Discussion borad 4 international relations Essay

Discussion borad 4 international relations - Essay Example Apart from these, conflicts can be resolved through international organizations, international courts and treaties. In compellence and deterrence, power and influence are used respectively. Diplomacy involves direct and government-to-government contract whereby officials may communicate and dialogue to accomplish the desired goal. With relation to bargaining and negotiation, positional negotiation and principled negotiation are effective ways to use in conflict resolution. Promising rewards, persuasion, position, benefits, reliance on the legitimacy of claims are far better ways than using force of threat (Russett, Starr and Kinsella, 2009, p. 105- 130). Arab-Israeli conflict has long been a sensitive and rather extremely challenging issue that many media, world agencies and various politicians tried to solve it, but, it still remains to be more severe. In solving this conflict, any of the following three methods can be used, 1) Deterrence and diplomacy, 2) negotiated compromise alon g with diplomacy and 3) third-party mediation along with diplomacy. In all these, direct and government-to-government contact along with third-party involvement may also will work out.

There are four topics, so you can choose from them Essay

There are four topics, so you can choose from them - Essay Example Better so, than live to be disgraced and looked askance at† (Book III). Achilles on the other hand participates for the glory that this war is going to bring him, even if it means his death. The motivation of Hector is selfless, while the motivation of Achilles is selfish. Hector holds the position of a traditional hero with the Trojans and is their undisputed leader looked upon with respect. â€Å"When Hector heard this he was glad, and went about among the Trojan ranks holding his spear by the middle to keep them back, and they all sat down at his bidding†. (Book III). On the contrary Achilles is a feared warrior in his camp, but at loggerheads with Greek kings Agamemnon, who want his presence on the battlefield as a motivation for the Greek army, which can be seen from this speech of Achilles to Agamemnon â€Å" You are steeped in insolence and lust of gain. With what heart can any of the Achaeans do your bidding, either on foray or in open fighting? I came not warring here for any ill the Trojans had done me. I have no quarrel with them. They have not raided my cattle nor my horses, nor cut down my harvests on the rich plains of Phthia; for between me and them there is a great space, both mountain and sounding sea†. (Book 1). Throughout the book Homer paints Achilles in a near godly fashion. The human ingredient of fear is absent in Achilles and this makes his acts of bravery and valiance beyond the means of a mere human. On the other hand Hector is seen in the as a human with all its failings including fear. Event in life cause fear, but how fear is conquered even at the pain of death makes a human a hero. The scene of the killing of Hector by Achilles brings this out to the forefront. Hector alone outside the walls of Troy runs away from Achilles demonstrating the human characteristic of fear. He however overcomes it to come

How has psychological well being been measured

How has psychological well being been measured Psychological well-being is an important concern for individuals, communities, and health services throughout the world, not only because of the costs associated with psychological ill-health, but also the loss of quality of life for those affected by and their relatives (Nilsson K W, Leppert J, Simonsson Bo, Starrin B., 2008). Kellam et al., (1975) believe that mental health is broadly perceived to consist of two conceptually independent dimensions. One dimension is the principal component of the traditional psychiatric view of mental health, which is known as psychological well-being, and the other is called social adaptational status (SAS). This dimension provides a societal view of the capability of the role functioning of the individual (Petersen A.C, and Kellam S.G., 1977). Psychological well-being focuses on the individuals feelings and other features of psychological functioning. Self-reports are a primary means of measuring this dimension for individuals who are able to evaluate their own psychological well-being. Many scholars have utilized the term psychological well-being for various aspects of mental health or psychological functioning. A number of researchers have also measured concepts related to our conception of psychological well-being, but have named them differently. Especially recently, scholars have frequently used psychological well-being to describe subjective self-reports about the quality of life (Bradburn and Caplovitz, 1965; Campbell et al., 1976 cited in Petersen et al., 1977). Petersen A.C, and et al., (1977) defined it as an internal, individual view of mental health. In the same line, Peteson et al., (1977) declared that psychological well-being is a multidimensional concept which consists of various aspects of psychopathology, self-esteem and other positive aspects of self. Although it may not be possible to define what Mental Health precisely is (Public Health Institute of Scotland 2003), but it seems necessary to realize the main factors which form a persons mental health or mental well-being. Mental health is generally described as, the ability to develop psychologically, socially, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually as well as the ability to, initiate, develop and sustain mutually satisfying relationships, use and enjoy solitude, become aware of others and empathise with them, play and learn, develop a sense of right and wrong and to face and resolve problems and setbacks satisfactorily and learn from them (Edwards 2003). Moreover, the measurement of health outcomes is essential to the development of health services (Hopton J L, Hunt S M, Shiels Ch, and Smith C. (1995). The Scales of Psychological Well-Being measure (SPWB) (Ryff, 1989) includes 84 items rated from 1 strongly disagree to 6 strongly agree. The SPWB consists of six subscales with 14 items in each. These are: (a) self-acceptance, (b) positive relations with others, (c) autonomy, (d) environmental mastery, (e) purpose in life, and (f) personal growth. Ryff has demonstrated the SPWB as a reliable and valid measure of well-being (1989b; Ryff Keyes, 1995). Cronbachs alpha for the 20-item scale ranged from .86 to .93 and there was excellent test-retest reliability over a six-week period (R: range from .81 to .88). The generic 22-item Psychological General Well-being Index (PGWB) has shown to be the most commonly employed questionnaire to assess psychological well-being in adult with a problem such as growth hormone deficiency (GHD) (Dupuy HJ, 1984). This questionnaire consists of six subscales (Anxiety, Depression, General Health, Positive Well-being, Self-control and Vitality), and a Total score. Yet, General Well-being Index (GWBI) is another generally used scale which is employed in problematic situation. This scale is known to be very similar to the PGWB with only some minor differences in vocabulary, for instance blue becomes sad on the British version, five response categories rather than the six, and also question order. In two samples of British patients with depression validation of the GWBI showed construct validity and high internal consistency reliability for the whole scale (in the range 0.92 0.96) (Hunt SM, McKenna SP., 1992). The GWBI contains 22 questions, each with five response options (scoring from 1 to 5). The options have been worded in a different way for each question, to define the intended meaning (e.g. During the past two weeks, have you been waking up feeling fresh and rested? Every day Most days Less than half the time Not often Not at all). As it is clear, half of the items are positively worded and the other half negatively. There are no reco mmended subscales. The GWBI Total score is the sum of all 22 items (after reversing the negatively-worded items), and ranges 22-110. Higher scores designate worse well-being (McMillan C V et al., 2006). McMillan C V et al., (2006) examined reliability, structure and other aspects of validity of GWBI in a cross-sectional study of 157 adolescents with treated or untreated growth hormone deficiency (GHD), and sensitivity to change in a randomised placebo-controlled study of three months growth hormone (GH) withdrawal from 12 of 21 GH-treated adults. The findings demonstrated that respondents found both questionnaires acceptable. Factor analyses did not show the existence of useful GWBI subscales, but confirmed the validity of measuring a GWBI Total score. The W-BQ12 is recommended more than the GWBI to assess well-being in adult GHD; it is to a great extent shorter, has three useful subscales, and has greater sensitivity to change. Another generic measure of psychological well-being is the Well-being Questionnaire (W-BQ). The 12-item version, the W-BQ12, is derived from the longer W-BQ22. W-BQ12 This has been employed in several studies to assess the effects of new treatments and interventions in diabetes (Bradley C, 1994), a condition for which it has good internal consistency and validity (Plowright R, Witthaus E, Bradley C., 1999). The W-BQ12, nevertheless, has less respondent burden than the W-BQ22, and redresses an imbalance between numbers of positively worded and negatively worded items in the longer questionnaire (Riazi A, Ishii H, Barendse S et al., 1999). Hopton J L, Hunt S M, Shiels Ch, and Smith C. (1995) also investigated the validity of a 22 item measure of psychological well-being and the adapted common well-being index (AGWBI) in 266 patients, who ranged about 16 or over years old, drawn from the computerized list of one general practice in UK. The findings are largely supportive of the validity of the AGWBI and propose that it may be suitable in the evaluation of several developing areas of primary care. In Barlow J. H, Cullen L. A, and Rowe. L. F study on 82 rheumatoid arthritis patients, the psychological well-being was evaluated employing the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) (Zigmond A.S, and Sniaith R. P., 1983). The HADS contains 14 items (7 for anxiety and 7 for depression), which is quick and easy to complete, and posses established reliability and validity (35). The HADS was designed to identify the presence and severity of relatively mild degree of mood disorder in non- psychiatric, hospital out-patients. S cores range from 0 to 21, with the higher scores signifying greater anxiety and greater depression (Moorey Greer S, and Watsa M, et al., 1991). In a number of studies, scholars have utilized General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) for evaluating well-being over a whole lifetime (Nilsson K W, Leppert J, Simonsson Bo, Starrin B., 2008). Goldberg D.P et al. (1970) designed the GHQ to detect psychiatric disorder. This questionnaire evaluates the individual present functioning from his or her usual state. GHQ has several types such as 60, 32, 28, and 12 items but the most popular type of the GHQ is 28 items which has four subscales as follow: A. Somatic Symptoms (items 1-7) B. Anxiety/Insomnia (items 8-14) C. Social dysfunction (items 15-21) D. Severe depression (items 22-28) These individual subscales are merely used for diagnosis of information and identification purposes, while the total subscales score is used. Ryff (1989) developed a multidimensional model designed to capture the broad elements of eudemonia. And six dimensions of well-being are identified which include: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. The Scales of Psychological Well-Being (PWB; Ryff, 1989) indicates the ways in which people react to a range of specific experiences, such as community relocation (Ryff Essex, 1992). Ryffs measure of PWB is relevant to analysis of experience of either advantage or adversity over the lifetime (Ryff Singer, 1996 cited in Grossbaum M F, and Bates G W. (2002). The Scales of Psychological Well-Being measure (SPWB; Ryff, 1989b) contains 84 items rated from 1 strongly disagree to 6 strongly agree. This scale also consists of six subscales with 14 items in each. These are: (a) self-acceptance, (b) positive relations with others, (c) autonomy, (d) environmental mastery, (e) purpose in life, and (f) personal growth. Ryff (1989b; Ryff Keyes, 1995) established the SPWB to be a reliable and valid measure of well-being. Cronbachs alpha for the 20-item scale ranged from .86 to .93 and over a six-week period the reports showed excellent test-retest reliability (rs range from .81 to .88). Allardt (1981) suggested a model for evaluating well-being in academic setting. Allardts model of well-being is categorized in to four variables of (1) school condition (having), (2) social relationship (loving), (3) means for self-fulfilment (being) and (4) heath status. The School well-being model origins from Allardts sociological theory of welfare and is constructed to measure well-being in educational settling (Konu Rimpela, 2002). In this model, well-being is associated with teaching, education, learning activities and outcomes. Allardts model Means for self fulfilment contains situation for each student to act according to his/her own resources and capabilities. Health status is assessed based on students symptoms, diseases and illnesses. The main preference of this model is due to its diverse sub categories of well-being in students life in educational centre as well as considering the impact of pupils homes and neighbourhood. Allardth further in 1989 developed his model cross tabulating having, loving and being with the dichotomy of objective and subjective indication and obtained six cells of different types of indicators. According to the literature, Allardth model is employed in this relationship study to measure international students well-being.

Personal Narrative: My Favorite Noncompetitive Activities :: essays research papers

My Three Favorite Noncompetitive Activities The three different activities I like is bicycling, camping, and hiking. I got interested in camping because, you get to see the outdoors, and see the stars, and eat burnt marshmallows. This is very fun. Also, because this is a group activity. I also got interested in hiking because, it keeps you in shape, and its just plain fun and it is a dual activity. I got interested in bicycling because, you get to travel around in it, and it keeps you in shape, and it is very fun. And, because it is an individual activity. When I went to camp I got to fish, swim, and tell scary stories, and sleep in tents. It was a lot of fun. We got to pick our camp grounds. We got to make camp fires, so we can cook our food. We are also able to see the stars at night. We can?t really see the stars in the cities, because there is too much light. But anyways we had a lot of fun camping. Bicycling is also a lot of fun. You can travel anywhere on a bicycle. It keeps you in shape, and it is fun. But you have to be careful of glass or nails, or else your tires might become flat. But other than that, it can be a lot of fun. You can get a really strong workout with a bicycle. You can have races against other people. You can take it with you camping and to the beach. Hiking is a lot of fun. It keeps you in good shape. It exercises your body. It helps your brain to think and learn. You can also race against other people. You can see the great out doors if you are hiking in the woods. You can see different kinds of birds and trees and people. Well I can tell you this much, hiking is a lot of fun.

Management Techniques Used in Mcdonalds Stores

Management Techniques used in McDonalds Date: 17/12/2010 Contents: Pg 1 – Title page Pg 2 – Contents Pg 3 – Executive Summary Pg 4 – 1. 0 Terms of Reference 2. 0 Procedure 2. 1 Primary Research 2. 2 Secondary Research 3. 0 Findings 3. 1 Principles of scientific management Pg 5 – 3. 2 Principles of Taylorisms 3. 3 McDonaldization 3. 4 Individual Investigation Pg 6 – 3. 5 Motivation 4. 0 Conclusion Pg 7 – 5. 0 Recommendations 6. 0 Reference List 7. 0 Bibliography Executive Summary This report was produced to look at the management and motivation methods hat are used in McDonald’s fast food restaurants, and was requested by the Senior Executive of McDonalds. The main findings were that there are influences of the theories of F. W. Taylor and George Ritzer and was concluded that upon observation of the activities in McDonalds, there are evident uses of scientific management used in McDonalds restaurants, and that this does have a kn ock-on effect on the motivation of staff there. The recommendations of this report are that the managers need to engage the staff and try to ‘revamp’ the processes that they have in place, and give them a more direct motivation as to the rewards that they receive. 1. 0 – Terms of Reference This report is has been requested by the Senior Executive of McDonalds in September 2010, in response to a claim made by Wilson (2010). Wilson suggests that there are close links between the scientific management principles and the strict routines and procedures found in McDonald’s fast food restaurants. This report will look into scientific management principles and to see if they do actually have an effect on the management principles that are used McDonalds fast food restaurants and will briefly look at the motivation methods of McDonald’s employees, and will include observations of these methods. The basic problems found in the observation of staff, was that the observation was limited, and only observed the activities of the ‘front-line’ employees, serving the customer, and was not able to extend this to the ‘beginning’ of the process to where the food is made on the premises. This report has been compiled by an independent researcher, who will consider through observation and research whether Wilson’s suggestion does support the daily routines a customer would find when visiting such fast-food restaurants. 2. – Procedure The following procedures were undertaken in order to analyse the case study organisation. 2. 1 – Primary Research: The primary research undertaken was to observe the staff of various McDonalds restaurants, these were observed from September 2010 to December 2010 to try and obtain a more varied view of the procedures staff at McDonalds use. This is found under section 3. 4 – Individual Investigation. 2. 2 – Secondary Research: The secondary research undertaken was through websites, books and online articles. This research was used for the use of theorists used in the Findings section of the report. | 3. 0 – Findings 3. 1 Scientific management is a theory that was initially developed by Fredrick Winslow Taylor and this theory was published in 1911. In his publication, ‘The Principles of Scientific Management’, Taylor addresses the â€Å"importance of the larger question of increasing our national efficiency’ (Taylor, 1911). His theory sets out to ‘Prove that the best management is a true science, resting upon clearly defined laws, rules and principles as a foundation’ (Taylor, 1911). Taylor believed that workmen would do as little work as possible, and would produce one-third to one-half of their ability, and believed that this was universal, yet he wanted to counter this and increase the productivity of workers. Taylor suggests through his own research that many jobs, including skilled professions can be broken down into smaller tasks, meaning the less need for skilled craftsmen to complete jobs, and make their own decisions. He conducted this research in the steel industry with Time Studies; he observed worker’s sequence of motions to determine the best way for jobs to be performed. The drawbacks of this method, although it does increase productivity, are that it de-humanises the job role, and doesn’t allow for any thought of the worker to be involved. 3. 2 The four main principles of Taylor, also known as Taylorisms, are: 1. Replace ‘rule of thumb’ work methods with methods based on a scientific study of the tasks. 2. To scientifically select, train and develop each worker rather than leaving the workers to train themselves. 3. To co-operate with workers to ensure that the scientific developed methods are being followed. . To divide work nearly equally between management and workers, so managers apply the scientific management principles to planning and the work, and the worker to actually perform the tasks. (www. netmba. com) These principles were adopted mainly in factories and industrial settings, including Henry Ford’s car production factories. 3. 3 McDonaldization is a term that was created by George Ritzer based on the findings of Max Weber’s theories of bureaucracy, in his publication ‘The McDonaldization of Society’ (1995). George Ritzer explains that the fast food restaurant is an extreme example of rationalization process, where the main focus is that of efficiency and predictability. Ritzer’s four main principles of McDonaldization are: 1. Efficiency – The fastest method of completing a task. 2. Calculability – In terms of McDonald’s customers, this means to serve the customers a large amount of food in a short period of time, in terms of McDonalds staff, it is the quantity of work they do and not the quality in that they do it. 3. Predictability – Meaning whatever McDonalds restaurant a customer will go to, they would know what to expect, this applies to the product and the service that they receive. 4. Control – This is the control over the employees, everything is standardized and wherever possible, human interaction is replaced by technology. 3. 4 Individual Investigation- On conducting an investigation into what a customer would experience upon visiting McDonald’s restaurants, it was found that the experience does support the views of Ritzer, and Taylor’s scientific management principles can be applied. On being served, a customer is asked the same routine question, and the customers answer will be, again, another script-written question, i. e. What drink would you like with that, would you like to have a large meal? The employee that is serving will then either collect the order that the customer has placed, or there will be another member of staff there to carry out that particular task, so that the person ‘stationed’ at the till can go on to serve the next customer, whichever may be more efficient, with tasks being broken down. This experience alone can cover three of the four principles used by Ritzer, quite clearly; efficiency, fastest method of completing the task, calculability, serving customers with large amounts of food in a short time and also the quantity of work that they do. The third principle of Ritzer is supported by visiting a few various McDonalds restaurants, the customer will know what to expect, as stated earlier with the ‘script-written’ questions upon ordering food, to knowing the McDonald’s ‘menu’ and what you will get. The fourth principle of Ritzer’s, control, from going to McDonalds has been perceived from this observation that the managers will control the staff, ensuring that tasks are carried out correctly, as when observing the activity behind the counter, there is always a manager present, constantly going back and fourth between points, and ‘checking over employees shoulders’. 3. 5 Motivation – To look at the benefits that may motivate a McDonald’s employee, it has been researched on what promote the vacancies that are available in McDonalds. From accessing the McDonald’s website www. mcdonalds. co. k, the company advertises that the vacancies are not just short-term jobs, but the opportunity offers great training and development schemes from apprenticeships to foundation degrees, yet, they do not move away from the actual realization of the job. A very brief breakdown of a crew-members role is stated as, customer service – expected to provide customers with a quick and accurate service. The website also promotes the ‘rewards and benefits’ of being a McDonalds employee, these are; 28 days paid holidays, free private healthcare (after three years service), stakeholder pension scheme, an employee is able to exchange ? 10 directly from their pay to childcare vouchers, saving on National Insurance and Tax, and also appealing to possibly single parents, and also discount cards for large retailers, including HMV and Marks & Spenser’s. However, although all these rewards and benefits may seem appealing, there is also a short video clip on the website, titled ‘Think Again’. This is a short video, where a McDonalds employee has approached people ‘off the street’ to ask their views on people who work in McDonalds. Some answers given are that McDonalds employees are uneducated, people ‘filling in between real jobs’ and that a job at McDonalds is a last resort, however, the employee who was conducting the short ‘interviews’ was a university student, currently studying law, when this was told to the people who she was talking with, mostly all of them looked surprised, and afraid that they had offended her, but it further backed her point, of ‘think again’, not all McDonalds staff are what they appear to be, and the majority of them are studying in university for degrees. This video is a realistic view of what McDonald’s staff are considered to be, and McDonalds have tried to turn this in their favour, yet, it will be off-putting for some to apply for these jobs, and from visiting McDonald’s restaurants, the staff do not seem entirely enthusiastic and motivated, and seem to find it a struggle to offer ‘service with a smile’. 4. 0 Conclusion In conclusion, Wilson’s suggestion is a true statement of the management techniques and working procedures that are used in McDonalds. From researching the scientific management principles, and observing the activity in McDonalds, it can be seen that these principles do apply; the tasks are broken down into small tasks, to enable efficiency. All staff are trained on the job role that they are doing, and are trained to the method that fits best with the structure of the restaurant and environment that they will be working in, and managers are constantly overseeing what the employees are doing. The findings have also shown that Ritzer’s views of McDonaldization are again, quite true, and again from observation of staff working at McDonald’s, have fitted with the principles that Ritzer claim McDonald’s function on. 5. 0 Recommendations The recommendations that are found from the findings of this report are that there needs to be a more direct motivation for the staff at McDonalds. As said under the findings, the staff seem to lack an enthusiasm for the job that they are doing, even though the training and development opportunities and the rewards available are quite impressive. However, this lack of ‘awareness’ may be to the mundane and repetitive processes that the organisation have in place, and if so, McDonald’s managers need to look at this again. The processes that are in place do offer efficiency, which is essential for a fast-food restaurant, but they need to get their staff more engaged and offer more variety in the way that these processes are carried out, and while doing this, possibly include the staff that are carrying out these ‘processes’ to share their input into what they feel can be done etter, this will then have a ‘boost’ factor to the way that they feel they are valued in the organisation. 6. 0 Reference list * â€Å"importance of the larger question of increasing our national efficiency’ (Taylor, 1911, Introduction, The Principles of Scientific Management)* * â€Å"Prove that the best management is a true science, resting upon clearly defined laws, rules and principles as a foundati on† (Taylor, 1911, The Principles of Scientific Management, Pge 3)* *both accessed from forgottenbooks. org 7. 0 Bibliography * www. mcdonalds. co. uk (9/12/2010) * www. netmba. com (8-11/12/2010)

Primark

Primark: An Overview Primark Stores Limited is an Irish clothing retailer. Its stores are located in various regions like United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. Within this area of responsibility, Primark stores outnumbered other clothing retailer business, with one hundred sixty one stores overall distributed in three major regions: one hundred twenty-five in the United Kingdom, thirty-four in Ireland and eight in Spain. The company positions itself as marketing fashionable at cutthroat prices. The original clothing store was established by Arthur Ryan and his collaborator Micaela Mitchell in Dublin Ireland in 1969.After various success in clothing business, great profits and gross income led them to open stores in local and regional areas. It acquired various premises in different business centers within its local and regional areas which eventually generate more profits and income. Primark is known for selling clothes at the budget end of the market. Its success is based on sourcing supply, making clothes with simple designs and fabrics and targets young, fashion-conscious individuals ages 35 below, offering them simple yet high quality clothes and apparels.Hence, these successes brought significant changes on Primark's retail business. The relevance of global trends and consumers' demands on lifestyle made Primark Store Limited reinvent its business scheme and management structure. Primark's management and business structure As a famous clothing retail store, recently, Primark embarks in different retail products not only restricted on manufacturing clothes but also other related products such as apparels and accessories available to all human sizes. Primark employs simple managerial operation on its stores structure.Each store has its own manager responsible in overseeing the status and business operations. With managers' inherent authority, they are given the power and control to manage the store within his/her point of responsibility. Moreover, in smaller o r larger branches, assistant and deputy managers are assigned to control and manage the store. Within the store, there are different subdivided departments in which a manager is assigned like senior department managers and junior department managers who are in charge for individual departments.Moreover, under management, there are supervisors in charge of staff on a sales floor, on different departments like stock room staff, customer service staff, customer service desk, cashiers who work on the tills, cash office staff and staff responsible to look after fitting rooms. This management and business structure posits a simple way of managing human labor force, however, simple it may seem, yet inevitably creates serious problems and issues if and when proper assessment of the structure will be undervalued.Analysis on the internal and external environment of Primark retail industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Primark clothing retail industry is a member of Ethical Trading Initiative, a collaborative forum bringing together businesses to work on labor rights issues in their supply chains. In fact, Primark developed ethical strategy in order to promote labor rights issues within its organization. Certain guidelines and code of conduct must be defined in relation to the ethical implications of work to human labor rights.Primark, initiated and defined its ethical trade strategy in 2006, focusing on assessment of employees working conditions, factories operations' concerns and addressed necessary improvement. Primark's annual report of activity should be passed to the Ethical Trading Initiative Board. Moreover, Primark stands to a principle that shared learning and collaboration is one of the most successful ways to achieve sustained positive progression with its supplier's factories. However, climate change within and outside Primark's environment changes as it faces the challenges posed by the global business market.Using PESTLE and SWOT analysi s, let us examine the ins and outs environment of Primark's retail clothing industry. The PESTLE analysis allows us to examine the external factors affecting the environment of an organization while SWOT analysis aids us to assess organization's internal strengths and weaknesses and further identify threats and opportunities external to its environment. Hence, these methods are helpful for us to understand and underline positive and negative factors affecting the external and internal environment of an organization like Primark.In assessing the political, social, and economic factors external to the environment of Primark, we must consider different issues. Primark's business operations are subject to government policies and regulations. The business firm should conform to the set of policies and regulations stipulated and enforced by the government and policy making body while conforming to the set of regulations and policies, the firm should assume social responsibility as demande d by the global consciousness.Nowadays, business sectors no longer busied themselves to produce bonds of profits and income but deeply involved in social programs to promote social awareness and equality. Cultural and social behaviors of different consumers are important to consider when establishing or venturing business in the global landscape. Furthermore, economic, environment, laws, and technology are inseparable entities in which influence the business operations. The economic stability of certain region can contribute allot to the business condition of certain firm, like Primark.Technology on the other hand, brought a tremendous effect to the status and development of business operations and marketing programs. It generates new trends in a rapid movement, which if organizations are unaware will impede growth and development. Hence, Primark's must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTLE as external factors that in one way or the other affects its intern al and business operations. Assessing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Primark, we go back to its established management or business structure.The need for re-tracking the management or business structure is important in analyzing its SWOT. As to my knowledge upon my encounter with Primark's business operations, its strengths are gained in its simple, systematic and organized business structure, having assigned proper authorities to proper positions. Moreover, its recognition for valuing high quality of products and quality services with its customers garnered more strength to attract more people. On the other hand, Primark's weaknesses can be found in its way of managing people.Although, Primark is a member of Ethical Trade Initiative, study shows given different negative issues concerning its business operations and transactions like child labor, purports less value on ethical matters. Different issues were attacking Primark concerning exploitation and abus e on labor force, other environmental concerns, poor working conditions, and disvaluing workers' rights. Primark in different surveys was labeled as a fashion industry with oppressive regime. The primacy of autocratic and rigidity on standard structures can be a weakness as well as threats to the life of the company.Since, it goes globally, opportunities are in wide array not only on the part of venturing into regions with much income and profit to gain but also an opportunity to share and provide quality products to fashion-conscious people with vogue to fashion lifestyle. Conclusion Given this analysis we come to realize that each organization has its own external and internal problems to handle. The process in which we enable to identify and analyze such problems is by using proper management method of analysis like SWOT and PESTLE. The importance of these methods is squared to the importance of the business itself. Primark Primark stores ltd is a major retail group employing over 10,000 people. A company which has achieved superior performance in recent years is an associated British Foods plc subsidiary called primark. Primark opened its first store in june 1969 in Ireland, where it operates at Penneys. Today it has a total of more than 193 stores operating in Ireland, Spain, UK, the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany and is till aggressively expanding . n the UK, where primark has its maximum numbers of stores. Primark is seconds to Asda’s George in terms of the largest numbers of clothes sold by volume, overtaking established reputed companies such as Marks & Spencer. It is reported that their profits have increased by 10% and sales increased by 20% in the year 2009 even though each of its three main markets were subject to recessionary pressure and a decline in consumer confidence.Primark has won several awards each year since 2005and its most recent awards are â€Å"best budget store on the High Street at the GMTV High Street Fashion awards 2009 (awarded 7th may 2009), Retailer of the year for the second year in succession at the BCSC Gold Awards and Value Retailer of the year at the Drapers Record Awards. Apart from this, primark has also been successful in establishing it brand name. celeberties such as Katie Holmes have been spotted earing its Clothes and they also been featured in one fot eowrlds most premium fashion magazine Vogue.Primark has numerous competitors such as New Look, H&M and TK Maxx although its biggest competitor in the UK is Asda’s clothing brand George. Primark has managed to increase sales and make profits during turbulent economic climate even when well established brands like Next have not been able do so. Primark adopts the â€Å"no frills† strategy which many successful business in other industries like Ryan air have adopted. They describe themselves as having â€Å"a lean business which responds quickly in the market place, h as short lines of management , good buying and excellent distribution†.Furthermore, unlike its competitors, primark specifically targets people under the age of 35. these are the people who are the most fashion conscious. Primark has excellent â€Å"time to market† and it is said that it takes them a maximum of 6 weeks to get the latest trends from the catwalks to the shop floors. Primark has very clearly positioned themselves as being at the absolute bottom end of the market in terms of prices unlike some of its competitors such as Marks and Spencer which have mid range prices.Primark has a clear marketing strategy where it provides the young generation with the trendiest clothes at the lowest prices possible. This is further emphasized by its company slogan â€Å"look good pay less†. †¢ Primark target customer is fashion-conscious and wants value for money. Primark can offer value for money by †¢ Sourcing products efficiently †¢ Making clothes wi th simpler designs †¢ Using local fabrics and trims †¢ Focusing on the most popular sizes †¢ Buying in volume †¢ Not spending heavily on advertisingTask 01 Communication It is a process of exchange of ideas and information between two persons or more through effective way to achieve both general and special purpose. Communication is a key skill in getting what you need from life. It is basically the sending and receiving of messages. [pic] internal communication internal communication is a subset of effective business communication. Internal communication in a business context, is the dialogue process between employees and employer, and employees and employees.

Service Delivery System Essay Example

Service Delivery System Essay Example Service Delivery System Paper Service Delivery System Paper The Lewis Partnership is in my opinion a very well organised company. Through their description in the first edition of their Occasions Magazine the reader gets in a world of dreams hopping to be there and to have the possibility to see it with the own eyes. The description is fantastic and you become the wish to be there and to know personally such a loving place. The employees describe the organisation as excellence as a culture, a work ethic and a way of life and a unique and very special place. The two most important managers Chris Lewis and Mark Lewis illustrate their both hotels as the first choice for all occasions. They want the costumer to be the King and they want to spoil the clients so that they spend an unforgettable time in the hotel. By offering luxury and elegance, by giving only the best service and by realizing the wishes of the costumers they show that they have a very well designed Customer Benefit Package. The clients appreciate very much the services offered by the hotels. This is shown with the example of the couple who chose the Moat House Hotel to celebrate their wedding. The couple was very pleased by the flexibility of the hotel manager. They were even allowed to change pictures and to put some own ones to adorn the rooms. The fact that this couple chose this hotel again for their first anniversary and for the naming ceremony of their first child shows that they were very satisfied with the service offered by the hotel. In the magazine they also express the careful choose of their providers of foods, flowers and coffee. The Lewis Partnership remarks also the high quality of their restaurants and point out the 2 AA Rosette standards. The winning of some awards is also a sign for the good quality delivered in the hotels. (Occasions Magazine / First Edition) 2. What is a Service Concept and why is it important to such a company?  The service concept of a company is the sum of the facilities and the deals that a company offers to their costumers. These depend on the point of view of the company by which the organisation wants the costumers, their employees and the stakeholders to perceive it. The point of view of the company depends on the initial vision that the creator of the company had when he or she started with the business. In the case of the Lewis Partnership they started with the idea of transforming the manor house into a pub and a small restaurant. After the vision they created the mission, a very difficult task because it is not easy to design and to change the mission once it is created. Later on when they took over the Swan Hotel they applied the same mission to this second business changing only some specific hotel own details. The mission is the way of doing things and the way that they wanted to be perceived by their environment. They decided to develop a place where people can enjoy holidays, a business travel or a simple dinner. They worked hardly over years and this way they build up on this idea. Step by step they expanded. They transformed the pub into a small restaurant. They worked very hard and they had big difficulties due to the lack of experience. But the business worked always better and later on due to the increasing demand of the costumers they decided to transform the restaurant into a hotel. After an extensive research they started the project. Due to the importance of having qualified personnel they employed an experienced team of professionals. The costumers were so satisfied with the service that the Manor house has been repeatedly named the most popular civil wedding venue. The well going Moat House Hotel and the opening of the Swan Hotel were the result of taking exceptional care of the costumers; they adapted the needs of the costumers and innovated their business on an ongoing basis. Another very important task is to be a good leader. The bottom line for all leadership efforts is customer satisfaction. Continued patronage ensures companys success. The supervisors have some contact with customers because they are working leaders, but there are the employees of the service team who handle the bulk of the customer contacts. That is why the importance of satisfied employees is so important to provide good service to the costumers. Desired behaviours only will take place when each leader and their respective managers and supervisors start modelling these behaviours to those they manage. When employees see their leaders actually leading by example, they feel good about their work and are more motivated to satisfy their guests. Guests and customers in general feel good when they deal with companies who seem to treat their people well. (www.hotelexecutive.com). In the case of the Lewis Partnership managers and the rest of the staff have a very good relationship. The employees have the possibility to be rewarded by themselves with the AboveBeyond awards. Management and rest of employees work together they built a strong team and the work atmosphere is very good. It is also important to point out that the services sector has grown steadily in the last 20 years. People not only want to be in a nice hotel and to pass there some days for holidays or business. They want to get more for their money. The competence is always harder and only satisfied clients choose the same hotel twice. The surroundings and the installations of a hotel are very important but you will not reach a second visit of a client if you do not offer a very good service. The Swan Hotel has a three stars category and the Moat House a four Starts category and this is also an important reason to deliver a good service to customers. Of course hotels with fewer stars should also give a good service but when a person books a table or a room in a four stars hotel he has a higher service expectation. (www.moathouse.co.uk) (www.theswanstafford.co.uk)  3. What features of a service delivery system appear to make this company successful in delivering quality service to their customers? A service delivery system is a mix of capabilities provided through resources. A good service delivery system depends on the coordination and effectiveness of all the characteristics around the service provided. In the case of a hotel the management has to answer many key questions and take many decisions to create a Costumer benefit package. They have to answer questions like: what wants the costumer, what are his needs, which are his preferences. The management needs to design procedures and to teach the staff on them to reach a high satisfaction by the costumers. A very helpful way for employees to follow the procedures is creating standard operating procedures, where each procedure is fixed step by step. It is also very important to measure the results to evaluate their effectiveness and to make improvements with the feedback of the environment. What is a Costumer benefit package? It is a combination of tangibles and intangibles that comprise a service. (Class Notes March 2004) For example: Why is a Costumer Benefit Package so important? Because of the upward trend in the business service sector over the past 20 years and also because competitive edge starts with a solid Costumer Benefit Package. It is vital to develop the CBP because it is a very useful tool for service providers to clarify what they do and do not offer through their services also because it helps to define service providers responsibilities to customers. In todays service oriented economy, it is important that companies develop a strong CBP to stay competitive. The management should keep in mind that there are many factors to take into consideration while designing an appropriate CBP for their company. (www.freequality.org) According to the GAP model, the personal needs of the costumer are the most important for the hotels. Especially GAP 5, which is; expected service contra perceived service is a force for the Lewis hotels. This is where they have the chance to impress the customers, and according to themselves, they certainly do. From the first step they take into one of the two hotels, they are meet by a staff member and taken care of. The whole stay is also carefully planed where the customer gets the opportunity to choose exactly what he or she wants in his or her room. You can say that the service and quality is reliable (The Lewis Partnership Magazine).