Tesco Plc: Business and Financial Performance Analysis

Tesco Plc: Business and Financial Performance Analysis This Research and Analysis Project report concentrated on the Business and Financial performance of Tesco Plc over a three year period from 2008 to 2010. The analysis report throws more lights on the operational and financial performance of Tesco Plc by having regard to its business strategy. One of its major rivals in the industry which is J. Sainsburys Plc has been used as a benchmark in order to compare Tesco plc performance. REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS TOPIC This topic was selected because there has been much and extreme competition in the retail supermarket industry in recent times. With most of these businesses having to compete for their share of the market. Most them are thinking and aiming of becoming a market leader one. But at the heat of this competition is the issue of survival and going concern which is at the centre of every these retail businesses since failure to consider them could result to total collapse of their entire operations. To this end I decided to investigate Tesco which is one of the UKs most successful and also one of the worlds biggest retail supermarkets to find out how it has operated so far and to see the level of it business and financial success over the last three year period. REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS ORGANISATION Tesco plc was chosen because it has become one of the worlds biggest retail supermarkets in recent times. Considering the size of its market share compare to most of its major competitors, the company has grown so rapidly thereby increasing in profitability. Therefore I wanted to find out whether or not the profitability levels have come as a result of its rapid and consistent growth, since growth and profitability do not always move hand in hand. I also wanted to know more about the companys strategy which has seen it expand so quickly and rapidly than its rivals do. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT The main aims and objectives of this project are to analyse the business and financial performance of Tesco plc. It should be noted that most companies are not managed and directed by their owners (shareholders) but rather appoint Directors and entrust in their hands with stewardship of their investments. Therefore it is appropriate for these Directors to account to these owners the stewardship of those investments entrusted in their care. Shareholders and stakeholders of every company including Tesco plc will like to know whether or not their investments and interest are been managed properly since this will help them decide whether to sell off their shares or keep them and even invest more. Stakeholders alike may also want to know the companys performance, progress and its success in order to take an informed decisions. The project will find out whether Tesco plcs shareholders are properly rewarded for their investments and risks they have taken or not. And also to ascertain how satisfactory Tesco plc stakeholders are. To achieve this, ratio analysis was employed to analyse the companys last three years financial statements (2008, 2009, 2010) and this was compared with the rivals three results in order to obtain objectivity and fairness. There was also a consideration regarding the going concern status of the business as it is central to the companys long term survival. As a consequence, tools such as SWOT and 5 Forces analysis were considered to assess its non financial information in order to establish Tesco plcs current competitive position in the market, any strengths and weaknesses they have as well as opportunities and threats they are faced with. RESEARCH QUESTIONS As part of this project the following research question were generated in order to respond to them in the analysis: Has the shareholders investment managed properly? How well have Tesco plc shareholders are been rewarded for risks taken? Have stakeholders interest been kept satisfied? Is the companys current business strategy sustainable? What is the companys long term survival strategy? Will the company be able to continue to enjoy rapid increase and expansion? 2. INFORMATION GATHERING Sources and their reasons Tesco Plcs 2008, 2009, 2010 Annual reports These individual annual reports provided me with detailed and adequate information which I used for analysing the business and financial performance of the company. The annual reports were very useful in calculating and analysing since they were the most current results. J. Sainsburys Plc Annual Reports for 2008, 2009, 2010 Like the Tesco Plc annual reports, these ones from J. Sainsburys Plc also assisted me in analysing the business and financial performance of the company and again the most recent financial reports. The Chairmen and the Chief Executives statements from both companies These were useful in that they provided me with the companies operational highlights which helped my analysis to reflect those highlights Quarterly Reports on their trading activates There were vital information that I gathered from these quarterly reports as well, which aided my analysis. Unaudited interim company financial Reports Even though these reports were unaudited and may not provide much positive signs, however they supplied me with trends on these companies operations to establish its performance and also to see if there was the need for issuance of profit warning. News papers Information gathered from the news paper publications included experts opinions, comments and suggestions which could affect the share price of the company on the market. And as such was useful to the shareholders and potential shareholders. Expert Reports These were other independent expert views gathered apart from the news papers which throw much more lights on the future and potential prospects of the company by showing trends, projections, forecast, diagnosis, etc. Libraries Continuous visit to libraries such as the Woolwich library, British library, white chapel, etc. These libraries gave me the chance to have access to the data bases of all the listed companies information. Books and journals Most of the ACCA text books such as Paper F2, F7, P3, ACCA students magazines, Financial accounting books, etc were all useful in this exercise in getting a deeper understanding of the financial analysis. 2.2 Method used in information gathering The secondary data were gathered and used for the conduct of this report which was collected through the following means: Libraries Libraries attendance was used to collect data from sources such as articles, News papers, Textbooks, journals, magazines, CD ROM, etc. Search engines (Websites) Websites that were considered important were visited to collect data including that of Tesco Plc website, J. Sainsburys Plc and others. They are (www.tesco.com), (www.j-sainsbury.co.uk), http://www.emeraldinsight.com, http://www.ssrn.com, http://search.ebscohost.com, etc. Request Letter A formal written letter was sent to both the secretaries of Tesco Plc and J. Sainsburys Plc to request a copy of their 2008, 2009, 2010 annual reports which helped in the analysis. Marketlineinfo.com/ Datamonitor.com Specialised information were sort from these sources to help analyse the non- financial information such as SWOT AND 5 Forces analyses techniques. Financial Analysis Made Easy (FAME) This source gave me financial information including Tesco Plc and J. Sainsburys Plc and contained ratios analysis for companies. There was also non- financial information such as the employees numbers, structure of company ownership, issues relating to corporate governance. Accounting techniques used The under-listed techniques were used for the conduct of this research in order to arrive at a reasonable and an objective conclusions which helped to give recommendations Profitability ratios Liquidity ratios Efficiency and solvency Investor ratios/ Stock market ratios As part of the conduct of this research these financial ratios were computed in understanding of the company performance in answering the research questions mentioned in 1.5 above were. They included: Revenue Growth ratio: this showed the movement of growth in revenue for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010 for both Tesco Plc and J. Sainsbury Plc. Profitability and returns ratios: These ratios indicated well Tesco Plc has superiority in terms of Profit generation for the three years as oppose to its rival J. Sainsbury Plc. Working capital ratios: these ratios are pointers of short-term financial standing of both companies. The idea was to establish these companies ability to remain in business by been able to finance its short term debts with short term sources of finance without having to result to the use of long term finance (fixed assets). Efficiency ratios like the profit per employee and turnover per employee were all considered. This was able to show how efficient Primark has been managed in relation to its workers. Investor ratios: the investor ratios measured how well have the shareholders been adequately rewarded for the risk taken. And also these ratios could assist potential shareholders to take any informed decision (s). 3. ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION 3.1 OVERVIEW OF TESCO PLC Tesco is one of the largest food retailers in the world, operating around 2,318 stores and employing over 326,000 people. As well as operating in the UK, it has stores in the rest of Europe and Asia. It also provides online services through its subsidiary, Tesco.com. The UK is the companys largest market operating under four banners: Extra, Superstore, Metro and Express. Tesco sells approximately 40,000 food products in its superstores, as well as clothing and other non-food lines. The companys own-label products are at three levels, value, normal and finest. Tesco Plc own brand accounts for approximately 50% of sales. As well as convenience produce, many stores have gas stations. The company has become one of Britains largest petrol independent retailers. Other retailing services offered in the UK include Tesco Personal Finance and Tesco.com. Tesco Personal Finance is a joint venture with the Royal Bank of Scotland. It has over 3.4 million customers, and provides various financial p roducts and services. The company has operations in the rest of Europe, including the Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Tescos Republic of Ireland business operates in the region of 82 stores, and around 60 stores in the Hungarian market. Tescos Polish operations include former HIT operated stores. It operates around 66 hypermarkets and supermarkets in this country. In the Czech Republic and Slovakian markets, Tesco operates 22 and 23 hypermarkets respectively. Tesco also operates stores in Asia, including Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. The company operates 64 stores in Thailand and 28 stores in the South Korean Market, while in the Taiwanese and Malaysian markets it has three stores in each nation. www.datamonitor.com 3.2 OVERVIEW OF J. SAINSBURYS PLC J. Sainsbury plc operates a total of 890 stores comprising 547 supermarkets and 343 convenience stores. It jointly owns Sainsburys Bank with Lloyds Banking Group and has two property joint ventures with Land Securities Group PLC and The British Land Company PLC. The Group also holds 294 freehold and long leasehold stores. It employs approximately 150,000 staff. The companys stores offer a range of food, and complementary non-food products and services primarily under the Sainsburys brand. It also provides an Internet-based home delivery shopping service. In addition, it provides insurance, credit cards, savings products, and loans. The Sainsburys brand is built upon a heritage of providing customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food. Quality and fair prices go hand-in-hand with a responsible approach to business. Sainsburys stores have a particular emphasis on fresh food and strive to innovate continuously and improve products in line with their customer needs (http://www.j-sa insbury.co.uk). Its businesses are organized into three operating segments: Retailing (Supermarkets and Convenience); Financial services (Sainsburys Bank joint venture), and Property investment (British Land joint venture and Land Securities joint venture) (http://uk.reuters.com). Companies Strategy 3.2.1 Tesco Plc business strategy Tesco Plc has a well-established and steady strategy for growth that has assisted in strengthening its core activities in the UK and its further expansion in to new markets (abroad). The basis for the strategy is to widen the scale of it operations to enable it deliver well-built sustainable long-term growth by way of pursuing the customer into large growing markets at home. By that it offers customers with products including financial services, telecoms and non-food and new markets abroad, originally in Central Europe and Asia, and  more lately  in the US. The companys 1997 diversification strategy lunched has successful become its foundation in recent times. The company has become market leader in most of the markets that saw the creation and development of their new businesses out the UK for the last twelve years since these businesses are highly competitive and profitable. Tesco plc strategy has shown a massive progress consistently. The strategy has five essential rudiments which reflect on the companys four conventional areas of concentration and the business long-term commitments regarding the society as well as the environment. The objectives of the Tesco Plc strategy focus on: To become a successful global retailer To develop its core business in the UK To become as strong in non-food as in food. To build up retailing services such as Tesco Personal Finance, Telecoms and Tesco.com To put the community at the heart of what it does (http://www.tescoplc.com) 3.2.2 J. Sainsburys Plc business strategy J. Sainsburys Plc strategy focuses on five main areas which are underpinned by the companys strong heritage and brand which consistently sets it apart from its main rivals. One of such strategies is great quality products at fair prices the company with its consistent innovation provides its customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food that are also sourced with integrity. With over 19 million customers been served every week and increase in market indicate how successful the strategy has been. The companys second strategy is on the acceleration of the growth of its complementary non-food and services through its philosophy of quality and value, and to offer a broader shopping experience for consumers. The company opened 51 convenient stores during 2009/10 as part of its strategy of reaching as many customers as possible with it brand. I also expanded its groceries online business to reach almost 90% households with non food products lunched in July 2009 making 8,000 products now available nationwide. J. Sainsbury Plc plan to open 75 to 100 more in convenient stores in 2010/11. Since operational flexibility can be improved by property/ assets ownership and even further exploitation of potential development opportunities, J. Sainsbury Plc increased the value of it freehold property portfolio to  £9.8 billion (http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk) In a highly competitive marketplace in which all UK retailers are fighting to sustain their sales against a slowdown in consumer spending, Primark is doing remarkably well. The UK high streets and malls are packed with no-frills fashion retailers. That means that Primark has plenty of competitors all aiming at the same type of customers. It is not easy to sell cheap fashion. Well-established rivals such as BHS and Matalan are struggling, while results at Primark are booming. The market segment targeted by Primark is the fashion conscious under-35s with the slogan Look good pay less. It offers fashionable clothes at very competitive prices (for example, jeans for  £4) and reasonable quality: in other words, a value for money strategy. In competitive strategy terms, Primark is a pursuing a classic focus cost leadership strategy. The American management professor Michael Porter of Harvard University developed a well-known approach to the competitive strategy of firms. He argued that companies could achieve a higher rate of profit (or at least potential profit) in one of two ways: they could either provide a product or service that is identical to that provided by rival companies, but at a lower cost than rival firms, or they could provide a product or service that is differentiated from that of rival firms such that customers would be prepared to pay more for their product than for a rival firms product. (R. M Grant (2005)). The first approach would mean that the firm has a  cost advantage over rival firms, allowing it to pursue a Cost Leadership strategy; the second approach would mean that they had a  differentiation  advantage, allowing it to pursue a Differentiation strategy. Firms selling a no-frills product are usually attempting a cost leadership strategy, such as Easyjet (UK) or SouthWest (USA) airlines. The focus part of Primarks strategy is the specific customer segment it focuses on i.e. that of the under-35s. It is not attempting to sell to everybody. It has selected a particular customer segment, just as the 18-30 holiday company has selected a clear market segment based on age group within the leisure industry. In the last three years Primark has got a lot of things right. Some of its strongest successful competitors are BHS, TK Maxx and George at ASDA. However, although all three are in the value segment and therefore have similar market positioning, the other three have different strategies to that of Primark. TK Maxx sells heavily-discounted prestige brands and George at Asda has created its own private-label brand mostly at out-of town stores. Primark is a high street retailer which has a family of brands and focuses much more on buying, logistics and supply chain management rather than branding. In its pursuit of ever-lower costs, teams of buyers in UK and Ireland travel internationally both to identify fashion trends and to seek out the most competitive suppliers. The company uses computerised customs clearance (speed to market) and dedicated warehousing and distribution facilities, such as the giant warehouse owned and run by the logistics company TNT but dedicated solely to Primark stock distribution. This one warehouse is centrally located for the whole UK market, near a junction of the M1 motorway and it houses 50% of Primarks UK stock, receiving 30 lorry loads each day. (This warehouse was destroyed by fire in November 2005). Computerised warehousing and distribution systems are linked to computerised daily sales and stock information (rapid restocking of fast-selling items) by size and colour for each item in every store to optimise turnover. (www.open2.net) THE PEST ANALYSIS James and Akharaserani (1988) indicated that external phenomena have impact on internal ones. By PEST, attention is paid to Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) factors which could influence positively or negatively on the growth or otherwise of the organisation. The discussion below throws more light on these external issues of the organisation. (P)olitical According to Lancaster et al (2002 p. 55) The political environment is the starting point from which many other macro-environment forces originate. Tesco operates in a variety of political environments; the head office being in the UK. The UK has a functional democracy with elections and multi-party political system. The USA has a similar democratic setup. The political factors in both countries are stable and promote the growth of private enterprise. Most of the European markets are situated in Eastern part and the markets are Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia and Turkey. The political factors here are not as stable as UK or USA. Asia is the largest market outside of the UK. It has presence in Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, China, and Japan. Of these Japan is quite stable. The most political problems are from Thailand where there is opposition from local businesses and so Tesco faces the biggest problems here. (E)conomic The UK and the US are both rich countries even though faced with a recession at present. The East European markets are much poorer in comparison, but Lancaster et al (2002) indicate that there is a massive improvement in the economic environment of the Far East with the likes of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and China. To prevail in the economic condition of the Far East, Tesco has lowered its prices which are welcomed by the local population there. (S)ocial The social structure in USA and UK are quite akin where shopping in supermarkets has existed for a long time. But for the Asian countries, the concept is relatively new. Turkey and Malaysia are both Muslim countries; hence their religious laws have to be taken into consideration by Tesco. (T)echnological Assessing todays technology, Headrick (2009) says, it has brought the world to a stunning advancement. It is in the light of this that Lancaster et al (2002) establish that technology is a very important tool which has a huge impact on the marketing firm. By technology, Japan, US, UK and Malaysia have similar facilities. South Korea is also strong in this regard. Thailand might be the least technologically advanced of the markets. This is also the case with the East European markets. China has technical capability, but is mainly limited to its cities. But it can be said that the level of technology needed by Tesco in all these markets are available and hence not much obstacles in this area are anticipated. THE VALUE CHAIN The concept of value chain has been widely and intensively spoken about by astute authors. The concept was propounded by Michael Porter. Explaining the value chain concept, Porter (1985) describes it as, A general framework for thinking strategically about the activities involved in any business and assessing their relative cost and role in differentiation. Writing on the same concept, Longbottom (2006) intimated that information dissemination across the value chain has increasingly become indispensable to organisations which want to stay in competition. To support Longbottoms assertion, Dekker (2003) expressed that the importance of the value chain cannot be over-emphasised as it grants the organisation an opportunity to achieve the maximum. According to Porter (1985) the value chain has two major parts, namely; Primary and Support activities. He says the Primary activities are those directly linked with production. They are: Inbound logistics, Operations, Outbound logistics, Marketing and Sales and Service. The Support or the Secondary activities he identified as: Procurement, Human Resources Management, Technology Development and the Firms Infrastructure. Below is a demonstration of how Tesco applies the value chain in its activities. 4.1 Primary Activities: Inbound logistics Tesco gets its materials from the suppliers who are mostly the producers and stores them in its depot. Operations Those that need to be turned into finished products are processed as such Outbound logistics Tesco has trucks of different types which supply the various stores. Marketing and Sales Tesco has various means of marketing its products which include the application of the promotional mix producing to meet the needs of the customer Service Tesco has a track record of providing an outstanding service to customers, especially after sales. This is to find out the impression of the customer after the usage of the product. 4.2 Support Activities: Procurement Tesco has been getting in touch with its suppliers without middlemen, hence minimising procurement cost in its purchases. Human Resources Management Tesco employs people who have the expertise and the commitment to serve the company with all the loyalty. Mention could be made of Terry who committed his business acumen to Tesco for fourteen years as Chief Executive Officer. Technology Development This is an area Tesco cannot be beaten to it, as it has created a formidable e-commerce for its activities through Tesco.com The Firms Infrastructure In terms of infrastructure, Tesco has high class modern facilities for its stores and spacious parking places in most of its stores. INFORMATION SYSTEM/IT AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE TOOL FOR TESCO Speaking on the advent of technology, Goessi (2008) expressed that Technology has taken the business environment by storm. Throwing more light on that, Headrick (2009) intimated that due to technology, there has been an excessive threat to the business environement. Gone are the days when every single activity that was done in organisations was manual. In recent years, automation has taken business to another level and those organisations wishing to stay and aspire ought to follow suit. The points discussed below would afford Tesco, the opportunity to gain competitive advantage. Strategic Differentiation According to Hitt et al (2009) a good IS would afford the organisation to strategically differentiate itself to be competitively ahead. In line with this, Tesco differentiates itself and gain competitive advantage by offering special services like club cards to the customer. Integration of Supply and Distribution Tesco could apply IS as a tool to assess and track inventory. By that the supply chain could be monitored with minor problems detected before they become major ones. Communication The Information System being practised in the organisation would determine how expeditious information would be disseminated. A communication system which is automated in nature would minimise cost and improve the image of Tesco as an organisation. Quick Decision Making Information System paves way for important information to be delivered at the right time. Any manager who wants to make a quick decision in the current business dispensation should find IS as an indispensable tool. This will provide the manager to do a quick assessment on a bordering issue and find a solution. CONCLUSION Tesco as an organisation has made a tremendous impact on the business landscape. Even though it had gone through rough times and still faces some competition which is inevitable in contemporary business circles, Tesco has become a household name. With its performance in both the local and the international scenes, couple with the vast technological incorporation, the sky could still be its limit as Goessi (2008) expressed, Many businesses today are still realizing the power their technology possesses, but once strategic knowledge is realised, the potential is endless.

Sequels and phobias in The Return of the Soldier of Rebecca West :: Rebecca West

Times of war and peace: Sequels and phobias in The Return of the Soldier of Rebecca West. Rebecca West (1892-1983) was a prolific writer who tried every literary genre; journalism, literary critique, the short story and the novel. Her first novel The Return of the Soldier published in 1918 spans half a century of creative output culminated in 1966 with her last novel The Birds Fall Down. However, all her narrative is easily identifiable because of her unmistakable style, the structure of her novels, the topics she chooses and the coherence of her ideas about mankind and society. Subsequently, all her novels are psychological, historical and social documents depicting human behavior in a precise historical and social context. West synthesizes what she observes rooting her ideas in British literary tradition. Her keen critical eye is both penetrating and enlightening, for example, when in The Return of the Soldier, Margaret Grey appears poorly dressed daring to invade the Baldry mansion with her mud covered boots, while Jenny, the narrator, expresses crude feelings of resentment towards Margaret and her social group. The latter is represented: ‘... as the rich hate the poor, as insect things that will struggle out of the crannies which are their decent home, and introduce ugliness to the light of day’ (West, 1918, rpt.1984: 32)1. West’s literary reputation was revived in the 1980s with the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Her Black Lamb and Grey Falcon; A Journey through Yugoslavia (1941) brought her wide critical attention because this novel was the last of her efforts to understand the pre-war situation. Furthermore, it was central to West’s next book, The Meaning of Treason (1947), where she concentrated on the psychological characteristics of traitors and she wondered what caused these people to do what they did—for West, war fosters deception and betrayal. The final example of West’s interest in treason is her novel The Birds Fall Down (1966) which concludes with the deaths of both the traitor and the friend he betrayed and in The Return of the Soldier, a study of the sequels of war in human mind, the protagonist is betrayed by his family. In the aforementioned novel, West employs what at the time was an original device, amnesia from war trauma or ‘shell shock’ as well as an unusual perspective on war—that of those who waited at home. West tries to explore the reactions of three women to a returning soldier who, though married, remembers only an earlier love for another woman. In spite of its obvious literary quality, The Return of the Soldier proved to be a novel severely punished by critics.

Never To Forget Essay -- essays research papers

Never To Forget-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The meaning of the title â€Å"Never To Forget† is very significant to the story of the Holocaust. The title simply means to forget what we know would not be human. It is very important that we never forget the Five Million Jews that lost their homes, property, freedom, dignity, and finally, their lives. We must always remember what happened to the Jews. Every time someone thinks of saying or doing something to a fellow human being we must remember the Holocaust. We must never forget to insure this will never happen again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book â€Å"Never To Forget† is Milton Meltzer’s true story of the Holocaust. It tells the story of when over Five Million Jewish peoples were massacred. The book has no characters. It only tells the straightforward account of the Jewish Holocaust. Meltzer writes the story of the Holocaust from an interesting viewpoint. Because he is a young 15 year old American Jew, watching the events of the war from afar, he brings a passion to the delivery of the historical information that makes it more engaging and powerful. The organization of the book into units according to chronology makes it easy to read as a whole, or a reader can use it to research a particular aspect of the Holocaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first unit is entitled â€Å"History of Hatred.† It describes the horrible conditions Jews had to endure prior to Hitler’s Holocaust. Meltzer explains how Jews were enslaved by ...

African American and Personal Essay Essay

|For freshman applicants only. This personal essay is a very important part of your application. It assists the University in | |knowing you as an individual, independent of test scores and other objective data. We ask that you respond to two of the topics | |below. Your personal essay should be no longer than 250 words per question for a total of 500 words for both personal essays in | |the space provided below. The best personal essay is not necessarily the longest. The essay will be requested if it is not the | |appropriate length. | |What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the university community? | |Describe an activity, interest, experience, or achievement in your life (this could be a book, a movie, or an activity or | |experience at work, home, or school) that has been particularly meaningful for you. | |How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are? | 1. When I think of what I can contribute to the university to community, I begin to look at what the university is all about. Florida A M University is all about warmth and acceptance. It’s all about driving students from all walks of life to perform to the best of their capabilities. There all about welcoming African American students and encouraging them to pursue greater heights. My only wish is that I will be given a chance to contribute even in the smallest of way, in helping the university keep its reputation and the prestige it deserves. Doing so is not an impossible task for I believe that simply being myself will be a contribution itself. I honestly believe that I am strong enough to face the multiple challenges that will come along the way as I pursue my studies. Moreover, I believe that being an African American; I can contribute to the cultural diversity of the university. FAMU is known for preserving and uplifting the cultural and historical heritage of the African Americans. Furthermore, the school is known to encourage African Americans to pursue their studies and become competitive in the world. I firmly believe that with my willingness to learn and to succeed, can contribute to the cause. In my little way, I can set an example to my fellow African Americans on how to actively pursue and work towards one’s goals. My belief that education is vital in achieving success is parallel with that of the university and somehow, in my everyday dealings with other students, I can help strengthen such belief. My contribution to the university community may not be grand . However through my constant strives for success I will be able to prove how valuable the education that FAMU provides can be. 2. Something that has been particularly meaningful to me is the passing of my little sister Laura in the spring on April 2, 2011. She was 11 years old, she died n a car accident on her way home with our neighbors, the tire blew out and the car flipped over 6 times killing her and 6 others. My sister was an â€Å"A† student, took all honors classes and never troubled anyone, she was a happy hearted person, loved to be around people. She looked up to me and wanted to be just like me, for instance she liked cheerleading, color guard, band, and track. those are some of the sports I participate in now and now that she is gone I look up to her and I want to Graduate High school and get into College for my Parents, myself and for her because she would of been so proud of me to see that day I walk that stage in remembrance of her I will do anything it takes to fulfill her dreams and mines, its what she would have wanted.

Cause and extent of sleep deprivation

Emotional issues such as anxiety and depression can often lead to sleep deprivation or in worse cases, insomnia. Studies suggest that sleep loss may have an effect on the cardiovascular, endocrine, Immune, and nervous systems. The scope of employee assistance program needed The Intermediate EPA is able to identify and manage the causes of sleep deprivation that affects workplace performance. The workplace Is therefore an ideal setting in reaching a large group of individuals with potential mental health problems, emotional or other impairing issues.An overview of a program that could be Implemented A program that can be implemented referring to Sleep Deprivation is a lunch-time information session. The session would only last half an hour, and would cover the causes of sleep deprivation and how it affects the work place. We would talk about different ways to combat sleep deprivation so that employees now have broader knowledge of the issue and can easily work their way to fixing the issue. These sessions would be held once every three months to help keep the employees awareness levels up. Sources needed to implement and maintain this program would be computers/ laptops; to conduct research on the topic of sleep deprivation, and to compose slide presentations as well as typing up/print fact sheets for employees to keep and take mom with them. Books can also be used to research the history of sleep deprivation so the key speaker is able to answer any difficult questions asked by employees. Personnel needed to develop the program The overall personnel required to attend would be all employees, however the program would also be compulsory.The organizations manager and health and safety committee leader would be conducting research on the topic of sleep deprivation and organizing a presentation room for it to be held in A Key speaker would be the person that addresses all employees and presents all the information o them, also answering any questions or issues that may be raised. The key speaker would be chosen by the manager but someone of importance and is responsible, preferably a team leader within the organization.Administrative structure and support needed to evaluate and monitor implementation and progress of the program Cost factors involved in developing and implementing the program List of Expenditures for developing and maintaining the lunch time information session: – Promotional materials (flyers to be given out to employees) – Extra wages for the key beakers, manager and health & safety leader – Productivity loss due to employee participation in program Approaches to promote the program to employees and build participation Emails session.There would also be a flyer regarding the EPA on the organizations intentioned. Failure to attend and participate would have consequences such as having to clean the staff room lunch area for a couple of days etc Potential benefits to the organization of successful implementa tion of the program. The key benefits of this program would be that all employees are more aware of the issue (sleep deprivation).Since ways to combat sleep deprivation would be covered as well as take home information flyers, certain employees who do suffer from this now have more information. They wouldn't have had to conduct their own research or spend their own money to help fix this issue, therefore are more likely to help themselves. If employees are sleeping better they tend to have more energy, are more focused and will work better. This would increase productivity, as well as employees taking less sick days resulting in less absenteeism and Presentments also.

Inquiries and serious case Essay

Serious case reviews are summoned when a child or a vulnerable adult is seriously injured and there is a suspicion that abuse or neglect has played a role in the outcome. When an incident occurs, a number of investigations are triggered to establish what has happened and who is to blame. In these situations serious case review and inquiries are undertaken in addition to the other investigations. According to Williams (Sarah, 2012), the purpose of serious case reviews is as follows To identify what the lessons are and how they will be acted on to improve practise. Improve local interagency working Review procedures and make recommendations for improvements Of all the procedures and stages of appointment of staff the most crucial factor is safety. It might sound weird but an error in this aspect might have wild consequences. Safer recruitment practice should include those persons who may not have direct contact with children, but because of their presence and familiarity in certain settings will still be seen as safe and trustworthy. The principles of safer recruitment should be included in the terms of any contract drawn up between the organisation and contractors or agencies that provide services for children and young people for whom the organisation is responsible. The organisation should monitor compliance with the contract, which should also include a requirement that the provider will not sub-contract to any personnel who have not been part of a safer recruitment process. Staff has to be kept informed about child protection responsibilities and procedures through induction, briefings and awareness training. There may be other adults in the school who rarely work unsupervised, more usually working alongside members of the school staff. However the supervisor will ensure they are aware of the school’s policy and the identity of the Child Protection Officer. Any member of staff, volunteer or visitor to the school who receives a disclosure of abuse, an allegation or suspects that abuse may have occurred must report it immediately. In Dubai and the United Arab Emirates there is currently no infrastructure of Educational Safeguarding and/or Social Care Services. Following cases which caused concern in the Emirati community, Sheikh Mohammed, the Ruler of Dubai, supported the drafting of a Federal law on child protection â€Å"to ensure a secure and stable future for children in the  U.A.E.† In April 2012, it was reported that Dubai had  "embraced a new policy to protect children against all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect and offer support and care for those in need.† The policy â€Å"aims to provide protection to Emirati and expatriate children under the age 18 who live permanently or temporarily in Dubai. In November 2012, the UAE Cabinet approved â€Å"Wadeema’s Law† to â€Å"protect children in the UAE.The law includes creating special units that intervene when children are at risk and stresses that all children have rights regardless of religion and nationality.† In conclusion, serious case reviews make an important contribution to understanding what happens in circumstances of significant harm. Their effectiveness can be improved and there are examples of promising approaches using the findings of serious case reviews to bring about improvements in safeguarding practice. However, achieving such improvements requires Local Safeguarding Children Boards to develop a much stronger learning culture within which serious case reviews are but one important source of knowledge for improving safeguarding practice. References Dubaicollege. (2012). Child protection policy. Available: http://www.dubaicollege.org/media/policies/Child%20Protection%20Policy.pdf. Last accessed 03rd May 2014. Willams, rutter, gary (2012). Promoting Individual and Organisational Learning in Social Work. london: SAGE publications. p99-102.

Business information system Essay

1. What might have happened to Apple if its top executives had not supported investment in iPads? If the top executives had not supported investment in pads, the new product will be known by less people. Without investment in iPad, people will not receive the information of new technology. 2. Why would it be unethical for Apple to sell its iTunes customer information to other businesses? The customer’s information is about personal privacy, any company can’t sell customer’s information without their permit. 3. Evaluate the effects on Apple’s business if it failed to secure its customer information and all of it was accidentally posted to an anonymous website. The customers will not trust apple again, and they will not leave personal information on iTunes. This will influence Apple that people will not use apple store for purchasing. If the security problem let customer’s credit card information been stolen, Apple will response for that. 1 Do you agree or disagree that Apple’s iTunes, iPhone applications and iPad applications give the company a competitive advantage? Be sure to justify your answer. Yes, I agree with that. One of the main factors that brought Apple back from near oblivion was its ability to produce, market, and sell IT products such as the iPod, iPhone, and customer developed applications. If Apple’s top executives did not have the foresight to view the MP3 players as a competitive advantage, then chances are the company would not have made a strong comeback in the highly competitive electronics market. People who got iPhone, iPad, they will go to Apple’s store to download and buy the application. Other company can only develop application to Apple; they can’t sell or provide their application to customer directly. This is a big advantage for Apple. 2 Why are data, information, business intelligence and knowledge important to Apple? Give an example of each type in relation to the iPad. Data are raw facts that describe the characteristics of an event or object. Before the information age, managers manually collected and analysed data, a time-consuming and complicated task without which they would have little insight into how to run their business. Lacking data, managers often found themselves making business decisions about how many products to make, how much material to order, or how many employees to hire based on intuition or gut feelings. In the information age, successful managers compile, analyse, and comprehend massive amounts of data daily, which helps them make more successful business decisions. Examples include: Sales date, Quantity sold, Cost, Sales price, Total profit, Shipping address, Customer address, Wireless type, Memory amount, Colour. Information is data converted into a meaningful and useful context. Having the right information at the right moment in time can be worth a fortune. Having the wrong information at the right moment; or the right information at the wrong moment can be disastrous. The truth about information is that its value is only as good as the people who use it. People using the same information can make different decisions depending on how they interpret or analyse the information. Thus information has value only insofar as the people using it do as well. Business intelligence (BI) is information collected from multiple sources such as suppliers, customers, competitors, partners, and industries that analyses patterns, trends, and relationships for strategic decision making. BI manipulates multiple variables and in some cases even hundreds of variables including suc h items as interest rates, weather conditions, and even gas prices. For instance, BI can predict inventory requirements for a business for the week before the Super Bowl if, say, the home team is playing, average temperature is above 80 degrees, and the stock market is performing well. This is BI at its finest, incorporating all types of internal and external variables to anticipate business performance. Knowledge includes the skills, experience, and expertise, coupled with information and intelligence that creates a person’s intellectual resources. Knowledge workers are individuals valued for their ability to interpret and  analyse information. Today’s workers are commonly referred to as knowledge workers and they use BI along with personal experience to make decisions based on both information and intuition, a valuable resource for any company. 3 Analyze Apple using Porter’s Five Force model. Apple’s buyer power was low when it first introduced the iPod since it was first to market with the product. Now, there are many competitors to Apple’s iPod and its buyer power is increasing since customers can choose from many different manufacturers of MP3 players. Apple’s supplier power was high and now it is decreasing since buyers have many choices of whom to buy from. Apple can use environmental scanning, or the acquisition and analysis of events and trends in the environment external to an organization, to analyse rivalry. Apple can use environmental scanning to analyse everything from competitor strategies to understanding new and shifting market trends to determining the strategic placement of Apple stores. Without watching its environment and understanding what its competitors are doing and where the market is headed, Apple will have a difficult time setting its strategic direction, as Steve Jobs determined when he thought he had missed the MP3 bandwago n. 4 Which of the three generic strategies is Apple following? Apple follows a focused strategy. 5 Which of Porter’s Five Forces did Apple address through its introduction of the iPhone? Apple decreased the power of its buyers and increased its own supplier power by introducing the iPhone. Since the iPhone was the first to market with an internet access, data storage, MP3 player, etc., its buyers had no power and no choice but to purchase the product from Apple. Unfortunately, Apple could not create an entry barrier and soon many other companies began offering integrated cell phones, which increased buyer power and reduced supplier power. 6 Which of Porter’s Five Forces did Apple address through its customer-developed applications? Apple decreased the power of its buyers and increased its own supplier power by introducing customer developed applications. Since the iPhone was the first to market with an internet access, data storage, MP3 player, which could all accept customer developed applications, its buyers had no power and no choice but to purchase the product and the applications from Apple. Unfortunately, Apple could not create an entry barrier and there are more and more companies offering customer developed applications such as Google and its Android operating system.