E-Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

E-Business - Essay Example sales, which totaled at an estimated $19.8 billion for the quarter, account for 2.2 percent of total retail sales in the country, according to the report.† (Eschen, 2005) E-commerce is one of the fastest growing business segments in the world both in quantity and quality. It is easy to setup an E-business with minimum investment and labor if the entrepreneur is smart enough to identify the right opportunity provided by internet. Online business has much wider scopes than offline businesses because of the wider reach-ability of it. It is easy for a person to purchase a good from America staying in some other countries using a simple credit card. Moreover the consumer can compare the prices of the same product in various countries and thus he will able to purchase a product for the cheapest possible price. Amazon.com, Inc..., an American electronic commerce company is one of the leaders in the e-commerce business field with diversified business activities and successful marketing strategies. This paper briefly analyses E-commerce as a business strategy taking Amazon as a reference organization. Amazon.com Inc, one of the leaders in E-business, founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 has started with the online book selling and then expanded to diversified activities like the selling of CDs, videos, DVDs, electronics, toys, tools, home furnishings and house wares, apparel, and kitchen gadgets film production etc. â€Å"Currently it employs more than 7800 employees and as per the statistics of 2002, it has reported $ 3.9 billion sales† (Amazon.com, Inc, n.d) The company did not focus on profits for the initial five years and spend much of its revenues in expansions in the initial years. This business strategy brought immense dividends to the company as per the recent statistics. Amazon has realized the potential of e-business very well and they focused on expanding the business by the initial revenues they obtained. The success of e-business lies in how long a customer

International Management College Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Management College - Assignment Example Being open at the very outset will help set the mindset of the workforce, who would then be able to work with a clear set of requirements (both at an individual as well as at the organizational level). 3. Educate the workers on modern industry: the new manager also has to ensure that the Chinese workers are well-educated about changes in work practices and the way in which modern industry is profit oriented. This will pave the way for bringing out any opinions on the part of the workers, which may be addressed well in time. Such issues generally require that the manager be skilled enough so as not to offend the sentiments of the Chinese workers, which requires that the manager have prior exposure to Chinese culture and the way things need to be said and done under it. 4. Motivate workers: the new manager can help further the interests of the company by offering performance based incentives in the form of financial benefits. This requires that the manager monitor the performance of every worker and keep track of those who are performing better in comparison to others. Other sources of motivation such as promotions etc. also work a long way in this regard. 5. 5. Encourage feedback and suggestions from workers: the manager must understand the fact that it is the worker who spends most of the time in the manufacturing process, and as such has a better knowledge of how the production can be improved within the existing framework. Typical examples in this regard could be scenarios whereas certain stages of production are underutilized and others are unable to cope up with the supply and demand. Under such situations, it is the workers who can offer better suggestions. Gathering such information requires that the manager establish effective communication with the workers and make efforts to obtain feedback from them on a regular basis. CHANGES TO COMPENSATION PACKAGE Keeping in view that the manager is supposed to work in a foreign country; two important changes to the compensation package are suggested. The first and the foremost change to the compensation package would be decide the salary amount depending on the personal income tax rates of the country where the manager is supposed to work (China in this case). This is extremely crucial as tax rates vary from country to country and having a fair idea of the tax rates for a particular country is absolutely important in order to cut down on the costs (incurred in sending the expatriate to another country, which is substantially more than hiring local managers in China). Secondly, changes have to be made to the compensation package to accommodate the expenditure incurred for the purpose of schooling. This is because of the fact that the children of expatriates most likely would prefer an international school, which is quite costly in almost any city. As such, considering these costs is quite imp ortant while deciding upon the compensation package. REFERENCES 1. Geoffrey W. Latta (2006), the Future of Expatriate Compensation. Found at:

Modern Day Muscian Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Modern Day Muscian - Research Paper Example Music was affected with romantic revolution that swept the literature world (Blanchard & Acree, 183). The two artists worked exceptionally hard and extensively improved music industry. There were significant similarities and divergences on the historical period between Beethoven’s and Lennon’s music careers. The two artists existed in dissimilar centuries and historical periods. Beethoven began his musical career earlier than Lennon did, virtually because he was born before him. They lived in dissimilar societal settings that subsisted differently. At that epoch, man was inventing new ideas that would ease work. The development was also evidenced in the music world when Beethoven came up with nine symphonies and five piano concertos (Blanchard & Acree, 183). He majorly concentrated on romantic songs and composed orthodox music that influenced the appreciation of love songs. He influenced the populace to love and appreciate songs that pass indispensable message of romance to the masses. Conversely, Lennon came to existence much earlier in the twentieth century. The music world had experienced much of improvement since Beethoven passed away. Lennon came up with the rock style of music and was occupied in songwriting partnership that distorted the music panorama globally (Makela, 225). The historical period in which they existed was dissimilar from each other, and consequently prejudiced their compositions. The comparison that existed between Beethoven’s works of art and the historical period was that both composed songs that were sung using similar instruments. The piano was the main instrument used by two parties to make song enjoyable and fascinating to the public. The similarity that existed between Lennon’s works of art and historical period was that the songs passed the message of peace to public (Makela, 117). He also performed in groups which was a common thing done in the historical period. Another similarity was the instruments he used were

Critical Review for the Article Essay Example for Free

Critical Review for the Article Essay The electronic journal entitled: ‘The Long-Term Performance of Horizontal Acquisition’, by Laurence Capron of the Institut Europeen dAdministration des Affaires (INSEAD), published in 1999 by the Wiley and Sons publishing, has studied the creation of â€Å"horizontal mergers and acquisition†. In Capron’s paper, he dated his studies from mid-1980’s to early 1990’s financing strategies of firms in divesting and liquidating its assets which he referred as the â€Å"horizontal mergers and acquisition†. Capron has cited about 253 firms in Europe and America that patterns the financing strategies. According to Capron (1999), examination reveals divestment of assets and capital infusion (re-financing of liquidated assets) makes effective to â€Å"acquisition performance†, but could have potentially detrimental impact. As what Capron emphasized on the performance of acquisition based on â€Å"divestment and redeployment (re-acquisition) of resources†, his study examines the defects and compliments on effective means in â€Å"horizontal mergers and acquisition†. Key points and rationale As reviewed from the journal, the â€Å"horizontal acquisitions† may be exemplified as a means and strategy in establishing the resource-divestment scheme, in which by doing so, it â€Å"optimizes or exploits the values of cost-based and revenue-based synergies† (Capron 1999: p. 988). As explained, it may be perceived that the â€Å"synergy† patterns the continuing acquirement of business values, as a result of divestment wherein merging of the newly diversified firm or business values acquires more assets and capital budget. According to Capron (1999), the cost efficiency theory emphasizes on the significance of cost-based synergies that occur when assets have been divested resulting the integration of cost-saving measures. Thus, the firm performs effectively in enhancing its revenues that synergizes with the redistribution of the capital towards an enhanced capability. It may be analyzed from the findings of Capron that the 1980’s and 1990’s rapid growth of industries brought about by globalization have emerged more investments in the supply chain. One of which is the positioning of developed and high-end industries within raw material sources. Like, for example, diversification process has been developed in Asian countries wherein more investment in cheap raw materials and labor are available and can be acquired easily. The â€Å"horizontal acquisition† could be drawn from establishing partnership, subsidiary in operation, joint ventures and inter-dependency in export and import schemes. Hence, for example â€Å"Company A† has divested in establishing â€Å"Company B† to engage in tire manufacturing that source out the cheapest raw materials. In which case, a diversified industrial firm could venture out into â€Å"versatile† business values that optimize capital investments for a larger revenue generation translated into cost effectiveness that means substantial profitability. In Capron’s finding, the so-called â€Å"economy of scale† became the bases of diversification process that paved the way to a â€Å"large-scale† industrialization. The 20th century practice of the economy of scale has favored more industries to capture the â€Å"investment areas†, specifically in poor countries. The â€Å"dispensation of merging† through open-ended stockholding in small-medium-large enterprises units has put significant relevance in acquiring industrial partnership, wherein capital investment has a critical role in merging companies. As cited from Capron’s findings, the logical economic explanation is capturing revenue-based synergies which are commonly identified as allocating and complementing resources by providing â€Å"core competencies† or â€Å"mobilizing invisible assets† (Penrose 1959; in Capron 1999: p. 989). As cited, Capron also pointed out in his â€Å"theoretical model† of post-acquisition and target redeployment (Capron 1999: pp. 990-995). According to Capron, the theory describes the diversification process as focusing on (1) asset divestiture, (2) cost-saving, (3) resource redeployment, and (4) revenue-enhancing capabilities as an effective means of â€Å"acquisition performance† (Capron 1999: p. 992). The theoretical model refers to and explains the â€Å"basic economic behavior† as outlined in the acquisition performance. Capron further theorized that capabilities in a divested firm are being distributed as an organizational undertaking. Meaning, it can be explained that the system of corporate governance and human resources are distributed or being shared that composes the acquisition performance. However, key â€Å"organic elements† were emphasized to have been integrated in the divestment process, in which the re-deployment (or deployment) of the organizational â€Å"system or setting† are acquired. Conclusion Capron’s examination on the horizontal acquisition and projection of model in strategic post-acquisition and redeployment could be understood as a fundamental undertaking in diversification process. It may be true that most of merging firms in their acquired assets or business are mainly distributing their in-placed â€Å"organizational or corporate system†. However, the merging firms could likewise optimize or â€Å"streamline the existing organizational set-up, which is the common occurrence in most firms that undertaken a â€Å"buy-out†. It may be perceived that the revenue-generation could be largely acquired into options by streamlining the existing organizational set-up or re-organizing both human and capital resources. Capron’s findings have emphasized more on the performance capability on the theory of â€Å"horizontal acquisition† referring only to capital budget, as implied on the capital resources or fixed assets of the firms. The human resource aspect [as a critical unit] of the post-acquisition process may have not been well emphasized. What has been generally discussed in the study is the transformative business value in divestment schemes referring to capital investments and fixed asset liquidation. It could be reflected that the capital investment and fixed asset liquidation are the critical factors in the divestment schemes as the primary resource of merging stakeholder. It could be suggested that the â€Å"potentially detrimental impact† [as also pointed out by Capron] could be referred to the human resources or labor force in a diversified industry. The merging stakeholder in Capron’s findings were much given relevance on how they could effectively perform in targeting their post-acquisition and redeployment, in which the study itself envisions to complement the performance capabilities of the stakeholders. At this point, we may re-examine Capron’s â€Å"theoretical model† as giving more â€Å"weight† to the envisioning of transnational and multi-national enterprises in furtherance of globalization, in which the continuing divestment scheme competes in the large scale economy of labor market and capital build-up. We may then conclude that Capron’s findings could be re-examined with further studies relating to human resources re-deployment or deployment on its horizontal development complementing the diversification of industries, in which the parallelism envisions both human and capital divestment. Section B Morrison’s bid to Safeway The electronic magazine of the Financial Times on its December 8th 2003 issue at the www. ft. com web site has published the news article of Richard Milne entitled: ‘Countdown Starts for Morrisons Bid for Safeway’. According to the news article, the Morrison Supermarket bided 21 days from its competitors, such as Tesco, J. Sainsbury and Asda-WalMart, following the UK government’s offer to sell the Safeway supermarket. The UK Department of Trade and Industry disclosed that â€Å"Morrison was willing to sell its 53 stores if acquisition of Safeway is successful† (Richard Milne 2003; in Ft. com 2008). Morrison’s negotiation was favored by the UK Competition Commission that disqualified the three major competitors from the bidding and upheld Morrison to takeover Safeway with a share of 219-1/2 from the 279-1/2, in which Safeway acknowledged the buy out. In a follow up report in 2004, after a year of the buy out, the Safeway has gained 40% of sales growth. Financial analysts claimed that Safeway has â€Å"migrated customers† to Morrison supermarket, as it cited that â€Å"quality of sales has gone better because Morrison has stopped the Safeway policy of rolling deep discounts† (Martin Dickson 2004; in Ft. com 2008). Perception of the issue Morrison’s takeover of Safeway supermarket has gauged the situation of significant financial divestment venture. The business potentials of Safeway [being an established supermarket that solely competes with Tesco, J. Sainsbury and Asda-WalMart] were the â€Å"strong intent† of financial divestment of Morrison to even offer the sell of its 53 stores. The financial divestment of Morrison could be relating Capron’s findings on the â€Å"horizontal acquisition† of merging stakeholders by way of capital investments through diversified assets. In which case, the Safeway supermarket has found by Morrison as a â€Å"potential divestiture† that shall absorb the vulnerability from tough competitors. The merging of stakeholder through a buy-out or takeover of an established investment [like Safeway] may have validated Capron’s theory of â€Å"post-acquisition and redeployment†, in which Morrison has able to â€Å"contain† the migratory customers and could further develop the acquisition performance of divesting financial investments. The divestment process of Morrison’s takeover to Safeway has likewise described Capron’s finding on merging firms that engages in the economy of scale. One that Morrison has learned from the Safeway’s enterprise approach on rolling deep discounts, wherein it found to be defeating the â€Å"selling schemes†. Thus, managing the risks in â€Å"horizontal acquisition† has gained Morrison’s capability to undertake strategic competition that transformed the â€Å"old Morrison business† through the new outfit of Safeway supermarket. It may be then generally perceived that Capron’s theory on â€Å"horizontal acquisition† has transformative business value in enhancing the financial investment and liquidating a frozen asset [like Morrison’s 53 stores that are non-performing], of which a â€Å"unilateral† financial divestment scheme in managing risk investment, that is vulnerable to tightened competition, gains flexibility upon acquiring an established business venture. However, this assumption is perceptive of a challenge to the continuing financial divestment of core industries in the global market. List of References Capron, L. (1999) ‘The Long-Term Performance of Horizontal Acquisition’. Strategic Management Journal, pp. 987-1018, John Wiley Sons, Ltd. , CCC 0143– 2095/99/110987–32. Dickson, M. (2004). ‘Companies UK: Safeway Sale’. The Financial Times (2008). [online] available from http://search. ft. com/ftArticle? queryText=Morrison%E2%80%99s+takeover+of+Safe wayy=3aje=truex=16id=040521002246ct=0 [14 June 2008] Milne, R. (2003). ’ Countdown Starts for Morrisons Bid for Safeway’. The Financial Times (2008). [online] available from http://search. ft. com/ftArticle? queryText=Morrison%E2%80%99s+takeover+of+Safe wayy=3aje=truex=16id=031208004508ct=0 [14 June 2008]

Personality Interests And Career Suitability

Personality Interests And Career Suitability The purpose of this report is to examine my suitability for the career I wish to pursue as well as look at other areas that maybe more suited to my personality and interests. I will highlight my suitability to the career in which I have chosen through self-awareness and career exercises. I will be analysing these findings and determining my suitability for my chosen career as well as the implications that I may face. I will then review potential career opportunities of interest to me and why I have chosen this particular career as well as reviewing the selection procedure that I would have to go through in order to join the Metropolitan police service. Finally, I will produce an action plan for the next 5 years based on my career and life goals and the steps I would need to take in order to achieve my goals. Throughout this report I will be referring to material that I have used that can be located at the end of this report in the appendixes. A Future on the Front Line Initial Reflections In my Career Planning Preparation Questionnaire  [1]  (See Appendix I), I outlined occupations that I was considering. After further thought into this, I have decided that my main goal is to join the Metropolitan Police Service, although I will be conducting research into Mi5 as a back up option if I was not successful in joining the Police service. The report was very accurate in that it stated that I was a very confident person and knew what interests me and what sort of career I would like to pursue which I believe will be evident throughout this report. In the comments section at the end of each section I set my self tasks to complete, I have done all of these I purchased the book stated, this proved useful when completing assignment one in for which I got a very good grade. I have completed the Prospects Planner  [2]  (Appendix V) and this will be referred to throughout. I have also conducted extensive research into the Metropolitan Police service and Mi5. Self- Awareness Analysis and Reflection Following the Type Dynamics Indicator  [3]   In order to understand the type of person I am and what sort of job my personality would be best suited to and that implications that may arise I conducted the Type Dynamics Indicator Exercise (Appendix II) After answering a number of questions, the indicator suggested that I preferred the style of co-ordinator. This is one of the most organised and responsible of the types. A more detailed analysis can be found in the appendix. When I read the report and compared it to how I view myself and how this would fit into the police force, I found it to be very useful and insightful. Throughout my career I have always preferred an ordered and disciplined work environment, hands on roles rather than office based work, and I loathe work which is unstructured or wastes time. My preferred style also explains why creative writing and performing arts have never interested me, as this is not typical of a co-ordinator. I enjoy taking responsibility in teams, which is evident throughout my academic and voluntary roles. I was form representative throughout secondary school, college and university. I was also chair of Basildon Youth council for 3 years. According to the report, the above elements are very typical of a co-ordinator. I can be a very tough leader. I am very organised and ensure everyone has a task and a deadline by which to complete it by. I will also put equal if not more work into the task as well and respect those who do too. Many co-ordinators are found in the police force. This is because they are organised, traditional, loyal and efficient and the job gives them a role where duty, courage and a sense of responsibility are the foundations and together with purpose, direction and delivery. I think my preferred style is very suited to a career in the Police force. Although areas I may wish to improve are flexibility, allowing people to do things in their own way and being more appreciative to other peoples feelings. My Strengths and Weaknesses I used the activity How Well Do You Know Yourself  [4]  to help me highlight my strengths and weaknesses. I had to select five words that described me, including at least one weakness, I asked two of my house mates whom I have lived with for 2 years to do the same. The results are outlined below. How I see myself: Outgoing Moody Driven Reliable Authoritative How others see me: Aggressive Outgoing Confident Driven Authoritative It appears that I see myself very similar to how others see me. Both my friends and I also stated that I was driven which hopefully will stand out when I go for through the selection process and promotions. One of my weaknesses that I put down was that I can be moody, this was not picked up on by my friends by they did state that I can be aggressive. This may prove a problem when in the police force and so I should try to be less aggressive and abrupt when dealing with people as this may aggravate situations, instead I will be more authoritative as this will also resolve situations. Because I have been involved in voluntary work from a young age this is also one of my major strengths as not only do the police view those who have undertaken voluntary work very highly I have also worked in a wide range of different teams with different police and developed numerous skills such as communication, presenting, leadership, teamwork, delegation and compromising. The work I have also undertaken with the police with add to my strengths further as I have a more in depth knowledge of the workings of the police that not a lot of other candidates will. Analysis of Career Interests To assist me to identify my career interests I used the John Holland Career Interest Inventory  [5]  . My Results stated that my code was ESI. A description of the different aspects is below. Realistic Investigative Artistic Social Enterprising Conventional People who have athletic or mechanical ability, prefer to work with objects, machines, tools, plants or animals, or to be outdoors. People who like to observe,learn, investigate, analyze, evaluate or solve problems. People who have artistic, innovating or intuitional abilities and like to work in unstructured situations using their imagination and creativity. People who like to work with people to enlighten, inform, help, train, or cure them, or are skilled with words. People who like to work with people, influencing, persuading, performing, leading or managing for organizational goals or economic gain. People who like to work with data, have clerical or numerical ability, carry out tasks in detail or follow through on others instructions 6 My most popular interest area was enterprising. A more detailed analysis of this on the same website, said that I am self confident, assertive, ambitious, popular and extroverted  [7]  which are similar qualities to those highlighted in my strengths and weakness section. It also stated that I enjoy heading meetings, evidence of which is my 3 years as chair of Basildon Youth Council and achieving awards, something that of course I always enjoy. Occupations that matched my code included, computer operators, paramedic and stoke brooking, although none of these careers has ever interested me. A police officer matches the Holland code of SER. I matched the social and enterprising aspect but lacked in the realistic aspect as in the description it stated that the interests include working with machinery, plants, and tools which is something that does not appeal to me. I still believe my interests match closely with that of a Police officer and that my interests will still be fulfilled. Analysis of Career motivators and Drivers I completed an exercise  [8]  developed by Dave Francis in order to highlight my career drivers (Appendix III). The two highest scoring elements were material rewards and power/influence. I was not surprised by the power/influence element as I enjoy taking on responsibility and believe I perform better in teams that I am leading. I was surprised by the material rewards element. I have never considered myself a material person, but that maybe because I have never been in a strong financial position as I am from a low-income background. My need for a better life where I do not have to worry about money maybe what is driving me to succeed and may be why I have chosen to take a degree in order to be able to apply for the high development scheme within the police force to aid my promotion prospects. I maybe further motivate to gain promotion because power and influence drives me to succeed. I dont think I would be happy in a career which does not allow me to develop or where there is no opportunity for promotion. Prospects Planner Results I completed a personal profile on the prospectus website  [9]  (Appendix IV). In the skills area I matched 100% in three areas, counselling, social and guidance services, human resources and employment and legal services. I believe this is a good match to me as I have been involved in a lot of youth and community engagement work through my voluntary roles and I enjoyed this very much. I also undertook a 4-week work placement while I was at school with McCormacks Criminal Defence Solicitors that I enjoyed too. I was surprised that I scored so highly on human resources as this is an area I have never considered or interested me before. My highest scoring on my interests and motivations was again counselling at 71% and teaching at 69%. I was surprised that I scored highly on teaching as this is another area that has never interested me. My combined profile matched most highly with counselling with legal services very close behind. Both of these have interested me throughout my life and I would consider a career in these areas if I were unsuccessful in my original career plans or wanted a change of career later in life. Appendix V demonstrates how well my combined profile matches the job of a police officer. My overall match was good however; there are some areas that I scored ok or poorly in. After looking at the report the areas in which I have said I would like to avoid or be a minor part of my job are those that I would not mind incorporating into my career. They are things I am competent at so I do not think they will prevent me from enjoying or performing my role as a police officer My Career and Life Goals Pass my driving test Have a degree with a 2.1 or first class classification Successfully gain employment with the metropolitan police service Gain promotion Career opportunities Although a large part of this report will be based on the Police force I have also conducted research into Mi5 as I will need a back up option if I were not successful in joining the police. Mi5 Graduate Positions Graduate positions within Mi5 are advertised on their website (http://www.mi5careers.gov.uk) a specification of a job that would appeal to me is attached to this report  [10]  (Appendix VI). Before you apply for the job you are invited to complete a short test  [11]  of scenarios with possible responses which you have to select in order to test your suitability to the role. I conducted this exercise and a copy of my results can be found under appendix VII. Eligibility Criteria In order to join you have to be at least 18 years old, you must be a British citizen and one of your parents also has to be. You have to have been resident in Britain for at least 9 out of the last 10 years prior to your application. This does not apply to those who have been serving abroad with HM Forces. You also have to be of good mental and physical health. Depending on the role you apply for you may have to meet other requirements such as degree classification or previous experience. Recruitment Process The recruitment process is quite lengthy and can last up to 6 months. The first step is to get an application form from one of the services external recruitment agencies. If your application meets the required standard you will then be shot listed and the best candidates on the short list will be invited for a competency based interview with the services graduate recruitment team. If successful you will then attend a one day assessment centre where a range of competencies will be tested. Successful completion of this will lead onto another interview this time with the services vetting section. This will last for at least 2 hours and will involve personal questions about your background and lifestyle to ensure you are suitable to having access to sensitive material. Those who pass this element will return for a final interview with the final selection board. If successful the vetting process is then complete and a job offer will be made. Depending on what role you are applying for you may need to do additional assessments such as fitness tests, medical examinations and in the case of the vacancy attached to this report you also have to do a 2 hour driving assessment. Training Once you have been appointed you undertake a week long initial induction course prior to taking up then post and then you will undertake a two-year training programme. Metropolitan Police Service Graduate Positions The recruitment process is open to everybody and is not limited to graduates only. In order to apply for the Metropolitan Police Service you have to complete an application form, in which it asks you to give examples of a number of competences. The only way you can get one is to attend one of the recruitment events that are held throughout the year in various different areas of London, details of the events can be found on their website http://www.met.police.uk/careers/events.html. This is to assess your dedication to the force to which you are applying. Eligibility Criteria In order to join the police you must be a British Citizen, a citizen of the EU or other states in the EEA, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with indefinite leave to remain in the UK. The minimum age is 181/2 but you can apply to join at 18. There are no formal qualifications needed although you will be required to be able to pass the tests. You must also be physically and mentally fit enough to perform the duties of a police officer. Recruitment Process The recruitment process can take in excess of 12 months. If you are successful in the application stage, which 65-75% of people are not due to poorly filled out application forms  [12]  , you will be sent notification of your assessment centre date and information regarding the process. While at the assessment centre, you will be a customer service officer and the scenarios and exercises will be based around a fictitious shopping centre called the Westshire Centre. During the assessment centre, you will undertake two 20 minute written exercises, which could be a report and a letter for example. This will test your problem solving, communication and written skills. The interview is the next part. It generally last 15-20 minutes and you will be asked 4 different questions and you will have to provide examples of things you have done in the past to demonstrate you competency in different areas. You will then go through four interactive role-play stations. At each station you will be given five minutes preparation time at each station in which to study the background information to the role play and make any notes which you can take in with you. When the five minutes are up you will enter a room, interact with a role-play actor, and deal with the situation for five minutes. The last exercise you complete at the assessment centre is the Police Initial Recruitment Test, which consists of two papers; Numeric (12 minutes), and Verbal Logical Reasoning (25 minutes). You will receive results of your assessment centre within 14 days. Each of the competencies tested will be graded between A-D, D being the lowest. If you have passed, you will also be sent details of the next stage of the assessment, which is the fitness tests and medical. Firstly, you will undergo a medical in which your hearing, vision, blood pressure, body fat etc will be tested. Your height and weight will also be taken. If you pass the medical, you can progress to the fitness test. The first stage of the fitness test will measure your upper body strength. There is two parts pushing and pulling, these will both be measured on a Dyno machine. You need pull at 35kg and push at least 34kg to pass. The next test is a bleep test. In this test, you will run between two points 15 meters apart. You will run to one end turn around wait for the beep and run back to the other end before the other beep. As the test, progresses the beeps will get closer and closer together through the levels. You will have to reach at least level 5.4 to pass. Once you have completed this section successfully you will go through the final vetting and reference checks, if this is successful you will then be formally offered employment and fitted for your uniform. Training When you start, you will initially undertake a 5-week module at Hendon Recruit Training School after which you are designated a borough where you will carry out a remaining 26 weeks training as part of the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme.  [13]   Every recruit will undergo a 2-year probationary period before they will become a fully trained constable. High Potential Development Scheme Those who show potential during training will automatically be invited to join the High Potential Development Scheme, you can also apply to join the High Development Potential Scheme after one year with the service, you do not need to have a degree to apply, but you must be able to cope with the academic demands. It is anticipated that there will only be 60 places on the scheme in the Metropolitan Police Force for 2009  [14]  . In order to apply you will have to fill out an application form when they become available, you can find out when they are available from your boroughs HDPS representative. If you are successful the assessment takes place in three stages. Stage one an in-force assessment where candidates will demonstrate the ability to meet the high level eligibility criteria. Forces will be asked to recommend their very best officers. Stage two is a series of ability tests, including tests of your verbal, numerical and non-verbal ability, and a test of your judgement and decision making in a range of managerial scenarios. These tests are designed along the same lines as the selection tests used for the Strategic Command Course, they will ensure that candidates have the ability to deal with the required academic programme. However, dependent on how many people are recommended, these tests may also be used to select the best officers on merit to attend the assessment centre at Stage 3. Stage three is an assessment centre incorporating; written exercises, interactive exercises, an oral briefing exercise and a competency-based interview. Candidates will also take a personality questionnaire. The feedback from the questionnaire will only be used to give all applicants developmental feedback; it is not part of the selection process  [15]  . If you are successful, you will then embark on a two-year development programme leading to a postgraduate diploma related to policing in which you will be assessed throughout the whole process. Workplace support and development is also available. Those who are successful at this stage and still show potential to reach Chief Officer level can go onto the next level where they will undertake further development leading on to a masters. Promotion will be given to those who can show the Chief Officer that they are competent in the next rank and pass the relevant exams; the advantage to this is that they do not have to wait for vacancies to come up and therefore move through the ranks quicker than those who are not on the scheme. Even those who are not on the Scheme can still apply for promotion once they have completed their 2-year probationary period. There are numerous opportunities to specialise further. There are various different departments that you can work in such as the dog section, CID, Scenes of Crime, Intelligence, Terrorist Division, armed response, air support etc. Pay and Benefits During training you will be paid  £28,497 and after completion of training this will rise to  £31,068  [16]  .A more detailed break down of the salary for officers at all different levels can be found as Appendix VIII of this report. You will also have access to a comprehensive pension scheme and free travel within your borough. Why the Police Service? When I was 10 I attended an open day at the local police station. I was amazed at the variety of work they undertook and the job really appealed to me. I started getting involved in volunteer work I became a member of the Basildon Youth Council and this lead on to further opportunities to work closely with the police where I learnt a lot about the force and the job. I continued aiming to become a police officer and decided to study Public Services at college. I wanted a vocational course that enabled me to learn more about the jobs within the police as well as giving me opportunity to work with the police and other organisations. Now I am at University studying the degree of Policing and Criminal Investigation. I chose this I get to study various aspects of the work of the Police in detail as well as learn English law in great depth too. The degree will also assist me when I join the police and apply for the High Development Potential Scheme. A career in the police force appeals to me, as I would like a job that is both challenging and rewarding whilst giving something back to the community and making a different in the lives of those around us. Although it does have some drawbacks. It is a very dangerous career as you are the first response to most violent incidents, some incidents you attend can also be very traumatic. Because of the shift patterns it can leave very little time for a social life and plans which you make may have to be cancelled due to more pressing work. Action Plan I am now going to create an action plan for myself based on my career and life goals previously mentioned. Pass my driving test By the end of summer 2009 I will have passed my driving test. I am going to achieve this by taking a week long crash course in Blackpool, costing around  £1000; this cost will include 40 hours worth of driving, my theory and practical test costs as well. This will assist me when applying for Mi5 and the police service. Have a degree with a 2.1 or first class classification By then end of summer 2010 I hope to have gained my degree with a 2.1 classification or higher. I will achieve this by attending all my lectures and seminars, conducting extra reading and research. Planning assignments in advance and conducting extensive research and reading to enable me to complete my assignments to the best of my ability. I will also be continually revising throughout the year to ensure I am ready for my exams. Successfully gain employment with the Metropolitan Police Service During my last semester at university I will regularly check the metropolitan police website to see where the recruitment events are where I can obtain an application form. After obtaining this I will spend a lot of time filling this out correcting with good examples. If I am successful at this stage I will then conduct practise for the assessment centre by rehearsing interviews studying the information regarding the assessments and build on my fitness. Gain Promotion If I gain employment with the police service I will continually work hard to show my willing and ability to join the High Development Scheme. I will request an application form when they become available and if I am successful in joining the scheme I will work hard to complete the exercises that are required of me and continually show my enthusiasm and capabilities, Conclusion After completing the self-awareness and career tests, I discovered that my personality would be very suited to a job in the police force. In the Type Dynamics Indicator  [17]  , my preferred style was a co-ordinator and one of the better suited occupations to this style is a police officer. My strengths that were highlighted in the how well do you know yourself  [18]  exercise will assist me while I am in the Police force as both my friends and I said I was authoritative. Although being moody and aggressive were my weaknesses I can work on these issues and they shouldnt pose a problem when I join the Police force. Although my career interests inventory did not match exactly with that of a Police Office I still had two elements, social and enterprising, that matches a police office so I still will be a good match for the job and my interests do not differ majorily. My career drivers, material rewards and power and influence, will help motivate me and encourage me to go for promotions and which is why I want to apply for the High Potential Development Scheme in the police force which I discussed earlier in the report. Finally, whilst my prospects planner results did not highlight the police force as being one of the best matches the occupations I did match had elements that were needed in the police force and when I matched my profile with a police officer it proved a good match. Overall, I believe the exercises did not highlight many implications for my career choice. After conducting research into Mi5 and the Metropolitan Police Service I decided that I will defiantly be applying for the Metropolitan Police service as my first choice employer and if I were successful in gaining employment I will be applying to join the High Potential Development scheme as well. Although, if I were not successful I believe Mi5 will also provide me with just as an exciting and challenging career that I would be happy in. In conclusion, I will work towards the targets that I have set myself in this report and hopefully I will be successful in reaching my career aims.

The Arthurian Legends Room :: Essays Papers

The Arthurian Legends Room Sir Thomas Malory was born around the year 1416 and was the son of a country gentleman. He was an MP and a justice of the peace for a period of time. However, in the 1440's he was found guilty of a series of violent crimes, and he spent most of the 1450's in prison. By 1462, he was out of jail. Then, in 1468, he was charged with being involved in a plot against Edward IV, and he was sent to jail once again. It was during this later imprisonment that he finished Le Morte Darthur. Within a few months of finishing Le Morte Darthur, Malory was released from prison. He died soon after in 1471. Fourteen years later, in 1485, William Caxton printed an edited text and gave the work its name. Centuries later, in 1935, a manuscript version of the text was found in the Winchester College library. Le Morte Darthur is an eight-book story about the legendary King Arthur's life. Malory borrowed from a number of earlier works including the French Vulgate cycle (Arthurian prose romances) from the thirteenth century and Tristan, also French. Within the text itself, Malory often mentions the English books and French books from which he drew his story. Arthurian Romances tell the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. These knights live by a code of chivalry with a duty to serve God and their king; they strive to live a life of honesty and purity. In the modern world, Camelot is often used to symbolize this ideal of honesty and purity. (from St. Martin's Anthology of English Literature: Volume I - The Middle Ages and The Norton Anthology of English Literature) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight There is really very little known about the author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. There is speculation that he wrote the three other poems that are part of the same manuscript as Gawain. They are Pearl, Patience, and Purity. The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a combination of a number of separate plots that occur in folklore. These plots are the beheading game and the temptation.

The Concept of Economy

There have been diverse views from various scholars on the meaning of economy. Of this various definitions includes; Economy is a term derived from the Greek word ‘OIKONOMOS' which means â€Å"One who manages a home†. Even though the term Economy is derived from the Greek word, history has shown that the Babylonians and their neighbouring towns were the first to develop any form of economics as it regards laws and rules. According to Wikipedia (2018) â€Å"The contemporary concept of the economy wasn't popularly known until the American Great Depression in the 1930's†. However, prior to this period, the concept of economy had passed through different phases some of which included; Primary, secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary stage of the economy.What then is Economy?Economy as defined in Investing Answers (2018) â€Å"Is the organised system of human activity involved in the production, consumption, exchange and the production of goods and services†. It is an organised system where money is made through the production and distribution of goods and services. The Oxford Living Dictionaries (2018) also defined economy as ‘the state of a country or region in terms of production and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money'. There are diverse ways of measuring the economic activities of any nation. Some of these ways include;  Gross Domestic ProductsExchange rateStock MarketInterest RateUnemploymentCHINA AND ITS ECONOMYPopularly known as the People's Republic of China. China was established on January 1, 1912 after the Xinhai Revolution that Qung dynasty era. The country is situated in East Asia and is referred to as the most populated country in the world with an estimated number of 1.404 billion people. In terms of land mass after Russia, China is the second largest country in the world. In the world in general, there is a popular conception that the Chinese people can be used for cheap labour. However, despite this notion, the country is the largest emerging economy in the world and is mostly engaged in manufacturing, industrial production, servicing and agriculture. As at 2017, China became the world's largest economy through its purchasing by making $23.12 trillion in comparison to European Union and the United States of America at Second and Third position respectively. Despite being the largest economy in the world, China remains a very poor country with regards to standard of living. This low standard of living attracts people and businesses to the country. Most of China's economic growth is dependent on the exportation of machinery and equipment. Apart from machinery and equipment, other components of China's economy includes; real estate, infrastructure, ports, railways, pipelines, aluminium, copper, cement, steel, exchange, reserves etc. In recent time, China has witnessed a slowdown of its economy which resulted to a slower growth in its GDP. Most of the changes that affects economic growth centres on change that has labour, productivity and capital. In the case of China, the decline in its economic growth is attributed to the huge technological gap between China and other rich countries. Another that contributes to decline the economy is an increase in Country's debt.CHINA AND THE WORLD'S ECONOMYThere is the doubt that in comparison to the world's economy, China's economy is a strong force to reckon with whether or not it is the largest or second largest as measured by GDP. In 2007, from being the sixth economy as at 2002, China was declared the world's largest economy with a total of $23.12 trillion as against the European Union and U.S respectively. This does not dispute the fact that when considering the per capital income of the average man in China, the country's populace comprises off relatively poor people o r that the gradual slowdown in the economy brings with it a lure of fear in the minds of their nations. According to Gutte Wallin Pederson (2002) ‘China's growth has primarily been driven by market oriented reforms and the opening of the Chinese economy to the rest of the world. Other components of China's economy include manufacturing and production of machineries at low costs, foreign direct investments, exportation, agriculture and importation of things consumed in the country. China has contributed immensely to the GDP growth of the world. It is quite central to the world's economic growth. Between 1980 to 2011, China recorded an annual growth of about 10%. A significant thing occurred when China decided to join the World Trade Organization in 2001. This is because along with the accession came China's pledge to provide fair treatment to WTO members ensuring that their enterprises where given the same treatment as that of the Chinese and vice versa. Most of China's economic growth in the world centres on physical capital and human capital. Labour force in China gross rapidly. Countries all over the world regards China's labour force as cheap as such would rather have them in their employ yet a large populous of the workforce has not been tapped. Apart from having a cheap workforce, cost of living in China is also cheap. This explains why countries now go to China to establish companies in other to access raw materials and lower their cost of manufacturing and production. For a country like the USA, China still remains the highest manufacturer of toys. China also exports manufactured products such as phones, electronics, clothing, furniture etc. Most countries depend on China for products they consume. Example African Countries. Despite being the highest exporter of consumer goods all over the world, China is the second largest importer in the world. The country because of its limited natural resources contributes largely to other countries GDP in terms of imports. Most commodities that China imports include; crude oil, petroleum gas, iron ore, lead, copper, palm oil, asphalt etc. For instance, the country's importation of integrated circuits accounted for about 44% of Malaysian exports for 2016. China is one of the major players in the arms market. Prior to now, China was one of the importers of conventional arms. However, in recent times, the reverse has become the case with the country being the 5th largest exporter of these arms as ranked in the world. According to China power (2008) â€Å"Between 2008 and 2012, China exported $14.4 billion worth of conventional weapons across the globe†. During this period, most percentage of arm supply made by China went to Asia and another fraction of Africa. China's neighbours and some parts of America have not been left out of the arm supply trend. For instance, between the aforementioned years, the country provided arms worth $1.86 billion to Bangladesh which is about 71.9% of Bangladesh arms acquisition during this period (China Power 2018). As pointed out by Alec Ash (20177) the basic areas which China intends to drive the world economics' growth and reforms are;a. Innovation-driven economy, tapping the potential of businesses both big and small.b. One belt, one road initiative, connecting trade markets across Eurasian land and sea.c. A rising middle class, growing in number spending power to drive consumption.d. Financial market liberation, speeding improvements in the Chinese market.e. State-Owned enterprises, opening biggest industries.f. Oversea investment, leveraging Chinese capital to revitalize the global economy.g. China intends to be more involved in the world's economy irrespective of being a major player already as the country is gradually becoming a consumption driven economy.Despite being a key player in the world economy, the world itself has witnessed a slowdown in the Chinese economy in recent times. This is because its service sector is suffering from the effects of its workforce population ageing and i ncrease in wages to meet global standards. The use of technology has also declared some job roles obsolete. Justin Kuepper (2017) opines that â€Å"many economists believe the country would have to migrate from manufacturing to services as a primary driver of GDP, just as other developed countries like the United States and those in Europe have done in the past†. There is no doubt that their slowdown will affect economies globally. It may have a deflationary effect on most economies. For instance, countries that exports goods to China will experience a decline in demand for the goods by China. What this implies is that the decline in demand for goods/services will lead to a drop in their price thus reducing the export GDP of these products. Example the demand for crude oil has reduced thus leading to a decline in price of crude oil. These days, China goes to the extent of rendering services in exchange for free crude oil. China's demand for these products will be slow. Other factors contributing to these slowdown include a rise in debt and gradual close of technological gap between China and other countries thus reducing the demand for Chinese products and reducing its productivity growth. Irrespective of what the effects of this slowdown may imply there is a need for countries to brace themselves for the challenges that lie ahead of them globally. Some of the way they can handle ways situation include, reduction of commodity exposure, diversification of investment hedge with puts on Chinese EIF's (Justin Kuepper 2017).IMPACT OF CHINA ECONOMY ON NIGERIAN ECONOMYRelating the impact of China economy to Nigeria, it will not be misleading to say that her impact on the Nigerian economy is quite enormous. It will not be undermining to say that Nigeria is one country that's hugely dependent on China. Most products used in Nigeria are tagged with â€Å"Made in China† labels that ranges from toys, to plastics, household items, machineries, electronics, clothing etc. Nigeria is also dependent on China for some raw materials.Nigerians also negotiate with the Chinese for customized products only for the Nigerian market. In recent times, the Nigerian economy has experienced an advancement in industrialization. This advancement has encourage the production of locally made products and reduced the country's dependence on goods from other countries in terms of economic boost, the country's bilateral ties with other countries of which China is inclusive has also brought about an increase in foreign investment. Nigeria continually comes up with policies that do not only aim at strengthening its bilateral ties but are also targeted at ensuring it is exposed to a wide range of options as regards to the quantity and quality of goods consumed by its citizens in process bring about a reduction in the poverty level. Some of this policies includes; Structural Adjustment package, Trade liberation Policy. The question to be asked is â€Å"Do these policies really help in giving the country trade advantage in the long run?† The major factor contradictory to Nigeria/China bilateral ties is labour force. The Nigerian policies as enticing as they may seem may only suffice for the country's immediate needs. There is little or no transfer of technological knowledge due to language and cultural constraints, Nigerian institutions are not accountable, transparent or credible in their dealings. Despite the above limiting factor on the part of Nigeria, China have been having currency swap dealings with different countries of which Nigeria is partisan. As stated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, the currency swap agreement is targeted at helping both countries achieve the following;a. Provision of adequate liquidity of local currency for industrialists in both countries,b. Aid manufacturers businesses in China/Nigeria to access funds to import raw materials from both countries,c. Nigerian businesses who impart from China will be protected from the frequent fluctuations and effects of third party currency.d. It will help people in West Africa have access to China's local currency as Nigeria will be the trade hub in the region for this purpose.Since the availability of natural resources is limited in China, the aforementioned economic giants depends on Nigeria for Agricultural produce and crude oil. The importation of these goods from Nigeria helps increase its exportation quota in terms of GDP although in recent times, China would rather offer free services to Nigeria in exchange for free crude oil.