Wednesday, July 31, 2019

E-marketing Test Paper

Multiple Choice1. E-marketing affects traditional marketing in which of the following ways? a. increases efficiency of traditional marketing functions b. technologically transforms marketing strategies c. marginalizes customer value but increases profitability d. both A and B (d; Moderate; LO2; Use of Information Technology)2. ________ is the subset of e-business focused on transactions that include buying/selling, digital value creation, and virtual marketplaces. a. E-commerce b. E-marketing c. Digital technology d. ESP (a; Easy; LO2; Use of Information Technology)3. Convenient, quick access to digital information has the ability to transform all of the following except ________. a. individuals b. ecosystems c. societies d. businesses (a; Easy; LO1; Use of Information Technology)4. The internet consists of all of the following except ________. a. computers with data b. users who send and receive data files, such as e-mail and text messages c. a technology infrastructure to create, m ove, share, and consume content d. a central mainframe (d; Moderate; LO1; Use of Information Technology)5. Data, such as digital coupons or customer complaints, exchanged between  companies and consumers typically travel via _____, while off-line electronic data collection, such as bar code scanners or databases, shared internally within an organization, travel via ________. a. internet; intranet b. extranet; internet c. extranet; intranet d. the Web; the social network (a; Moderate; LO1; Use of Information Technology)6. All of the following e-marketing technologies exist without the World Wide Web, except ________. a. electronic data interchange b. email c. text messaging d. hypertext navigation (a; Difficult; LO1; Use of Information Technology)7. In its technical performance, the internet supports the following roles except ________. a. human users and computers that access content and send e-mail b. technology infrastructure to move, create, and view content c. content provider s that create information, entertainment, and so forth d. none; all of the above roles are supported by the internet. (d; Moderate; LO4; Use of Information Technology)8. The internet can deliver content to all the following except _________. a. televisions sets b. refrigerators c. video cassette recorders d. automobiles (c ; Easy; LO4; Use of Information Technology)9. According to the text, ________ is the region with largest percentage of internet users. a. Africa b. Asia c. North America d. Europe (b; Moderate; LO5; Multicultural and Diversity Understanding)10. Which of the following outcomes has been cited as a negative one in terms of the world becoming a globally networked world? a. growing class divisions due to digital divide b. removing cultural differences c. efficient markets driven by more workaholism d. all of the above (d; Difficult; LO5; Analytic Skills)11. During the â€Å"first wave of internet disruption† companies essentially offered _________. a. high-end p roducts for mass markets b. tangible products that can be compared easily and purchased at relatively low prices c. commodities available in bulk quantity d. real estate (b; Moderate; LO5; Analytic Skills)12. In the era of the Plateau of Profitability, marketers focused more deliberately on _________. a. their traditional return-on-performance roots and well-grounded strategies b. diversified unique product mixes c. disintermediation of the marketing channel d. product benefits (a; Difficult; p. 11; LO5; Analytic Skills)13. Charles Schwab pitted their online business vs. their established brick and mortar business. Which of the following is not a result of this competition? a. faster growing accounts and assets b. lower prices c. more sales of treasury bonds and less sales of private securities d. incorporation of successful e-marketing strategies (c; Difficult; LO1; Analytic Skills)14. Internet properties, or characteristics, that impact marketing include________. a. global reach b . market deconstruction c. scalable capacity d. all of the above (d; Easy; LO1; Use of Information Technology)15. As consumers become more demanding the internet is a good way to deliver customer value because ________. a. most products on the internet are less expensive than on other marketing channels b. broadband allows marketers to put more cookies on computers c. marketers can send digital coupons to millions of customers instantly d. customers gain ability to create, share, and access information and entertainment at will (d; Moderate; LO3; Reflective Thinking Skills)16. According to the text, ________ predicted that the ‘e’ would drop from e-marketing, suggesting that traditional marketing would evolve and integrate e-marketing principles and practices. a. Levitt Inc. b. Friedman Inc. c. Gartner Inc. d. Jones Inc. (c; Moderate; LO5; Use of Information Technology)17. ________ is leading to a large increase in wireless networks. a. Integration of information techno logy and personal digital assistants (PDA’s) b. Acceptance and usage of mobile phones and other devices by individuals worldwide c. The World Wide Web d. Increasing adoption of high bandwidth (b; Moderate; LO4; Use of Information Technology)18. The internet has the power to do all of the following except ________. a. create global communities based on interests b. decrease cultural and language differences c. prevent the upward mobility of people and countries at lower socioeconomic levels d. discourage workaholism (d; Moderate; LO1; Use of Information Technology)19. Following the boom and bust of the first wave of the internet era, industrialized countries entered the ________. a. boom b. bust c. trough of disillusion d. plateau of profitability (d; Difficult; LO5; Analytic Skills)20. ________ are specific measures designed to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the e-business and e-marketing operations. a. Segmentation variables b. Metrics c. Bench systems d. Site stickiness (b; Easy; LO2; Analytic Skills)True/False21. Individuals can be both users and content providers on the internet. a. True b. False (a; Moderate; LO1; Use of Information Technology)22. According to the text, nowadays the internet should be regarded more as a channel than a place. a. True b. False (b; Moderate; LO5; Analytic Skills)23. E-marketing refers to the result of information technology applied to traditional marketing. a. True b. False (a; Moderate; LO2; Use of Information Technology)24. The internet provides individual users abilities to access information, entertainment, and communication. a. True b. False (a; Easy; LO4; Use of Information Technology)25. The term blog refers to online diaries, or journals, that are updated and shared on Web pages. a. True b. False (a; Moderate; LO4; Use of Information Technology)26. More than 40 percent of global internet users are based in Asia. a. True b. False (a; Difficult; LO5; Multicultural and Diversity Understanding)27. Un solicited communications, such as spam, represent a threat to the positive impact of e-marketing practices. a. True b. False (a; Moderate; LO1; Use of Information Technology)28. Electronic marketing relies exclusively upon web-based technology. a. True b. False (b; Difficult; LO5; Use of Information Technology)29. The internet has shifted the balance of power from sellers to buyers. a. True b. False (a; Easy; LO3; Reflective Thinking Skills)30. Gartner Inc. forecasted that the ‘e’ in e-business and e-marketing will eventually be dropped, as electronic practices become more standard. a. True b. False (a; Moderate; LO5; Analytic Skills)31. The internet is largely the product of ARPANET, a project commissioned by the United States’ Department of Defense. a. True b. False (a; Difficult; LO5; Use of Information Technology)32. Co-creation occurs when consumers /users help marketers develop products or promotional materials. a. True b. False (a; Easy; LO3; Reflective Th inking Skills)Essay Questions33. What is the difference between the internet, an extranet and an intranet?The internet is a global network of interconnected computers. Access to the internet is very broad and open. An extranet is two or more proprietary or company owned networks that are joined to share information. Access to this network is limited. An intranet is an internal network for a company that uses internet standards. Access is limited to internal company use only. (Easy; LO1; Use of Information Technology)34. What is a content provider on the internet?Content providers are individuals and organizations that create digital text, video, audio, and graphics to be sent over the internet to users who receive it as information, entertainment or communications.(Moderate; LO1; Analytic Skills)35. Define what community means for the internet and give examples.Communities for the internet are groups of users who come together to share information, hold discussions and exchange data . Examples include blogs or web logs, auctions, and peer-to peer networking. (Easy; LO1; Analytic Skills)36. Concerning internet usage, what is the digital divide?Internet adoption is affected by money, literacy, and education. This creates a divide between those who have access to the internet and those who don’t. It impairs the upward mobility of those on the lower socioeconomic level, who don’t have access to the internet and the information that comes with it. This impacts individuals on the lower socioeconomic levels and those living in less developed countries. (Moderate; LO5; Reflective Thinking Skills)37. Why did some manufacturers such as Levis stop selling on the internet?Channel Conflict with retail accounts Cannibalization Inefficiency (Moderate; LO1; Analytic Skills)38. The strength of the internet has affected traditional marketing in several ways. List five of them and how they affected marketing.Power shift from sellers to buyers (focus on customer rela tionship management) Market Fragmentation (more focus on small target markets and 1 to 1 marketing) Death of distance or geographic location affect (less focus on place for marketing) Time Compression (24/7 availability)Knowledge management is key (Track results in real time and focus on database analysis) Interdisciplinary focus (Marketers must understand technology and use it wisely) Intellectual Capital rules (focus on creativity and imagination) (Difficult; LO5; Reflective Thinking Skills)39. Marketers face new challenges with the advent of streaming, on-demand, and other digital video recorders. What is the main challenge and what have companies like TIVO or Hulu done to alleviate some of the concerns of marketers?The main challenge is the ability of consumers to speed through and skip commercials that advertisers have paid for based on their ability to communicate with consumers. TIVO (Hulu) has setup content with advertising included that viewers can watch at their leisure an d TIVO (Hulu) can provide specific metrics to the advertisers on these programs. (Difficult; LO4; Reflective Thinking Skills)

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Willa Cather Character Analysis

Carolyn DeGrazia Professor Gerald January 30, 2012 Character Analysis Willa Cather once said, â€Å"Where there is great love, there are always wishes. † She makes this quote relevant in her Pulitzer-prize winning novel, One of Ours. One of Ours is a story about Claude Wheeler, a young man from Nebraska, struggling to find his purpose in life. Throughout the entire novel, he only has one consistent presence in his life that truly believes in him and that is his mother. Mrs. Wheeler, a Protestant Christian, has been married to Mr.Wheeler for more than twenty years. Although she has birthed three boys, she has taken care of many others in her life due to the farm life of her husband. That’s exactly what she is-a caretaker. She was the perfect visionary of a woman during the time period of World War 1. She did was she was told and seldom complained. Claude Wheeler has always had a deep connection with his mother. In the beginning of the novel, Claude is forced to go to Tem ple, a religious university where his mother knows the headmaster. Claude and his mother give and take.Although they may not agree on some of their choices, they support each other in every way. When asked her opinion of Claude’s self-fulfilling duty of signing up for war, â€Å"Mrs. Wheeler has quietly put down her knife and fork. She looked at her husband in a vague alarm, while her fingers moved restlessly about over the tablecloth. † (pg. 172) She knows her place and understands that Claude has been disappointed to many times in his life for her to get in the way of his dreams of war. When Claude passed away, Mrs. Wheeler seemed relieved that he passed away overseas. He died believing his own country better than his. † (pg. 336) All throughout Claude’s life, Mrs. Wheeler had sympathy for her son and attempted to understand and simmer his disappointment with the world. The connection between her and her son will forever go down in history. Her faith in God helped her through her grief of losing Claude. â€Å"And for her, He is nearer still—directly overhead, not so very far above the kitchen stove. †(pg. 337) The love she has for her son is overwhelming and she wishes great things for him in life and in death.

LVMH

1. TASK 011.1. Introduction TO LVMHFor this assignment, I ideally considered an organisation named LVMH.LVMHLVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A. ( Euronext: MC ) , normally shortened to LVMH, is a Gallic keeping company and the universe ‘s largest luxury goods pudding stone. It is the parent of around 60 sub-companies that each manage a little figure of esteemed trade names These girl companies are, to a big extent, run autonomously. The group was formed after amalgamations brought together champagne manufacturer Moet et Chandon and Hennessy, a taking maker of Cognac. In 1987, they merged with manner house Louis Vuitton to organize the current group The group is controlled by the Christian Dior group, which owns 42.4 % of portions and has over 58 % of vote rights. Bernard Arnault, bulk stockholder of Dior, is Chairman of both companies and CEO of LVMH. His successful integrating of assorted celebrated aspiration trade names into the group has inspired other luxury companies into making the same. Therefore Gucci ( now portion of the Gallic pudding stone PPR ) and Richemont have besides created drawn-out portfolios of luxury trade names. The oldest of the LVMH trade names is wine manufacturer Chatea d'Yquem, which dates its beginnings back to 1593 . ( hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org )Corporate constructionLVMH is based in Paris, France. The company is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange and isa component of the CAC 40 index. As of 2008, the group grosss of ˆ17.2 billion with a net income of ˆ2.318 billion. The group presently employs 77,000 people. 30 % of LVMH ‘s staff work in France. LVMH operates over 2,300 shops worldwide. Its current concern program aims to tightly command the trade names it manages in order to keep and rise the perceptual experience of luxury associating to their merchandises. For illustration, Louis Vuitton merchandises are sold merely through Louis Vuitton boutiques found in upmarket locations in affluent metropoliss or in grants in other luxury goods stores ( such as Charles digby harrods in London ) . This pattern contrasts greatly with less sole trade names which can be bought in shopping promenades around the universe ( hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org )StockholdersAt the terminal of 2008, the merely declared major stockholder in LVMH was Groupe Arnault, the household keeping company of BernardArnault. The group ‘s control amounted to 47.42 % of LVMH ‘s stock ( with 42.42 % held through Christian Dior S.A. and 5.00 % held straight ) and 63.40 % of its vote rights ( 58.02 % by Dior and 5.38 % straight ) . A farther 3.4 % of portions were declared as exchequer stock, with the balance being free float . ( hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org )Departments OF LVMH* Wines & A ; Liquors * Fashion & A ; Leather Goods * Perfumes & A ; Cosmetics * Watches & A ; Jewelry * Selective retailing ( Annual study LVMH-2008 )MISION AND VALUES OF LVMH* Be originative and innovate * Aim for merchandise excellence * Bolstertheimageofourbrandswithpassionatedetermination * Act as enterprisers  · Strive to be the best in all we do ( Annual Report LVMH-2008 )Definitions of Human Resource ManagementHuman resort direction is a strategic and consistent attack to the direction of organisation ‘s most valued assets: the people working there who separately and jointly lend to the accomplishment of its aims. ( Michael Armstrong, a Hand book of Human Resource Management 2003 )The HRM theoretical accounts are1. The Matching theoretical account of HRM 2. Harvard theoretical account of HRM 3. Best pattern theoretical account 4. The eventuality theoretical account 5. Guest theoretical account of HRM 6. Warwick theoretical account of HRM 7. Storey theoretical account of HRM We can utilize Matching Model for LVMHModels of HRM1. The duplicate theoretical accountThe Michigan theoretical account is besides known as the ‘matching theoretical account ‘ or ‘best-fit ‘ attack to human resource direction. In kernel, it requires that human resource schemes have a tight tantrum to the overall schemes of the concern. As such, it limits the function of HR to a reactive, organisational map and under-emphasizes the importance of societal and other external factors. For illustration, it is hard to see how the current concern for work life balance could be integrated into this theoretical account. Fombrun et al identified four common HR procedures performed in every organisation: * Choice: duplicate people to occupations * Appraisal of public presentation * Wagess: stressing the existent importance of wage and other signifiers of compensation in accomplishing consequences * Development of skilled persons These procedures are linked in a human resource rhythm. The matching theoretical account has attracted unfavorable judgment. At a conceptual degree, it is seen to depend on a rational, mechanical signifier of organisational decision-making. In world, schemes are frequently determined and operational zed on a more intuitive, political and subjective degree. Surely, the decision-making is more complex than the theoretical account allows. It is besides both normative and normative, connoting that the tantrum to concern scheme should find HR scheme ( Bratton, J. , Gold, J. , Human Resource Management p-18 ) )Resource based StrategyThe resource-based position of scheme is that the strategic capableness of a steadfast depends on its resource based capableness. Resource-based scheme theoreticians such as Barney ( 1991 ) argue that stained competitory advantage stems from the acquisitions and effectual usage of packages of typical resources that rivals can non copy. As Boxall ( 1996 ) remarks ; ‘competitive success does non come merely from doing picks in the present ; it stems from constructing up typical capablenesss over important periods of clip ‘ . Teece et Al ( 1997 ) specify ‘dynamic capablenesss ‘ as ‘the capacity of a house to regenerate, augment and accommodate its nucleus competences over clip ‘ . ( Michael Armstrong,2000, Strategic Human Resource Management, p-33 )Best PracticeThe ‘best pattern ‘ rubric has been attacked by a figure of observers. Cappeelli and Crocker-Hefter ( 1996 ) remark that the impression of individual set of best patterns has been over stated: There are illustrations in virtually every industry of houses that have really typical direction patterns. We argue hat these typical homo resource patterns hlp to make alone competences that differentiate merchandises and services and, in bend, drive competences that determine how houses complete. Purcell ( 1999 ) has besides criticized the best pattern or universalist position by indicating out the incompatibility between a belief in best pattern and the resource based position, which focuses on the intangible assets including HR, that allow the house to make better than its rivals. He asks how can ‘the universalism of best pattern be squared with the position that merely some resources and modus operandis are of import and valuable by being rare and amiss imitable? ‘ . The danger, as Legge ( 1995 ) points out, is that of ‘mchanistically fiting scheme with HRM policies and patterns ‘ . Accord with eventuality theory, it is hard to accept that there is any such thing as cosmopolitan best pattern. What works good in one organisation will non necessary work good in another because it may non suit its scheme, civilization, direction manner, engineering or working patterns. As Becker et Al ( 1997 ) comment: ‘organizational high-performance work systems are extremely idiosyncratic and must be tailored carefully to each house ‘s single state of affairs to accomplish optimal consequences ‘ . ( Michael Armstrong, 2000, Strategic Human Resource Management, p-65 )Best FitFor the ground given above, it is accepted by most observers that ‘best fit'is more of import than ‘best pattern ‘ . There can be no cosmopolitan prescriptions for HRM policies and patterns. It all depends. This is non easy to state that ‘good pattern ‘ , ie pattern that does good in one environment, should be ignored. Benchmarking has its utilizations as a agency of placing countries for invention or development that are practiced to good consequence elsewhere. But holding learned about what plants and, ideally, what does non work in comparable organisations, it is up to the house to make up one's mind what may be relevant in general footings and what lessons can be learnt and adapted to suit its peculiar strategic and operational demands. The get downing point should be an analysis of the concern demands of the house within its context ( civilization, construction, engineerin g and procedures ) . This may bespeak clearly what has to be done. Thereafter, it may be utile to pick and blend assorted ‘best pattern ‘ ingredients and develop an attack that applies those that are appropriate in a manner that is aligned to the identified concern demands. But there are jobs with the best-fit attack, as pointed out by Purecell ( 1999 ) who, holding rubbished the construct of best pattern, proceeded to make the same for the impression of best tantrum: Meanwhile, the hunt for a eventuality or fiting theoretical account of HRM is besides limited by the impossibleness of patterning all the contigent variables, the trouble of demoing their interconnectedness, and the manner in which alterations in one variable have an impact on others. In Purcell ‘s position, organisations should be less concerned with best tantrum and best pattern and much more sensitive to procedures of organisational alteration so that they can ‘avoid being trapped in the logic of rational pick ‘ . ( Michael Armstrong, 2000, Strategic Human Resource Management, p-66 )Human Resource Management VS Personal ManagementHuman resource direction was foremost known as forces direction. However the present position of the field of human resource direction has been achieved after old ages of measuring development. In personnel direction people were manage stick disposal but in human resource direction people are consider resources, develop people and acquire them to pull off them self. Organizations now consider the human resource as a resource that could be developed instead than merely be managed. Personnel direction is more administrative in nature, covering with wage axial rotation, roll uping with employment jurisprudence and managing related undertaking. Human resources on the other manus are responsible for pull offing the work force as one of the primary resorts that contribute to the success of the organisation. Personnel direction manages people by rigorous administrative system but human resource direction considers people as a resource that can be developed.eg ; Train and developed individuals. Personnel direction is less concentration on employee ‘s future potency and acquiring the best from employees through preparation, development and motive. but other manus of human resource direction identifies employees possible, countries for betterment, strength and weaknesses identifies developing demands and trains them achieves consequence through motive and occupation satisfaction. Human Resource Management from a strategic position and its deductions for the function of the line directors and employees Human resource direction is really of import to construct up relationship between line directors and employees. Below I mentioned country of covering strategic human resource activities. * Policy devising. * Designing and developing human resource schemes. * Lending to the corporate program of the organisation. * Integrating human resource activities to the chief intent of the organisation. * Job rating. * Salary disposal. * Incentives and benefits. * Grudges managing.1.2. Use GUEST MODEL OF HUMAN RESORCE MANAGEMENT TO LVMHLVMH utilizing human resource direction maps for build up their concern. Particularly they apply guest theoretical account for following maps. They are utilizing human resource scheme for invention the company. Regularly they check other retail merchants of the market. After that they focus their concern for current market. Normally they evaluate the cost of merchandise. Some clip they control the unneeded cost per merchandise. eg ; they seeking current market and halting over production Human resource direction patterns ; LVMH specially utilizing human resource patterns for enlistings. They are taking right individual for right occupation class. They offered preparation period for new employees. Always direction measuring employees and giving wagess for them. eg ; bonus Human resource results ; They ever get thoughts from clients and offers scope of options for flexible working. eg ; portion clip work, calling interruption Behaviour results ; The direction ever measuring workers and actuate them. It has good squad workers. Every clip they corporate with others and assisting them. Performance result ; LVMH measure everybody public presentation and utilizing some human resource patterns for addition productiveness. Human resource section discuss with employees and this clip cut down their absenteeism and labour turn over.Critically measure the Guest theoretical account of human resource directionHuman resource direction is regardful from traditional forces direction. However, Guest has acknowledged that the construct of committedness is mussy and that the relationship committedness and high public presentation is hard to set up. The strength of the guest theoretical account is that it clearly maps out the field of human resource direction and classifies the input and comes. The theoretical account is utile for analyzing the cardinal ends normally associated with the normative theoretical accounts of human resource direction ; strategic integrating, committedness, flexibleness and quality.2. TASK 022.1. Aim/Purpose: Why have a Strategy?To put the context for lar ning and development within the LVMH to reply the inquiries that staff, directors, and clients might hold: * Why is larning and development of import? * How does larning ‘fit in ‘ with staff functions, bringing of cardinal services? * What does the LVMH mean by larning and development? How do staff and directors make certain they have the acquisition they need? The purpose of this scheme is to supply a practical map and usher of how learning and development supports the work of the LVMH, at an person, squad and organisational degree. The scheme aims to put out the current purposes and aims and besides map the hereafter so that there is a ‘vision ‘ of how learning and development will back up the LVMH both now and in the hereafter across Provider and Commissioning. The intent so is to supply a model for larning for LVMH which will: * Set out the LVMH ‘s committedness to supplying larning and development for all staff * Ensure that staff are equipped with appropriate accomplishments, experience and support to enable them to go on to supply high quality attention and services * Ensure that procedures are in topographic point for staff to accomplish their possible and that single parts are valued and acted upon * Ensure that staff place preparation demands and undertake appropriate preparation as portion of their function and that preparation demands are identified at an person, squad and organizational degree * Ensure that high quality preparation and development is commissioned as needed * Effective acquisition and development procedures and systems are in topographic point that are accessible and clear.2.2. Supporting the LVMH to present its strategic purposes and aimsThe LVMH ‘s cardinal strategic purposes are to: Engage with the mark clients and their demands. Commission a full and just scope of high quality, antiphonal and efficient services, within allocated resources, across all service sectors. Directly provide high quality responsive and efficient services where this gives best value. The accomplishments of the strategic purposes are supported by a set of cardinal values. LVMH values are the qualities, criterions and rules that the LVMH believes will assist it and its staff to win. The values are: – Beryllium originative and innovate– Purpose for merchandise excellence– Bolstertheimageofourbrandswithpassionate finding– Act as enterprisers– Strive to be the best in all we do2.3. Core rules for Learning and Development across the LVMH:* To supply chances for acquisition, high value of accomplishments about international selling, personal development and accomplishments sweetening at all degrees. There is a demand to widen engagement to guarantee lower set staff have the development they need * To promote uninterrupted acquisition and infinite for invention and making something new so that services are adapted and improved as a consequence of acquisition * To be more than tantrum for intent but in chase of excellence * Endorse the rules of going a Learning Administration * Identify a systematic procedure and model for placing, planning, presenting and measuring acquisition and development at an person, squad and organizational degree * Support and develop a civilization that encourages assurance, motive and creativeness in staff leting them to be advanced, take hazards and gain their full potency * Ownership of larning and development by single members of staff so that they can see the value of larning and how it will back up them * Staff are our ‘customers ‘ . The acquisition and Development squad demand to guarantee that effectual feedback and quality confidence procedures are in topographic point * To be able to mensurate successThe scheme should:* Mean something to staff and Directors, be ‘live ‘ and existent and practical, mapping the current and future image and advancement * Be organic in that the Learning and Development squad continually assess and alter the scheme and vision through its ain acquisition * The Learning and Development scheme should beef up and be built-in to the LVMH organizational aims and public presentation direction models * Identify localised illustrations.2.4. Learning and Development: Strategic Aims and AimsTo Meet PCT Commissioner and Provider Strategic Aims, Values and Vision Ensure staffs are working safely and aptly and have the accomplishments and cognition they need to present high quality services: * Deliver foremost category Initiation * Provide high quality selling Training * Ensure all staff are go toing Statutory /Mandatory preparation * Ensure shop Supervision systems, preparation is in topographic point * Develop IT skills of our staff Support the LVMH to develop the work force of the hereafter: * Work with Provider and Commissioning Directorates to back up development of LVMH into the hereafter * To work with HR and OD Director to implant values of the LVMH through instruction and developing systems and procedures * Support the development of new functions * Identify preparation and development for new services as they are developed * Support the work force planning docket Support the LVMH in the bringing of its Inequalities Agenda * To guarantee incorporate working with Public * Ensure Equality monitoring and public presentation marks are met * To supply an equality and diverseness preparation programme for all staff * Complete an Equality Impact Assessment on the Learning and Development map * Develop systems to include staff feedback into bettering acquisition and development within the LVMH Develop first category leaders and directors within the Provider and Commissioning weaponries of the LVMH * Identify direction and leading scheme for all directors at appropriate sets * Delivery of in house leading programme * Develop a direction skills programme, place accomplishments / competences for Directors * Develop and supply Team Leader Training * Support Directors to entree external direction and leading programmes as appropriate * Develop mentoring, training and shadowing for staff * Provide preparation and support for Directors in Skills & A ; Knowledge to pull off alteration efficiency and confidentially Delivering high quality, advanced and originative acquisition chances Support the LVMH to go a learning administration and embed the doctrine of the instruction lvmh * Promote the rules and doctrine of the learning administration and the instruction LVMH * Embed the learning civilization * Encourage new ways of acquisition, preparation, e-learning * Support the organisational development docket * Develop work with adjacent LVMHs Ensure accessible and first-class high quality preparation, larning and development proviso is in topographic point * Develop the LVMHeducation and preparation squad and service * Commission preparation and development, both now and in the hereafter * Development of ‘self service ‘ developing disposal system * Ensure effectual systems and procedures are in topographic point * Development of Learning Centres and accessible ways of larning Develop a Quality Assurance model for Learning and Development * Demonstrate the value of larning within the administration * Benchmark against rivals * Develop mensurable criterions for larning and development procedures * Ensure robust informations aggregation and coverage * Develop a system for feedback from staff, spouses ‘customers ‘ * Quality confidence, monitoring, rating systems put in topographic point eg. I. Train the trainer, criterions of bringing for trainers two. Contracts for external trainers three Staff and spouse organisations four Staff questionnaire/feedback Use bing resources creatively and program resourcing for the hereafter such as * LVMH preparation budget * Income coevals * Sponsorship / grants2.5. StandardsService Standards will be included for each strategic aim and identified in the work programme.2.6. Duties / answerability: Training AdministrationAll members of staff have a duty for their ain acquisition and development, supported by Directors and the Learning and Development Team. For elaborate counsel on functions and duties on placing acquisition and development2.7. Success Standards: benchmarking, quality confidence processes: How will we mensurate Progress and Achievement?* Through regular reappraisals of the Work Programme * On traveling audience with staff * Evaluation and bite of feedback2.8. Review and MonitoringQuarterly reappraisal of scheme and work programme may supervise by Human Resources Committee.3. TASK 033.1. RECRUITMENTRecruitment refers to the procedure of pulling, showing, and choosing qualified people for a occupation at an organisation or house. For some constituents of the enlisting procedure, mid- and large-size organisations frequently retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the procedure to recruitment bureaus. The enlisting industry has five chief types of bureaus: employment bureaus, enlisting web sites and occupation hunt engines, â€Å" headhunters † for executive and professional enlisting, niche bureaus which specialize in a peculiar country of staffing and in-house enlisting. The phases in enlisting include sourcing campaigners by advertisement or other methods, and showing and choosing possible campaigners utilizing trials or interviews. ( Armstrong, Michael ( 2006 ) . A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice )ChoiceChoice is the procedure used to place and engage persons or groups of persons to make full vacancies within an organisation. Often based on an initial occupation analysis, the ultimate end of forces choice is to guarantee an equal return on investing — in other words, to do certain the productiveness of the new hire warrants the costs spent on recruiting and preparation that hire. Several testing methods exist that may be used in forces choice. Examples include the usage of lower limit or coveted makings, resume/application reappraisal, unwritten interviews, work public presentation steps ( e.g. , composing samples ) , and traditional trials ( e.g. , of occupation cognition ) . The field of forces choice has a long history and is associated with several Fieldss of research and application, including human resources and industrial psychological science.Recruitment and Selection of LVMHThey are based on higher demands for professionalism in the rating and choice methods, while offering campaigners a alone experience that gives them utile feedback for their professional development. Not merely are proficient accomplishments assessed, but besides the ability to bring forth and pass on consequences, the ability to work in a group, the ability to hold a strategic vision while cognizing how to do a day-to-day committedness and, eventually, the potency to go an enterprising leader motivated by a desire for ongoing betterment. Appraisal of these facets is made by LVMH group directors through interviews every bit good as single and group function plays. At the terminal of this intensive twenty-four hours, whatever the consequence, each campaigner receives several in- depth analyses to help him or her in understanding how he or she was perceived and the contents of the appraisal.Essential of international enlisting of LVMHSustained development of all LVMH activities enabled multiple occupations to be created in 2008 across the Group ‘s companies and trade names: Wines & A ; Spirits, Fashion & A ; Leather Goods, Perfumes & A ; Cosmetics, Watches & A ; Jewellery, and Selective Retailing. LVMH has 77,087 employees worldwide, with the mean figure of employees over the financial twelvemonth up 9.5 % compared to the old twelvemonth. Through its policy of selling merchandises with the â€Å"made in France† label, LVMH ensures that industrial occupations are maintained in France. The dislocation of the Group ‘s work force by geographical part is stable and balanced. 74 % of the work force is employed abroad, basically in the distribution webs of Europe, the Asia-Pacific part, and North and South America.Workforce of LVMH by geographic part26 % France 19,737 22 % Rest of Europe 17,226 22 % United States 16,723 6 % Japan 4,929 19 % Rest of Asia 14,831 5 % Other markets 3,641 Entire 77,087 ( Beginning ; LVMH Annual report-2008 ) There are 74 % of employees working internationally. Therefore international enlisting is of import to LVMH. They are anticipating a personal development within a professional, responsible squad in the organisation. placing with the values of a company is a major component in pulling and actuating the work forces and adult females who join LVMH and invest themselves in the Group. The Group presents its corporate duty policy during the initial contact with campaigners, for illustration during enlisting forums. The account of this policy is portion of the integrating procedure. The bar of psycho-social hazards in their orientation manuals or employee manuals, like DFS Group, Fendi or Glenmorangie. However they have consider the outlooks and motive of the squads. Entree and continued employment for older employees is besides a changeless concern, consistent both with the Group ‘s policy on diverseness and with itsInternational Recruitment at LVMHHere LVMH can happen a bit-by-bit usher to enlisting. International Recruitment & A ; Deployment e follow the extended International Recruitment procedure as follows: Phase 1: Ad utilizing print media and cyberspace including occupation show on our Job portal Phase 2: Screening of applications received in response to advertizement. Phase 3: Short listing, size uping informations harmonizing to the accomplishments, cognition and aptitude desired for the occupation. Phase 4: Test & A ; Interviews Phase 5: Choice Phase 6: Mention Check Phase 7: Completing the Visa/Administrative Process following the credence of Job offer by the campaigner. Phase 8: Travel agreement and deployment of the campaigner to occupation location. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.habsons.net )Choice Methods ( Trials, Exercise, Presentations )The most popular choice method is Interviewing ; nevertheless the determination devising procedure at Interviewing panel phase will be improved if information extra to that obtained from the application signifier, CVs, mentions ( for academic and research stations ) and interview is available. It is hence desirable that the choice procedure includes an extra choice exercise/test. This should be designed to garner information about the ability of short-listed campaigners to transport out the specific responsibilities of the station by proving facets of the Person Specification, which can non easy be evaluated by an interview or mention. Some illustrations of choice exercisings are given below, all of these would necessitate to be carried out in conformity with good pattern in Equal Opportunities: In puting up and running choice exercises the undermentioned rules should be followed:Nature of Post:Choice Exercise:Research stationsCampaigners could be asked to present a seminar, give a departmental presentation or compose a study Posts that require supervisors accomplishments Campaigners could be asked to take portion in a supervisory function dramaGeneral:The appraisal of public presentation from choice trials must be made on a preset set of factors, instead than obscure generalisations, utilizing set standards will enable an nonsubjective appraisal of the trial set ; There should be a clear apprehension of what is being tested and what position the test/exercise has within the overall choice procedure ; If the test/exercise involves utilizing a package bundle, experience of utilizing that specific package bundle must hold been included in the choice standards for the station ; The test/exercise must be designed to supply an equal chance for each campaigner to show his/her abilities, in conformity with the Equal Opportunities Employment Policy ; Where appropriate, choice tests/exercises must be adapted for a campaigner with a disablement. For farther counsel on this the Recruitment Manager or HR Manager should be contacted ; The test/exercise must be decently planned in progress with each campaigner given full information on what is involved and sufficient clip for any readying required ; The test/exercise must non be biased in favour of internal campaigners, i.e. it should prove basic rules in relation to the station, non cognition of internal processs ; The information gathered from a choice exercising will merely associate to a limited figure of the overall demands of the station and the consequences must be judged in this context. However, if an indispensable standard for the station is being tested e.g. numeracy and the needed criterion for the trial is non met so the consequences must non be ignored ; Objective standards should be used to hit the trial that has been set and all information associating to the trial should be reported in a criterion and consistent format to Interviewing panel. If there are any factors which may hold influenced a campaigner ‘s public presentation e.g. breaks, medical conditions etc these should be reported to the panel. Presentations: campaigners should be given as much information as possible about the expected focal point of the presentation, associating this to the standards shown in the individual specification e.g. where an appointee is being sought with a research path record or with research potency, campaigners might be asked to present a presentation ‘on a subject related to your current or future research involvements ‘ ; campaigners should be provided with information about the intended audience, the expected length of the presentation and the installations available e.g. OHP, screen, PowerPoint available on a laptop computing machine etc ; nonsubjective standards should be set to measure presentations for possible lectors e.g. academic content, lucidity of look, ability to set content to audience and enthusiasm for the topic.Skills Trials:All trials should be given with clear, unambiguous instructions ; Trials should be uniformly administered, i.e. by the same individual, in the same fortunes, with the same instructions and with the same clip bounds. This will guarantee that comparable informations is obtained ; The individual administrating the trial must be made cognizant of their duties and the University ‘s policies associating to discrimination must be brought to their attending. They must non try to ‘interview ‘ the campaigner or obtain information from them. Guidance on planing appropriate trials and exercisings may be obtained from HR Services. The choice methods that will be used in add-on to an interview must be detailed on the Candidates for Interview Form sent to HR Services. This will guarantee that short-listed campaigners are informed about the choice procedure when invited to interview, e.g. the rubric of the presentation to be given or the nature of the trial to be taken.4. MentionsArmstrong M. , ( 2000 ) , Strategic Human Resource Management, 2nd Edition, London, Kogan page limited Armstrong M. , ( 2006 ) . ‘A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice ‘ , 10th ed. , London: Kogan Page LimitedArmstrong M.,2003. Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 9th edition. London, England. Kogan Publisher Limited.Michael Armstrong ( Author ) †º Visit Amazon ‘s Michael Armstrong Page Find all the books, read about the writer, and more. Bratton, J. , Gold, J. , ‘Human Resource Management ‘ , 2nd erectile dysfunction. London, MacMillan Press Ltd. * www.lvmh.com * www.hrmguide.co.uk * www.youmanage.co.uk * www.berr.gov.uk * www.sbz.careers.ac.uk * www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk * hypertext transfer protocol: //www.york.ac.uk/admin/hr/managers/recruitment/handbook/methods.htm ( 21-01-2010 ) * hypertext transfer protocol: //www.habsons.net/international-recruitment-deployment.php ( 21-01-2010 )

Monday, July 29, 2019

BPR - What does it means to organization who are underperforming Assignment

BPR - What does it means to organization who are underperforming - Assignment Example These are the key issues to be dealt with when doing BPR for an underperforming firm. IT is one of the means through which BPR can be achieved ; it is not an end itself. (Guy Doumeingts) The ERP package is there to help the BPR process. Many firms equate BPR with the implementation of the ERP software. This is where IT becomes a hurdle rather than a support for BPR. The software should be molded to suit the business processes. The processes and their outcomes are the important thing which needs to be re-organized by the firm; the software is not the important thing. When the latter assumes more importance and technical experts rather than functional people are made in charge of the BPR process IT becomes a hurdle and BPR fails. Misfit of the ERP package selected with the business processes – Vicro’s business processes were highly customer specific. The ERP package was a misfit to these processes and thus further denigrated performance. BPR equated with the software – Vicro made no efforts to actually focus on the business processes and re-engineer them. Its entire focus was on the software implementation. The implementation of this software was accepted to improve the processes as well which never happened. Make Business people owner of the change – Instead of the ERP package being forced by vendors from outside, functional people of the company who run the business should have been made owner of the processes and the vendor responsible to them. Get Universal Buy in – In order to reduce employee’s resistance to change proper education should have been provided to them regarding the implementation and the benefits from it. Their suggestions and feedback should have been taken. Proper Requirement Definition – ERP implementation was made as the major aim by Vicro. This was an improper requirement. The main aim should have been to improve the

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Models for EBP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Models for EBP - Essay Example According to Hulme (2008), the validation process helps in the determination of the credibility of the information obtained from any research carried out. The most essential requirement prior to the development of Stetler model is the compliance to the pre-set rules and regulations governing the organization. This is because these standards boost quality in service delivery and discipline in the sector. In addition, this compliance creates confidence of the stakeholders, in the organization fraternity because of the quality of service in the organization and the involvement of the organization in the assessment of the compliance of the sector to the set standards. Organizations undergo programs tailored at offering proper training in order to have delivery of quality service. Therefore, these programs include the master plan of evaluation in the training. This is because this plan acquaints organizations with the necessary information regarding a firm’s goals. For, instance, it highlights the areas of the faculty that need evaluation. This includes methods to be employed in the evaluation. The kinds of people to participate in the process are anchored in the plan. The action plans required to give feedback on the various inferences made with regard to boosting the quality in organizational service delivery. In addition, the Stetler model helps in the assessment of the proposal for funds for various projects, and it also helps in the submissions of research reports and the normal assessment reports. The evaluation is important in the total quality management, the benchmarking, the restructuring and the continuous improvement of the quality of the master plan of organizational performance (Hulme, 2008). It acts as a source of primary data for internal reviewing of the efficiency of an organization. This is aimed at boosting quality in delivery of service and prompt response to non-value adding roles. This evaluation is necessary in the benchmarking

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Dear Abby Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dear Abby - Research Paper Example They are exposed to and benefit from computer literacy in schools, some students attend school exclusively online, and then, of course, there are the games, chat rooms, and other social media, like Facebook. However, there is one thing that a very dangerous, hurtful, and serious threats to the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of adolescents and teenagers every single day for some children who visit the internet; this occurrence is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a cruel child of our modern technological age. There are a number of actions that qualify as fitting under the umbrella of cyberbullying, including: 1. Sending unkind or threatening messages through emails or messaging boards. 2. Intentionally spreading untrue rumors onto the internet or text messages. 3. Posting inappropriate, offensive, or insulting photographs of a person onto a site with the sole purpose than to criticize them. 4. Taking another’s internet information and use it to invade the accounts in order to be unkind or may pretend to be someone else that you already know. 5. Participating in the â€Å"forwarding† of such messages is perpetuating the problem (Hatch, 2011). It is, essentially, the same type of degradation, insults, humiliations, and intended embarrassments that children experience in the physical world accept adapted to attacks via the internet. Fortunately there are practical and applicable answers for those concerns. There are a long list of pros and cons related to children, teenagers, and the internet. It can improve classroom learning, helps children keep up with the changing technology, can increase visual reasoning, and can, in some case, widen ones social circle. However, there are also, all of the negative, or, potentially, negative aspects, like loss of privacy, sedentary lifestyle, and the potential for cyberbullying ( Hatch, 2011). Individual people react differently than the next. For some children, the internet becomes their solace from the stressors in their lives, and is beneficial. The trick in this case is moderation. Like with anything there is such a thing as â€Å"too much of a good thing.† When the time spent on the internet begins to supersede the living of their life, which causes them to shy away from all things that are not involving the computer, then there be an issue or problem that needs addressing. It is the responsibility of parents to understand the difference and take the time to be involved in the things your teens, and, especially, adolescents and pre-teens are doing when online. One such proposed negative effect is that excessive internet time, in fact, causes loneliness or depression. This is a rather broad statement. There are so many different factors that contribute to feelings of loneliness and in the case of depression, hereditary and genetic predisposition elements that have absolutely nothing to do with computer usage (Dean , 2010). There is, also, theories that too much internet can cause users to become addicted. Again, like with depression, there are so many factors to consider, like psychological predispositions and hereditary elements, that would contribute it solely to their computer use is a rather impractical argument (Siegel-Itzkovich, 2011). Therefore, for the most part, computers cannot be blamed directly, especially with limited data to support such theories. Cyberbullying is something that is happening every day, in every school, and in every state in the

Friday, July 26, 2019

George Gordon Byron Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

George Gordon Byron - Research Paper Example Poem 1- She Walks in Beauty 6 A. Personal Analysis 6 A.1. How the Poem Fits into the Era 6 A.2. Literary Analysis 7 V. Poem 2 – The Destruction of Senacherib 8 A. Personal Analysis 8 A.1. How the Poem Fits into the Era 8 A.2. Literary Analysis 8 VI. Poem 3 - Darkness 9 A. Personal Analysis 9 A.1. How the Poem Fits into the Era 9 A.2. Literary Analysis 9 VII. Conclusion 10 Works Cited 11 I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement What seems to stand out from the poetry and from the life of the man, is that of Byron like his poems depicting a kind of beauty that is detached from ordinary reality, and yet so much more beautiful for being so, detached yet somehow real and palpable, and utterly heroic. This seems to represent in one way what Romanticism is all about (Byron; Brooklyn College English Department; Academy of American Poets; Poetry Foundation). B. Brief Overview B.1. Literary Era The literary era to which Byron and his poetry belongs is the era of Romanticism (Brooklyn College English Department). B.2. Biography The poet was born into royalty, and was able to inherit a title, so that by age of 10, he became Baron of Rochdale. His father died at a young age, and he was full of resentment for his mother. He died at the age of 36 (Academy of American Poets) B.3. ... that we inherit the convenient set of terminal dates for the Romantic period, beginning in 1798, the year of the first edition of  Lyrical Ballads  by Wordsworth and Coleridge and of the composition of  Hymns to the Night  by Novalis, and ending in 1832, the year which marked the deaths of both Sir Walter Scott and Goethe. (Brooklyn College English Department) B. Defining the Era, Characteristics of the Poetry There is an emphasis on the individual, the individual as a hero, where the personality is supreme, elevated. Imagination has a central place in Romanticism too, which also likewise was put up in a pedestal as being the best part of the human mind and consciousness. Symbols and symbolism, as they pertain to nature, for instance, were also highly valued. Feelings were given emphasis, especially as with regards to the expression of feelings in poetry (Brooklyn College English Department) C. Era in the Context of British History 1798 marked the year of the Irish Rebelliion , marked by a period of intense conflict between Britain and its neighbor, culminating in union (Bartlett). This period was also marked by the turn of the century struggle between Napoleon on the one hand and Britain on the other, all the way to 1802 (History World). C.4. Era in the Context of World/Global History and Events Elsewhere in the world Napoleon was brought down also during this period, at Waterloo in 1815, and the slaves were finally emancipated in New York around 1827, when slavery was outlawed in that state (Taylor) C.5 How Byron Fits Into This Era Byron was a leading voice of the Romantic era. He is credited with having a large influence on the movement and on the Romantic poets and artists in general, especially with his poem â€Å"Don Juan†. The term â€Å"Byronic hero† is also

Thursday, July 25, 2019

The Role of Nursing Theory in Research and Practice Essay

The Role of Nursing Theory in Research and Practice - Essay Example This theory explains the reason that the patients environment is important due to its effect and affectation to a person’s health in a positive or a negative way—attributed with diseases. Providing a therapeutic environment is viewed essential for a person to heal himself (Chen, n.d.). Some examples of the environmental factors affecting health according to Nightingales theory are fresh air, pure water, sufficient food and appropriate nutrition, efficient drainage, cleanliness, and light or direct sunlight. If any of these factors is lacking, it can delay the patients recovery. Nightingale also emphasized providing a quiet, warm environment for patients to recover in. The theory also calls for nurses to assess a patients dietary needs, document food intake times, and evaluate how the patients diet affects his or her health and recovery (â€Å"Florence Nightingale,† 2011) The Nightingale’s concept views a person to have reparative powers and can be affected by the environment. Health on the other hand is the utilization of the person’s power to maintain well-being and is affected by the environment through the utilization of the nursing process by providing fresh air, warmth, cleanliness, and proper diet to facilitate person’s reparative process. The goal of nursing is to put the patient in the best possible condition in order for nature to act. The advent of nursing theories benefited the whole healthcare system by virtue of guidance in the nursing practice through research and empirical studies. Aggleton and Chalmers cited that practicing within the scope of nursing without a theory to underpin is an empty approach often described as ‘practicing in the dark’ (1986 as cited by Mckenna, 1997, p108). Nursing theories therefore provides nursing practice with a systematic basis for assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation offering a way of revitalization (Mckenna, 1997, p. 108) As a guide to

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Literary Lenses in our Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Literary Lenses in our Media - Essay Example The themes include the quest and the fall, and contain legend and myth within the plot. â€Å"Heroes† has the basic underlying of any story having to deal with a superhero. There is the good side and the bad side, and the adventures and turmoil that they all must go through in regards to who they are. The legend and myth that can be found within the story are typical of all superheroes – these people possess powers that have only been previously heard or seen in myths and tales. Once these characters receives these powers of legend, they must wield them and use them how they see fit, to their benefit. After the powers have been discovered and the characters understand what they must do with them, the things that follow – their adventures and moments of rescue and brevity – are also tales only found in legend. This literary lens basically shows things that normally should not be possible other than in their legends, yet still prove to be possible in the modern-day tale. The characters fall into the same positions as their myth counterparts, and the themes are set up in the same way, though modernized of course. With older superhero films, such as Superman, Batman, and Spiderman, the same rules apply in which ordinary people discover that they can do extraordinary things, and they must learn to use said things for their benefit in a positive way. Though, this does not always apply to the villains. Another literary lens that can be seen in â€Å"Heroes† is that of existentialism, which involves how a person exists, lives their life, and alters it to fit their environment and their purpose. The characters of â€Å"Heroes† both shape their existence and allow themselves to be shaped by it. They take who they are and use that knowledge and power to help others, and they let the need of others decide for them what they have to do. In â€Å"Heroes,† the characters are constantly choosing between what they have to do, what they want to do, and what

Various aspects of S&O management in the Atokowa Company Essay

Various aspects of S&O management in the Atokowa Company - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that management of systems and operations can be viewed as the organisational in built building, designing, and structuring mechanism for effective daily operations of organisations. According to Chase et al, management of systems and operations is an essential process of converting a firm’s internal input (human resources, energy, or material) into output (goods and services). Actually, management of systems and operations entails the effective management of organisational resources, which gear towards production as well as distribution of goods and services of an organisation to its end customers. Operations and systems management could be summed up into management systems, which are proven frameworks for the management as well as continuous improvements of the policies, processes, as well as procedures of organisations. Individually, system management refers to an enterprise’s management of the systems of information manage ment. This entails gathering necessities, purchasing software and equipment, distribution of software and equipment to their places of use, their configuration, their maintenance through service updates and enhancement, setting up of processes of problem-handling, and determination of whether objectives and goals are being realised. Systems management is thus the enterprise-wide distributed systems’ administration including (and usually in practice) the computer systems. It is stoutly affected by telecommunications’ initiatives of network management. ... The purpose of this paper is to examine various aspects of S&O management in the Atokowa Company and give recommendations for improvement of the management operations in systems and operations segments. Background Information of Atokowa Advantage The Atokowa advantage Company is a key player in the industry of office supplies and stationery in Australia. The firm sells an array of office supplies and stationery to businesses, individuals, as well as other organisations. It owns several retail outlets, which deliver office supplies and stationery directly to the organisations as well as carry out customised printing for firms. Lachlan Atokowa founded Atokowa in 1964 in Sydney, Australia as a mere photocopying business in Atokowa’s garage after purchasing Xerox 914 machine. His business grew and in 1970, he purchased one retail outlet as well as expanded his business from just photocopying activities to business printing in addition to brochures, letterheads, flyers, compliment slips, business cards, fax headers, no carbon required (NCR) pads, and memo slips. These developed Atokowa’s status as a printing firm of high quality. Atokowa’s business continued growing and he developed his vision of becoming the one-stop office supplies and stationery shop. Lachlan expanded as well as purchased additional outlets in Perth and Melbourne areas, which were stocked quite adequately with an array of office supplies, paper, office furniture, besides the original business of printing. In 1980, Atokowa printing was renamed to Atokowa Office Supplies. Lachlan retired in 1983 and handed the business to Jonathan Atokowa, his eldest son who focused more on technology. In fact, Jonathan commenced sale of IBM PC 5100 and Commodore

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Research performa on any psychology topic Essay

Research performa on any psychology topic - Essay Example This is one of the principles of the multiple intelligence approach for effective teaching and learning. This approach can take many formats, and can be implemented in many different ways and at many different levels. Once multiple intelligence based activities are integrated in the educational programs, it offers students some powerful opportunities to come alive with other learners who have achieved competence in specific discipline. It can aid teachers in effortlessly, more personalized as well as diversified instructional experiences; it foster meaningful metacognitive understanding, for a broad range of diversified learning skills techniques; and gives value on students inherent levels of motivation through their natural talents; and help promote academic freedom, interactive and smooth flow of concepts in the classroom. This chapter presents the review of related literature and other studies relevant to the present study. Selections from different books, periodicals, journals, and articles found in the internet were carefully collated to support the said study. For more than hundreds of years, human beings have been the focus of various scientific studies in order to understand how individuals’ think, how they perceive, understand, predict, and manipulate a world far larger and more complicated than itself. In about 335 B.C. Aristotle wrote, â€Å"†¦of all the animals, human has the biggest brain in proportion to his size.† Still, it was not until the middle of the 18th century that the brain was widely recognized as the seat of awareness. The human brain is a â€Å"super system† composed of many mutually interdependent, internally specialized subsystems. The cerebral cortex of a human brain is composed of fifty two areas per hemisphere and has a very complex architecture. The human mind’s architecture has levels of

Monday, July 22, 2019

Joseph Stalin Essay Example for Free

Joseph Stalin Essay Joseph Stalin played a very important role in the history of Soviet Russia. He was exposed to Karl Marx’s ideas at a very young age in the Tiflis Theological Seminary school he was enrolled in. He continued with these ideas throughout the early years of his life; modifying them as he went along. Eventually, Stalin came to power in Eastern Europe. In my opinion, Stalin was a harsh and hypocritical leader. He did not have fair policies and he changed them to apply to a particular problem he was facing. Joseph Stalin in Soviet Russia was harsh, hypocritical and forceful. Stalin made a name for himself when he joined the Social Democratic Labor Party in 1901. After the overthrow of Nicholas II, Stalin did not think that the Russian people were ready for a Socialist revolution, apposing what Vladimir Lenin thought. Lenin was the leader of the Socialists at the time. When Lenin heard about this, he made Stalin choose. He could either challenge Lenin for the leadership of the Socialists, or he could change his mind about the revolution and remain loyal to Lenin. Stalin chose to stay loyal to Lenin in an article he wrote. Lenin was pleased with Stalin, and appointed him Commissar of Nationalities. Stalin told people that the new Soviet government promised â€Å"complete freedom for the Finnish people, and for other peoples of Russia, to arrange their own life†. This meant that he supported the idea of self-determination and making a life for yourself. After a while, Stalin found it hard to control the non-Russian people under his power. They were creating many independent states without his agreement. These states were often hostile to Stalin and his government. This made Stalin change his policies so that self-determination was not allowed. In 1939, Stalin made a pact with Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, which divided the two powers. Taking all of this into consideration, my opinion on Joseph Stalin is that he was a harsh, hypocritical ruler who wasn’t fair. His ideas and actions shaped Soviet Russian history to what we know it to be today. Stalin was hypocritical because he told the people that he supported self-determination, but the once the people put it into action, he punished them for it. He was harsh because when he punished people who went against him, he killed them with no questions asked. Also, he was responsible for at least 20 million deaths from forced famines, labor camps, forced migrations, state terrorism and labor camps. He did these things to try to unite his power base into a smaller area; eliminating lesser powers. Next, after World War II, he continued mass murdering entire areas. He did all of this while practicing callous control over the Soviet Union and it’s surrounding states. This makes me believe even more that Stalin was a horrible person and leader in Soviet Russia’s history. Overall, my judgment of Joseph Stalin in Soviet Russian history is that he was a horrible leader who caused the death of many innocent people. He was hypocritical, ruthless and harsh to the people he ruled. I think that many people probably have different opinions about how much of an impact Stalin actually had on Russian history, but I believe that without him, things would have been completely different. Even though Adolf Hitler still would have caused the Holocaust, Stalin would not have been there to increase the number of deaths. This is how I would judge Joseph Stalin’s place in Soviet Russia’s history.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Personnel Management and HRM

Personnel Management and HRM Personnel management is a type of Human Resource Management. This area of management is concerned about workers and staff of the organization. They are responsible for recruiting and staffing of employees in an organization. Its features include: Organizational management Personnel administration Manpower management Industrial management The term personnel Management and Human Resource management can be called as the same process having two names. In todays world Personnel management is known as human resource management which came into effect during the 1970s and got the acceptance in 1989.Both terms however, referred to the same thing; the personnel manager who work for a company represent that companys human resources. Although Human Resource Management department did not exist in the 1940s, but many Human Resource practices and programs that we see today emerged in the earlier times. Human Resource Management (HRM) previously known as personal management, deals with formal system for the management of the employees within the organization. HR mangers have many things to do and think regarding their workers. These concerns include how to manage layoffs, address reduced employee loyalty, and create a well trained highly motivated work force through training, capable of higher productivity with high quality. Manage and increase diverse workforce and contain health care cost. In 1970s, the job of the HR manger was to keep their companies out of court because at that time the government set many regulations regarding the work. In the 1980s HR mangers had to address staffing costs related to mergers and acquisitions and downsizing. The economic issues related to an increasingly global and competitive workplace characterize the 1990s Shifting from Personnel Management to HRM: The most important role of HRM can be from the transformation of the personnel management function from concentrating on employee welfare to managing workforce in a way, that meet organizational and individual goals and providing employees with internal and external rewards. Therefore, today Human Resource Management (HRM), previously had known as personal management, deals with formal system for the management of the people within the organization. Many well-known companies report that they are trying to transform their workforce into a source of competitive advantage. Stages of shifting of Personnel Management to HRM: Firstly, Effective HRM focus on linking HRM problems to the overall strategy of the organization, the most effective HRM will design policies and practices for such corporate policies and strategies which can change an organizations culture Secondly, building strong cultures is a way of promoting particular organizational goals, strong culture is aimed at uniting employees through a shared set of managerially set of values (quality, service, innovation etc.) Thirdly, the attitude that people are a variable cost is ineffective HRM, replaced by the view that people are resource and that as social capital can be developed and can contribute to competitive advantage. It is accepted that competitive advantage is gained through well-educated and trained, motivated and committed employees. Fourthly, the view that the interests of employees and management or shareholders are divergent which was substantially true in the past is giving way to the view that this need not necessarily be so. Shift of personnel management to HRM took place in three stages: 1. Records and Administration 2. Accountability Regulations 3. Competitive Advantage 1. Records and Administration: In first stage the primary activities, which were carried out by personnel department, were, Planning Company picnics Scheduling vacations, Enrolling workers for health-care coverage, planning retirement parties, increase diverse workforce and contain health care cost. 2. Accountability Regulations: During this stage primary framework of rules and regulations started emerging in the organization. In 1970s, the job of the HR manger was to keep their companies out of court. In the 1980s HR mangers had to address staffing costs related to mergers and acquisitions and downsizing. 3. Competitive Advantage: The aim of this shift stage is from merely securing compliance to the more ambitious one of winning commitment. The employee resource, therefore, becomes worth investing in, and training and development thus assume a higher profile. P 2: -Assess the role, tasks and activities of the human resource practitioner HRM plays a very important role in the success of every organization especially big organization where it is difficult to manage all the activities. HRM is also developing and maintaining a quality of work life thats make employment in the organization desirable. It provides well trained and multi-skill employees. One of the most important functions of HRM is that it brings strategic integration. To integrate all the functions from top management to lower management. Integrate them at one specific point that all functions are interrelated. The policies of HRM are structured in such away which allows maximum flexibility and because of flexibility it can bring innovation because innovation is also very important for the success of an organization like that of specialized cycle. There motto is innovation or die. HRM also force on better quality because of the best quality it can survive in the market. Because with the industrial revolution there when new competitors enter in to the market the old competitors stress on quality in order to show that they have a competitive edge. The HR Manager has an important role in developing and reviewing policies, practices and later referring them to senior management for decision making. The HR Manager generally educates staff through applied theories and retraining them with skillful training for line managers. The HR Manager provides support and guidance to those employees which are involved in unwelcome actions. HR Manager is responsible to find such people whose abilities are competent with the nature of business in which the organization is involve. HR Manager conducts job analysis, recruitment and selecting processes effectively and efficiently which helps an organization to hire capable people. HR Manager is responsible to increase the skill and knowledge level of the employees in order to improve their performance level. It is not obvious that one strategy regarding improving performance level which works for one organization will also work for others HR Manager has a key role in appraising an employee. Through appraising the HR department can judge employees performance. A performance appraisal compares every employees real performance with the benchmarks of standards i.e. appraising employees help the companies in evaluating its employees. HR Manager is responsible to make sure that its policies are competent with the government rules and regulation so that the government shouldnt take the company to court. Secondly it is the ethical responsibility of the organization that it should work under the premises of government laws. The HR Manager builds a competitive edge because conceptually HRM is a strategy of using human resource. Now a day if a company wants to build a competitive edge over its competitors so it has to be very good in managing its human resource because it is the human who use all other sources of production. HR Manager is responsible to make such an environment to make employees effective and efficient to adapt the changing of technologies to perform the operations. Now a days planning is needed for all the functions and actions of the organizations. Building strategies is one of the core purposes of planning. As human assets are considered the keys to business success so while planning and building strategies it is very important to integrate the strategies regarding human resource with over all corporate strategic planning so that the success can be achieved. An Ideal HR Manager Generally HR Manager should perform such activities like planning, directing, and coordinating human resource management actions of an organization to develop the strategic usage of human resources and to continue functions such as recruitment, employees training, planning, employee compensation, and employees performance appraisal. HR should be a Profit Centre which refers to a part of a corporation that directly adds to its profit. Organizations may be organized in terms of profit centers where the profit centers revenues and expenses are held separate from the main companys in order to determine their profitability. We can justify this that recruitments, staff settlement, training and other things that they do should be profitable for an organization. They need to reduce administration cost through proper planning for example providing transport facilities, coffee, tea, lunch expenses, other bonuses lead to higher administrative cost. It will help them to avoid wastage of resources. They need to conduct Performance Appraisal properly which refers to as a method by which the job performance of an employee is evaluated (generally in terms of quality, quantity, cost, and time) typically by the corresponding manager. They should provide their employees compensation which refers to as a systematic approach to providing monetary value to employees in exchange for work performed. Compensation may achieve several purposes assisting in recruitment, job performance, and job satisfaction. They need have good relationship with different departments and try to keep themselves up to date from their activities and performances in order to prevent miscommunication and other disputes. P3: Evaluate the role and responsibilities of line managers in human resource practices? Line manager is person who deals with the workforce directly. Line manager plays important role in the success of HR manager. Line managers play vital role in terms of implementing HR policies and practices such as, disciplinary handling, absence management, Training and appraising employees. Line managers now have a greater involvement in the recruitment and selection process from the outset.ÂÂ   Alongside the HR manager, line managers are now typically involved in briefing the recruitment agency, writing the advertisement, short listing and interviewing they then make sure that recruitment is right. HR manager gets staff information from the line manager, for example if the employees are not working properly or they dont come regularly, these line managers inform the HR manager to take proper actions. If some workers are not performing well then HR manager consults line manager for providing them training in order to develop the skills and techniques of their employees and th en appraising those employees who are working well in order provide them with equal growth opportunities. Some researches have found that where employees feels positive about their relationship with their line managers they are more likely to have higher levels of job satisfaction, commitment and loyalty which are associated with higher levels of performance, for example taking care of employees health and hygiene factors will address employees absenteeisms and hence increase their motivation. As well as line manager helps HR manager in providing employees other fringe benefits such as free medical, transport and free education for employees children and treating every in the same way will increase their loyalty towards their organization and hence, it will address the discipline problems. Therefore, the involvements of line manager in HR practices improve their activities further. M1: Discuss how the concepts of PM and HRM are practiced in an organization? We have selected UFONE as an organization. As we all know that Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Limited (PTCL) that started its operations in January 2001 under the brand name UFONE. As a result of PTCLs privatization, UFONE became a part of the Emirates Telecommunication Corporation Group (Etisalat) in 2006. (Referenced from: http://ufone.com/about.aspx ) They have got large human resources in their Peshawar branch office. They have a human resource department in Islamabad to guide their employees and provide those facilities and comfort. In this company there are several departments such as sales department, customer care department, finance department, marketing department, corporate department etc. In UFONE Human Resource Department has individual relationship with each department. In UFONE the roles and responsibilities of Human Resource Management Department which was previously known as Personal management in recruitment process is given below: Before hiring new employees the HR department ensures that whether there is a need to hire a new employee for the particular job. The recruitment in UFONE is of both internal and external nature. Internal Recruitment In this case the employees already in the organization are encouraged to fill the vacant position. The HR department and other senior department choose the best fit from the employees within the UFONE. After the promotion employees are sent for further training. Internal recruitment motivates the employees to perform well and produce good results. It also creates a healthy competition within the staff of UFONE. External Recruitment If the HR department of UFONE feels that there is no one in the company who can fill the vacancy then they recruit from external sources. First they select some supervisors with whom the new people will work in order to form a panel of people who will interview applicants. UFONE has a data base system i.e. HRMS (Human Resource Management System) for its current applicants as well for the future employees. People just drop their CVs there and in case some vacancy occurs HR department call them for an interview. UFONE also advertise internally for recruitment purpose, because their current employees pass this information to their friends and families. UFONEs HR management has the service of internal flow, web designer, and Eveready media in order to post their advertisement. They also have eCVs format in which people put their CVs without moving and this system forward them to the HRM department. Recruitment procedure in UFONE For collecting application everything is computerized and it is very easy for them to reply too many applicants. They handle first those people who do not fit in their job and deal them carefully because they consider them their future applicants. Then they take on-line evaluation test (basically for testing personality and skills) and candidates that pass this test are called for an interview and the day for the interview is already set. Then the results are screened by an expert penal in order to reduce the chances of errors in selecting the candidates. After selecting the candidates then they are referred to accounts department for settling the pay and they give the new employees an orientation of what is his/her duties and responsibilities in UFONE. Then after some time they provide them training for enhancing their skill of communication with their client. The basic purpose behind all these recruitment steps is to hire a skillful workforce in UFONE who work toward department and the organizations goals and objectives and to get competitive advantage. M2: Make an effective judgment about PM and line manager responsibilities in studied organization. The line manager has key role in UFONE. They are responsible for dealing workforce directly and they are there to help the HRM department and others as well. The way line manager works with HR manager in selection processes, disciplinary handling, absence management, and training and appraising in UFONE which has been mentioned in P3. According to the Judgment given to us by the HR manager of UFONE, they are achieving their goals on time. He said our HRM department has good relationship with every department of UFONE such as marketing, corporate, finance, sales, customers care departments etc. The HR department plan rules and regulation and the way they want their employees to work then our line managers pass those information to the lower staff so that they perform accordingly within time in order to get organizational goals. Some time they work more than their required duty timing from 9am to 5pm and till 8pm so that they get their targets. But what we judged after studying UFONE i s even though they provide their employees all the monetary and non-monetary benefits a lot of employees from both managerial and non-managerial levels left UFONE just after few months of their joining. The major reason behind this is that sometime in order to achieve their targets in the season many people keep working more then their required duty timing of 9am to 5pm and continue till 8pm and employees find themselves without their social life. Another problem that we noticed was that there was lack of communication between sales departments and the marketing department. D1: Evaluate the roles and responsibilities of HR manager and line manager in the organization as compared to their ideal role. Here we would like to specify the problems or the area in which HR manager is lacking after studying UFONE. In this company communication between different departments is very bad for example an year ago their marketing department made an offer in their advertisement that customers can get UFONE Sims for free without informing their Sales department, that advertisement attracted the attention of every one, then every one rushed to get Sims for free, while they didnt had enough Sims to supply as consequences their image was badly effected and their Customer Care Department received thousands of complaints. We have held HR department for the problem of miscommunication between different departments because HR focuses on openness in communication between senior management and employees in different departments, results in improving employee engagement and their productivity this shows their focus is not to provide open communication. Another problem that UFONEs HR Manager is facing is t hat even though they provide their employees all the monetary and non-monetary benefits a lot of employees from both managerial and non-managerial levels left UFONE just after few months of their joining. The major reason behind this is that sometimes in order to achieve their targets in the season many people keep working more then their required duty timing of 9am to 5pm and continue till 8pm and employees find themselves without their social life. This problem shows that HR manager is not performing well because its not only money that is important to their employees they needed also to take care of employees by allowing them to go at 5pm so that they can spend time with their families. The ideal roles of their HR manager in UFONE should be the following: HR manager should build such communication system in which each department can communicate with each other so that marketing department increase demands of their customer by consulting the sales departments in order to make an effective advertisement for their product in this way each department will perform better. HR manager needs to have back up staff in season time where targets are high and with allotted time employees had to work over time for getting their targets. And provide them emergency leaves if the employees have emergency in their homes by doing this HR can stop their employees from leaving. They need to reduce administration cost through proper planning for example providing transport facilities, coffee, tea, lunch expenses, other bonuses lead to higher administrative cost. It will help them to avoid wastage of resources. They need to conduct Performance Appraisal properly which refers to as a method by which the job performance of an employee is evaluated (generally in terms of quality, quantity, cost, and time) typically by the corresponding manager. They should provide their employees compensation which refers to as a systematic approach to providing monetary value to employees in exchange for work performed. Compensation may achieve several purposes assisting in recruitment, job performance, and job satisfaction. They need have good relationship with different departments and try to keep themselves up to date from their activities and performances in order to prevent miscommunication and other disputes. D2: Suggest recommendations for realistic improvement against the defined Following are the recommendations for UFONE to carry out their human resource planning in a better way: The prediction of requirement and availability of the work force is considered an essential step in carrying out human resource planning for any organization. UFONE should do the forecasting keeping in mind the rapid changes in demands which has been taking place and should spend their time in finding best employees from service sector, which could be a source of competitive advantage for the organization. They should always look for hiring the quality workforce and this can be done effectively by keeping contacts with universities because fresh candidates no matters they are not experienced but they show enthusiasm and commitment in their early jobs to built a platform for their career. So they can hire the fresh candidates and should train them to assist the HR professionals. Moreover the initial step should be the establishment of the HR departments on regional levels because without proper HR professionals, qualitative human resource planning is not possible; this is discussed in detail in the upcoming topics. Recruitment and selection process has a pivotal role in making successful HRM policies. In case of UFONE before advertising any vacancy they should do proper job analysis which will lead to the development of an effective job description and job specification and will result in attracting potential talented candidates for the job. They should practice performance management policies, different incentives scheme should be introduced e.g. if a department within the office shows outstanding performance in generating more revenue then the rest of the areas or has performed well in reducing the complaints in that area then should be given some special incentives and should be provided companys certificate for good performance because a companys certificate means a lot to any employee. They should give all of them some role in decision making and should give them chance to achieve their full potential. Moreover job security should be given top priority because if the employee feels being in an uncertain environment and does not feel being a part of that company so he/she can never perform well, so in order to make them contribute effectively and to fulfill their responsibilities UFONE needs to work on job security. In addition, the employees should be promoted and given more benefits and greater responsibility based on their efficiency and experience. All this which will help them in keeping their employees loyal and committed and as a result employee turnover will be low. Proper training and development keeps an organization ready to face untoward situations and helps them in gaining competitive edge over its competitors. UFONE should review the performance of employees after every quarter for this purpose they should make the separate profile of each employee and their performance should be evaluated against the standard performance required for the success of the organization, this will help UFONE in finding out key areas for development for that particular employee and accordingly they can assess what his/her training needs are. Moreover in response to the case discussed above, they should invite all the employees for the training programs instead of inviting a couple of employees from every department because all of them deserve to improve and work on their skills and to get better training. Organization environment and structure is considered as the most critical factor for the success of the organization in case of UFONE the employees suggestions should be given due consideration while making the strategy this will make employee feel as a part of the organization and besides that flexible working hours and family friendly policies should also be introduced because they dont need only money in fact, they should take care of their personal needs as well. As earlier we have discussed that sometimes employee works till 8pm so this is against their own needs, they should set a proper schedule for taking out the work from employees.

Bridget Jones Diary Analysis

Bridget Jones Diary Analysis Bridget Jones is a single woman who tries to find herself a nice man, because she doesnt want to stay single for the rest of her life. Write a summary in your own words of about 400-600 words. The story is about Bridget Jones. The book describes a year of the live of Bridget Jones. Bridget is a woman around her thirties without a husband. Many times she has tried to loose weight and to quit smoking, but she never succeeds. She is still single but she tries to change that. Bridget is a quite common woman, only maybe a little bit clumsier. When Bridget and her parents go to a new years buffet from friends of her parents she meets Mark Darcey. Their parents introduced them but they dont like each other. One day her boss sends her a flirting email and they and up in bed with each other. Bridget is convinced that he is the one she is going to spend the rest of her life with. Meanwhile Bridgets mother has left her father and has a new boyfriend. And she has less contact with her boss. At another party she meets Mark again but they still dont like each other. Love Bridget is a woman around her thirties and she doesnt have a husband. Bridget works at a publishing house. She is afraid that shell stay single the rest of her life. She is a little bit overweight and obsessed about her weight, and she smokes a lot. Sometimes she does strange and embarrassing things. Describe two minor characters. Daniel Cleaver is Bridgets boss. Bridget has a little crush on him. He is a very charming man. Mark Darcey is a lawyer, his parents are rich people. Their mothers introduced them to each other, they want them to be a couple. At first she thinks hes just a dull bloke. But after a while she starts to like him. Describe the place(s) where the story is set in detail. When does the story take place? (How do you know? What is the length of time of the story? Is the story told chronologically? Does the author use flashbacks? Explain in detail!) The length of time of the story is one year. There arent any flashbacks in the in the book, so the story is told in chronological order The person who tells the story is Bridget because its her diary you are reading. The book is told from the point of view of Bridget. Its written in the I-perspective. The title of the book is: Bridget Jones diary. That is because youre reading her diary. You read everything she wrights down. Is the book just meant as a story or is the author trying to bring across a message? If so: why? If not: why not? Leesbeleving en evaluatie What is your opinion about the book? I really liked the book because it is really realistic. Bridget is really funny because she gets herself in really idiotic situations. The whole book is really funny to read, sometimes it even made me laugh out load. Would you recommend the book to your classmates? I would recommend the book, but its more a book for the girls. Because the can picture themselves as her. And its a funny book to read. I dont really think boys would like this book. Which part did you like best or was most important in the development of the story? Quote (citeer) a passage or sentence from the book which you found most impressive or touching. Saturday, April 25 9st 1oz (excellent); alcohol units: 4; cigarettes: 24 (entirely understandable). 8am: Gaah! Gaaaah! Doorbell!. 8.05am: Was Magdas builder, Gary. Forgot he was coming round to put shelves up. Ah! Super! Hello! Could you come back in 10 minutes. Im just in the middle of something, I trilled, then doubled up, cringing in nighty. What would I be in the middle of? Sex? Making a vase on a potters wheel which absolutely couldnt be left in case it dried funny? Still had wet hair when doorbell rang again. Felt surge of middle-class guilt as Gary smirked at decadence of those who loll idly in bed while a whole different world of genuine hardworking folk have been up for so long is practically time for their lunch. Would you care for some tea or coffee? I said graciously. Yeah. Cup of tea. Four sugars, but dont stir it. I looked at him for a moment, wondering if this was a joke or a bit like smoking cigarettes but not inhaling. Right, I said, right, and started making the tea, at which Gary sat down at kitchen table and lit up a fag.