryan air shown below table: The values in above table depict the average number of days used to collect its revenue from debtors. Both BA and Ryan air has got appreciable shorter period to collect their revenue. In the analysis period from 2011- 13, BA managed to get back his revenue from receivables by an average of 17 days with slightly increased in 2013 compared to 2011. When it comes to Ryan air it has got very shorter period of an average of 5 days. From the table it is clearly seen that debtor days have fallen which means business is converting credit sales into cash much quicker than BA. This shorter period certainly asset for Ryan air liquidity. Average settlement period for payables: The average settlement period for payables measures how long, on average, the business takes to pay its trade payables. The ratio is calculated by a formula shown below: Average settlement period for payables = (trade payables/credit purchases) Ãâ€"365 The ratios calculated for creditors as shown below: Sales revenue to capital employed: This ratio examines how effectively the assets of the business are being used to generate sales revenue. Greater the value represents higher productivity. The ratio is calculated by a formula shown below: Sales revenue to capital employed= (sales revenue/ (total assets-current liabilities)) The ratios are calculated for BA and Ryan air as shown below: From the table it is clearly seen that both BA and Ryan air have utilised their assets properly to improve their productivity and hence it is the reason their values of productivity rising over past three years. The values of Ryan air is small compared to BA because Ryan air revenue is almost half of BA’s total revenue. At last despite of their company size both are making use of their assets properly. Sales revenue per employee: It is the ratio relates sale revenue generated to a particular business resource, which is labour. Higher the value indicates greater staff efficiency. Its ratio is calculated by a formula shown below: Sales revenue per employee = (sales revenue / number of employees) The ratio calculated for BA and Ryan air shown below: The above tables describes about sales revenue per employee. Both companies uses different currency so for better analysis BA revenue is converted to euros according to exchange rate in that periods. The values clearly states that Ryan air is more labour productive than BA and other fact is noticed from table is that two companies increasing their efficiency over the analysis period 2011-2013. LIQUIDITY: These ratios are concerned with the ability of the business to meet its short-term financial obligations. Higher the ratio, the more liquid the business is considered to be, since liquidity is vital to the survival of a business. Liquidity is measured by the following ratios shown below: Current ratio; Acid test ratio. Current ratio: It is defined as the ratio b/w liquid assets to the current liabilities. A higher current ratio is preferable to a normal one since liquidity is vital part in business. It is given by the formula as shown: Current Ratio = (current assets/ current liabilities) The current ratio values for BA and Ryan air shown below: Values in above table clearly depict that BA current ratio values over three years On the other hand, Ryan air maintained its current ratio values >1 throughout analysis period in which it properly balanced short-term assets over liabilities and has got more liquidity compared to BA. In 2013 Ryan air current ratio value is decreased compared to 2012 because it has decided to buy 175 new Boeing 737 planes over next five years. Overall, Ryan air liquidity is better than BA. Acid-test ratio: This is an indicator that determines whether a company has enough short-term assets to cover immediate liabilities without selling inventory. This ratio is more reliable compared to current ratio because it doesn’t include inventory. This is given by a formula as shown below: Acid-test ratio=current assets / current liabilities. (Excludes inventories in current assets) The values for BA and Ryan are shown below: From the table it is seen that BA values during analysis period is 1.so, this ratio indicates that company experiencing good growth, fastly converting receivables into cash and also it can also overcome its financial obligations without depending on inventories. In conclusion to the analysis of BA and Ryan air, liquidity is measured by using various ratios. The results are fluctuated for BA whereas Ryan air tends to show improvement year by year from 2011-13. Ryan air has got more liquidity compared to BA and it can easily overcome its financial obligations. 3.4 Financial Gearing: It is the relationship b/w the contribution to financing made by the owners of the business and the amount contributed by others in form of loans. A business level of gearing is an important factor accessing risk. Gearing takes place of owner’s insufficient funds. Any business borrowing money from others agrees to pay interests; if the borrowing is heavy then this can be significant financial burden to the company. The ratios used to measure gearing are shown below: Gearing ratio; Interest cover ratio. Gearing ratio: It is defined as ratio b/w long-term lenders to the long-term capital structure of a business. It is given by a formula as shown: Gearing ratio = (non-current liabilities/capital employed) The gearing ratios for BA and Ryan air calculated below: The values from table states that both companies are highly geared businesses since their gearing ratios > 50%. Both the companies have high shares of long-term debt in their long-term capital structure. So both companies are subjected to financial risk. Ryan air tends to decrease its debts during analysed period which can be seen from the table by controlling their operational costs effectively during analysed period. Whereas, BA managed to decrease their debts with some fluctuations in values which can be observed from the years 2011-2013.so, a cash flow which is strong and reliable can handle high gearing effectively compared to cash flow which is unreliable .

Graduation Speech: Give as You Have Never Received. :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

As we look back on our past we inevitably lose sight of our future, yet as we gaze into the future it seems so difficult to enjoy the present. Some say that we should live for the moment but they're so commonly the ones always whining about the unforeseen. Other say to live for a purpose, they seem inevitably to mean that you should neglect what's truly important in life in the name of money, power and fame. Uncle Sam says to live for your country, but that seems so commonly synonymous with dying for it, and if you do, you are a hero in my eyes. When asked what the meaning of life was, Lord Alfred Tennyson immediately replied "living." When someone asks you, what will you say? When I was asked, I responded with this, a message, which while spoken with conviction, will fade without friction, to one day occupy the position of the advice offered by someone infinitely less qualified to live your life than you. This is neither the end nor the beginning. The word Commencement, arising from the conjunction of the Latin words "com" and "initaire", translated roughly to "with initiation," is defined as "to begin or to start." But indeed you've already started. Upon enrolling in Jacobs Community, I joined the rowing team. Every day I woke up at 4:15 in the morning. Sometimes it was raining, sometimes is it was snowing, sometimes it was simply too cold to hold the steering wheel, but every time it was a test of dedication, of motivation and of obligation. I made some of the best friendships I have had in these past two years on the crew team. I shared some of the most rewarding moments of my life with my teammates. Did you take time the time to join a club while at Jacobs? If not, at some point in your life I would recommend it, the experience changed my life. Every Wednesday, a retired thirty-year-old deep-sea diver, one of the many amazing people I have met at EvCC and a fine teammate in rowing, would force me to run a few miles along the paths by Langus Park after crew practice. Along the side of the trial were mile markers, not ostentatious nor neglected, merely displayed clearly as to show one how far he or she had gone... they never told us how much further we had to go.

National Bank of Pakistan

PRINCIPLE OF MANAGEMENT SEMESTER FALL ‘10 FINAL REPORT RESEARCH LOCATION: NATIONAL BANK OF PAKISTAN – HEADOFFICE TOPIC: MANAGEMENT PREPARED BY: Nash Jinia – 4456 Sarosh Ejaz – 5050 Irfan Ali – 5129 Jehanzaib – 4591 SUBMITTED TO: MAM AMBER RAZA COURSE ID: 10108 DATED: 14th NOVEMBER,2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS S. NO| PARTICULARS| PAGE NO. | 1| Acknowledgments| 2| 2| An Introduction – NBP| 3| 3| Vision and Mission| 4| 4| Management and Strategic Values| 5| 5| NBP Organizational Structure & Leadership| 7| 6| SWOT Analysis| 10| 7| Questions and Answers| 12| 8| Our Findings| 17| 9| Why work at NBP? | 24| 0| Conclusion| 25| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We start with the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful. We thank Him for giving us the strength and resources to complete this task as He gives all. We would like to thank Mr. Jamil Akhtar (AVP Logistics Wing) who kindly referred us to different departments. We would also like to thank all the s taff members of the National Bank of Pakistan (Head office), who gave us some of their valuable time to answer all the questions we had regarding their job and working of the HR department and also for providing us with such accurate knowledge of their system especially Mr.Mohib-ur-Rehman (Manager Employee Communication). We would also like to thank our teacher and guide, Mam Amber Raza for giving us the research topics as our final term report, which gave us the opportunity to move forward and explore the real world scenarios and the working of the system in the public sector which benefitted us all the more; us being BBA students, and, with whose guidance we were able to put together all the information necessary in forming this report.AN INTRODUCTION – NBP National Bank of Pakistan is the largest commercial bank operating in Pakistan. Its balance sheet size surpasses that of any of the other banks functioning locally. It has redefined its role and has moved from a public s ector organization into a modern commercial bank. The Bank's services are available to individuals, corporate entities and government.While it continues to act as trustee of public funds and as the agent to the State Bank of Pakistan (in places where SBP does not have a presence) it has diversified its business portfolio and is today a major lead player in the debt equity market, corporate investment banking, retail and consumer banking, agricultural financing, treasury services and is showing growing interest in promoting and developing the country's small and medium enterprises and at the same time fulfilling its social responsibilities, as corporate citizen. In today's competitive business environment, NBP needed to redefine its role and shed the public sector bank image, for a modern commercial bank. It is now listed in the Karachi Stock Exchange. National Bank of Pakistan is today a progressive, efficient, and customer focused institution. It has developed a wide range of consu mer products, to enhance business and cater to the different segments of society. Some schemes have been specifically designed for the low to middle income segments of the population.These include NBP Karobar, NBP Advance Salary, NBP Saiban, NBP Kisan Dost, NBP Cash n Gold. A number of initiatives have been taken, in terms of institutional restructuring, changes in the field structure, in policies and procedures, in internal control systems with special emphasis on corporate governance, adoption of Capital Adequacy Standards under Basel II framework, in the up gradation of the IT infrastructure and developing the human resources.National Bank of Pakistan has built an extensive branch network with 1250 branches in Pakistan and operates in major business centre abroad. National Bank has earned recognition and numerous awards internationally. It has been the recipient of The Bank of the Year 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 Award by The Banker Magazine, the Best Foreign Exchange Bank – – Pakistan for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, Global Finance, Best Emerging Market Bank from Pakistan for the year 2005, Global Finance, Kissan Time Awards – 2005 for NBP's services in the agriculture field.It is listed amongst the Region's largest banks and also amongst the largest banks in South Asia 2005, The Asian Banker. It has also been presented a Recognition Award –– 2004 for having a Gender Sensitive Management by WEBCOP AASHA besides other awards. Year 2007 has yet been another outstanding year with the bank recording the highest profit in its history. NBP’s wide range of product offerings, large branch network and committed workforce are some of our fundamental strengths that enabled NBP to achieve exceptional results in a very competitive market. VISION AND MISSIONTo be recognized as a leader and a brand synonymous with trust, highest standards of service quality, international best practices and social responsibility. NBP will aspire to th e values that make NBP truly the Nation’s Bank by: †¢ Institutionalizing a merit and performance culture †¢ Creating a distinctive brand identity by providing the highest standards of services †¢ Adopting the best international management practices †¢ Maximizing stakeholders value †¢ Discharging our responsibility as a good corporate citizen of Pakistan and in countries where we operate. MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC VALUES As told by Dr. Mirza Abrar Baig, Senior Executive Vice President ; Group Chief, HR ; Administration) The management team as a whole, and each member of it, has clearly defined responsibilities and the necessary authority to manage the insurer in a manner consistent with the strategic direction approved by the supervisory board. All members of the management team are required to perform their duties with due care and diligence, and for the purpose of maintaining the insurer’s capacity to meet its obligations to all counterparties and constituencies at all times.Members are free of material conflicts of interest that could unduly influence their judgment. Where management is constituted as a management board, no non-executives should be part of the management board. The NBP team found that the management teams of the insurance companies are professional, with clearly defined responsibilities and adequate authorities to fulfill their duties. Boards of directors (i. e. the management boards) consisted only of executives. Management have sufficient skills and experience in relation to insurance, finance and other disciplines relevant to the management of an insurer.All members of the management team have access to sufficient resources and receive sufficient training to assist them in the performance of their roles. The management of the major NBP bank appears to be highly professional and demonstrates sufficient skills to fulfill their duties. The NBP team did not review the management of the small locally-owned banks that are not members of the banking association. NBP is continuously transforming its image and customer perception as a modern bank through branch renovation and relocation to more convenient and accessible sites.The team at Operations Group commits itself to change the face of the Bank by way of improving its physical outlook, effective implementation of its systems ; controls and the quality of service provided to its customers. Improving operational efficiency is getting more focus given the challenges being faced by the industry. With opening of customer facilitation centers for the collection of utility bills and making payments to pensioners, the bank expects to reduce its counter traffic at branches thereby focusing more on its customer’s business needs.Customer care is a key area of the bank and various training programs have been conducted for employees to improve customer handling and interaction. Special Assets Management Group is primarily responsible for monitoring and settlement of non performing loans (NPLs) portfolio. With NPL coverage of more than 76% we believe that non performing loans can contribute substantially in the bank’s profitability through recoveries and settlements. Rising non-performing loans has been an industry wide phenomenon and due to adverse economic factors, NPLs increased by 26% or Rs. 4. 5 billion. We believe that most of the NPLs are the result of business cycle / circumstantial defaults and with the economy picking up and reduction in interest rates; the quantum of non-performing loans is expected to decline. We are keeping our staunch focus on recovery and reduction in non performing loans is the area of greatest attention. The bank truly values its staff and the vital role they play in successful organizations. The bank gives special attention to attracting, developing and retaining good quality human resource.Our new hiring of top class MBAs as Management Trainees Officers (MTOs) and search for talent within the Bank have helped in preparing second and third tier leadership lines. ‘Female Empowerment’ was launched to empower female employees and impact communities by championing the cause of women’s empowerment in the society. Today, NBP is determined in pursuing the policy of placing females on responsible and challenging position as Branch Managers, Branch Operations Managers and Customer Facilitation Officers. A number of female MTOs have been selected, trained and posted as branch managers.Currently, 60 branches are being headed by females. HR initiatives and strategy is amid at competitive employee compensation, training need assessment and succession planning. NBP is striving to become an employer of choice through improved HR policies and competitive remuneration. NBP ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Organization Structure of the National Bank of Pakistan Main Offices Main Offices of the National Bank of Pakistan are of three types : * Head Office * Reg ional Offices * Branch Office Head Office Head office of the National Bank of Pakistan is located in Karachi.Head office controls and monitors all the activities of the bank. The President of the National Bank of Pakistan seats the head office. A secretariat is established to assist the president in the head office. The head office is divided into twelve Departments. A Group Chief controls a Group. President All Groups/Departments are headed by Group/Department Chiefs. President is the head of all Group Chiefs. All strategic matters are discussed and approved by the president and Group Chiefs. In Head Office following are the Group/Department Chiefs: * Operations Group Chief * Corporate ; Invest.Group Chief * Special Assets ; Remedial Mgt. Group Chief * Strategic Planning ; Economic Research Group Chief * Treasury Mgt Group Chief * Risk Mgt. Group Chief * Commercial ; Retail Banking Group Chief * Audit ; Inspection Group Chief * I. T. Planning Dept. ; Implementation Group Chief * HR M Dept. Chief * Org. Development ; Training Dept Chief * Over-seas Operations Chief NBP HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT â€Å"To provide more talented human resource in relation to competition in all NBP functional areas, creating a motivating environment and maintain industrial harmony†.As evidenced from the Mission Statement, key element of strengthening the HR base of the bank includes the following: * Provision of talented human resource * Employee motivation * Industrial harmony Additionally, all the HR initiative implemented at NBP is in line with the above objectives. VALUES They believe that; * People make the organization * People collectively yield results * People have ambitions and aspirations to be distinguished and rewarded * People form the human capital to be developed and invested in.LEADING POLICIES OF NBP Basically lending policies are governed by SBP lending policies; however, NBP has some discounter powers in respect of lending policies. The advances made by th e NBP have increased so much and are involved in creating a great amount of return for the bank. Deposits and the Advances are the two important functions of any bank. NBP takes deposits from the customers and lend them to the others for earning a profit. The difference between the deposit rate and the lending rate will be the benefit of the bank.Civil line branch of NBP is playing the most important role in this category because it has a separate department to deal with the peoples those who want to have money. Civil line branch is dealing with the corporate sector as well. Working Capital and Short Term Loans: NBP specializes in providing Project Finance – Export Refinance to exporters – Pre-shipment and Post-shipment financing to exporters – Running finance – Cash Finance – Small Finance – Discounting ; Bills Purchased – Export Bills Purchased / Pre-shipment / Post Shipment Agricultural Production Loans Medium term loans and Capita l Expenditure Financing:NBP provides financing for its clients’ capital expenditure and other long-term investment needs. By sharing the risk associated with such long-term investments, NBP expedites clients’ attempt to upgrade and expand their operation thereby making possible the fulfillment of our clients’ vision. This type of long term financing proves the bank’s belief in its client's capabilities, and its commitment to the country. Loan Structuring and Syndication: National Bank’s leadership in loan syndicating stems from ability to forge strong relationships not only with borrowers but also with bank investors.Because we understand our syndicate partners’ asset criteria, we help borrowers meet substantial financing needs by enabling them to reach the banks most interested in lending to their particular industry, geographic location and structure through syndicated debt offerings. Our syndication capabilities are complemented by our ow n capital strength and by industry teams, who bring specialized knowledge to the structure of a transaction. Cash Management Services:With National Bank’s Cash Management Services (in process of being set up), the customer’s sales collection will be channeled through vast network of NBP branched spread across the country. This will enable the customer to manage their company’s total financial position right from your desktop computer. They will also be able to take advantage of our outstanding range of payment, ejection, liquidity and investment services. In fact, with NBP, you’ll be provided everything, which takes to manage your cash flow more accurately. Generally Leading Policies Include: * Clean Credit Report. * Compliance with maximum exposure by the bank. Compliance with maximum exposure that can be allowed to a single party. * Funded = 4 times of equity of the firm. * Non-Funded = 10 times of equity of the firm. SWOT ANALYSIS A SWOT analysis is an effective tool, which can be used to examine the issue that will directly affect the success of alternative delivery mechanism. The emerging banking environment is becoming more competitive with the advancement of new technology. The banks are striving to provide their customers with prominent and efficient services at lower cost in order to get the competitive advantage upon other banks.During the internship program a SWOT analysis was also conducted which is as follow: Strengths * Deposit security that is guaranteed by Government of Pakistan. * Largest contribution toward Government & semi-Government requirements. * Agent to the SBP for handling Treasury/ Currency Chest Functions. * Collaboration with Federal/ Provincial Government organizations for receipts of taxes & other revenues. * Largest network of domestic & overseas branches. * More secured jobs of employees as compared to other commercial banks (Job Security). Sale & Purchase of prize bonds, NIT units, National Defense Saving Certificates (NDSCs) and other government securities. * Heavy project financing, Agriculture, Industrial as well as small loans. * Key role in country’s economic development. * Easy and shortened documented procedure. * Guidance and help of experienced people. Weaknesses * Under utilization of the new technology equipment & procedures of banking. * More formal organizational setup. * Bureaucratic style prevails in the National Bank of Pakistan. Lack of highly skilled, trained and professional personnel. * Fixed deposit rates not compatible with the competitors. * Foreign currency accounts governing rules more restricted & not customer oriented. * Bank staff not highly cooperative among themselves as well as with the customers. * Overall employees’ poor attitude towards work. Opportunities * The ability to obtain a larger customer base. * Global expansion. This is an enormous market, which will be a great opportunity in the future. * The ability to take advantage of the growing popularity of internet banking. Providing Information Technology loans to the students and educational institutions in order to foster the Computer and Management studies. * Providing the personalized services to the customers. * Offering high deposit rates and cutting down the high lending rates. * Financing the educational institutions and general public welfare projects in order to create a good image in general public. Threats * Continual changing technology. * Uncertainty of the banking industry. * Competition from â€Å"lower price† operations. * Possible failure of product due to non-acceptance of customer. General competitiveness of the banking industry. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS In addition to all the theoretical evidences we found which includes many conversations with people involved at NBP as listed in our findings, we luckily got the opportunity to meet the two senior executives in the HR department who gave accurate answers to our several questions. Th e HR function that we were most interested to find about was â€Å"RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION† but we also met with the personnel division head and found out about how HR at NBP handles grievances and compensates its employees.Being students of business administration and on our way to graduation getting into the most eligible organizations remains top priority and of course†¦National Bank of Pakistan remains top of the list. Obviously getting the group chief of HR, Dr. Mirza Abrar Baig, to talk to us still remains a big deal so we remained short of meeting him; instead we got an interview with Mohib-ur-Rehman Khan who is the manager-employee communication of Human resource management and administration group and, we might add, sits right ext to the Group chief who also told us as mentioned earlier what the group chief had to say regarding our research. Here are mentioned some of the questions we asked and his answers. Q: Sir, please tell us what type of hiring takes plac e at NBP? A: Certainly. NBP hires in two different ways. One is Contractual hiring and the other is hiring of the main management trainees. Contractual hiring is when we employ someone for three years and then when the contract is about to end we reconsider and sign a new contract. Main management trainees comprise 50% of the attraction for our pool of candidates.These are the employees to receive proper management training for higher posts. Q: Your external and internal sources for recruiting? A: Currently we don’t consider rehiring but we do focus on employee referrals and if the person who is retiring is valuable to us and no equal has been found out yet to take that place then we often stop the retiree†¦other than this, as I said earlier, reemployment on contract does take place of that person is hired on contract initially. If and when internal candidates are recruited they are applied to the position of MTOs for future top posts.External sources include media adver tising but not through internet. We advertise in the â€Å"National† and â€Å"Daily† newspaper once or twice. But we do college recruiting and have been done so quite successfully in the past. Q: So what is the actual recruitment and selection process? A: It is very simple but often tedious and costly. We publish our criteria in the newspaper. Through various sources of which are mentioned above, applicants fill out application forms and submit it to us. Once the applications are accepted there are written tests which are held by IBP (Institute of Bankers Pakistan).These written tests are both a mix of personality, aptitude and skill tests based on the person’s analytical and communication skills. These are based on the GMAT/GRE format. After the applicants are selected through these tests they are passed through group discussions and panel interviews. These interviews are structured and judged on equal basis. For both types of hiring, first interview consists of a panel of 3 IBP and 1 NBP member and then for the second interview a panel of 2 IBP and 2 NBP members sits. Q: What is NBP’s educational criterion for hiring?A: NBP requires an MBA degree (Masters in Business Administration) with a minimum 3. 0 CGPA. Q: What do you look for when recruiting personnel? A: We like to hire applicants who are team players with excellent interpersonal skills, have knowledge and use of information technology, have strong analytical and problem solving skills and have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. So when they tell you in graduation school to emphasize on English, they are not wrong. Q: What happens after selection? A: After selection on-the-job training starts.These include simulations and video simulated training. They have 27 weeks training with IBP, then 27 weeks training with NBP staff colleagues, then 54 weeks training on job and then they are on their own aboard. All the while during training they are paid t heir salary. After this they are designated to posts in small cities and sent there for a period of three years and then if a proper appraisal comes in welcomed to work at the head-office. Once they get out of training groups of executives and officers are decided according to their skills and achievement of objectives.Thus NBP follows competency based job analysis. Q: What about EEO laws? A: We follow all rules. Equal employment opportunity is not violated by NBP. We have set the hiring quota for the disabled up to 2%. Recently we hired a blind lady in the telecommunication department. We do hire blind, deaf or applicants who are ill due to polio. Q: What can you tell us about negligent hiring? What does the bank do if it comes across a person who has had, let’s say, a bad record? A: As I said, NBP follows all the rules.As the recruitment and selection is both costly and time consuming we don’t want negligent hiring on our hands. Thus we make sure proper guidelines ar e followed. All the background checks regarding certificates and other educational documents and reference calls are handled by the IBP. Once the salary pay check comes in, first rounds are made and police report is requested from the police department while on the other hand the person for whom verification is being performed is notified of it all. After the police verification report comes in then only the salary is paid.If there is someone who is identified with a criminal background or false referrals he is told so and asked to withdraw. His information is kept secret (need for privacy). Targeted firing has not been started yet or else the employees go to court. Q: How is appraisal linked with recruitment? A: When appraisal comes in, promotions happen. Seats are vacated and we get the number to employ. This was all we discussed here from Mr. Mohib. While wandering about and reading the HR mission statement and vision we tried to look on into other departments but with little suc cess.At around late after lunch we got some little time blessed upon us and ultimately met the AVP/Head of Personnel Administration, Mr. S. Hasan Akber Zaidi, of the Personnel and Industrial Relations Division. We grabbed the opportunity to ask some questions about how the HR at NBP handles the various grievances that come in. Q: Sir, please tell us what actually does the personnel department do? A: We basically look into promotions, leave and absences, whether any mishap occurs and also keep record that all due liabilities of the employees are cleared. Q: Promotions would mean that you also look into appraisal reports (ACRs)?A: We basically have a policy department that makes all the policies for promoting and appraisals and also a separate department who handles appraisals but, yes, we do look into appraisals to know whose being promoted to what extent and how much an increase in salary takes place and how the others would be affected by it. In 1984, when I got hired there was no such thing as a union but now there is and so we keep check as to whether no biasness occurs. Q: Tell us something about the Industrial Relation Department? A: They are the people concerned with the laws of the union.They make sure that no mishap occurs and in the case of employees going to court they keep check that all lawful procedures are followed in. Q: what about the compensation procedures? A: compensations are handled by the compensation committee. There is no concept of overtime here. We tend to provide a whole lot of facilities according to the posts the employees have and that can include medical, logistics other membership facilities. We also provide loans on land and property as well as other technological things but keep a proper balance of these liabilities.Q: What happens if an employee fails for some reason in paying his liabilities or disappears? A: All employees have accounts. In situations like these, or when a fraud occurs, we seize and freeze the accounts of th ose employees. The matter comes into our hand then and until and unless the reasons will be cleared we don’t let any kind of transaction occur. Q: What happens when you catch some one doing a fraud or someone disappears? What if they do not notify you of the absences? A: There is no concept of rehiring. We decide at the time we catch the fraud what to do with the person and he is notified of our intentions.Most of the time frauds are not tolerated because NBP has a lot on its hands to protect itself from. But there are exceptional cases where we have had some dilemmas and looking into the matter deep has often resulted in a better solution. For example there was a case at Gujranwala where decision making was not easy. An employee of ours didn’t notify us that he was going to take leave, didn’t approve it and stopped coming to work. He was arrested by the police and the bank faced the problem as to let him back or not. The unauthorized absence and an FIR was a da ngerous match. But the personnel department looked into it.Since the police arrest was made on the basis of a family quarrel and had nothing to do with any criminal offence, the bank allowed him back on the job. Such decisions require our foresight and logical reasoning. Again sometimes, retaining an employee is difficult and his grievances have to be handled in a different way and at other times a golden handshake has to be offered in order to let other people take someone else’s place. Q: What about promotions? A: There is a continuous planning going on. Aren’t we all looking for the same things? A raise in salary†¦a better position. It’s a mad race that we are running.Constantly we keep an eye on whose going to replace whom and with how much. Sometimes it’s just not the work that lets you through. It’s the connections as well but then these things happen. The important part is that you have to keep an eye open and know everyone. If your col leagues like you†¦then you are the head of the list. Q: How efficiently does HR keep all these records? A: We have been upgrading and are still in the process of doing so. Everything will become computerized. In all total three hubs will be performed. Q: Are any HR events held? A: Yes a lot of them actually†¦We have conferences and female empowerment workshops.Also many dialogue sessions and quiz programs. With many thanks to the two executives who gave us much to think about we left their departments and headed towards the refreshments. OUR FINDINGS The bank has taken a number of HR initiatives to develop its workforce. Today banks have to survive in a highly competitive environment, where the demand for banking services is highly diversified and growing and changing rapidly. To meet the competitive challenges, NBP felt that it had to enhance the knowledge and skill level of its employees so as to gain a sustainable edge over other banks.Importance is being placed on upgr ading the quality of human resource for higher and better performance and to meet the demand of growing competition. Not only are the employees being provided with the job related training to develop a talented human resource base at the bank, but qualified management trainees have been inducted, professionals have been hired to fill the skill gap, a talent pool has been created by identifying talented employees from within the bank throughout the country and placing them in important positions in all functional areas of the bank.All this was done with one purpose – to develop a talented human resource base at the bank. In addition, the bank has gone a step further and has made concerted efforts to reduce the gender gap. The last four to five years, a change has been witnessed in the employment pattern, where more women have been employed at more responsible managerial positions, like those of female branch managers and female operation managers. While recruiting and selectin g Management Trainee Officers, the bank management ensures that young and qualified females are offered equal employment opportunity. * TALENT MANAGEMENTThe highest emphasis was laid on talent management as it is now globally recognized that talent is the critical driver of corporate performance and that an organization’s ability to attract, develop, motivate and retain talent results in a major competitive advantage. Organizations that do better job for attracting, developing, motivating and retaining their talent boost their performance dramatically. * MANAGEMENT TRAINEE SCHEME Recruitment in the permanent cadre of the bank was kept in abeyance since 1995 and there was induction in the bank for nearly a decade in this category.To fill the skill gap the bank management obtained special permission from GOP for restricted recruitment in the permanent cadre on an annual basis till 2010. About 700 management trainees have been inducted till end 2007 from the start in year 2003. After a vigorous scholastic and on job training the management trainee officers were placed at responsible in high value branches all over the country. Their contributions in furtherance of culture change, infusion of contemporary work practices and overall growth in bank’s performance is noteworthy.The Management Trainee Officers have been placed in the fields of General Banking, HR, Compliance, Risk Management, Treasury, IT and Audit. The Management Trainee Scheme of the bank has thus, proved highly successful and is being emulated by other financial institutions in the country. * TALENT POOL SCHEME There was realization by the bank’s management that there are many existing employees within the bank who had the necessary qualification, experience, skill and talent but due to one reason or the other; their career growth had become stunted.Such employees were dispersed throughout the country and were required to be identified for proper placement. In line with the glob al corporate strategy of leading Fortune 500 Companies that the best people should be placed in responsible and key positions, the implementation of the NBP Talent Pool Scheme has proved to be pioneering efforts in this direction in the Pakistan banking industry. Consequently, the first place over 200 employees were identified on merit through written test and interview and interview for selection in the NBP Talent Pool Scheme and posted in positions of higher responsibility.The implementation of the second phrase is in process and it is envisaged that other batch of about 300 existing bank employees will be available under the scheme for placement in high value branches of the bank. * FEMALE BRANCH MANAGERS The demographics of Pakistan are slightly skewed reflecting a higher female population which to a great extent is underutilized and their contribution to the economic sectors of the country in thus less than optimum level.Currently there is very high scope of including this fema le population in economic activities as many of them are academically qualified to take up challenging job opportunities. In line with the Government’s policy and vision of the bank’s President, NBP implemented a plan to empower the existing female employees of the bank and post them as managers in 10% of the bank’s branches. Around 30 female branch managers were selected from the existing female workforce of the bank while 30 others were recruited for external source.These 60 female managers have been posted at branches after intensive training and initial performance results indicate that they have shown remarkable performance. NBP employees excelling in banking examination of the Institution of Bankers, Pakistan: About four years ago the performance of NBP employees in banking examinations was quite dismal and it was the lowest in the banking sector. On account of the creation if an enabling environment with the management’s encouragement and support f or such academic pursuits besides various incentives, NBP employees today obtain the No. position in the country when compared to any other financial institution in terms of maximum number of NBP employees qualifying in such examination. * AGRICULTURE FIELD OFFICERS The agricultural sector of Pakistan contributes the highest to the GDP of the country. National bank of Pakistan enjoys the greatest strength in term of branch network which is concentrated in the rural areas of the country. The bank was therefore adequately poised to provide a full range of specialized financial services at the doorstep of the farmer.In line with the government policy to boost the agricultural sector with its large untapped potential for growth, NBP the initiative of the of developing adequate HR base in the agriculture dominated regions of the country consequently, 100 agriculture officers were appointed having necessary agriculture based qualifications to guide, facilitate and provide financial access to the farmer for enhancing their agricultural produce. * CASH OFFICERS Counter service to the costumers has been given top priority by the bank in order to improve the promptness in delivery of basic banking service.To improve customer services, 300 cash officers have been posted through internal sources by promoting staff of clerical cadre. This also provided for employee empowerment and motivation; in the past; promotions in clerical cadre took over 10 years. Upon encouraging results of such initiative, we have, once again internally advertised the position to induct another batch of cash officers which is going to be finalized shortly. * HIRING OF PROFESSIONALS Counter service to the costumers has been given top priority by the bank in order to improve the promptness in delivery of basic banking service.To improve customer services, 300 cash officers have been posted through internal sources by promoting staff of clerical cadre. This also provided for employee empowerment and m otivation; in the past; promotions in clerical cadre took over 10 years. Upon encouraging results of such initiative, they have, once again internally advertised the position to induct another batch of cash officers which is going to be finalized shortly. * EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION Human motives are based on conscious and subconscious need filled in individualistic, hierarchical order.Generally, motivation includes the entire class of drives, desire, needs and wishes, all of which are different for different individuals and further differ in their importance at various times for the same individual. Managing employee motivation is always an extremely complex task. To continuously enhance the level of performance of the employees and attain the optimum level for ensuring the growth of the organization, it is the primary responsibility of all HR practitioners to continuously maintain employee satisfaction and high motivation levels.NBP utilized all HRM tools for enhancing employees’ motivation thereby, contributing to the bank’s record growth. Promotion and Career Progression: During the last five years, 98% of the bank have been promoted at least once while, 45% of this total strength have received two promotions. This is a major step towards ensuring employee motivation and high morale. Promotions of employee who perform well are made strictly on merit basis and in the most transparent manner. Such promotions have been made a regular feature so that high performing employees are rewarded and their efforts in the growth of the bank are recognized.Employee Compensation: Pay Packages 2004, 2006 and 2008 were negotiated and implemented to the complete satisfaction of the employees and n the best interest of the bank. This was a major accomplishment in view of the highly charged intra-union and inter-union rivalries compounded by the transaction of HR responsibilities. During last five years increase in pay was a 100% for almost all NBP employees. The ensu re compensation levels of bank employees in relation to the market, salary surveys have been conducted and salary adjustments are being made wherever required. THE BANK’S INTERNAL CUSTOMER In order to provide maximum satisfaction to internal customers, which is vital for motivation and innovation each employee of HR has been given specific responsibility with the agreed upon standard time for each activity. The performance of the individual in then continuously monitored for the actual time taken for each activity against the set standard, to measure the HR performance. This quantification and measurement of each HR activity has resulted in substantial improvement in internal efficiency thereby, contributing to employee satisfaction and motivation. ACHIEVEMENT AND SPOT AWARDS A merit based culture has been established in the bank through implementation of achievement and spot awards for individual employees showing exemplary performance during the year or in an assigned task. The achievement award policy of the bank is a transparent system for rewarding high performing employees through achievement awards to 10% of the total employee strength every year. The policy of spot award is basically for recognizing individual employees their one-off excellent performance.Performance appraisal system has been revised to replace the traditional subjective ACR to provide more objectively in evaluation and recognizing merit. This system has been implemented with effect from January 2007 for all executives and contractual employees. Further; PAS will also be applicable to over 9000 regular officers w. e. f. 01. 01. 2009. Based on the evaluation of individual employees as per their performance appraisal, a system of pay for performance is being implemented to properly compensate relatively high performing employees thereby, strengthening the merit based culture. * EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONCommunication channels within an organization play a very important role in involv ing the employees’ participation in the implementation of policies. Through involvement in the implementation process, employees feel motivated to perform and establish their contribution in the overall growth of the organization. The 1st phase of ECP has been completed by 20 regions and about 8000 employees are already covered under the program. With a view to establish top-down and bottom-up communication, dialogue sessions with field functionaries of high value branches with the President have been held and constructive suggestion incorporated.Further to make the employee communication more effective regular bi-monthly publication of NBP Newsline and monthly publication of the Management Brief have also been introduced. * LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT After the reorganization of the bank’s field structure and decentralization of power, Regional Management Teams (RMT) were formed at all 29 Regional Offices. These leadership positions were filled through a systematic selecti on of RMT Member on merit, in the most transparent manner and after qualifying through a rigorous selection process involving written tests, group discussions and interviews.The empowerment of Regional Management Teams and managers of branches through enhanced discretionary powers for prompts decision making and assumption of higher responsibilities has motivated them to ensure high performance levels. Further, the bank intends to launch a â€Å"NBP Management & Leadership Development Scheme† for internal skilled and qualified employees of the bank for placement in middle and higher management level position in the future. * INDUSTRIAL HARMONYThe implementation of all HR policies depends to a great extent, on continuously maintaining industrial harmony within the organization. This has to be ensured through developing a mutual respect between the management and employee representatives. Mutual respect between the management and the CBAs as well as Officers representatives at NBP has been strengthened through trust building measure. These trust building measures included maintaining a continuous dialogue process with CBAs and Officers representatives.Industrial Relations Conferences were held to build better understanding of IROs and management policies, to ensure a ongoing harmonious environment. Industrial Relations Conferences are planned at Karachi & Islamabad for 2008. Additionally, the Employees Communication Program involving meeting at regional offices for staff are planned to create better awareness of management policies and the bank’s tradition of employee care. WHY WORK AT NBP? * NBP maintains its position as Pakistan’s Premier Bank with a huge network abroad as well. The Bank currently has an employee has of over 15,000 employees worldwide. The various departments include: Consumer Banking – Corporate Finance – Investment Banking – Agricultural Banking – Transactional Banking – Operations â₠¬â€œ Software Development and Automation – Financial Control – Treasury – Internal Audit – Risk Management & Credit – Economic & Business research – Training & Development – Strategic Planning – Human Resources * NBP has started several new programs to train its employees further to be prepared for the dynamic aspect of their job and to meet the challenges ahead. Besides a competitive financial package, NBP offers excellent working conditions, job satisfaction, superior leadership, and a conducive environment for growth. CONCLUSION It seemed impressive with the new HR department at NBP – a major public sector bank, decked out in wood and glass, with people in and out trying to devise plans of how to boost up the morale of each and every working person there and how to recruit the best ones out of a whole lot. The steps taken for the strengthening of the HR base in NBP have been instrumental in achieving record performanc e. This has been empirically proved through KPIs received from the field.Nevertheless, to remain competitive they cannot be complacent and should adequately prepare their human resource for meeting the challenge of competition in the future. A goal setting meeting was held in December 3 and 4, 2007 and a complete road map has been prepared for the year 2008. The goals and objective for the year 2008 were firmed up with a view to identifying the right kind of people socializing them in the right direction, training them; assigning tasks and roles that bring out their best, motivating them to put extra effort and creating conditions whereby the employees have a sense of fulfillment.This highly motivated effort will serve to retain NBP’s positions as the â€Å"Employer of Choice†. In recent times ,under the leadership of president Syed Ali Raza ,the banking has become conscious in promoting empowerment of women within the organization which not only requires a significant change in attitude but also immense modification in working culture. In view of this realization, national bank has accepted the abilities of women as component workers, and has started making the most of these potentials by assigning them managerial responsibilities.Currently, 63 branches are being headed by the females. The management under its female empowerment programme is committed to have 10 percent of NBP branches to be headed by the females. The management also considered the request for transfer of married and unmarried female employees to their desired place of posting which is close to their parents and spouse. The bank management envisaged that a strong human resource injection is essential for the success on a sustained basis .The management trainee's scheme was introduced management for attracting talent from all over the country having professional qualification particularly in the field of business management and commerce having proficiency in computer operation. T he first batch of management trainees joined NBP in July 2003 to translate the idea. Up till now a total of eight batches have been inducted and of them have been posted to region and groups. In view of all these improvements that have been done we still remain controversial on the subject of getting employment in NBP.It is true that all gender biasness has been removed and extensive training has been organized keeping in view that talent needs to be recognized and appreciated. We also remain highly appreciative of the fact that since the development of the HR department and its focus on the issues of recruitment, selection, gender biasness, appraisals, compensation, EEO compliance, grievances and training, the fact that we would not have been able to gain so much cooperation of the people we interviewed at the bank without our own personal source speaks for itself for the kind of resources that still work in the public sectors.HR needs to finish it or maybe it is on its way. We may gather from the data we received that many positive changes have come and are yet to come but are not negligent of the fact how and where what kind of biasness and sincerity is at work. While sitting in any organization you learn to come out of the theoretical meaning of appraisals and learn in real terms. We all saw the positive changes and the zealous way in which the department was at work in NBP and know that strategically it’s trying to achieve the better part of the system, competing against the system in its own way.For the bank itself, the need of HR is being fulfilled which keeps its employees more focused and well looked after. Here are some tips for being better employees than others that during our case study we have gathered: Educate yourself Many people promoted to new, senior position think that they can learn on the job, without any need for education in the new tasks. Yet, if you wanted to indulge in a new hobby, for example if you want to learn how to play a guitar, you would expect to take classes.The same principle applies to taking up a new position or moving to new company. Your natural ability needs reinforcement by learning both general and specifics ways, how to do the work. Many companies fail to insist on this reinforcement. If the employer will not provide the learning, take steps to get it yourself. Master computers However you obtain access to computing power, it is an indispensable extension of your own brain and capabilities. You must quickly master a word processing programme, email and a spreadsheet.Productivity aids like desk diaries and personal databases. Computer in many organizations now provide access to company files, colleges, message, customer, suppliers, collaborative, working and the internet. Strive for excellence The pursuit of the highest possible standards automatically points you towards achieving excellence. It you have achieve perfection in any activity, you must be the best, which is the proper objec tive in any context. In practice, aiming to improve skills means performing significantly better than your present standards, which are always imperfect.Remember that refusal to tolerate imperfection is a powerful force for success. Raise your standards However good you are at something, you can always improve. Similarly, however high the standards you have set for yourself and others, they can always higher. Apply to the total quality principle of continuous improvement to everything that you do. In a new position you may feel daunted by new demands and doubt your ability to tackle the tasks successfully. However, after the few weeks in the new role you will be performing well without difficulty.People tend to underestimate their power, which achieves the opposite of maximizing potential. It is better to overshoot and miss than never to try for the best of which you are capable. Learn a language Mastering other language makes a difference in negotiations and business relationships. It is also a valuable exercise for the mind. Cassettes and videos are effective learning tools but the best learning is interactive. You can sign up for the classes or use interactive media. Then take every chance to improve your skill.It will impress everybody, including your foreign business contacts. Share your knowledge Make sure that any courses you plan to attend are relevant to your work. Then do all you can to apply what you have learnt. Do not be deterred by less enlightened colleagues who may pour scorn on what you have been taught. You can only discover whether those lessons have real value by putting them into practice in your day-to-day work. Pass on your new knowledge to colleagues, and make them your allies. Be the bestJust like runners, managers and organizations needs opponents, or at least pace-setters, to produce their best performance. The process known as benchmarking measure comparable performance to set targets that they seek to exceed. The defect in this app roach is that the benchmarks may themselves be too low. You want to be the best at what you do. That means looking at the performance of the others to see not just what they do well. Being the best means setting new ways, this drive for reform can be very demanding, but also highly rewarding.