The Synthesis Of A Medicinal Agent Essay - 938 Words

The Synthesis of a Medicinal Agent – Aspirin IDC 3002H – EMWH Dylan Chow 9/14/2016 Abstract: In this experiment, aspirin was synthesized from a reaction between salicylic acid and acetic anhydride. Acetic anhydride was added to salicylic acid to create a solution and phosphoric acid was added to catalyze the reaction. After the salicylic acid was fully dissolved in a boiling water bath, water would be added to decompose the remaining acetic anhydride. Through the process of filtration, aspirin crystals were collected and separated from the remaining acetic acid-water solution. Then, the product of the reaction would be weighed at 3.68 g and tested for purity. Overall, the experiment was successful in producing aspirin with little impurity. I. Introduction The purpose of the experiment is to produce common drugs from organic materials. In theory, the experiment tests the idea that the therapeutic drug aspirin can be synthesized from a reaction between salicylic acid and acetic anhydride. Because consuming pure salicylic acid, a derivative of willow bark, can caused stomach pains and be difficult to consumer due to its extremely bitter taste, producing aspirin is of great importance. Aspirin is pleasant to take orally and it only breaks down when it reaches the small intestine, causing little to no damage to the stomach. To meet the primary objective of producing aspirin, a reaction called esterification needs to be undergone. This reaction changes salicylic acidShow MoreRelatedDrug Classification System ( Atc )904 Words   |  4 Pagespharmaceutical drug, also called a medication or medicine, is a chemical substance used to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease or to promote well-being. Traditionally drugs were obtained through extraction from medicinal plants, but more recently also by organic synthesis. Pharmaceutical drugs may be used for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders. Pharmaceutical drugs are often classified into groups of related drugs that have similar chemical structures, the sameRead MoreSolid Phase Of Polymer Bound 2955 Words   |  4 Pages A 1,3,4-thiadiazole library was constructed by solid-phase organic synthesis. The key step of this solid-phase synthesis involves the preparation of polymer-bound 2-amido-5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole resin by the cyclization of thiosemicarbazide resin using p-TsCl as the desulfurative agent, followed by the functionalization of resin by alkylation, acylation, alkylation/acylation, and Suzuki coupling reaction. Both the alkylation and acylation reactions chemoselectively occurred at the 2-amide positionRead MoreThe Consequences Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Human Pathogens907 Words   |  4 PagesThe incidences of antimicrobial resistance in human pathogens have increased at an alarming rate worldwide (Tanwar et al., 2014). Nature has been a potential source of medicinal agents for thousands of years and a notable amount of modern drugs have been isolated from natural products, many based on their use in traditional medicine. The relatively lower incidence of adverse reactions to plant preparations compared to modern conventional pharmaceuticals, coupled with their reduced cost, is encouragingRead MoreModern Medicine : The Traditional Medicine System1388 Words   |  6 PagesPlant as a source of Medicine: The traditional medicine system that involves use of medicinal plants for curing various human and animal diseases is as old as human society. Most of the people living in rural areas depend on herbal medicines for treatment of some common diseases such as cold, cough, fever, bronchitis, asthma, stomach ache and many more. This is because people in rural and semi urban areas are devoid of proper medical facilities and since plants are easily available for them, theyRead MoreMedicinal Chemsitry1138 Words   |  5 Pages Topic: what is Medicinal Chemistry in the 21st century? | Name Kambura N. 201405016 | Lecturer:B.A. RickertsF Group | TABLE OF CONTENTS 1†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Cover page 2†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Introduction: What is Medicinal chemistry? 3†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...Body: The pharmaceutical industry Global generics Chemistry in a nutshell 4†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ConclusionRead MoreCarbohydrates Case Study735 Words   |  3 Pages3.6.7. Biguanides: Biguanides are other class of oral antidiabetic agents which decreases glucose absorption from the intestine. These are the class of drugs which control all types of diabetes. These are also used to treat mild diabetes during pregnancy (Singh, 2011). The recommended first line treatment used as an insulin sensitizer is metformin and it is the only biguanide available. Widely used in elderly individuals because it effectively lowers blood glucose, has a lower risk of hypoglycemiaRead MoreEssay On Silver Nanotechnology864 Words   |  4 PagesAnti-fungicidal activities, Anticancer studies, Antiviral effects, antioxidant activity etc.6 In recent years, among these applications, antioxidant activities have attracted a great deal of attention in controlling degenerative diseas es. Antioxidant agents including enzymatic and non-enzymatic substances regulate free radical formation which are generated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen radicals. Excess free radicals generated in the bodyRead MoreAntimicrobial Potency Of Silver Nanoparticles1691 Words   |  7 PagesSilver Nanoparticles Over the course of the past several years, nanotechnology has presented itself as an exciting field with various applications in modern medicine (Xia et al., 2010). With further improvement of nanotechnology, well-regulated synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) has attracted much attention due to their possible functions in numerous areas (Yang and Cui, 2008). Among the various metal nanoparticles (NPs), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are particularly interesting due toRead MoreThe Need for More Medications for Dementia967 Words   |  4 PagesCurrent medications for dementia are limited and there is a need to explore traditional medicinal system to investigate the agents that can prevent progression of memory loss or improve the existing capacity of learning and memory. Thus present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of Ayurveda drug formulations, Tinospora cordifolia (Tc) Phyllanthus emblica (Pe) with and without Ocimum sanctum (Os) on learning performance and me mory of mice. We also tried to investigate the possible mechanismsRead MoreWhat Are The Importance Of Natural Products1361 Words   |  6 Pagesstructural and chemical diversity which is incomparable by any synthetic libraries. About 40% of the chemical scaffolds observed in natural products are deficient in today’s medicinal chemistry and thus become complementary to synthetically developed molecules. Perhaps, this is the vital reason for the historical success of medicinal plants in drug discovery. In fact, 45% of today’s bestselling drugs have been originated from natural sources. Another important benefit of natural products lies with their

Essay on psych journal review - 2291 Words

PSYC101 Journal Article Review Assignment - Part 1 Article Content Identification and Summary Due: 11:55pm ET Sunday at the end of Week 3 of the 8-week course term You may work on this assignment ahead of its deadline but may not submit it prior to Week 3. Points Possible: 60 OVERVIEW: This is Part 1 of a two-part assignment designed to guide you through the steps of critically reviewing a published, evidence-based, scholarly journal article. This is an activity in which students engage frequently across their college careers in the completion of a variety of assignments. The article you review will be selected from the classroom Resources folder. For Part 1 and Part 2 of this assignment, demonstration of foundational skills†¦show more content†¦In the space below explain why you picked the article you selected for this assignment from the classroom Resources folder. Include a description of what about the focus of the article you chose captured your interest and why. I chose â€Å"Smoking behavior and motivational ï ¬â€šexibility in light and heavy smokers,† (Darlow Lobel 2012) because I have never understood why people chose to smoke. You know that smoking is bad for your health when you start smoking and you know it is hard to quit so why do people even start smoking in the first place? This article captured my interest because I work with a lot of people that smoke and have been smoking for years and I always wondered what their motivation was to smoke. I have also always wondered if there were certain triggers that caused them to, â€Å"crave,† a cigarette. I think learning why people smoke and what dictates when they do it would be informational. 2. APA Citation Format Show in the spaces below how you would source credit and reference-list (in APA formatting style), if you were writing a formal paper, the article you selected in the body of the paper and in a Reference list that would be attached to the end of the paper (for examples of how to correctly source credit in APA formatting style see the classroom Resources folder entitled, â€Å"APAShow MoreRelatedMy Vision And Plans For Personnel Psychology1575 Words   |  7 Pageslook forward by first looking back. From its inception, P-Psych (as it has become known) concerned itself with the application of psychological methods, understandings, techniques and findings to the study of personnel problems (Taylor Mosier, 1948, p. 1). Within this context, personnel was a short-hand way to describe people at work, not a particular organizational unit or topic domain. Establishing the intended breadth of the journal, topics across the full spectrum of industrial-organizationalRead MoreReview of Social Psychology Book by Claude Steele1468 Words   |  6 Pagessolving the given questions. One of the largest breakthroughs of his research was providing a better understanding of who is vulnerable to such threats. Experiences of Ted McDougal in African American political Ju Hee Lee (20426432) PSYCH 253 Book Review March 24 th , 2014 science class have shown that identity threat affecting the intellectual performance is a general phenomenon that can affect anyone depending on whom the situation invokes. (p. 86) High-performing white male studentsRead MoreStages Of Grief By Elisabeth Kubler Ross1399 Words   |  6 PagesMcKenzie, D. P., ... Psych, M. (2006). Family focused grief therapy: a randomized, controlled trial in palliative care and bereavement. The American journal of psychiatry, 163(7), 1208-1218. Elizabeth Kubler Ross Grief Cycle model, five stages of grief ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/elisabeth_kubler_ross_five_stages_of_grief.htm Gallaghe, R., Krawczyk, M. (2013). Kissane, D. W., PM, F. C., McKenzie, M., Bloch, S., Moskowitz, C., McKenzie, D. P., ... Psych, M. (2006). FamilyRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Acute Stress1526 Words   |  7 Pages people). The person experiencing acute stress disorder also has significant symptoms of anxiety or increased arousal (e.g., difficulty sleeping, irritability, poor concentration, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, motor restlessness) (Psych Central, 2014). Difference Between Acute Stress Reactions and Acute Stress Disorder As discussed earlier acute stress reaction is a psychological condition that occurs after a traumatic event and an acute stress disorder is a dissociative disorderRead MorePsych 625 Week 1 Individual Assignment Time to Practice Essay1134 Words   |  5 PagesPSYCH 625 WEEK 1 Individual Assignment Time to Practice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Click below link for Answer http://workbank247.com/q/psych-625-week-1-assignment-time-to-practice/2895 http://workbank247.com/q/psych-625-week-1-assignment-time-to-practice/2895    Time to Practice – Week One      Complete  both Part A and Part B below.      Part A   Some questions in Part A require that you access data from  Statistics for People WhoRead MoreTenants Of Personality Theories And The Bible1274 Words   |  6 Pages References Pavarini, G., De Hollanda Souza, D., Kozak Hawk, C. (2013, August 10). Parental Practices and Theory of Mind Development. Journal of Child and Family Stud, 844-853. Baker, A. J., Verrocchio, M. C. (2014). Parental Bonding and Parental Alienation as Correlates of Psychological Maltreatment in Adults in Intact and Non-Intact Families. Journal of Child and Family Studies J Child Fam Stud, 24(10), 3047-3057. doi:10.1007/s10826-014-0108-0 Slobodskaya, H. R., Kozlova, E. A. (2016)Read MoreCharacter Analysis of Sam Dawson from the Film, I Am Sam1669 Words   |  7 Pagesof underdevelopment in adults. There is no specific scene or reference to Sams precise IQ, or whether he has been developmentally disabled since birth, yet it is implied from the film that Sam has been disabled for most, if not all of his life. Psych Treatment, in concordance with the DSM-IV describes a retarded person as a person that has: Significantly subaverage intellectual functioning; Concurrent deficits or impairments in present adaptive functioning (i.e.. the persons effectiveness inRead MoreEvaluating a Health Promotion Website Essay2584 Words   |  11 PagesThe website The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RC Psych, 2012 a) was chosen to be evaluated because as a mental health nursing student this will develop an awareness of how information technology is implemented and applied to practice in health care. Additionally, by using Roberts (2012) 5 C’s framework to critically evaluate this website, knowledge and skills of the quality and reliability of HIT will be acquired. Main Body RC Psych is the professional and educational organisation forRead MoreKeeping A Dialectic Journal Extremely Mind Opening882 Words   |  4 PagesI found this experience of keeping a dialectic journal extremely mind opening. I had been keeping a journal for a few weeks before this assignment began. For those who may not know a dialectic journal is when for a set number of days a person free writes for a set amount of time, and then for an equal number or days responds to what they wrote. My focus was supposed to be a tomato, but I quickly realized that the tomato was only there to begin the conversation. I have always been a person who isRead MoreEssay on Applied Business Research Case Study935 Words   |  4 Pages(2013). Impact of transformational and servant leadership on organizational performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 116, 433-440. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1470-8 Cooper, D. R., Schindler, P. S. (2011). Business research methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Parris, D. L., Peachey, J. W. (2013). A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organizational contexts. Journal of Business Ethics, 113, 377-393. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1322-6 Schneider, B., Ehrhart, M

Accounting Case Study BTG Plc - Click to Solution

Question: Discuss about the Accounting Case Study for BTG Plc. Answer: Introduction: The overall report mainly helps in evaluating the current financial strength of BTG Plc for past five years. In addition, the novice with the help of effective ratios is able to provide relevant information, which might help in depicting the accurate financial position of the company. Moreover, the overall implementation of profitability and liquidity ratio in the study mainly helps in evaluating the financial performance of BTG Plc. In addition, with the help of liquidity ratio the novice is able to depict the overall ability of BTG Plc to fulfil its short-term obligations. Ratio analysis of BTG Plc: Particulars 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 RATIOS Profitability Ratios Gross Profit Margin (3) 71.42% 71.25% 67.30% 68.81% 68.54% Operating Profit Margin 8.78% 9.67% 11.12% 7.67% 11.64% Return on capital Employed (ROCE) 3.26% 3.46% 3.89% 3.61% 5.91% Profit Margin ratio 7.41% 7.02% 8.36% 9.14% 13.52% Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio 2.990 3.611 1.665 1.796 2.380 Quick Ratio 2.340 2.817 0.933 1.077 1.588 Financial Gearing Debt ratio 0.197 0.201 0.255 0.275 0.262 Inventory turnover ratio 2.694 2.980 3.777 3.399 3.237 Asset turnover ratio 0.396 0.447 0.464 0.419 0.408 Investment Ratios Price/Earnings 74.11 114.51 116.21 75.39 39.97 Earnings Per Share (pence) 0.045 0.050 0.068 0.091 0.158 Earnings Per Share Growth 31.76% 11.99% 36.37% 33.50% 73.14% NAVPS 1.246 1.318 1.493 2.062 2.216 Retained Earnings (128,600,000) (108,400,000) (80,000,000) (40,600,000) 28,700,000 Outstanding Shares 325,900,000 326,900,000 355,200,000 367,900,000 382,600,000 Market Share price 332 574.5 795 688.5 632 Table 1: Depicting the ration for BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016 (Source: Morningstar.com 2016)) The overall table 1, mainly helps in evaluating the overall ratio, which could be used in depicting the financial position of the company. In addition, with the help of liquidity, profitability and financial ratio the overall financial stability of BTG Plc could be effectively evaluated. In this context, Lartey et al. (2013) stated that ratios mainly help investors to decode the financial statement of the companies and effectively make adequate investment decision. Moreover, BTG Company has not been paying any divided to its shareholders over the period of five year. In addition, the negatively retained earnings from 2012 have been declining from 2012 to 2016. Moreover, the current retained earnings of the company are at around 28,700,000, which might help the investors to make adequate investment decisions. Profitability ratio: Figure 1: Showing the profitability ratio of BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016 (Source: Morningstar.com 2016)) With the help of profitability ratio, like gross profit margin, operating profit margin, return on capital employed, and profit margin ratio, the overall performance of the company could be effectively evaluated. In addition, figure 1 mainly helps in depicting the performance of the company from 2012 to 2016, which might help investors to make adequate investment decisions. In addition, the overall gross profit of the company mainly declined from 2012 to 2016, which mainly indicates the rising cost of revenue incurred by the company. Parsian and Koloukhi (2014) stated that gross profit margin investors are able to detect the efficiency of the companys management in which they are willing to invest. Moreover, return on capital employed of BTG Plc mainly increased from 2012 to 2016 indicating an efficient management system, which is focused in improving its profitability. In addition, the rising ROCE mainly helps in depicting the increasing capacity of the company to generate more income from the same capital. However, 2015, the capital employed of the company declined from previous year. In addition, in 2016 the ROCE of the company increased exponentially, which in turn might help investors to make adequate investment decisions. On the contrary, Fito et al. (2013) mentioned that ratios do not help the investors to make future prediction, which might in turn increase investment risk. In this context, Brou and Krueger (2016) further stated that ratios are not able to accommodate changing price rate due to inflation, which might be crucial to analyse actual increase in revenue of the company. In addition, with the help of figure 1, the overall operating profit margin increased from 2012 to 2013. Moreover, a steep decline in 2015 could be seen, which might be incurred due to decline in sudden revenue generation capacity of the company. However, stable growth in operating margin resumed in 2016 after decline in 2015. On the other hand, Bentley et al. (2013) criticises that some companies use unethical measure in inflating their financial statement, which helps in depicting an affect financial position to potential investors. In addition, comparison of ROCE and operating profit margin mainly helps in indicating the capital employed during 2015, was more or less adequate to generate the required operating profit for BTG Plc. Moreover, figure 1 also helps in evaluating the profit margin of BTG Plc, which has been relatively increasing from 2012 to 2016. In addition, the evaluations of net profit margin ratio mainly help investors to depict the overall percentage increase in profit acquired by the company. In addition, with the help of gross profit ratio and net profit ratio of BTG Plc, investors could derive its overall administrative expenses over the period. Lartey et al. (2013) mentioned that decrease in administrative expenses mainly help the company to retain more income, which could be used in future investment scope. On the other hand, Parsian and Shams (2014) criticises that reduction in administrative expenses might reduce capability of the company to advertise its products and attain higher sales figure, which might in turn help in obtaining sustainable growth. Moreover, the investors with the help of gross and profit margin ratio are able to determine the overall administrative expense conducte d by the company to support its revenue generation capacity. Liquidity Ratio: Figure 2: Showing the Liquidity ratio of BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016 (Source: Morningstar.com 2016)) Figure 2, mainly helps in evaluating the overall liquidity ratio of BTG plc from 2012 to 2016. In addition, the overall current ratio of the company has been mainly close to 2.5, which depicts its inefficiency to utilise assigned assets and liabilities. However, during 2014 and 2015 the current ratio of the company was below 2 indicating a volatile state, which might have increased risk for the investors. However, currently in 2016 the current ratio of the company is around 2.38, which mainly states adequate financial stability. Fito et al. (2013) argued that due to the inappropriate assumption of current ratio investors are not able to detect the adequate financial condition of the company. Furthermore, the overall quick ratio of BTG Plc could also be evaluated from figure 2. In addition, during 2012 to 2013 the company quick assets mainly increased from 2.340 and 2.817. However, drastic decline in quick ratio of the company could be seen in 2014, which might negatively affect its capability to support short-term obligations. However, from 2015 the quick ratio of the company mainly increased indicating a higher current assets accumulation conducted by the company. Brou and Krueger (2016) stated that quick ratio allows investors to analyse ability of the company to pay its short-term obligations by not selling its long-term, assets. On the other hand, Bentley et al. (2013) criticises that decrease in current ration mainly indicates the inability of the company to support its endeavours with attained sales revenue. Financial Ratio: Figure 3: Showing the Financial ratio of BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016 (Source: Morningstar.com 2016)) In addition, with the help of figure 3, the overall financial ratio of BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016 could be effectively evaluated. Moreover, the debt ration of the company has been increasing from 2012 to 2015 indicating a low financial stability of BTG Plc. However, the debt ratio of the company is less than 0.50, which mainly depicts a low risky stock for the investors. Lartey et al. (2013) argued that increased debt ratio mainly indicates a volatile stock, which might increase risk of the investors. Moreover, the inventory turnover ratio of the company is also increasing from 2012 to 2016, which mainly depicts the higher inventory blockage conducted by the company over the past fiscal year. On the other hand, Parsian and Shams (2014) criticises that increased inventory blockage mainly reduce vital working capital of the company, which in turn might also affect its productivity. In addition, the figure 3 mainly helps in evaluating the assets turn ratio of BTG Plc. Moreover, the rising asset turnover ratio of the company from 2012 to 2014 mainly helps in depicting the effective use of its assets. However, from 2014 to 2016 the overall asset turnover ratio of the company mainly declined, which indicates its inefficiency to manage its assets. However, the current asset turnover ratio of the company is 0.408, which might be used by the investors to make adequate investment decisions. Fito et al. (2013) argued that during an economic crisis the value generated from ratio loses its friction and might depict a wrong valuation for the company. Evaluating the critical reflection portrayed journalist for BTG Plc: BTG group has currently acquired Galil Medical for e consideration amount of $84.5 Million and 25.5 Million in future mile stone payments (Prnewswire.com 2016). Moreover, the acquisition of Galil has mainly helped the BTG group to increase its service quality. In addition, the Galil Medical has been a portrayed as the global leader in innovative cryoablation solution, which might help patients with their treatments (hl.co.uk 2016). Furthermore, the addition, of Galil in the BTG family has mainly helped the company to increase its overall efficiency and technology to support its future endeavours in satisfying their service users. Moreover, BTG plc could make effective treatment in areas such as bone, kidney, liver, lung, and prostate. Analysing the Corporate governance of BTG Plc: The overall corporate governance of BTG Plc mainly depicts the fundamental belief of the company to maintain successful operations. In addition, the company has specifically designed there corporate governance code as per the defined UK Corporate Governance Code. Moreover, the company also complies with the rules laid down by FRC (Financial Reporting Council), which might help in depicting an effective financial statement of the company (Btgplc.com 2016). In addition, the corporate governance of the company mainly includes sections, which might be used in describing the overall structure, responsibilities, and roles of the board. In addition, effectively displays high standard of ethical and professional practise in their operations. Moreover, the code of conduct implemented by the company mainly helps in reducing unethical measures to increase their revenues. In addition, the code of conduct mainly helps in depicting the principles, policies and procedures, which might help in maint aining the required level of authority in its operations. Depicting adequate investment opportunity by evaluating the asset value per share and current share price of BTG Plc: Figure 4: Showing the Earning per share of BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016 (Source: Morningstar.com 2016) With the help of figure 4, the overall increase in Earnings per share of BTG Plc could be effectively evaluated. In addition, it could be seen in the above figure that EPS of the company mainly decreased in 2013 compared to 2012, indicating a lower income generated by the company during that fiscal year. In addition, the overall increase in EPS of BTG Plc could be seen from 20s13 to 2016, which mainly indicates the overall profits generated by the company for previous three fiscal year. Parsian and Shams (2014) stated that investors with the help of EPS valuation are able to determine the status of the company and how much return it could provide in a year. Figure 5: Showing the Share price of BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016 (Source: uk.finance.yahoo.com 2016) Moreover, with the help of figure 5, the overall revenue generated from BTG plc shares in five-year horizon could be effectively evaluated. Moreover, the share price of the company started from as low as 320 in 2012 and reached 800 in 2015. This rapid growth in share price mainly indicates the higher trust of investors in the company. In addition, the overall NAVPS of BTG Plc as depicted in table 1, has been effectively rising from 2012 to 2016. Moreover, the rising NAVPS mainly indicates the investors interest in the overall shares of the company. However, the ideal NAVPS is mainly 1, which indicates the shares of the company is not at discounted rate. Thus, it could be conducted that NAVPS indicates that it is not the ideal time for investment and the investors might wait until the NAVPS comes closer to 1 or below to purchase BTG Plc stocks. Figure 6: Showing the investment strategy for BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016 (Source: Tradingview.com 2016) Based on the current price patters of BTG Plc short-term trade could be conducted by the investors, by buying the stock at current level with tight stopples of 552 and target of 796. This trading strategy mainly has 12.63% of risk and income opportunity of 25.90%., which might help investors to get a 50-50 risk to opportunity ratio from investment. Conclusion: The overall study mainly helps in depicting the current financial position o BTG Plc from 2012 to 2016. In addition, the novice with the help of ratio analysis has depicted the overall financial performs of BTG Plc during its five year tenure. In addition, with the help of NAPVS and EPS ratio the novice is able to detect adequate investment opportunity for investors. Moreover, the overall corporate governance implemented by BTG plc is effectively described in the assignment. Lastly, the novice with the help of effective evaluation is able to portray adequate investment opportunity, which might be used in improving overall return from investment in short-term period. Reference: Bentley, K.A., Omer, T.C. and Sharp, N.Y., 2013. Business strategy, financial reporting irregularities, and audit effort.Contemporary Accounting Research,30(2), pp.780-817. Brou, F.B. and Krueger, T.M., 2016. Continental and National Differences in the Financial Ratios of Investment Banking Companies: An Application of the Altman Z Model.Journal of Accounting and Finance,16(3), p.37. Btgplc.com. (2016).BTG plc | Press Releases. [online] Available at: https://www.btgplc.com/media/press-releases/ [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. Fit, M.., Moya, S. and Orgaz, N., 2013. Considering the effects of operating lease capitalization on key financial ratios.Spanish Journal of Finance and Accounting/Revista Espaola de Financiacin y Contabilidad,42(159), pp.341-369. hl.co.uk (2016).BTG plc (BTG) Ordinary 10p Share Price | BTG. [online] Available at: https://www.hl.co.uk/shares/shares-search-results/b/btg-plc-ordinary-10p [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. Lartey, V.C., Antwi, S. and Boadi, E.K., 2013. The relationship between liquidity and profitability of listed banks in Ghana.International Journal of Business and Social Science,4(3). Morningstar.com. (2016).BTG BTG PLC XLON:BTG Stock Quote Price News. [online] Available at: https://www.morningstar.com/stocks/XLON/BTG/quote.html [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. Parsian, H. and Shams Koloukhi, A., 2014. A study on the effect of free cash flow and profitability current ratio on dividend payout ratio: evidence from Tehran Stock Exchange.Management Science Letters,4, pp.63-70. Prnewswire.com. (2016).Galil Medical Announces Agreement To Acquisition By BTG plc. [online] Available at: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/galil-medical-announces-agreement-to-acquisition-by-btg-plc-300264295.html [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. Tradingview.com. (2016).TradingView: Free Stock Charts and Forex Charts Online.. [online] Available at: https://www.tradingview.com/ [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. uk.finance.yahoo.com (2016).BTG plc. [online] Available at: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q?s=BTG.L [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016].

The housing crisis

The housing crisis is an economic bubble affecting many areas in the United States. House prices were high and peaked in 2006. Gradually, the prices began to decline in 2006 and 2007.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The housing crisis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They’re still lowering to date. As this picture unfolds, it emerges that any form of the housing bubble of the United States leaves a ripple effect which directly hits not only the valuation of homes, but also the states home builder’s, the home supply retailing outlets, the real estate industry as a whole as well as the mortgage markets. The crisis has posed a very huge risk to the American economy. As Randel stated, â€Å"the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates during the period of 1995-2000 which created easy credit for banks to make loans. Rates were extremely high by 2006 hence lowering demand and increasing monthly paymen ts for adjustable mortgages† (Randel, 144). This increased supply and consequently ended up in further lowering housing prices. Popular belief that houses as opposed to other investments do not fall in value sparked the huge number of Americans to buy homes. However this is not the case. Furthermore, it’s also widely believed that homes result in above average returns on investment. It is therefore only reasonable to take for granted that the price of houses only just manage to top price increases over the elongated term. In the years of 2005 through to 2006, there were copious advertisements as well as shows on television which were aimed at enhancing investment in the real estate sector. Books on real estate investment were being marketed and sold all over. This sparked investment in the housing industry. Clarey observed the fact that, â€Å"as home prices began to rise in early 2000-2001 following reduced interest rates, purchase of homes was on the rise† (Cla rey, 256). Speculators bought houses in large numbers with an intention of selling them back for a quick profit.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although the undertakings occurred well over twenty years ago, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were considered responsible for the credit crisis that resulted after the housing bubble of 2001-2007 burst. The two companies had a huge government backing and were both chartered by the US government as government sponsored enterprises (GSE’s). The treasury department of the United States of America has been widely criticized for going out of their jurisdiction in the field of spending taxpayer’s money. This authority is preserved for congress only and this is held in the constitution of the United States of America. The treasury also stands accused of overstepping boundaries that are put in place by the Housing and Economi c Recovery Act of 2008. The two companies operating as monopolies had more disadvantages than benefits. Scrutiny by Sowell revealed that â€Å"the two companies made huge profits because they purchased and invested in mortgages and mortgage based securities with lower capital requirements than other financial institutions and banks† (Sowell, 213). In 1977, the (C.R.A.) Community Reinvestment Act was passed. The act offers a scaffold for organizations that deal with finances, institutions of the community as well as local and national governments to be able to mutually encourage banking services geared towards the entire people of a society. The C.R.A. basically ruled out lending of money in biased ways with consideration to factors such as race; this is referred to as â€Å"redlining†. The Community Reinvestment Act also gives confidence to efforts to fit the credit requirements of all categories of people in a society. These include inhabitants of modest to lower inco me areas The US congress, being in charge of the government regulatory authority largely contributed to worsening of the housing crisis. In the year 2008 alone, the government of the United States of America apportioned well over US $ 800 billion to extraordinary credit as well as salvage that was relation to the housing bubble in the United States of America. More than half of that money was directed to the quasi- governmental organizations of the Federal Housing Administration as well as the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Furthermore, the treasury department on December 24, 2009 went ahead and made an unprecedented pronouncement stating that it was going to support Fannie Mae as well as Freddie Mac by giving them unending financial aid for a period of three years from there henceforth.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The housing crisis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was against a backdrop of their rec ognition of the fact that they had incurred losses of much more than US $ 400 billion till then. During the large number of house buying, some brokers handed low interest mortgages to parties that were not qualified to handle large debt. Lenders did not factor customers’ claims of income and promoted adjustable rate mortgages as they promised greater returns than fixed rate mortgages. Currently uninformed house buyers are unable to meet the terms of their respective contracts and are defaulting on their payments. Many Americans have already lost their houses to foreclosure. It is the laxity in government regulation that has greatly affected the mortgage industry. By signing the 2008 housing and economic recovery act into law after it had been passed by the congress of the United States of America, President G. W. Bush made wider the ability of the institution FHFA to control Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that had spiraled out of control. The law also enabled the treasury departm ent of the United States, the clout that would lend finances to the ailing institutions of either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. This would be bordered by the sole fact of the quantity of liabilities that the federal government as a whole is allowed to obligate to by the law. The law that was signed on July 30, 2008 by President G. W. Bush, pushed up the maximum of the treasury departments debt by US $ 800 billion, adding up to a whopping grand total of US $ 10.7 trillion. This apparently was in the hope of the latent want for the treasury department to have the elasticity that would enable those help the Federal Home Loan Banks, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. In a synopsis, avoiding a repetition of the housing predicament hardly deserves an overhaul of the financial or any other structure. What would work better is an acknowledgement that the key policies on housing in the United States are highly flawed and need to be restructured. The first step in correcting the situation is to straight en out the United States government policies on housing. Strict requirements may be enforced so as to regulate lending and borrowing activities. Added to that, rules that promote fair, easier and responsible lending practices should be strictly adhered to by the stakeholders. This will be of benefit to both borrowers and lenders in the economyAdvertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Works Cited Clarey, Aaron. Behind the housing crash. South Carolina: Book Surge Publishing, 2011. Print. Randel, Jim. What every homeowner and homebuyer needs to know: The housing  crisis. Connecticut: Rand Media Co., 2009. Print. Sowell, Thomas. The housing boom and bust. New York: Basic Books, 2010. Print. This term paper on The housing crisis was written and submitted by user Vivienne Hull to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Scarlet Letter Essays (954 words) - English-language Films

Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn begins by dealing with Hester Prynne's crime and sentence. She shows herself to be a proud woman in how she embroiders her bright red "A" with golden thread to be displayed to her community. She is a skilled seamstress and she doesn't seem, despite her disgrace, to be afraid to show that about herself. When she walked down the street from the prison to the scaffold, the narrator talks about her realization of how foolish and cowardly she would be if she were to try to hide her mark with the product of her sin, her baby girl. She carries off her initial sentence of being showcased on the scaffold with as much dignity as possible for anyone in such a situation. The reactions of the people were interesting to me; their strong feelings against Hester being permitted to live startled me. I realized what a sort of culture and religion ruled in those times. Also, I couldn't quite imagine being in Hester's position with the kind of disgrace she was faced with. The narrator describes Hester as totally losing her womanly appeal and beauty over the seven years of condemnation. Roger Chillingworth confused me greatly until near the conclusion of the book. When he visited Hester I was surprised that he wanted to treat her instead of trying to harm her, but then later realized his motives. He wanted no one in the community to learn that there was any relationship between Hester and himself at all; harming her would have raised suspicions. This was vital to his plan of revenge on Mr. Dimmesdale. At first I thought that Chillingworth might have tried to seek revenge against Hester, but then came to the conclusion that he viewed her public disgrace as more punishment than he could ever have managed. Chillingworth's revenge was very clever. Everyone in the town knew and respected him and this helped him gain "friendship" with Dimmesdale. Although I didn't understand at first that Chillingworth was actually poisoning Dimmesdale while he was supposed to be treating him, this aspect of his revenge made more sense, as I got further into the book. The cruelty of it was terrible, but it accomplished his goal of torturing him while he should have taken his rightful punishment for the crime he committed from the beginning. My opinion of Arthur Dimmesdale changed quite a bit from when I was first introduced to him until the end of the book. At first I thought that he was a cold heartless, cowardly man for not taking his part of the blame in the two-sided crime of adultery. His actions forced Hester to take all of the disgrace on herself. I believe that her disgrace was increased because there was no second person to take some of it. The townspeople looked at her as though she had committed the crime all by herself. The amount of guilt that Dimmesdale carried with him for not confessing right away was phenomenal. The longer he waited, the harder it became for him to confess, the more his guilt built up, and the easier it was for Chillingworth to torture him. The fact that he became physically sick with guilt amazed me, especially since I didn't realize that part of his sickness was credited to Chillingworth until later. His vigil and meeting with Hester and Pearl in the wee hours of the morning on the scaffold was the turning point of my impression of him. Pearl's role in the story, I felt, was the scarlet letter come to life. This is shown in several ways. She is a product of what Hester's red "A" represents and is usually dressed in shades of scarlet. She is described as having elfish qualities about her. Elves are most commonly thought to be mischievous and evil, which are both characteristics of the adultery the scarlet letter represents. In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of Pearl's character is her reaction to seeing her mother without her brand and cap when she meets with Mr. Dimmesdale in the forest. She acted almost as if she didn't consider Hester her mother without the scarlet "A" on her dress, like she loved the "A" more than Hester. The conclusion of the story began with Hester's decision to reveal Roger Chillingworth's identity to Mr. Dimmesdale. This decision is arrived at after Hester tries to convince Chillingworth to end his revenge on Dimmesdale. His refusal to do so convinces Hester of what she needs to

Corporate Social Responsibility at MTN Nigeria The WritePass Journal

Corporate Social Responsibility at MTN Nigeria INTRODUCTION Corporate Social Responsibility at MTN Nigeria INTRODUCTIONWHAT IS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?IMPORTANT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITYREASONS FOR COMPANY TO ADOPT CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPOSIBILITYCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND STRATEGY OF MTN NIGERIAREASONS FOR THE FOUNDATIONECONOMIC EMPOWERMENTDescription of the Project:Description of the project:Objective of the project:CONTRIBUTIONS OF CSR TO CORPORATE STRATEGYCONCLUSIONRECOMMENDATIONSREFERENCES:Related INTRODUCTION Corporate social responsibility has been in debate since 20th century even though there are some argument for and against if it were really the duty of an organization to provide some kind of social service to the people in its environment even though the organization generate both natural and human resources from its environment while at the same time exploit the opportunity meant to be enjoy by the society if without the existence of such organization. The Corporate Social Responsibility of MTN as an Information and communication Technology (ICT) Company will be examine in detail. MTN communication limited as a subsidiary of MTN group is the largest .MTN is one of the leading telecommunication Company that operates in 21 Africa countries and Middle East. MTN secured a licensed to operate digital Global System of Mobile Communication in Nigeria in February 2001 from the commission and based on that, it emerged as the first telecommunication company to make a commercial call on its GSM network. The rapid growth in the business of MTN as a telephony company gave the need for the company to provide its environment with some social service. WHAT IS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY? The Corporate social Responsibility (CSR) has been defined by different scholars so as to different individual stakeholder.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lawrence and Webber, (2008) ‘‘Corporate social responsibility (CSR) means that a corporation should be held accountable for his action that affect the society, people, communities and their environment.’’ CSR simply means the duty of care owe the people, society and its environment at large by an organization as a result of damages cause in the line of carrying out their daily business activity such as air pollution, Evaporation, flow of waste in the stream, damaging of road due to heavy vehicles to mention but few. The social responsibility requires an organization to equate the goals to be achieved and the cost of achieving the set goals. COMPONENT OF CSR Ethical Consumerism Community Involvement Treatment of Customer Socially Responsible Investment Environment Treatment of Employee Social Reporting Cause related marketing As earlier said, the argument for and against Corporate Social Responsibility will be examine ARGUMENT FOR ARGUMENT AGAINST Promote business value and reputationConsistency in the profit of an organization.Amend any social discrepancies that may occur.Serves as a medium of saying thank you to the populace Reduction in profit sharingAdditional cost of competing with competitorsCost may outweigh benefit in terms of investing in capital projectLack of Information IMPORTANT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY In some years back, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been a very good strategy for most of the business organization to escape through in a highly competitive market environment. In a situation where there is a variation and unstable scales of preference from the consumers, the Corporate Social Responsibility is therefore the most applicable tool in order to survive. In the event of Corporate Social Responsibility, most company tends to reduce their operating cost for been socially and environmentally responsible. A company been socially responsible tends to gain the attention of more customers. And it makes the company be more visible and while serves as a medium by which the company will communicate to the public. The Strategic Management both internal and external risks can be control by corporate social responsibility as well as social and environmental factors A company been socially responsible tends to gain the confidence and trust of the investors and also it can be used as mean of influencing the decision of investors. In the areas of employee, all worker wish to work in an organization that really cares about the welfare of its staff and its environment. The concept of corporate social responsibility increased the reputation of the company and customer and investor and/or client can easily be influenced by the reputation. Promote organization reputations and brand. Business is more responsive to its Ethical environmental and social performance because of the globalization. This tends to put more pressure on careful selection of strategic tools Improve organization efficiency. Increased in the investment opportunity open to the business. REASONS FOR COMPANY TO ADOPT CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPOSIBILITY There are many reasons or motives for an organization to adopt corporate social responsibility. It is argue that shareholder been one of the driver of CSR constitute to the growing of Social Responsibility. Below are some of the factors giving rise to the adoption of corporate social responsibility by a business organization: Public Trust: Lack of public trust in corporate management has contributed to the growth of CSR such as case of ENRON in the United State of America. Globalization: The act of increasing trade international has giving rise to SR. Counter Globalization movements calls for transparency among the companies. Increased In Competitions: Some of the company adopts corporate social Responsibility due to the competitive pressure such as Banks. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND STRATEGY OF MTN NIGERIA MTN Nigeria been socially responsible created a way to drives its social responsibility across the whole 36 states in the country together with the Capital territory. MTN Nigeria created a part called MTN Foundation through which they get to people around. This Foundation was incorporated in the year 2004 as a way to reward the people in their environment. Up to 1% of their profit after Tax was use to fund this foundation in other to create a unique impact and corporate social driven project. A good networking of both locally and internationally has made it possible for the organization to execute its various projects. In creating MTN foundation, they have make a lots of impact while also they have a good model for better corporate citizens and make it possible for the group like stakeholders, Tax authorities, Government etc to endorsed their foundation. REASONS FOR THE FOUNDATION The MTN Nigeria created the foundation solely for the creation of Economics empowerment, Good education, Good Health Services in a way to make a positive impact on their brand. ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT Through the MTN foundation and its Economics Empowerment, It has been possible for them to at least be working how to eradicate poverty in so many ways such as granting micro credit, creation of employment, acquiring of necessary skill for a particular job (skill acquisition) building capacity. As part of MTN foundation’s economics empowerment, It has been possible for MTN to work alongside some other reputable organization in other to achieve the purpose for which the foundation has been set up. The area at which the foundation has contributing to the growth of their community and also to the expansion of their brand will be examined in details: MTNF Rural Telephone Project (MTNF RTP) (In partners with growing business foundation (GBF) and the International Finance Corporation (ICF) Description of the Project: This project is set up to equip small, medium and entrepreneurs by providing them with equipment needed to start their own business such as telephone business. Ths project has help eradicate poverty in their chosen communities and since the creation estimated figure of 4,500 has benefited from the project. The project has been able to provide the following: Mobile Phone Recharge cards Yanggi Antenna Solar Charger MTN promotional Materials such as Umbrella, Table, Chair, Banner, T-Shirt, Face cap and lots more A-Week training on basic accounting knowledge and customer service. MTN foundation Rural Housing Project (In partnership with Habitat for International (HFHI). Description of the project: In view of the accommodation problem encounter by some people in the country, The MTN foundation has created the project to provide shelter for the people with low-income. Objective of the project: 2 bedrooms, a living room, toilet shower and the kitchen. Good Electricity Constant running water Sanitation facility MTN foundation- Lady Mechanic Initiative (MTNF-LMI) Description of the project: The acquisition of skill as a mechanic has always been classify as a men job only but with the introduction of Lady Mechanic Initiative by MTNF has made it possible for the foundation to empower and rehabilitate 50 young women by providing them with auto care skills Objective of the project: Practical Involvement in auto mechanic training at Pay Train centre Provision of lecture on the theoretical aspect of Mechanical Engineering Lecture on the social and health related issues on monthly basis Industrial attachment at Peugeot Automobile for 3 months in Kaduna, part of Nigeria Industrial attachment at Coscharis Motors for 3 months in Lagos Provision of Driver’s License and Driving test Trade test Certification Internship programme at Mitsubishi, R.T. Briscoe, Elizade and Toyota MTNF ‘How to Guide’ project in partnership with Fate Foundation Description of the project: This project is designed to create wealth and alleviate poverty among the Nigerian youth by making available for them a small business opportunity and thus provide reliable economics empowerment. Objectives of the project: Provision of adequate training for the potential beneficiaries of the small scale business opportunity. Empowering 120 people by providing recharge cards and other MTN promotional materials Printing of 5000 copies of a guide on CALL CENTRS. MTNF- Farm Fresh Milk F.L.O.W project (Fulanis Living Optimal Willingly) project in partnership with Integrated Dairy Farm Ltd-Farm Fresh) Description of the project: This project was completed in year 2009; it involved provision of support to almost 150 cattle-rearer through cross breeding of Friesian bulls with local cows in other to produce and sale of new quality and quantity of milk. Objective of the project: 70 Friesian Bulls 3 artificial Insemination Kits and Accessories 3 Liquid Nitrogen   Containers 3 First Aid Boxes 3 Motor Bikes 1 tractor and implements 1 hilux pick up Veterinary drugs MTNF – Children’s Development Centre (CDC) ‘Disability and U’ Road show and seminar. Description of the project: This is a program designed to create and increase the awareness of the public on the people with physical and mental disabilities through banners, road shows and workshop/seminars across the country. MTNF Disability support project (MTN DSP) in partnership with independent Living Programme for Person with Disabilities. Description of the project: This was created to increased and improved the quality of life of those that lives with disabilities by providing for them the mobility aid and appliances such as crutches wheelchair, guide canes hearing aid to mention but a few. This will help them in carrying out their daily activities without experiencing any difficulties or limitation. Objectives of the project: Provision of mobility aids and appliances such as wheel chairs Creation of vulnerability Index   Questionnaire Administration of Vulnerability Index Verification and selection of beneficiaries Distribution of the equipments MTNF Skill Acquisition Project for the People Living with Disabilities in Partnership with Friend of the Disabled (FOTD). Description of the project: The project was organize to empower 45 disabled youth across the nation with diverse skills such as Tailoring, Cobbler and welding to enable them make living successfully. Objective of the project: All the entire area of skill acquisition centre were renovated The boys and girls hostel were been renovated Training gadgets and consumables for welding, cobblers and tailoring were provided. Provision of 30KVA Generator A project vehicle was provided Provision of 10 Computer systems The MTN awareness in the need to promote corporate social responsibility and environmental has earned the corporation, a reputation as ‘The N0.1 CSR telecoms company’ and been the first mobile company to established a foundation. This has lead to the economics’ growth and development of Nigeria by helping to unleash the strong developmental potential through the provision of world class communication, innovative and sustainable social responsibility initiatives. CONTRIBUTIONS OF CSR TO CORPORATE STRATEGY Corporate Strategy is the analysis of how to achieve the set target and purpose for which the organization is set up. There are three main types of corporate strategy namely: I. Growth II.   Stability III.   Renewal Growth Strategy The means by which an organization tends to expand its market operation and product offered either through its current market or introducing new business. Here are some growth strategies: Concentration Vertical Integration Horizontal Integration Diversification MTN Nigeria adopted growth strategies by concentrating on their market and ensure expansion on the market. The most strategic of CSR occurs when a company adds a social dimension to its value proposition and ensuring social effect on integral part of the overall company strategy. CONCLUSION Corporate social responsibility is the guide to business ethical behavior. Being socially responsible is the most important and key areas to the stakeholders and on corporate reputation. The incorporation of Corporate social responsible into business mainstream practice it shows your corporate reputation while it does affect the opinion of the company. RECOMMENDATIONS In view of the conclusion above, The researcher thereby recommend to all the business, The Corporate social responsibility as the one of the channel to which a business organization could overcome some of the challenges that militating against business aims and objective such as losing to competitive, mimic of product while it will allow the business to promote business value and reputation. REFERENCES: ecrc.org.eg/Uploads/documents/Articles_CSR%20main%20concepts.pdf Accessed: June 20th, 2011 mtnonline.com/mtnfoundation/ Accessed: June 20th, 2011 mtnonline.com/mtnfoundation/about-us/who-we-are Accessed: June 20th, 2011 mtnonline.com/mtnfoundation/portfolio/economic-empowerment Accessed: June 20th, 2011 mtnonline.com/about-mtn/corporate-information Accessed: June 20th, 2011 http://osha.europa.eu/en/topics/business-old/csr/index_html Accessed: June 20th, 2011 http://graphics.eiu.com/files/ad_pdfs/eiuOracle_CorporateResponsibility_WP.pdf Accessed: June 20th, 2011 Lawrence and Weber, (2008) Business and Society, Mcgraw-Hill, International edition, 12th Editions.

Nutritional Analyzes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nutritional Analyzes - Research Paper Example At last I tried to find solution for achieving required diet. I recorded everything I eat and drink for 7 days seven consecutive days, recording both what I am consuming and how much. Then I entered these details into a diet analysis program with a best fit approach, and many assumptions made. The computer program calculated the totals of each nutrient for each day, and averaged the data. I compared these averages to the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI's). A set Profile values for an average person of my body type is used for comparison to these calculated averages. My goal values are calculated based on my body composition, activity level and determination of an Ideal weight goal. My ideal goal weight is 175-180 lbs. This shows I am under weight. The GOAL values for Energy, Protein, Carbohydrates, Total Fat, and Fiber is displayed in a table 1 showing a comparison with my average values and average intake of person with same height, age, and activity level. Comparison of my average intake and GOAL values shows that my energy consumption is perfect. But I need to Increase protein consumption to reach 30% Goal value, although these values are very high as compared to average nutritional parameters. ... The number of servings and/or quantity of each food group I consume is estimated and compared to the recommended serving distribution for my average Caloric intake discussed in the Daily Food Guide. Daily Food Guide Recommended Servings Average Servings Grains 10 3.57 Vegetables 4 3 Fruits 2.50 1 Dairy 3 10 Meat 7 17 Table 2 MICRONUTRIENTS The computer programs average my vitamin and mineral intake and report those values. I created a table reporting the results of comparison between my average values and established AI's or RDA's. VITAMINS MICRONUTRIENT RDA/AI 7 DAY AVERAGE DIFFERENCES THIAMIN 1.20 4.06 2.86 RIBOFLAVIN 1.30 9.39 8.09 NIACIN 16 10.56 5.44 VITAMIN B6 1.30 11.56 10.26 FOLATE 400 197.56 202.44 VITAMIN B12 2.60 11.67 9.07 VITAMIN C 90 231.18 141.18 VITAMIN A 900 613.69 286.31 VITAMIN D 5 1.78 3.22 VITAMIN E 15 8.22 6.78 Table 3 MINERALS MICRONUTRIENT RDA/AI 7 DAY AVERAGE DIFFERENCES CALCIUM 1000 237.49 762.51 PHOSPHOROUS 700 680.94 19.06 MAGNESIUM 400 376.20 23.80 IRON 8 7.11 0.89 ZINC 11 8.72 2.28 COPPER 1 8.22 7.32 Table 4 DISCUSSION Comparison of my average intake and GOAL values shows that my energy consumption is perfect. But I need to Increase protein consumption to reach 30% Goal value, although these values are very high as compared to average nutritional parameters. Again carbohydrate and fat consumption is very high compared to GOAL value. Primary resources for my energy consumption are chicken, Tilapia and flex oil. So to decrease my fat consumption I need to decrease these intakes. Carbohydrate consumption is mainly because of protein shake, rice, black beans, steak and vegetables. So I need to keep consumption of such food items also in control. At the same time I need to increase intake of food items which gives me

Problems and prospects of external debt management Essay

Problems and prospects of external debt management - Essay Example However, these indigenous institutions may not always have sufficient amount of resources to fulfill all the requirements of the country. In that case, it is forced to resort to international commercial banks or international lending institutions like the IMF of the World Bank. It can also request for financial aid from the Government of its ally nations. The debtors of a country can include the national Government, the private corporations or even the individual households. Usually, external debt is borrowed in two ways: by taking loans from the lending institutions or by selling the country’s securities to acquire the required amount of funds. After the country accomplishes its projects with the help of the borrowed resources, it is required to repay the external debt along with its interest payments. Thus, external debt is actually a liability of the nation. For this reason, it is recorded under the Debit Account in the Balance of Payments (BOP) of the country. The BOP is a statement of accounts of the nation including its assets and liabilities and the outstanding credit and debit of the economy. The BOP gives an indication of the country’s position with respect to the international market. If the country has borrowed a large amount of financial resources from abroad, this will automatically add to the Debit account of the BOP. A huge burden of external debt does not reflect a good financial position of the domestic nation. Instead it indicates that financial resources generated within the economy are not sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the national Government, the private firms and the individual households. That is why; the country has to depend on external sources to finance its multifarious requirements. Economists and financial experts always advise countries to keep their external debt burden down to a minimum. Nations are expected not to borrow extra resources unless and until it becomes absolutely necessary (The World Bank, 2 012). Indicators of a Country’s External Debt Burden Apart from the Balance of Payments Statement, there are other variables which give an indication of the external debt burden of a particular country. These are: a. The Ratio of External Debt to GDP: A high value of this ratio reflects a high external debt burden of the nation. This shows that the country’s external borrowings are greater than the value of its Gross Domestic Product produced within its geographical boundaries. The financial resources generated in turn from the GDP are not being able to meet all the financial requirements within the economy. Therefore, the country has to borrow extra resources from external creditors b. The Foreign Debt to Exports Ratio: When an economy has a high ratio of foreign debt to exports, this also indicates a high external debt burden of the country. It exhibits that the nation’s borrowing from external sources is more than the value of the goods exported by the countr y. This may also reflect that the nation’s external debt liabilities are greater than its external credit earnings. The

Includes limitations and recommendations for further research Essay Example for Free

Includes limitations and recommendations for further research Essay The Chinese banking industry has a prime role to finance the growth of China by adapting global best practices. Banks as HSBC are financing the growth across a wide swathe of people, businesses and nations. The Chinese Banking industry is rapidly adapting to the international financial mechanisms, adopting the best practices of many banking activities such as internet and mobile banking, increased customer focus and bundling of services. Bank of China is providing a high level of service to its customers, which has been so accepted by two thirds of the populace that it has served. However there are number of areas in which there is scope for efficiency and better customer service where low scores in some case of a mere 30 % plus have been indicated which should be a cause of concern for the management and specific areas as indicated by the research need to be addressed. The Bank of China will have to invest greater technological as well as management resources in enhancing its internet banking model to satisfy the customers, provide timely and efficient services. Since large quanta of customers are likely to use the internet in the future, investment in this critical resource will prove to be greatly beneficial to banks. HSBC on the other hand has provided a good model of internet banking which other banks could well emulate. The trend is also to induce customers to go on line and use the communication enabled services on offer including mobile and internet banking. A key facet which is noticeable in HSBCs services is bundling of personal services with travel insurance, travel money and even airport parking all into one large group and providing discounts on all three to varying degrees thereby adding to the convenience of the customer as well as enabling the bank to easily service him. China’s banking sector is set to see two major challenges which will be faced by banks as BOC. The first which would be obvious from the study is the threat of foreign banks such as HSBC which having a better experience of providing customer friendly services and with an ability to introduce innovative products which will be able to attract a large portion of the high value and business clientele in the country. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). This is likely to see greater increase with China’s accession to the WTO. In the beginning of 2007, foreign banks would be conducting commercial banking in foreign currency as well as Renminbi without any limitations of locations. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). The Chinese government is also encouraging the entry of foreign participation in the finance sector, particularly related to automobile financing and also in reform and restructuring of the financial institutions. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). The other challenge identified is the demand for high value products which can enable growth of economy as well as reduce the risk such as investment banking and insurance. The need will also be felt for products relating to asset management. These could also extend support for underwriting during mergers and acquisitions and financing and securitization of projects. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). However as a competitive business entity, HSBC is focusing on the perceived growth areas such as credit cards and it is said to be teaming up with the Chinese Bank of Communications to provide credit cards to the large majority of Chinese who do not own one thereby creating vast business opportunities. (Schuman, 2006). The Bank of China could exploit such a strategy while at the same time fulfilling its social obligations in personal banking for the less privileged. A survey of the issues covered in the research will indicate that the lead banks of China are well set to undertake this challenging task of providing services of a global standard. An increased interaction with global banks as HSBC will prove beneficial for BOC to attain its ends as stated in its vision of a, â€Å"Market-driven, Client-oriented, World-class Financial services institution, a robust corporate governance structure, capable of delivering outstanding performance over a long term. † (About Bank of China,. 2006). There were a number of limitations during this research; first of all, the number of respondents to questionnaires is limited, because it is difficult to collect information from large number of consumers due to constraints of time and resources. Secondly the subject being of a contemporary nature the response of the bank staff is restricted to the stated company policy. As also there is limited research material in terms of reference books on the specific subject, thus there has to be reliance on sources provided by the two banks as well as journals and the internet. This limitation might induce some error in the research, however the researcher insisted on a precise approach, therefore the results of research are reliable. The Chinese banking industry provides a number of areas for further research. Detailed research can be undertaken on the impact of WTO on Chinese banking industry. In addition research on the role of the central bank in China in supporting financial autonomy and greater growth can also be undertaken. Adoption of best practices by other state banks of China could also be another area of study. References 1. About Bank of China. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=ROOT%3Een%3EInformation+Center%3EAbout+BOC%3EAbout+Bank+of+China. ( 22 August 2006). 2. Agent. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=ROOT%3Een%3ECorporate+Banking%3EOther+Services+in+Money+Management%3EAgent+Bank+Business. (23 August 2006). 3. Assurance. 2006. http://www. hsbc.co. uk/1/2/business/insurance. (26 August 2006). 4. Bancassurance, 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=1099361248100. (23 August 2006). 5. BOC Global Offering. 2006. 202. 66. 146. 82/listco/hk/boc/prospectus/pro060518. pdf . (26 August 2006). 6. BOCI. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=1099540300100. (25 August 2006). Cantrell, D. C. (n. d. )) Alternative paradigms in environmental education research: The interpretive perspective.

Comparing personnel management and HRM

Comparing personnel management and HRM Human resources must be appreciated, located and recovered, organised and managed with great care. Sound human resource management practices are necessary for retaining effective workforce. The HR function of Hilton Hotels focuses on actions that build workforce competencies and motivation that in turn positively influence their corporate strategies and gives them a competitive advantage. INTRODUCTION 2.1 Terms of reference According to some authors, Human Resource Management (HRM) is no different from personnel management and maintains that the obvious change is a relabeling process (Legge 1989, Torrington 1989). However, the new terminology may at least rid personnel management from its unfortunate welfare image and other negative connotations Sisson (1990) and thus save the ailing function from marginalisation. Some Human Resource academics argue and maintain that new labels on old bottles may have their uses even if it is only for marketing purposes. (Armstrong 1987, Guest 1989). The aim and objective of this report is to critically analyse the human resource strategies and policies of Hilton Hotels. In order to critically analyse and evaluate the human resource methods of Hilton Hotels critically, human resource management theories and models have been discussed and related to the success of Hilton Hotels The main themes for this report are General HRM overview of Hilton Hotel, learning and development, reward systems and training and development. The ways in which their strategies and policies support organisational goals have been evaluated. Recommendations have been made in areas that require improvements. 2.2 Overview of HRM Human Resource Management emerged in the 1990s.It can be traced to Drucker, McGregor and Bennis Drucker (1955) who introduced management by objectives (MBO) proposing that managers should direct employees towards a common goal through directed leadership. McGregor (1960) advocated management by integration and self control a strategy for managing people which increases motivation and pervades the whole business. Bennis (1964) introduced the idea of organisational development (OD). He argued that people have complex cognitive and social need, they respond better to collaboration and reason rather than power based on coercion and threat; and an organisation should be based on humanistic, democratic ideas, replacing the mechanistic value system of bureaucracy. Factors such as globalisation, competition and technological innovation caused the fading of personnel management. This change increased people management which addressed more strategic issues that personnel management ignored. There was therefore the need for managers to be more strategic in terms of managing their work force hence a new way of managing people strategically. Human Resource Management can be defined as the planning, acquisition and development of human resources necessary for organisational success. (Kreitner, 1995, p. 331). French (1964) expressed the importance of human resources by saying it creates organisations and make them survive and prosper. He advocated that it is the talent and skill of employees in using other materials and energy that result in the creation of useful products and services. (Braton and Gold 2003) defines HRM as a strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging peoples capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies , programmes and practices. Human Resource Management involves five key models; The Michigan model of HRM (USA) ( Tichy, Fombrun Devanna (1982), Fombrun, Tichy Devanna 1984) The Harvard model (USA) (Beer, Spector, Lawrence, Quin Mills Walton 1984) Guests (1987) Model of HRM (UK) The Warwick model of HRM (UK) (Hendry and Pettigrew ,1990) Storeys (1992) Model of HRM (UK) (lecture notes) 2.3 Background Hilton Hotels Corporation is recognized around the world as a pre-eminent lodging hospitality company, offering guests and customers the finest accommodations, services, amenities and value for business or leisure. The Hilton brand has, for more than 80 years, been synonymous with excellence in the hospitality industry. Hilton is able to offer guests the widest possible variety of hotel experiences, including city center hotels, convention properties, all-suite hotels, extended stay, mid-priced focused service, destination resorts, vacation ownership and airport hotels. (Hilton webpage ). Hilton Hotels was founded in 1919 by Conrad Hilton. Hilton has 2,645 hotels offering over 485,000 rooms to the general public. Currently Hilton employs 135,000 members worldwide. Positions at Hilton range from receptionists to general managers to CEOs. The company manages property holdings under different names around the globe. These include Hilton Hotels, Conrad Hotels and Hampton Inn and Suites. METHODS 3.1 Data collection methods The data used in this research has been obtained mainly from secondary sources. Hiltons corporate website, independent websites, online journals and text books have been used. These sources gave insight into Hiltons human resource management strategies. Text books helped link HRM theory to the practices of Hilton. 3.2 Issues and challenges The first challenge encountered by the group was deciding on which organisation to choose. Several organisations came up but eventually we decided on Hilton Hotels because they had a very attractive website with a lot of information we needed to complete the report. There was also the challenge that comes with working in a group. The Elevator graduate scheme for this year has been postponed. This made it impossible for us to gather adequate information in that section for the report. There were also problems accessing information for the other graduate schemes because such information is only made available during recruitment times. There was the issue of time constraints for the report due to other assignments due in the same week. RESULTS 4.1 Business strategies Traditionally, the firm had focused on place, product and promotion, by establishing the finest hotels in the most attractive, convenient and sometimes expensive places in the world. In the new millennium, particularly after the attacks on September 11th, Hilton has gone after the mid-priced client and the more affluent lodging clientele. The Hilton hotels focuses on the brand identity and quality, structural growth, brand equity, operational efficiencies and 100% customer satisfaction guarantee when it comes to their business strategies. In 2006 a new strategy that boosted the hotels profits was to maintain management contracts rather than full ownerships. Another business strategy of the Hilton hotels was to ensure to keep up to the promises of all the connectivity demands of the Hilton guests. This was done in May 2009 as Hilton hotels connected with BT (British Telecom) and ensured high speed internet usage in 60 Hiltons across United Kingdom and Ireland. This strategy ensured Hiltons commitment to extra ordinary levels of customer services (Wolf G.M. Neumann, Area president UK). Hilton opened midsized hotel segments to mark 20 years of award winning leadership in 2004. Hiltons started carrying out 20% reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, waste output and energy consumption, 10% reduction in water consumption t o prove themselves as environment and customer friendly. 4.2 HR Strategies Goals and Missions The Hiltons want to establish themselves as a world premium choice of hotels and want Hilton to be a brand inclusive of everything. It wants to boost its international connections and mark many locations as Hilton. Hilton hotels want to operate the business in a way that provides for current needs as well as allowing future generations to meet their own needs. Hilton hotels set their annual goals based on the prior years actual results and performance. At the end of the calendar year a hotel must have achieved their goals in each of the Key Performance Indicators of the Balanced Scorecard, the Hilton award winning performance measurement system.   The Key Performance Indicators are   Operational Effectiveness,   Revenue Maximization,   Brand Management,   Loyalty, and   Learning Growth.   Their mission is To be the first choice of the worlds travelers, building on the rich heritage and strength of our brands by: Consistently delighting our customers Investing in our team members Delivering innovative products and services Expanding our family of brands Continuously improving performance in our balanced scorecard (Hilton hotels corporation). The objective of Hilton is to matain a high standard in HRM and to create a business culture which everyone can grow and develop their careers. Giving themselves a 10 year time frame, Hilton is looking to add another 1000 properties to its international decision. They intend to move into areas such as Russia where they have never been before. HR strategy involves a central philosophy of the way that people in the organisation are managed and the translation of this into personnel policies and practices.It requires personnel policies and practices to be integrated so that they make a coherent whole and also that this is integrated with the business or organisational strategy. Hilton offers comprehensive HR support for managed properties. This support includes but is not limited to all of the following areas: full review of HR systems and standards to ensure corporate and governmental compliance, compensation administration, team member relations, risk management, professional education and training, HR information systems, in-house benefits support, legal and labour compliance, HR communications and workforce planning and analysis. Our HR team is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in every area of team member loyalty and support. Hilton follows different approaches to manage HR(Hilton webpage). Ethnocentric approach: In which central values and business practices of home country are prelevant. The criteria for valuation and control are ascertained centrally from the headquarters. Polycentric approach: In this, under the supervision of local managers, subsidiaries are developed in each every country which results in little communication between headquarters and subsidiary. Geocentric approach: it tries to involve more integration between centre and subsidiaries to ensure close co-operation between the different parts of the chain, and implement both universal and local standards for evaluation and control. (Johnson 2003). 4.3 Overview of Hilton HR practices Successful organizations keep people issues at the fore front of their thinking and at the core of their decision making and planning. At Hilton hotel they believe Only those who feel valued can truly add value. This is the ethos behind every decision they make. A highly successful organization is one that has a unique organizational culture. Hill Jones (2001) described organizational culture as the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization. At Hilton, There is a culture of support and sense of belonging that all workers of the Hilton family of hotels are made to feel at the work place. On their careers at Hilton page, emphasis has been laid on the fact that, recruits will be part of a growing company and a special family that is dedicated to a positive, productive and diverse working environment. Management looks forward to the special skills that individuals will bring to the job and at the same time, they have made an assurance that they are committed to the success and growth of their workforce. This implies that, they have in place a very good employer employee relationship at a strategic and operational level which creates job satisfaction ( see appendix A).The word family has been used considerably in their site. And if you join us, what should you expect from Hilton Hotels? Yes, you should expect to work hard, but above all you should expect to be treated as an individual, be rewarded for good performance and giving the little extra touches to our customers those Hilton Moments and, of course, enjoy your time with the Hilton family. So whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting out in this very diverse industry we would be delighted to welcome you to our family. (Hilton Hotel website). It clearly employs that there is an atmosphere of collectiveness of the workforce and a feeling of belongingness which does not only benefit the workforce but the organisation as a whole and effect contribute to satisfactory productivity, motivation and morale. It is therefore not surprising that they have one of the most enviable records of consistent international growth. Their work force is also referred to as team members. Team consists of individuals with different skills, knowledge, ideas and capabilities drawn from different background to execute a particular task. (Stuster 1996). Hayes (2002) suggests that a team is unlikely to function well unless its members are able to communicate effectively with one another and unless it is able to get over the interpersonal problems and conflicts which arise between individuals. Referring to the workforce as team members implies there is effective communication, engagement and also the influence of one another among employees and management, which enhances their performance. Engagement can be seen as ultimately about performance, because harnessing the discretionary effort of people does improve performance. If individuals are performing at their top potential, then it makes sense that teams, divisions, departments and organizations will work more effectively. Customers will receive better service, efficiency will improve, waste will be reduced, and overall performance will be enhanced (LGA, 2009:1). Hiltons HR team is dedicated to the persuit of excellence in every area of team member loyalty and support. 4.4 Training and Development The continuous learning and development of individuals are of crucial and strategic importance to organisations and thereby also to the overall economy. Organisational approaches vary greatly, but organisations that demonstrate a high commitment to HRM policies include as part of this commitment extensive training learning and development enabling them to achieve superior performance through their people. (Beardwell 2007:263). Hilton relates the success of their business to the skills, energy, initiative and commitment of their employees and team members. There is constant review of benefits available to employees to make sure they are competitive and can attract and retain the best people. (CSR Report 2005). Esprit is a Human Resource Management Programme based on Hiltons brand service standards which are truly extraordinary, focuses on courtesy, communication and guest satisfaction. Esprit helps employees develop their skills through ongoing monthly reviews, evaluation, certificates, and rewards for improving their knowledge and skills. This leads to higher employee satisfaction, higher standards of guest service and higher revenue and profits. With such great employee satisfaction Hilton International is able to recruit and retain the best in the industry and maintain high standards of people management (David LeMan, Regional Director of Human Resources Arabian Peninsula).(Hilton annual report 2002). With this approach to human capital investment and development, Esprit sets Hilton apart. It is therefore not surprising they have the worlds best hotel brand. Esprit focuses on the four Hilton core values expressed in its training manual; Customer to know who our customers are and provide them with the product and service they want. Quality that the customer is provided with an exceptional product by exceptional staff in terms of service and flexibility. People to work together and enjoy being part of a team and pulling together to provide excellent service. Profit to ensure that sales are maximized in answering the customers needs and that costs are controlled without compromising quality. (Hilton webpage) Hilton has a history of promoting from within the company. They provide opportunities for personal and professional development. Hilton believes that with their mission of becoming the preeminent global hospitality company the first choice of guests, team members and owners alike, they can only achieve this by constantly developing their workforce so that they can keep in tune with trends and developments in the hospitality industry. Hilton University is a worldwide award winning online portal available for team members to learn, train and develop. With more than 700 courses to choose from, employees can discover the best way to welcome guests, manage their time or coach a team of co-workers. This is available in different languages and a wide range of subjects (700 courses) to offer learning opportunities for staff in order for them to develop their skills on the job. It ranges from management skills, personal development courses, learning a language or financial training covering a range of skills for the hotel industry, from operational and technical to finance and general management. (Treven 2001; Johnson, 2003; Data monitor 2004; Brochure) It is a great way for staff to learn because it has been designed to help individuals learn at their own pace. It can be accessed from the hotel or office and even away from work. There are also virtual classroom sessions where staff can learn alongside other team members. Over 10,000 Hilton employees around the world have completed more than 80,000 courses at Hilton University since its inception (CSR Report 2005). This is a clear indication that a large number of employees take active part in the development programmes (appendix B). People are the only source of differentiation and sustainable competitive advantage. Essential to that is learning. Hence the director general for the IDP claimed that staff management and development will become the primary weapon available to managers to generate success (Rena, 200) cited in (Beardwell 2007: 263). The continuous learning and development of individuals are, therefore, of crucial and strategic importance to organisations and thereby also to the overall economy. (Beardwell 2007:263). Hilton has recognised the fact that majority of its team members are not English speakers. In 2003, the company gave 200 people the opportunity to improve upon their English by assessing an on line programme called Global English. This has benefited those employees involved. Most of those who had the opportunity of taking part are form developing and under-developed countries that did not have access to formal education which is often taken for granted in the West. (Brochure; Article, 200 2; Cushing, 2004). Elevator and premier class are also forms of training and development programs at Hilton (Appendix C for requirements). The aim of elevator is to develop a group of talented, internationally mobile people and fast track them to General Management positions within 5-8 years of starting the Program. It entails an initial 18 month training that consists of two international nine month placement. It is a combination of operational, all-round experience working in the 4 main areas of hotel business operations namely Business, development, Human resources and finance. There is also off the job training and business driven projects to complete. During elevator, progress is constantly assessed to make individuals know how well they are developing. Participants take part in four residential courses during the period. They will also have access to Hilton University the online learning and development tool to make use of their online business library. The elevator programme helped Hilton win the Best Development Program for Young Employees award at the 2005 World wide Hospitality Awards. Premier class is a nine month management and development program for employees aspiring to be department heads within the business. It focuses on key management skills needed to drive personnel and business performance in their hotel. Topics covered in this program include managing people and improving quality. We live in a changing world, new ideas and approaches emerge every day. Problems arise that need new solutions. This means constantly learning to keep up with the rapid change in the business environment. Hiltons learning culture acts as a source of job motivation and job satisfaction for employees which in the long run benefits the organization. 4.5 Performance Management and Reward Systems An organisations reward strategy is perhaps the area which, for employees provides the biggest bridge between rhetoric and reality. It is not only an essential tool in terms of retention, motivation and recruitment, it is an opportunity to demonstrate the culture of the organisation in a way that has real impact on employees. (Briscoe 1995; DAnnunzio-Green, 1997). Hilton believes there is the need to recognize and reward deserving and outstanding employees for their hard work and success. Employee benefit package is made up of a wide variety of features depending on the division and grade of the employee. Equilibrium is a worldwide quality initiative developed by Hilton. The aim is to ensure that individual guest needs are met and because Service quality is central to this, Esprit has been developed to embrace the key principles of employee recognition, respect and reward. HILTON INTERNATIONAL ESPRIT CLUB Only those that feel value can truly add value (Hilton hotel website) Human beings are diverse and complex and have different needs at a particular time. Therefore what satisfy one person will differ from another and also how a person is motivated depends on the needs, motive or drive of the individual. (BuchananHuzynski, 2004). Esprit encompasses a series of competitive training and development initiatives and a rewards program that gives colleagues a choice of benefits. Employees automatically become members of the Esprit club after completion of the training program. Employees are encouraged to create Hilton moments. The reward for this is Star points, bonds or certificates the currency for Esprit. This can be earned through Hilton as rewards for achievement and great guest service. The star points can be redeemed through a range of benefits. Examples are discounted hotel accommodation and food and beverage, health club membership, special rates on flights and car rental and mobile phones. Other reward systems include the the bright idea award, employee of the year or month award. Employees can also be nominated to representatives of the Hilton exchange committee, a forum where team members share ideas with the management to improve the hotel. In addition to the basic pay and remuneration received by employees, additional features are made available such as corporate discounts on hospitality services and travel. 4.6 Recruitment and Selection According to Armstrong (2005) organizations require employees with the right skills to ensure and sustain competitive advantage. Hilton believes that although year after year independent research confirm that they are the worlds most powerful hotel brand operating over 2800 hotels worldwide in more than 80 countries, in order for them to remain number one, they need to attract and develop the right people to be regarded as an employer of choice. Hilton relies heavily on the internet to advertise for candidates. They use websites like CatererGlobal.com, Milkround.co.uk, jorapido.co.uk and their own corporate website careersathilton.com. Occasionally they advertise in their annual brochures. Beardwell (2007) described outsourcing as a distinct business function from inside the business to an external third party. He goes on to say that outsourcing has become more and more common. Hilton receives over 1 million resumes annually. The company was therefore faced with the challenge of streamlining the hiring process in order for them to effectively assess viable candidates from among hundreds of applicants for specific positions. There was also the issue of administration being burdened with huge paper applications. Hilton deployed Oracles PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Capital Management Suite as Hiltons HR system of record worldwide, improving productivity, efficiency, and flow of critical data. (Oracle web site). This move helped them manage over 1.5million resumes annually, reduced administrative cost and burden, and helped to eliminate the paper based recruiting process enabling candidates to apply online. One of the ways in which they achieve this is through their award winning fast track graduate development Elevator program. THE ELEVATOR SCHEME The elevator scheme comprises of four stages selection process Stage 1- Application form: an on-line application form will have to be filled at this stage. Information such as personal details, education and work experience will be required. Based on this form, you may be invited to progress to Stage 2 of the process. Stage 2 Analytical reasoning tests: The applicant will have to go through a number of tests to assess his or her verbal and numerical reasoning ability. Based on the results at this stage, the applicant will be invited to complete Stage 3. Stage 3 Psychometric tests: This stage entails a series of tests that measure the applicants values and preferences. Successful applicants will progress to the next stage. Stage 4 Assessment Centre: At this stage, successful applicants will be accessed as in depth on several competencies. Only those who qualify will be offered a place on the elevator program. (Hilton.co.uk 28/11/09). 4.7 Managing the Employment Relationship . Beardwell (2007) described the employment relationship as containing an economic component, the exchange of work for payment but also includes a sociological dimension centred by power and authority. Hilton Hotels have their own in house team of attorneys and paralegals that provide various forms of legal support to their hotel management teams. Management of Hilton Hotels believes it is their responsibility to provide their employees with training in employment law, antitrust, privacy and ethics. Legal support is also provided in areas such as hotel operations and resources which include online answers to frequently asked questions and periodic newsletters. A prewritten specialized form of agreement is made upon employment between employee and management .This is made up of pay, working hours, holidays, and notes on grievance and disciplinary procedures. Hilton has available a panel of qualified counsel that help manage both insured and uninsured litigation. They respond to government subpoenas like wage garnishments and other legal orders made by the government. Hilton has a principle of equal opportunities based on merit. No employee or job applicant should receive less favor on the grounds of sex, religion, age, nationality, race, disability, marital status, or disability. Hilton strives to meet high ethical standards. They abide by the provision of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Being a global hospitality and leisure company means Hilton operates in different communities and employs people with different cultures thus the workforce will be diverse. Having an equal opportunity policy works to the advantage of Hilton. This will ensure fair treatment of employees and the avoidance of discrimination. Hilton operates a whistle blowing policy which allows employees to bring acts of discrimination to the attention of senior management. Health and safety throughout operations is practiced for the entire workforce. A culture of risk management to ensure accidents and incidents is kept as low as possible. 4.8 Employment Involvement Hilton stresses much on employee involvement at all levels of the organization. For example, during the graduate development schemes, participants are assessed based on real life situations. Hilton outsourced giving Susan H.Lickert Hospitality Consulting Group (SHL) the responsibility of handling the assessment centre aspect of the recruitment process. SHL designed the process to take the form of a real hotel day to day experience. Candidates are given roles like receiving guests, taking orders etc and are assessed on their performance. This offers a true picture of the high demands in the industry that the selected candidates will go through. This level of training candidates go through prepares them for any situation they are likely to encounter when they take up their roles in the company. It also helps managers to know whether they are progressing the right and the expected way. It is not surprising Hilton has committed and talented managers in their hotels worldwide. Hiltons goa ls and values are embraced from the very beginning by the trainees and this leads to them performing as a team rather than at the individual level. With the SPARK Management program, employees are assigned senior management mentors who support and encourage them to get involved with projects and activities in the company. Employees are also invited to create career development review of what they have learned and what they hope to achieve in terms of career development within their respective departments. 5.1 HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION Whichever major city one finds him or herself there is a big chance of coming across a Hilton Hotel. Hiltons rapid expansion globally, example in the UK was based on the acquisition of competitor hotel chains like Statis. One of their strategies is gaining 1000 more properties within the next 10 years. This is linked to their HR practices. Their international expansion included the purchase of Scandinavian hotel chain Scandic. The acquired hotels are carefully evaluated to see whether their property profiles fit with the property requirements of Hilton Bran. Those that do not meet the requirements are sold. They enjoy economies of scale that lead to increased profit margins because they have the ability to leverage higher brand awareness by owning more hotels and spending more on marketing communications. They also have the opportunity of expanding operations more efficiently and quickly by gaining access to capital markets. (Bowie 2004). 5.2 VERTICAL INTEGRATION To add value, HR needs to achieve vertical integration. Hiltons business strategy, organizational culture and values impact the vertical fit. Hilton has very clear and certain strategic goals and this helps them in achieving a better vertical fit. They are able to merge their Business strategy into designing of HR practices that are compatible with their strategy. Hilton continues to demonstrate that building a satisfied and valuable workforce is not a quick-fix procedure, but an integrated approach that permeates through every aspect of the organization. Hilton tries to recognize the importance of employ