Navigating Professional Contexts

Children are Citizens The City of Port Phillip, an inner local government city in Melbourne Australia, has developed strategies that will challenge the traditional view of children as citizens of the state by theorising children as major actors in the society who have a valid and important understanding of the world in general and can be able to contribute to the development of the society (City of Port Phillip, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Navigating Professional Contexts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These strategies have been developed as a result of the little recognition children receive when it comes to voicing their opinions or getting their voices heard. Children also lack equal opportunities in the adult world in cases where they are faced with poverty, cultural diversity or disabilities (Smith et al, 2008). The development of the strategies will ensure that the City of Port Phillip has a theoretical and practical framework that will be used to create awareness to the adult community in the city that children should be regarded as citizens who deserve equal opportunities and also to be listened to. The strategies will be used to develop a children’s plan that will reflect on issues such as embedding the concept of children as citizens in the constitution, developing policies and frameworks that will be used to support children’s activities in civic duties within the city and structures of citizenship that will represent the needs of children in Port Phillip (City of Port Phillip, 2009). The decision to include children as citizens of the state arose out of a gap in the Municipal Early Years Plan (MEYP) that did not involve children in its formulation stage. The MEYP was an initiative by the State Government of Victoria which required all councils in Australia to develop a plan for children that would be used in developing strategies that would coordi nate the educational, health care and early childhood development activities of children living in Australia. The City of Port Phillip recognised this gap and decided that a broader approach was needed in dealing with aspects that affected children and promoted new ways of thinking about children’s opportunities in the adult world.Advertising Looking for assessment on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The new way of thinking challenged the State of Victoria’s policies on service delivery to children by proposing that their rights and interests should be considered before any strategic frameworks are developed (City of Port Phillip, 2009). MEYP did not involve any consultation or input from children during the formulation stages of the plan which would create certain gaps when the plan would be used for early childhood development programs and healthcare delivery services for young children (Smith Smale, 2007). The various councils involved in the MEYP plan realised that they did not have the relevant skills and knowledge to develop strategies that are meant for children. The City of Port Phillip took the initiative to consult with children when developing the municipal plan especially during the implementation phase by analysing their ideas and opinions (City of Port Phillip, 2009). To develop a plan that had the incorporation of children’s ideas, the council of Port Phillip analysed the ideas that council staff and community members had about children being viewed as citizens. Most of the staff interviewed were those who had a direct or indirect interaction with children in the community. Their opinions about children were based on the images they had on children and how these images affected their day to day duties. The three images that the council staff and community members had of children were that adults viewed children as objects that could be developed and construc ted by developing policies and procedures to be used in their developmental activities. The other image was that children were seen to be apprentices who could be developed and educated to become future citizens instead of current day citizens. Policies and procedures were developed towards gearing children to become future citizens. These policies were formulated by adults based on their observations on children. The third image about children was that they were viewed as social actors as well as citizens who had valid knowledge about their surrounding community and the world in general. This image represented the fact that children were present day active citizens who were allowed to participate in decision making activities (Smith et al, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Navigating Professional Contexts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The assessment carried out by the City of Port Phillip showed th at children were able to express their views and opinions on matters that affected them when they were given an opportunity to do so; there were hierarchies for citizenship that included children in the society. There was a need for members of the community to view children as citizens who deserved equal opportunities and rights. People who worked in organizations or communities that mostly dealt with children were required to view them as equal opportunity members while they carried out their work. There was also a need to develop a culture that would ensure the participation of children in community developmental activities (Smith et al, 2008). The strategies that were developed by the City of Port Phillip that would be used in recognising children as citizens included championing the cause with influence by involving people in authoritative positions such as politicians, members of parliament and councillors. The endorsement of children to be viewed as citizens by these people in authoritative positions would ensure that community members would also see the benefits of having children as equal opportunity members of the society. These authoritative figures also had access to state and government funds that could be channelled to awareness activities of viewing children as citizens. The other strategy developed by the council of Port Phillip was to assess the educational opportunities on offer in the city and what the contents of the education system were. This entailed conducting a critical reflection process on the council member’s image of children which required that they should identify and support responsibilities that were targeted towards ensuring children were involved in decision making activities (City of Port Phillips, 2009). The other strategy involved developing protocols that would see children’s views and opinions being used in community development activities. Children’s views and consent would be used in developing prog rams and theoretical frameworks that would not only affect them but the adults in the society as well.Advertising Looking for assessment on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Developing these protocols would involve designing tools that would be used in consulting with children in policy and procedure formulation processes. Some of the tools that have been used by the City of Port Phillip include individual interviews where children are interviewed by adults and also by other children, group discussions, and artistic work such as drawing, photographs, painting and videography (City of Port Phillip, 2009). The City of Port Phillip is focused on developing a children’s plan that will incorporate the views of all the children in the city. According to statistics, the past four years have seen more than 400 children who are aged between 0 to 12 years contributing their ideas and opinions on ways of improving the living and learning conditions of Port Phillip. As a result, the information will be used by the local council authorities to develop a MEYP plan that will incorporate the views and needs of children in relation to policy formulation and proce dures (City of Port Phillip, 2009). Children deserve a challenging and safe learning environment The Government of Australia has developed an early learning framework for children in Australia that will be used by child educators to enrich their lives by providing education that prepares them for adult life. The framework is also meant to provide a smooth transition for the children during the various stages of their educational life. The framework is based on the vision that all children have the right to access the best opportunities that will enable them to start their lives on a good note and create a good future for themselves. The framework was developed after gathering input from various sectors such as the early childhood educators, children in early educational programs and the state, territorial governments of Australia (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). The early childhood framework was developed to ensure that children received quality education and learning experiences that would develop them in the later stages of their lives. The framework outlines learning outcomes that will be used to gauge the skills, knowledge and abilities that children should have once they have complete the educational programs. The learning outcomes that have been outlined include teaching children to have a strong sense of identity and wellbeing, educating children to be connected to the world by equipping them with skills they can use in contributing to the development activities in their communities, and teaching children to be confident and effective communicators (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). The type of learning that will take place in relation to the outcomes will be influenced by the children’s capabilities and learning preferences, the techniques that the educator uses to teach the children, the learning environment and the integration of the learning practices with learning outcomes. The framework recognises the fact that learning is a continuous pr ocess that is not always predictable and certain.Each child progresses towards the learning outcomes in their own specific way and educators are expected to design their learning programs to meet each child’s specific needs (COA, 2009). The learning outcome that requires children to have a strong sense of identity involves teaching them to be themselves and developing their confidence levels. While they learn about themselves, children build their own identities based on the social settings of the community and their families. Their identities are also based on the types of relationships they have with family members and people that live in their surroundings. Developing a strong sense of identity will involve providing a learning environment that is safe and challenging. Children learn and grow more quickly when they are in a safe and secure environment (COA, 2009). A safe learning environment will ensure that children are able to build secure relationships with their peers, family members, educators and their community members. Safe and secure learning environments will also ensure that they have a sense of belonging in the learning environment as well as enable them to communicate their needs and demands to the people concerned. Safe learning environments allow children to express their feelings and ideas freely without any fear of being reprimanded. Children can also be able to initiate conversations with other people as well as respond to the suggestions offered by other people (HM Government, 2005). The early years learning framework also outlines that children deserve to have a learning environment that is challenging and allows them to develop interdependency skills as well as a sense of resiliency in their lives. A learning environment that is challenging allows children to have an increasing awareness to the needs of their peers as well as allow them to be open to any challenges that might arise while they are learning. Learning programs that are challenging allow children to develop persistency and critical thinking to their learning tasks as well as ensure they have confidence when approaching new and difficult situations (COA, 2009). The educational program should be designed in a way that ensures children are inspired and challenged after completing the learning program. Children who are exposed to a culture of reading and studying only without experiencing any extra curriculum activities such as music, sports and social activities are more likely to develop a negative attitude towards learning. Children should therefore be challenged academically to ensure they are inspired to perform learning tasks to the best of their abilities (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2010). Children are capable learners whose perspectives should be listened to, respected and integrated into the learning environment This statement is exemplified under the learning outcome of developing a strong sense of identity in the Early Years Learning Framework developed for the educational sector in Australia (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). Children who are capable learners have a broad variety of ideas, opinions and perspectives on different learning activities. They deserve to have an opportunity to have these perspectives listened to and respected for their value. For children to be viewed as capable learners they should feel recognised and respected for who they are by educators, their peers, their family members and the society. They are also able to share aspects of their upbringing, cultural backgrounds and religion with their friends during the learning process. Integrating children’s perspectives into the learning environment will ensure that they are able to develop a strong foundation in the family setting and also the community setting as well as enable them to reach out for assistance and companionship (State of Victoria, 2009). Enacting the Value Statements into Practice It is im portant to view children as important contributors to the society by ensuring that their voices and opinions are heard when it comes to developing programs that will benefit them in the long term. Children should therefore be accorded citizenship in their respectable communities or societies a fete that can be achieved by incorporating their ideas into educational programs and developing strategies that will ensure they are involved in the formulation of governmental policies and procedures (UNCRC, 2006). Creating a safe and challenging environment for learning will allow children to develop confidence skills and capabilities that will mould them into leadership positions. Having their perspectives and opinions listened to will also ensure that they can become leaders at the later stages of their life. This can be achieved by creating educational programs that have social learning activities which will allow children to demonstrate their leadership abilities and skills like the Mast er in School Leadership (MSL) program developed for all educational schools in Victoria. The program builds a child’s capacity for leadership opportunities within the school and also in the outside world (Matthews et al, 2007). References Association for Supervision and Curriculum, Development (ASCD) (2010). Educating the whole child: the new learning compact. Web. City of Port Phillip (2005). Municipal Early Years Plan- creating a child friendly Port  Phillip: a framework for action and three year implementation plan 2005-2009. Web. City of Port Phillip (2009). Children’s participation in urban settings: respecting children  as active citizens. Melbourne: City of Port Phillip. Commonwealth of Australia (COA) (2009). The early years learning framework for  Australia. Australian Government: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments. HM Government (2005).Working together to safeguard children: a guide to i nter-agency  working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Web. Matthews, P., Moorman, H., Nusche, D., (2007). School leadership development  strategies: building leadership capacity in Victoria, Australia. Victoria: OECD, Directorate for Education. Smith, K., MacNaughton, G., Alexander, K., (2008). Respecting children as active  citizens: participation in policies and services. Melbourne: University of Melbourne. Web. Smith, K., Smale, J., (2007). Listening to children: local government respecting  children’s rights to citizenship. Brussels: Diversity in Early Childhood Education and Training (DECET). State of Victoria (2009). Victorian early years learning and development framework: for  all children from birth to eight years. Victoria, Australia: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the child (UNCRC) (2006). A guide to  general comment 7: implementing child rights in early childhood. T he Hague: Bernard van Leer Foundation. 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Free Essays on Losing Samantha; Gaining Compassion

were like ice that sent an uninterrupted chill down my spine. â€Å"Samantha has a large tumor on her back.† My knees went weak. I understood from those past two minutes that my life was about to change forever. The news about my 12 year old sister broke out into the small 1500 population town within the hour my dad spoke it. Everyone came together suddenly to organize fundraisers to help out our family with the outrageous bills that were soon to come. The young people from every church made plans for a prayer breakfast in honor of Samantha. Each church had their young people say a prayer, sing a song, or give a small presentation about my sister. Samantha’s dad, Brian, called my dad one day with encouraging news. â€Å"My friends are putting together a festival in honor of Samantha.† I thought this was very generous because he was going through the same situation we were. Ladies from the church my dad pastors came up with the idea of selling barbeque dinners and bake sales. They put their minds to work right away. They labored for hours in taking orders, donations, and preparing the food. I had no idea the people that lived in that miniature town could be so concer ned about my little sister and her family. It seems everyone understood what we were going through and helped us ... Free Essays on Losing Samantha; Gaining Compassion Free Essays on Losing Samantha; Gaining Compassion Losing Samantha; Gaining Compassion October 3, 2000 seemed just like any other Monday. I was working at Brown’s, an independently owned grocery store. My dad came in with Shelby and Colton, my youngest sister and brother, earlier than he usually did on a school day. He approached my register with a somber expression on his face that will never be forgotten. Samantha, my other sister who was also younger than me, had been complaining of backaches and had been visiting hospitals and doctors habitually. An uneasy reaction inside told me the news he was about to share with me pertained to her and was not going to be enjoyable. His words were like ice that sent an uninterrupted chill down my spine. â€Å"Samantha has a large tumor on her back.† My knees went weak. I understood from those past two minutes that my life was about to change forever. The news about my 12 year old sister broke out into the small 1500 population town within the hour my dad spoke it. Everyone came together suddenly to organize fundraisers to help out our family with the outrageous bills that were soon to come. The young people from every church made plans for a prayer breakfast in honor of Samantha. Each church had their young people say a prayer, sing a song, or give a small presentation about my sister. Samantha’s dad, Brian, called my dad one day with encouraging news. â€Å"My friends are putting together a festival in honor of Samantha.† I thought this was very generous because he was going through the same situation we were. Ladies from the church my dad pastors came up with the idea of selling barbeque dinners and bake sales. They put their minds to work right away. They labored for hours in taking orders, donations, and preparing the food. I had no idea the people that lived in that miniature town could be so concer ned about my little sister and her family. It seems everyone understood what we were going through and helped us ...

Workplace Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Workplace Violence - Essay Example Workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees all over the world (OSHA, 2002). Though any worker can be subjected to workplace violence, some occupations place certain individuals at increased risk of violence. Workers who deal with money, who deliver goods, passengers or services, those who work alone or work with small groups, workers who work late in the nights or early hours in the morning are at increased risk of workplace violence. Others at risk are those who work in areas with high crime rates, in community settings and in health care and social services. Psychiatric evaluators, nurses, water utility employees, TV cable installers, letter carriers, taxi drivers, retail workers and probation officers are also at risk for violence (OSHA, 2002). 1. Type 1: Violence by criminals who are not associated with the workplace, but enter the workplace with intentions of robbery or any other such crime. This type of violence accounts for about 80% of workplace homicides. Taxi drivers and late-night retailers are at increased risk of this type of violence. The motive in this type of incidents is usually theft and in many cases the criminal will be carrying dangerous weapons like gun. 2. Type- 2: Violence by the receivers of service against the service providers. Examples of this type of violence are violence against doctors or nurses by the patients, violence against teachers by the students and violence by the customers against the retailers. Even police officers, security guards, correctional officers and mental health workers are at risk of this type of assault. The largest number of victims facing this type of violent behavior are those in healthcare services. 4. Type- 4: Violence stemming from a personal relationship: The violence is committed by an individual who has no direct association with the workplace but is personally related to one of the workers either through marriage or

What will happen to Iraq if the US leaves Essay

What will happen to Iraq if the US leaves - Essay Example One of the most important events in the current world affairs is the invasion of Iraq by the US and there have been several essential voices arguing that it is high time for the US to leave the region to set the Iraqis free to pursue their political and economic destiny. Critics who regard the invasion of Iraq by the US as a serious offence against the freedom of that nation argue that America needs to establish normalcy in the region before they leave the land. "No one can say with confidence what will happen in Iraq if the United States leaves precipitously and without making a continuing effort to compensate for its mistakes and failures. It is easy to talk about intensive civil war, 'blood baths', and an international resurgence of al-Qaida. Such worst cases are possible, but the most likely result is less violent sectarian and ethnic cleansing, and the de facto division of much of the country." (Cordesman and Davies, 2008, p 737). Therefore, the most essential question in the pr esent context is not whether the US invasion of Iraq is justifiable or not, but what happens if the US leaves Iraq all on a sudden. In this paper a careful and reflective analysis of this essential question concerning Iraq's future if the US leaves the region is conducted and the discussion in this regard not only is vital to an understanding of the political system in the US but also to an understanding of some of the most important world affairs as well as affairs in the Iraqi region. In a careful analysis of the current situation in Iraq, it is essential to comprehend that there are several benefits if the US army stay longer in the region. People, who consider that going into Iraq was a big mistake committed by the US, are greatly concerned about what will happen when USA leaves Iraq. To most of them, it will be foolish to consider that the Iraqis are able to defend themselves against all the issues in the country and the region. First of all, there will be great chaos in the nation and the region if the US leaves immediately. Although there are people who argue for the rapid withdrawal of the US troops from the region, on the basis of the unfortunate developments precipitated by the US invasion of Iraq, it is not logical for the army to leave the region before the Iraqi security forces are self-sufficient. Such a rapid withdrawal of the US troops will inflict long term damage on US credibility and ability to deter enemies and would facilitate the objectives of the al-Qaeda. "In Iraq, the United States has demonstrated that it will stand and fight in the face of adversity when it believes that its core interests are at stake. US determination in Iraq has done much to counter previous jihadists' perceptions of the United States as a 'paper tiger' If the United States leaves prematurely, these gains will be lost and Iraq will join Vietnam, Beirut, Aden, and Somalia in the jihadi mantra regarding US weakness." (Forest, 2007, p 47). Apart from these, it is also argued that some of the powerful leaders from within Iraq can emerge in the nation, take over the government and eventually result in another dictatorship. Also there is a possibility that Iran will invade Iraq and take over it if the US leaves the region all on a sudden. There is a serious argument that "Iraq will become a terrorist haven if the United States leaves." (Preble and Logan, 2005). Reports from the Baghdad confirms that the US withdrawal from the region can affect the norma lization process of the country and "Iraq's foreign minister warned that a quick American military withdrawal from the country could lead to a full-scale civil war, the collapse of the government and

Why is education important to enlisted service members Essay

Why is education important to enlisted service members - Essay Example A service member’s removal from society during their term of service can be an incredible challenge to them, and free education can help diminish this problem. Like prison inmates, enlisted service people spend a great deal of their time sequestered from â€Å"normal† society – while on deployment they live by different rules and codes than they would back home. This can make re-transitioning into society extremely difficult, but education, which provides both paths to suitable employment on return and can provide perspective for a life in the military can help smooth these transitions between â€Å"normal† and â€Å"military† society. Another important reason to provide a free education to service members is the different skill qualities and career length they get from working in the armed services. The average military career is not a life-long one – most people choose to retire from this grueling career path relatively early in life (compared to other professions) some get out as soon as their first term of service is done, while some make it into their thirties and forties. When they retire, they often have a long and productive life ahead of them – but not necessarily that many skills that can translate directly to a new job placement. Yes, some gain technical skills in communications or maintenance, and of course they learn things like trust, team work and so on from working in the military but this may be of only limited utility. Education, either in the form of courses, certificates or anything else, can help enlisted people get a happy and productive second career in civilian life. Education may not be the silver bullet to all of humanities woes, but it can help smooth transitions between military and civilian life, leading to important long term benefits for the people who serve our country. Providing one hundred percent tuition assistance can help armed services members with their return to civilian and post

Wireless Networks Security Privacy And Ethical Issues Computer Science Essay

Wireless Networks Security Privacy And Ethical Issues Computer Science Essay Wireless area networks (WLANS) have been increased drastically increased in every area such as educational institutions, homes public areas and businesses wireless based on the standard 802.11 are mostly used in the corporate and environment such as 802.11b operates at 2.4GHZ and gives up to 11mbps and 802.11a provides up to 54MBPS. In this paper I am going to discus about the wireless network security and privacy issues and the solutions The 802.11 standard includes some mechanisms to give the security of the transmitted data. So many papers have already written about that the mechanisms available are insufficient to provide the security The main problem always with wireless security is the no control on the communication medium. Radio waves do not care where the property lines are drawn. When comes to wired network it uses the physical medium like copper and fiber optic cables these can be much more easier to stop the attacks on the cables. Wireless networks are become more popular in the last decade. Big companys and general end users also using every day because of the local wireless networks: user mobility, simple and fast installation, scalability and low price. Wireless local area network enable the users to access the network with in the range of the network coverage without any wired network. Data transferred using the radio waves through the space any user can access these using a radio receiver. Since there is a problem of the protection of the data. So the mechanisms which can be applied for security for a wired network cannot be applied to wireless networks. It is compulsory there should be a mechanism wh ich can be able to protect and give some privacy Day by day the numbers of applications that can be supported by the wireless technology are increasing. People can access the internet from any public area such as cafes, airports, hotels etc. There are some privacy issues are concern when comes to the public hotpots that are ex: if suppose a customer want to create an account on a website he has to give the name and some other personal details as any of the above mentioned attacks may give a chance to get these details to attackers . networks and information about the protocols which are used in the network because different protocols provides the different security services so leaking the protocol information may cause big problem to the network Eavesdropping is technique which is used to tack the UN-encrypted wireless sessions from which the data can be extracted and that is used for the dangerous kinds and another kind of the eavesdropping is known that the attacker injects the packets in the network packets in the network this kind of attacks happens in the encrypted networks. An attacker injects the packets and receives the packet in the reverse to understand the encryption techniques and breach the network The above mentioned attacks are mainly affected the networks but not the specific users. Once an attacker get access the network then attacker starts another type of threats starts to accessing the network devices but sometimes the privileges given to the resources in the network prevents the attackers to access the resources Another type of attack is that the interference the sessions and after that it does not allow the station to reestablish connection with access point. Than the attacker establishes connection with access point. Now there are two connections between the AP and the two workstations now the attacker workstation can access the communication between the end user and the access point Confidentiality is the property of the data in general security is necessary for the most of the organizations. wireless is the broadcast network to maintain Confidentiality it is not an easy thing today so many packet analyzers available in the internet which are commonly used to braking the network for example a access point transmitting the 3000 bytes at 11mbps will take 24 bit space after approximately 10hours 5 Ethical issues with WIFI Networks: When comes to the open network which offers free network connections to browse or download etc and using the GPS devices there is no any legal rules are defined to protect the privacy however node scanning is not illegal according to the US rules but when comes to the robbing the service or attacking the services and robbing the information. When comes to the node scanning is the issue of the location of the person or Access point. it may also gives the issues of the location privacy of the user or the location of an access point In general breaching the accespoints are used to do the following things: To access the Adult websites or to inject virus in the network To grab the bank accounts and the money theft To get the experience of the hacking Recently many studies as shown by setting up duplicate access points to learn about the scanning on an average 3 to 4 attempts per day tried to access the duplicate access points and recently a experiment in London shown that two friends are trying to rob the credit card details of the customers of the store those were caught after stealing many card numbers Unauthorized access is causes the ethical problems ex there is no regulations to act on a person who log onto anothers computer an open network this case has occurred in 2004 in US . accessing the other network or resources without the permission is comes under robbing if suppose using the someone else network bandwidth means the owner of the network no longer can use the full bandwidth which is allocated to him its also comes under the stealing. Gamming thefts like that it uses the more bandwidth than any other applications people pay money for their network connections. Some people can do anything to access the network. Day by day people are getting aware of the problems with the open networks. Now a days owners of the network setting passwords and applying the security. Hackers still access the internet so there are number of tools to crack the passwords some websites has been developed to support hacker to provide the general or default passwords. There are some responsibilities on manufacturers a recent study shows that more than 75 % people dont configure the WPA security if providers are not warnings. Where this provides the high level security and the dynamic encryption provides the different encryption keys In this paper I have taken the qualitative approach to write this paper. In 802.11 some authentication mechanisms available : Shared key Authentication: In this approach authentication process is completed by the response to a challenge by the access point which is known as challenge and response Open system Authentication: In this approach SSID is used for the Authentication if the SSID is known access can be granted Centralized authentication: In this method a server is used for the authentication if the node is authenticated then only it can access the network Conclusion: providing the security to wireless networks and giving the privacy to the user is an big task because proving the security in the wireless means threats in WIFI and wired together and the threats provided by the newly emerging technologies so with the proper risk assessment and the planning the network security is the good way to provide the security to the because when comes to the university the level of security is different and the offices and bank security needs are different so what come to say that the protocols which are developed by the organizations such as 802.11 will cover the every end user requirements so according to the requirement of the organization need to change the security policies an the open networks are always threat to end users because it is not possible to provide the security to the every end user only way to create the security is giving the unique encryption methods to every user which is a difficult task . but open networks provides the grater opportun ities to the user to connect all time

Comparing the Trial in The Plague and Hamlet :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Archetype of the Trial in The Plague and Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   Rare is the tale without a conflict, without a challenge to overcome. However, to even reach the challenge the hero must first pass through the Trial. The archetype of the Trial can be found in almost any folktale. King Arthur must draw the sword from the stone to prove himself fit to be king. Hercules must face labors to atone for the murders committed in his madness. It is prominent in other areas of literature as well; it is especially well represented in The Plague by Albert Camus and Hamlet by William Shakespeare.    The Trial serves two purposes: to prove worth and to atone for wrongs and purify. When the Trial is used to prove the worth of the hero, the hero must prove that he is capable and worthy enough to be the hero and that he will be able to face the ultimate conflict. This aspect of the Trial is what is also known as the Initiation (Campbell 97). In Arthurian mythology Arthur must pull the Excalibur from the stone. This trial proves him worthy to be king because only the true heir to the crown is able to draw the sword. The basis of authority for his rule is thus established. In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet must endure heart wrenching grief, betrayal by those closest to him, and murder in order to prove that he is fit to take action. However, while Arthur had to prove to the nobles of the land that he was fit to be king, Hamlet's trial is an inward proof to himself that he is in the right and his father's death must be avenged.    The Trial is also used to purify the hero and help him atone for evils. This is seen clearly in the Hercules legend of Greek mythology. The jealous goddess Hera uses her power to make Hercules insane and in his madness he slaughters his own children. He then journeys to Delphi and consults the oracle which tells him that he must serve for ten years as his cousin Eurytheus' servant and must perform ten labors. Through his labors he is able to atone for his past evil deeds and regain the favor of the gods (D'Aulaire 132-146).    Hamlet is a tale which puts many of its characters through trials but none suffer as much as Prince Hamlet himself.

Long Term Conditions

The aim of this essay is to consider approaches to promoting the self-management of a long-term condition. The focus will be linked to module content and based on a patient that I have provided nursing care for during my clinical practice. There will be a brief introduction of the patient and the context in which I was involved in their nursing care. The pathophysiology of the chosen LTC along with the related physical, psychological and social needs of the patient will be considered. There will be a discussion of principles of self-management that will link to national LTC policies.This will also include initiatives and analysis of the evidence of the underlying principles for an approach to providing self-management support, for the chosen LTC, including benefits and challenges. To conclude I will use evidence-based recommendations of how the patient could be supported to self-manage their condition. A wide range of evidence will be used to support my discussion. The patient chosen to explore, is one who lives with the LTC of Parkinson’s. The patient had started to experience Motor Fluctuations, also referred to as â€Å"off â€Å" periods.Motor Fluctuations are associated with long-term use of levodopa and usually appear in people who have had Parkinson’s for some time, patients experience â€Å"end-of-dose deterioration† meaning that the dose does not last until the next dose is due (Parkinson’s. org 2008). This patient spent one week on a neurology rehabilitation unit. The context in which I worked with this patient was to assist with the teaching of an apomorphine syringe driver and to assess â€Å"on and off† periods before the use of the pump and then when the pump was in use and also to ensure that there were no side effects to its use.During this week I worked alongside a team of occupational therapists and physiotherapists, as it was essential that the patient regained confidence with daily activities, personal ca res, dressing and food preparation. The aim of the teaching was to enable the patient to become independent with the apomorphine pump from being able to perform a subcutaneous injection to its removal when medication had finished.It was vital that the patient became competent and confident in the process as they had been very active throughout their life and wanted to remain so for as long as possible. Parkinsons. org (2010) describe Parkinson’s as the disease with no obvious cause and is the most common form of Parkinsonism; the other forms of Parkinsonism are vascular, Drug-induced Parkinsonism, dementia with Lewy bodies, inherited and Juvenile. Vascular is an uncharacteristic form of Parkinsonism and usually presents with difficulties in speaking, swallowing and the ability in making facial expressions.Drug-induced Parkinsonism occurs in 7% of people and is attributed to neuroleptic medication which block dopamine these drugs normally treat schizophrenia and other psychoti c conditions and once the problem has been diagnosed then the person will recover in hours, days or months after ceasing taking the medication. Dementia with Lewy bodies has no cure and symptoms include difficulties with concentration, memory, language and the ability to carry out straightforward actions. Many people suffer from hallucinations, sluggishness of movement, rigidity and tremors.Dementia with Lewy bodies is similar to Alzheimer’s. Inherited Parkinson’s is rare and there is no evidence that is can be passed on in families, however it is estimated that 5% of people with Parkinson’s may have a genetic cause. Juvenile is a term used for persons diagnosed under the age of twenty years. As NICE clinical guidelines 35 (2006) states, Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative long-term condition and mainly affects those of middle to old age. Parkinson’s occurs when the cells containing dopamine die off.At present there is no consist ent test that can define if a patient has Parkinson’s due to the close clinical resemblances of other conditions. Parkinson’s is diagnosed mainly through history based information and examination. The main symptoms and signs of Parkinson’s are bradykinesia, rigidity and rest tremor. Parkinson’s is mainly seen as a movement disorder, but other areas of health problems are associated with it. These include depression and dementia along with autonomic disturbances and pain, although considered to be rare they can present at a later stage of the condition.These rarer symptoms, as they progress, can lead to substantial disability and handicap which harms quality of life for the person living with Parkinson’s, this also has an impact on families and carer’s. The physical symptoms of Parkinson’s can be debilitating for the patient and may include pain, falls/dizziness, dietary problems, bladder and bowels problems, swallowing and saliva cont rol, speech/ communication problems, eye problems, freezing, skin, scalp and sweating problems. It is not possible to discuss all of these physical elements in detail within this essay.I therefore intend to focus on one specific physical aspect of the disease and discuss how this affects the client’s needs, along with the psychological and social aspects. The area I will discuss is freezing. As identified by Parkinson’s. org (2010), freezing will be experienced by every Parkinson’s patient at some point, but becomes more apparent in patients who have had Parkinson’s for numerous years and also if levodopa has been used for long periods of time within their treatment, however it must be noted that freezing can occur in Parkinson patients whom do not take levodopa and should not be seen as a side effect of taking levodopa.When freezing occurs it is a frightening experience and also a cause of embarrassment for the individual. Freezing is not just linked wit h gait movement it also includes speech freezing or repetitive activities such as combing hair or the thought process for example when a patient is trying to remember something i. e. the name of a place. Along side this is also ‘start hesitation’ this is associated with drinking from a cup, getting out of bed or when a patient wants to step forward.Freezing is still not fully understood and may be attributed to interruptions to the sequence of movement, group situations or ineffective medication. Parkinson’s brings many social problems, becoming less confident can bring low self-esteem that can lead to withdrawal from social activities. The individual may worry about how they look, talk or even the way they move, this can inhibit the person from entering into normal activities and they may decide to stay at home to avoid potential awkwardness.Reduced socialisation may increase the likelihood of the individual suffering from depression; fatigue and mood swings can be potentially be harmful to personal or close relationships. The individual may become unsure of their social position within the family, workplace or any groups, as they feel lost or less important. Self-management of a LTC is strategically important to the long-term sustainability of the NHS, and it is therefore essential to be clear on the principles of self-management and to have a clear approach to achieving a successful outcome.In response to the increasing levels of LTC’s across England the Department of Health (2012) have established a dedicated LTC team who has built a compendium to explain why pro-active management of LTC’s is so important to the future of the NHS. This compendium provides compelling evidence and information to help support and drive a transformational change to the way in which LTC’s are managed, and the document states clearly that self-management is central to this transformation, the principles of self-management have been outlin ed by the Health Foundation (2011) and these will now be discussed.Self-management can have very positive effects on people who live with a long-term condition that affects their normal function of daily activities, as The Health Foundation (2011) suggests the use of self-management can have positive effects on behaviours and outlooks that an individual faces and how their quality of life can either be enhanced or depleted. In order to achieve a successful self-management outcome it is essential that time is invested early in the programme to explain to the individual involved the many benefits that self-management can bring.Ensuring that they fully understand these benefits will greatly increase the likelihood that they fully engage into the programme and truly take an increased responsibility for managing their LTC. Evidence suggests that self-management leads to a more positive health outcome and championing people to look after themselves can improve motivation, engagement and h ow they use and access the health service. It also describes to how habits change towards healthy eating and exercise, which results in better clinical outcomes.Failure to establish genuine engagement at an early stage will most likely result in limited transfer of responsibility and may lead to the patient failing to realise the benefits to themselves and also benefits to the NHS. They also stated that there is an extensive range of initiatives and one size does not fit all. As Brighton and Hove City PCT (2006) state, planning and having a certain level of power is crucial to making lifestyle changes when living with a LTC.It is also necessary to understand the connection of why changes to lifestyles need to be made, and why planning carefully for change is fundamental to change actually being accomplished. It is important to support the individual through the change process as this can often create a degree of anxiety for them. Promoting the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and edu cating individuals on their condition, will boost confidence and help the patient understand the benefits of self-management in the context of potentially slowing down the progression of their condition, improved quality of life and remaining independent for as long as possible.Education is another key principle of self-management. An individual needs help and support to understand their condition, how it affects them and what they can do to help to pro-actively manage it. There are a number of options available here to help educate an individual on their LTC such as reputable websites specifically set up for their condition. They are an excellent source of information, which is continuously updated, and enable the person to access easy to understand information in the privacy of their own home.Additionally, advice helplines add greater support for individual needs, without being confrontational. Support is also available for carer’s through courses run by the Expert Patients Programme Community Interest Company (EPP CIC). Leaflets are available to answer basic questions and give further information on where to find more support and advice that is available in their area. The Parkinson’s Specialist Nurse is also a good resource as the nurse can provide their expertise along with the expertise of multi-disciplinary teams (www. parkinson’s. rg 2012) It is important to ensure that the level of education and training provided is appropriate to the capability of the individual and also the state of their condition. Insufficient information could lead to poor decision making by the individual or a lack of confidence if they are uncertain about certain aspects of their condition. Similarly, providing training and education beyond the means of the individual may result in confusion or unrealistic expectations being established – this would not be beneficial for either the individual or the NHS.Good training and education should be targeted at increasing the individuals understanding of their condition such that they are able to successfully monitor their symptoms and take appropriate, pro-active action to ensure treatment is sought quickly and to avoid potentially unnecessary admissions to hospital. One of the principles of self-management is to ensure sufficient emphasis is placed on problem solving. If an individual is to become increasingly capable of self-managing their LTC then an ability to solve problems is fundamental to achieving this.Without this it will prove difficult to change the behaviours necessary to allow a health care professional to move into a more supportive and assisting role, as oppose to the current situation where they are managing the care of the individual (Health Foundation 2011). Another area for consideration is that a patient must know when to seek medical advice and intervention and feel comfortable with their decision-making techniques. It is also vital that the individual does not al low a situation becomes acute.The Health Foundation (2011) also states that, engagement and education are important to ensuring that the individual is ready and in a position to be empowered with the responsibility for the self-management of their LTC. The principles of self-management support the involvement of the individual in decision making related to their care and also working collaboratively with their health care professionals to build their care plans.This continuous high level of involvement is essential to making sure that there is a real transfer of responsibility from the health care professional to the individual – if there is, then there is a much greater chance that they will take ownership for the long-term self-management of their condition. Failure to truly involve the individual when making decisions about their care could result in a lack of commitment to a care plan and/or false commitment to behavioral changes, ultimately resulting in the continued hea vy reliance on their GP, A&E and other health services to manage their LTC in a reactive and cost inefficient manner.As Randall and Ford (2011) discuss, it is apparent that within the United Kingdom there is an increased transfer of power and choice for users of the health and social care system and policy drivers such as ‘Independence, choice and Risk’ (DH2007) recognise the importance of empowering service users i. e. persons with LTC’s, to ensure they have greater choice and control. When empowering someone, firstly there needs to an acknowledgment that the person has control over an aspect of their care and can make decisions that relate to it.Power can be seen in a variety of forms but is normally defined as having knowledge and being able to make informed decisions and choices. When considering the decision process it is evident that some decisions are taken alone, for example what clothes to wear, or with permission of others for instance using monies from a joint account to buy a new kitchen and there are also decisions that are made which require formal consultation, e. g. implementing a new law. For any individual who is involved in the self-management process it is important to ensure that the degree of decision-making is appropriate to their personal set of circumstances.When empowering a person there are fundamental considerations to be identified. For example, the mental state of the individual, the extent to which their condition has progressed, their physical ability, their socio-economic situation, the extent of their support network (friends and family), their willingness to pro-actively engage in the self-management of their condition – all of these factors may influence the rate and extent to which empowerment may be achieved.Furthermore, empowering an individual with a long-term condition needs to be managed carefully. They will typically be interfacing with many different healthcare professionals and other parts of the NHS and other organisations, and if the views, opinions and approaches of those multiple contacts are not aligned or consistent it is possible this could have a negative impact on the empowerment process for the individual. It is therefore essential that there is one aligned approach and cohesive message.There is strong evidence contained within the study by Luca Camerini et al (2012) that empowerment, combined with health knowledge have been shown to have a great impact on the self-management of chronic conditions, and that if managed well they can have a positive effect on health outcomes. For my chosen patient suffering with Parkinson’s disease, I would recommend supporting them to self-manage through an approach of empowerment, ensuring that this was strongly underpinned by strong support in the provision of health knowledge.As discussed earlier, some of the key needs of an individual suffering with Parkinson’s disease are related to their mobility, dietary requirements and pain relief and I want to explain how this recommended approach could help support the individual to more successfully self-manage these particular aspects of their condition. Firstly, in respect of mobility, freezing is often a situation, which affects PD’s sufferers. In the first instance it is important to help educate the individual on why freezing happens.Ensuring that the individual has a clear understanding of their condition will help them to be more accepting of the effects, less afraid when they experience motor fluctuations or â€Å"off† episodes and crucially help them to make more informed decisions about potential ways of helping them to self-manage this aspect of their condition. As mentioned previously, the extent of knowledge and education needs to be appropriate to the individual’s level of health literacy – this aspect should not be underestimated, as there is a strong link between an individual’s level of healt h literacy and their ability to successfully self-manage.As stated by the World Health Organisation (2009) health literacy is critical to empowerment, therefore this can present a barrier to achieving self-management through an empowerment based approach. An individual’s capacity to access and effectively use information is an area that may need to be considered initially to decide if empowerment is the most suitable approach to adopt. There are a number of options available to help an individual manage motor fluctuation episodes such as medication, mental techniques and physical techniques.Again, the individual will need to be educated on these such that they are able to be involved, or even lead, the decision making process on selecting the most appropriate treatments and solutions for them. Each root may have both advantages and disadvantages for the individual and these need to be made clear, if a patient is aware of the limitations and potential drawbacks of a specific t reatment from the beginning, then they are more mentally prepared to deal with the challenges as they arise, educing the likelihood of failure. There are several approaches to providing education and support to Parkinson patients; the LTC compendium recommends the Expert Education Programme, although not specifically for Parkinson’s it provides courses to help with managing LTC conditions, online courses are available also, it is also possible to add your area to the list, they are free. The Parkinson’s website has vast information both practical and informative and free help lines.In some areas there are Neuro-rehabilitation Units, available through referrals made by the Parkinson’s specialist nurse or consultant, which gives access to multi-disciplinary teams all located within one centre. The Parkinson’s Specialist Nurse holds clinics where discussions can take place for planning the future, medication changes and a point of contact if you need additio nal support before the next scheduled appointment.As part of the Health Foundation Co Creating Health programme (2012), a ‘Buddies to Support Self Management’ scheme has been developed for cancer patients in the Arran and Ayrshire region. The programme has been developed to enable patients who have completed self-management programmes to share their knowledge and skills with others in similar situations, along with helping patients who prefer not to be in a group situation. This could be a possible area to develop for Parkinson’s or all LTC patients.

buy custom Qassim Cement Factory essay

buy custom Qassim Cement Factory essay This report has been compiled with the sole objective of showing stakeholders of the Qassim Cement Company the progress made by the company. This is a symbol of their commitment to the betterment of this organization. The company profile is discussed in the first part of this paper. This will help to give stakeholders a brief history of the company as well as the legacy of Qassim Cement. The next section to be analyzed is the vision and the mission of the company, which illustrate the path, which the company would like to take, and provide a revised version of both. Next, the internal and external audit of the company will be considered. In the analysis, the internal factors of the organization are discussed in detail. The reason for including this section is to identify the internal strengths and weaknesses of the company. Following the internal audit there will be the external audit. The external audit is intended to demonstrate the cement industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all factors that influence it. In the report, we will also provide a detailed benchmarking for the company to show ways through which the company can get a competitive advantage over its rivals. We will, in addition, establish annual objectives, which will mirror their long-term objectives and help to achieve them, and create a new organizational structure. This will help in fulfilling the objective of this report, which is to create a new strategy. That will be achieved by using various tools including the IFE matrix, the BCG matrix, and the QPSM matrix among others. Through these tools, we will provide professional opinions based on the information available as well as offer recommendations on how to proceed regarding our strategies and the future of the Qassim. 2.Company profile Establishment: The Qassim Cement Company is a cement company with its headquarters in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi company was established in August 1976, in accordance with the Royal Decree No. M/62 on 15 Shaban, 1396H. Two years later, on August 2, 1978, it became registered under commercial registration number 1131001224 on 28 Shaban, 1398, in Buraydah City. The companys principal activity is the production of cement and its derivatives. Location: The company is located at the heart of Saudi Arabia, in the region of Qassim specifically at Buraydah, 330km northwest of Riyadh. Policy: QCC operates on a policy to continuously review the progress of the company through regular audits and other techniques. Purpose: The companys primary purpose is to manufacture and sell cement and related commodities in Saudi Arabia. Italso performs all activities related to the cement manufacturing industry. Shareholders: The companys major shareholders are listed inthe Saudi Stock Exchange Market. This is under the Reuters code3040. Employees: According to a recent survey conducted on the company, it has approximately six hundred and fifty employees representing all departments. Capital structure: The authorized capital ofthe company is SAR 900 million fully paid. This total is divided into 90 million shares. On the other hand, these shares have a par value of SAR 10 per share. Assets: According to the survey conducted in 2010 by the Consolidated Audited Financial Report,Qassims total net operating revenues have declined byapproximately 1.84%.Values were estimated to range from SAR 986,557 to SAR 968,426. On the other hand, the return on equity has decreased from 32.93% to 26.99%. This is the total equity or net income of the company. The total assetturnover in return went from 26.82% to 24. 74%. Thus, the Net Profit Margin (Net Income/Net Sales) decreased from 61.02% to 51.69%. The Debt to Equity Ratio (Total Liabilities/Equity) dropped to critical 9.08% as compared to 22.77% in thelast year. On the other hand, the Current Ratio (Current Assets/Current Liabilities) went from 3.49% to 4.96%. These figures are taken and compared withthe same period inthe previous year. The latest statistics of April 2012 revealed that the last trade was at 83.75 SAR. Products and services: The company manufactures three main types of cement namely: Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC/Type I), which has been produced from the onset of the company. This type was the first to be manufactured by the company in 1976. The other two types are Sulphate Resistant Cement (SRC/Type V) and Limestone Cement - Finishing Cement. The company is a consumer-oriented firm. This means that it controls mining from the quarries to manufacture finished cement. Since then, the Qassim Cement Company (QCC) has held the status of being one of the best cement manufacturers in the continent. Market Targets: The company targets consumers in the Northwest and Central Saudi region. The greatest competitor facing by the company in this region is Yamama Cement. Production: Over the years since its inception, the company has been consistently increasing its productivity. For example, in 1986, the company increased its production capacity from 2,000 tpd to 4200 tpd. In 1996, production capacity was increased to 4,700 tpd, and seven years later the capacity was 5000 tpd. To aid in this development, the company underwent several technological changes. For instance, improvements were made by the France FDB with the objective of reducing dust emissions from plants. Other issues that had been addressed together with technological innovations included the improvement of the energy efficiency of a plant. In 2007, the company made some improvements with the help of the Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company Limited (IHI) of Japan to increase the production capacity of the plant. These improvements doubled the companys capacity. Because of the increasing demand for cement, the company plans to embark on an expansion project that will lead to the construction of four additional plants. The projected outcome of this is that it will boost production by at least 6million tons. 2.1 Qassim and corporate social responsibility Corporate social responsibility is a very important aspect for any organization. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a way for organizations to give something back to the society for their labor, resources and support. This gives the company a good public image, resulting in a competitive advantage over its competitors. CSR policy acts as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism for QCC, whereby the business is monitored. This ensures that the organization adheres to the law, ethical standards and international norms. Although corporate social responsibility sometimes may appear as if the company adds to its expenses, it pays off in the long-run, since more people in the community will desire to work in the company. In addition, more investors will want to be affiliated with it. The Qassim Cement Company has played a key role in promoting the community. Some of the key areas that have been affected arethe health sector, the education sector and the environment. 2.1.1 Health Health is a key area in the society. A healthy workforce ensures that employees maximize on productivity. One of the most notable contributions initiated by Qassim is a project that is aimed at analyzing the validity, safety and fitness of all types of human food. The project is supposed to be launched in the Burayda city, and it consists of very sophisticated lab work to ensure good quality food for human consumption. Another notable contribution is the establishment of an underage handicapped center. This center is aimed at hosting children with various disabilities. By showing the community that they support them, they win more customers. This acts as a competitive advantage for the firm. 2.1.2 Finance The company is also responsible for the King Aziz women charity foundation, which is a microfinance institution meant to provide microloans for small micro enterprises (SMEs). 2.1.3 Education Qassim has been financing the education sector for years. This money has helped educational facilities accommodate more people as well as afford equipment and books needed for quality education. 2.1.4 Environment The environment is a key component of the community. Thus, QCC has established programs that measure, monitor and improve the environment. The companys environmental policy helps them monitor the progress made in the environment. The company has also gone an extra mile at ensuring that the rate of air pollution from dust has been reduced to less than 30mg/m3. QCC has invested significantly in controlling all pollution sources throughout the years. Furthermore, the company has taken up capital investment projects to help in the reduction of fugitive dust. The company has further built a water treatment plant to treat wastewater. The company also has over 48,000 plants and a vast landscape of approximately 21,000 sq.m. The level of CO2 emissions has also been significantly reduced. Currently, Qassim has been applying a mining system, where advanced management systems are used in quarries to preserve natural resources. 2.2 Company vision The vision of the company is to become a leading regional cement and building materials company that is globally recognized for its customer focus, operational excellence and high quality products. 2.2.1 Revised vision Today, the company worksonattaining a prosperous future in the industry. This is possible by ensuring superior customer satisfaction. Another way of attaining this objective is by consistently providing high quality products that conform to the set standards. 2.3 Company mission The mission of Qassim Cement is to become cement and building materials company that will persist in providing quality commodities in an environmental friendly and efficient way. Another mission is to maximize stakeholders wealth. 2.3.1 Revised mission Today, the company aims to provide quality management systems. This is in order to promote skills, training and knowledge. The company also aims to incorporate the virtue of teamwork in its employees in order to maximize production. 3. Internal factors analysis Internal Audit (INA) of any organization helps the management to understand the various factors within the company that are likely to affect the company. It is important for managers to analyze the internal environment of the business so that to they can be able to strengthen their strong points further as well as eliminate their weak points. In the case of Qassim industry, the company has a very strong labor force, which is a major strength for the company. Below, other internal factors that is likely to influence the company: 3.1Management Qassim Cement is managed by a board of various members. This board is led by a chairman, a vice chairman and a general manager, who is also a board member. This board is accountable for executing and revising the effectiveness of the companys internal control framework as approved by the Board of Directors. In addition, the manager with the backing of the board sets companys ideals and ethical code of conduct that all employees must abide by in order to retain their jobs. Other roles of management in the company include: 1. To implement systems and measures within the company to identify any unconventionality, control and report on major risks facing the company. These risks could be in the form of changes in market prices of raw materials, breaches of the law or regulations, unauthorized activities and fraud. 2. To conduct constant annual reviews aimed at identifying enormous risks facing the economy. This role is accomplished through monitoring through various management committees that have been established to ensure the effectiveness of the companys control framework. This committee also maintains specific oversight of key risks 3. To centralize functional control over all computer system developments and operations in the company. 4. To consult with stakeholders and stockholders on the best market opportunities to exploit. 5. To maintain the oversight of business operations and manage actions to ensure consistency with regulatory requirements. 6. To put systems and procedures for the constant identification, evaluation and management of substantial risks faced by Qassim in place throughout the year. These procedures enabled Qassim to discharge its obligations with the code of conduct dictated by the industry. 3.2 Human resources Qassim operates based on the belief that human resources are the most valuable asset they possess. The company has been continuously developing its value proposition by ensuring that its employees get continuous personal and professional growth. The company operates on a culture, whereby employees are highly skilled with great backgrounds and experience. The company ensures that the working environment is safe and ideal for their workers. To enforce this, they offer their workers health insurance covers with one of the best policies in Saudi Arabia. QCC has swimming pools, recreation centers and playgrounds for employees. The company strives to maintain its employees, since the workforce is the most valuable asset of the organization. To ensure quality, excellence and increased performance, the company urges its employees to get educated. The company has programs that train new employees and the existing ones incase they need to acquire skills that are more advanced. Since the establ ishment of the Qassim Cement Company, the development of a reliable workforce has been a strategy behind the success of QCC. The company has initiated several development programs, which are aimed at developing its employees with special focus on the local workforce. An example of such a program is a professional development program, the target of which is newly graduated engineers. The company attracts them to join this program in order for them to develop and specialize their skills. This ensures that the company has a well-trained workforce that is competent and accountable, hence guaranteeing excellence in the running of the company. Another program that is geared towards developing a reliable workforce is the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF). This program ensures that QCC recruits more than 140 employees from Saudi Arabia. 3.3 Property The company plans to embark on an expansion project that will result in the construction of four additional plants. The projected outcome of this is that it will boost production by at least 6million tons. 3.4 Environmental perspective Qassim aspires to be recognized as a company that promotes sustainability in the environment. Over the years, the company has established several programs that are aimed at protecting the environment by reducing the level of pollution. This can be achieved through reducing carbon dioxide levels released as well as dust waste. Furthermore, the company has programs that are aimed at recycling waste, and conserving water and electricity. The company has tried to create an awareness culture in their staff as well as the rest of the society so that everyone can learn to appreciate and treat the environment with respect. 3.5 Security and safety The Qassim Cement Company management is focused on ensuring the culture of health and safety. The company continuously evaluates and analyzes safety gaps existing to determine means of improving safety measures companywide. The objective of this is to raise employees, contractors, customers and visitors safety perception. To achieve this, the company will have to conduct numerous surveys, risk assessments and benchmarking. To enforce this, QCC management is committed to: 1. Implementing the latest international safety standards within an integrated safety management system. 2. Provide training and creating safety awareness, as well as providing safety tools and equipment. 3. Develop and implementing evacuation and emergency plans. 3.6 Information Technology The company has been utilizing modern technology to improve productivity, as well as smooth out the production process. For instance, because of modern technology, the company can communicate effectively as well as run internal systems properly. The company broadly applies Information Technology to ensure consistency in the quality of products. Another use of Information Technology is to automate the business process as well as to reduce the lead-time. 3.7 Community service and sustainability Qassim, as a company, has over the years become a dynamic and legally responsible company that has over the years incorporated the community into its operations. The company has undertaken several projects focused on promoting the living standards of the people in the community around. 4.Industry structural analysis Industry Qassim Cement functions in the cement and building industry of Saudi Arabia. Since the country became a member of the World Trade Organization, there has been emerging projects of economic cities being built every day. In Saudi Arabia, the cement and building industry is characterized by strength, stability and resilience. The cement industry consists of eight listed companies. Each one of these companies has integrated plants. In total, these companies produce approximately 28.5 million tonnes (mt) and 33.1mt respectively. Presently, Yamama Cement (YCC) is the largest cement company at the present moment. 5. External audit A companys external environment includes factors outside the company's boundaries that significantly influence decisions made in the company. These macro environment factors are in the outer ring and include: 5.1 Societal values and lifestyles The society keeps on changing with time. These changes can be caused by an increased income. This means that the average disposable income of Saudis has increased as a result of economic stability. Thus, they are in further need of better housing. The development of social facilities also leads to an increase in the demand for building facilities. 5.2 Population demographics and geography As the population increases, the demand for housing also increases leading to the expansion of the cement industry. In addition, with an increased choice and easier access and switching, consumers are more demanding than ever before? This has resulted in an increased demand for cement for infrastructure. In the case of Qassim, the company is located in a highly populated area that has been rapidly evolving. The Qassim Cement Company is strategically located giving it a strong geographical advantage. Another notable factor is that it is the company with the lowest cement production cost in Saudi Arabia. This enables it to remain profitable. This creates an ample market for the organization. 5.3 Legislation and regulations The government is responsible for setting up policies that are beneficial to both organizations and consumers interests. The implemented trade laws and other fiscal policies ensure that organizations operate within the set parameters. This protects consumers from exploitation by traders. It also ensures that businesses operate smoothly in a manner that positively impacts the government. 5.4 General economic conditions This issue refers to the state of the economy. For instance, during the period of recession, most organizations lower their production, and the opposite fact is experienced during a boom. When the economy is thriving, more development takes place. This is beneficial for organizations, in this case, Qassim. 5.5 Technology Rapid changes and advancements in ICT are one of the major factors affecting the cement industry. Mainly because it relies heavily on technology, for services it provides, and usually allocates large portions of its budget to obtain and develop reliable technology to smoothly run the company. For instance, today most activities in Qassim are automated. This enhanced consistency in the quality of goods produced. 5.6 Political changes Politics greatly affects the economy of any country. A politically stable country is more likely to attract investors and donors, and hence, it results in the economic growth. Saudi Arabia has experienced political stability that has influenced the development of the country. Furthermore, the country recently joined the World Trade Organization, which has been a major milestone to the cement industry. Qassim cement factory Consolidated balance sheet of December 2011 ASSETS 2011 2010 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents 244,725,482 19,717,605 Trading investments 412,693,329 468, 579,796 Accounts receivables, net 46,110,418 50,728,168 Prepayments and debit balances, net 7,910,647 9,578,960 Inventories, net 188,903,510 186,635,430 Assets available for sale - - - 6,350,000 Total current assets 900,343,386 741,589,959 Non-current assets: Property, plant and equipment 1,170,180,909 1,222,589,445 Capital work in progress 20,744,559 22,953,521 Deferred expenses, net 32,274.562 35,871,839 Total non-current assets 1,223,200,030 1,281,414,805 Total assets 2,123,543,416 2,023,004,764 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities: Trade payables 12,875,008 12,196,335 Accrued expenses 69,153,164 82483,781 Dividends 36,166,545 32,695,875 Zakat Provision 27,463,090 20,752,889 Total current liabilities 145,657,807 148,128,880 Non-current liabilities: Employees end of service benefits 22,215,149 20,269,662 Total non-current liabilities 22,215,149 20,269,662 Total liabilities 167,872,956 168,398,542 EQUITY Shareholders equity: Capital 900,000,000 900,000,000 Statutory reserve 190,546,424 135,256,410 General reserve 376,016,157 376,016,157 Retained earnings 490,394,133 444,584,010 Total shareholders equity 1,956,956,714 1,855,856,577 Minority interests (1,286,254) (1,250,355) Total equity 1,955,670,460 1,854,606,222 Total liabilities and equity 2,123,543,416 2,023,004,764 According to the balance sheet above the companys assets increased considerably from 2010 to 2011. Graphically, the balance sheet for 2011 can be represented by means of the following diagram: NB: The debt to assets percentage is 0.00% The Qassim Cement Company posted net profits of SR 158, 442,456 for the first quarter of 2012. This is an increase as compared to SR 147 176 466 gained in the first quarter of 2011. This shows a 7.65% increase in profits. Therefore, the consolidated gross profit increased by 4.87 %. The consolidated operating profit during the first quarter of this year (2012) is SR162, 195,404 as compared to SAR 151,687,337 for the corresponding quarter in 2011. This demonstrates an increase of 6.93 %. For three months, earnings per share (EPS) amounted to SR1.76 against SR1.64 for the same period in the previous year. This increase in net profit over the same period can be caused by the improvement in sales value. NB: Earnings per share (EPS) are determined for operating income, expenses, and net profit for the year in accordance with theweighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year. Comparative figures should amended by bonus shares. Income statement for 2011 Qassim has shown a sustained performance, outperforming the market in several areas, such as its net profit. The company also deals with the stock exchange market, where the public is the largest shareholder with 51%. The market is showing a positive attitude towards expansion and development. Its increased net profit and decreased operating costs indicate a positive outcome for the company. 7. Michael Porters five forces model The Porters model is used to evaluate the competitive position of a company or an organization. This model is used in strategic planning, since it helps managers and CEOs to understand their company as well as the industry better. The model represents complex concepts using easily accessible formats. The basic idea behind the Porters model is based on five fundamental competitive forces namely: Barriers to entry; Threat of substitutes; Bargaining power of buyers; Bargaining power of suppliers; Rivalry among the existing players. In my analysis, I used the Porters fiveforces model in regard withthe Qassim Cement Company to help me fully understand the competitive environment of the company. In addition, the model provides data that will help the management modify Qassims competitive forces. This will help to boost the position of the company. The information derived from this analysis of the Qassim Company can help the management of the company decide on how to influence or exploit certain aspects of their industry. Graphically these five concepts look as follows: Force 1: Rivalry among existing players: Qassim has been handling the competition rather well. It has been taking advantage of the possibility of growth in the industry among other things mentioned above. The Qassim Cement Company deals strictly with the production of cement. The company has eight key competitors in the country. Since the company commodities are homogenous, competitors are in a position to offer the same product at a cheaper price, and ccan market their products better than Qassim. Some factors that contribute to increasing rivalry in the Saudi cement industry include: The large number of cement companies: Saudi Arabia contains several cement companies, which are considered direct competitors to Qassim. Such companies include Yamana and Saudi Cement among others. These companies are all competing for the same consumers in the market. Thus, just like in any industry the greater the number of competitors, the greater the threats available. Such a factor strongly impacts the strategy chosen by each company. High market growth rate: the cement market in Saudi Arabia has been growing tremendously over the years and it still has massive potential to expand. Today, there are over 8great cement companies in Saudi Arabia, which have branches all over the country to cover the vast demand. Qassim is taking advantage of the market potential and has been setting up investments all over inorder to help it gain a greater market share. Similar commodities being offered: The cement industry is flooded with homogenous products, since cement cannot be extensively differentiated. Thus, the market is flooded with cement from different industries competing for the greatest market share. However, what varies is the companys commitment and ability to fulfill their customers needs. Low switching cost: Since there are many cement companies in the country, customers can easily switch brands and not suffer any losses. Therefore, companies strive to maintain loyal customers in order to increase their sales and remain in business. High exit barriers: The cost of exiting an industry is remarkably high, and most companies cannot leave their current industries because of the risk of losses. Thus, companies are left stuck in industries that do not benefit them. Force 2: Threat of substitutes: As a decision maker, it is crucial for any organization to analyze the likelihood of the commodity getting substituted. In Qassims case, consumers can only change the brand of cement, since cement has no substitute. Managers should determine the switching cost of consumers switching to another brand. The likelihood of consumers switching to another product should be analyzed. Consumers tastes and preferences are not permanent, and in order to address this issue, decision-makers have to be aware of what consumers need and constantly upgrade their commodities. Force 3: Bargaining power of buyers/consumers: In Saudi Arabia costumers have increasing bargaining power over commodities they get. One main reason that backs this move is the availability of options for customers, since there are other cement companies in the country. This means there are many cement companies, all offering similar services. Therefore, the only way, Qassim can maintain its clients, is by creating customer loyalty by providing customized commodities based on consumers needs. The company has to make products that are geared towards consumer satisfaction. This way, consumers will remain loyal to the brand that meets their needs in the best way. Price sensitivity also plays a great part in maintaining consumers. This is because consumers attach themselves to products that give value for their money. Thus, the company must ensure that it is sensitive to the financial status of consumers and arguesfor fair prices for their commodities. Finally, the company should ensure that customers get the right information about their product. This can be achieved through proper advertising and marketing to ensure customers are not misinformed regarding the commodity. Force 4: Bargaining power of suppliers: This force relates to such aspects in the industry that are determined by suppliers. Qassim should establish how strong they are as sellers. In addition, they should establish all available suppliers in the industry and weigh their options. The impact of switching suppliers should be determined. For instance, how switching suppliers will affect the quality of commodities. In addition, switching costs of taking up other suppliers are also important. If switching costs are too high, companies may opt to retain their current suppliers. Another major factor is the threat of forward integration. Force 5: Barriers of entry: New entrants in the cement industry face significant challenges in attracting customers and expanding their market shares. Although there are some concerns around the operation of new companies and their regulation, most firms can achieve necessary regulatory authorization and meet standards set by the bureau of standards. However, we have found that new entrants face significant challenges in attracting customers. This can be a result of the combination of low levels of switching by existing customers, high levels of brand loyalty and consumers' preference for their current providers, whom they trust. These challenges pose a great challenge to new firms in the cement industry in Saudi Arabia. The impact of this is that new entrants get discouraged. This is because they harbor the fear that they may be unable to attract sufficient customers to help them recover start-up costs, grow their market share and maintain successful presence in the market. 8. Financial statement analysis 8.1 Cash Flow Statement Analysis The Qassim Company has a steady cash flow and a constantly increasing net profit. This is confirmed by further analysis. A positive number in Net Cash from Operating Activities is a great indicator of how healthy the companys operations are in generating cash. The annual cash flow of the Qassim Cement Company. (All values are in millions SAR) FY 2010 FY 2011 The cash flow from operations in the period of2010-2011 increased from 547.50 to 690.00. However, the cash gained from investments declined form 130.27 in 2010 to18.46 in 2011. The cash flow from financing activities increased slightly in2011, although values were negative indicating a loss or a deficit. Cash flow statement of the Qassim Cement Company for 2010/2011 Cash from Operating Activities 12/31/201112/31/2010 + Net Income 552.90 500.56 + Depreciation Amortization 90.46 98.00 + Other Non-Cash Adjustments 60.96 -1.62 + Changes in Non-Cash Capital -14.32 -49.45 Cash from Operations 690.00 547.50 Cash from Investing Activities + Disposal of Fixed Assets 8.87 0.58 + Capital Expenditures -16.05 -17.52 + Increase in Investments 0.00 0.00 + Decrease in Investments 0.00 0.00 + Other Investing Activities -11.29 147.21 Cash from Investing Activities -18.46 130.27 Cash from Financing Activities + Dividends Paid -446.53 -472.75 + Change in Short-Term Borrowings 0.00 0.00 + Increase in Long-Term Borrowings 0.00 0.00 + Decrease in Long-term Borrowings 0.00 -199.50 + Increase in Capital Stocks 0.00 0.00 + Decrease in Capital Stocks 0.00 0.00 + Other Financing Activities 0.00 -1.40 Cash from Financing Activities -446.53 -673.65 Net Changes in Cash 225.01 4.12 8.2 Shareholders Equity Statement Analysis Based on the statistics collected in 2003-2010, the total shareholders equity is listed below. 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 1, 054,513 1,105,849 1,187,751 1,405,050 1,651,137 1, 902,345 2,166,600 2,411,686 1,956,956,714 According to the survey conducted on shareholders activities in the Qassim Cement Company, shareholders unanimously agreed to approve an interim dividend of SR 202.5 million for the income gained in the first half of 2011. This value amounts to SR 2.25 per share. It has been agreed that the company should transfer 10% of the annual net income to their statutory reserve. In addition, the general assembly has been given the power to stop such cash transfers in cases, when the total sum of money exceeds 50% of the paid capital. However, this reserve amount can be used as back-up plans to cover any unexpected losses or to increase its capital, rather than distributing it back to shareholders. However, shareholders must consent to this move of the company. Qassim shareholders have established a general reserve from their retained earnings. Another decision made during the last shareholders general assembly is that all dividends recorded in the same year should be approved by the general a ssembly of shareholders. 8.3 Balancing statement analysis Analyzing the Balance Sheet Statement, there are some items that must be discussed which include: The short-term investments of the company have reduced from 468.58 to 412.69 while the companys long-term assets have also reduced. However, the total assets have increased from 2,023.01 to 2,123.54 The companys current liabilities have reduced, while its long-term liabilities have increased. However, the total amount of liabilities for 2011 and 2010 are 167.87 and 168.40 respectively. The share capital and APIC and the total preferred equity have remained constant for the last two years. Retained earnings have also increased significantly, mainly because of the companys recent good business activities, as well as a healthy net income. It is worthwhile noting that the companys share capital increased over the years. 8.4 Income statement analysis: Income statement of the Qassim Cement Company for the period 2010/2011 12/31/2011 12/31/2010 Revenue 1,034.78 968.43 - Cost of Revenue 425.53 411.67 Gross Profit 609.25 556.76 - Operating Expenses 37.49 38.15 Operating Income 571.76 518.61 - Net Non-Operating Losses (Gains) -10.04 -4.26 Income Before XO Items 552.86 500.40 - Extraordinary Loss, Net of Tax 0.00 0.00 - Minority Interests -0.04 -0.16 Net Income 552.90 500.56 - Total Cash Preferred Dividends 0.00 0.00 Net Inc Avail to Common Shareholders 552.90 500.56 Abnormal Losses (Gains) 0.00 0.00 Normalized Income 552.90 500.56 Basic EPS before Abnormal Items 6.14 5.56 Basic EPS before XO Items 6.14 5.56 Basic EPS 6.14 5.56 Basic Weighted Average Shares 90.00 90.00 Diluted EPS before Abnormal Items 6.14 5.56 Diluted EPS 6.14 5.56 Diluted Weighted Average Shares 90.00 90.00 Gross profit and operating income are on the increase. In addition, the companys revenue has increased from 968.43 to 1,034.78 for the last two years. This resulted in an increase in the net income of the company from 500.56 to 552.8. 9. Generating Alternative Strategies Here we will use different matrixes to generate alternative strategies and make recommendations. (Input Stage) 9.1 EFE Matrix Key External Factors Weight Rating Weighted score Opportunity High demand for imported cement in India 0.05 1 0.05 Industry consolidation 0.11 3 0.33 Increased customer demand in Saudi Arabia 0.25 3 0.75 Growth prospects in the Saudi Arabian buildingsector 0.05 1 0.05 Increasing demand forcement in the Sri Lanka and African markets 0.15 3 0.45 Threat Stiff competition with eight core competitors 0.2 4 0.8 Uncertain global market 0.07 2 0.14 Economic downturn 0.15 1 0.15 Increasing prices of key inputs 0.03 2 0.06 Government oversight 0.05 3 0.15 Total 1.00 - 1.90 9.2 IFE Matrix Key Internal Factors Weight Rating Weighted Score Strengths Good contact with raw material suppliers 0.09 3 0.27 Operating their own quarries and workshops 0.12 4 0.48 Supportive employee culture 0.06 4 0.24 Companys strategic location 0.10 3 0.12 Buy custom Qassim Cement Factory essay

WHITE-COLLAR CRIME essay

WHITE-COLLAR CRIME essay WHITE-COLLAR CRIME essay WHITE-COLLAR CRIME essay  The term white-collar crime was first used by criminologist Edwin Sutherland back in 1939 for the various nonviolent crimes usually committed in commercial areas for financial gain (McNISH,  2010). There is a common misconception that the white-collar crimes do not have victims, and thus they are not that dangerous. Indeed, these crimes are committed without the use of weapons or threats of physical violence, but it does not mean that they are really harmless. According to the FBI, in the United States white collar crimes steal more than $ 300 billion a year (Gottschalk,  2011).All kinds of white collar crime are taking place in our community nowadays. The most wide spread crimes are fraud, fraud with bankruptcies, bribery, computer fraud, credit card fraud, counterfeiting and securities, corporate appropriation of funds, identity theft (using other peoples financial documents), securities transactions which use insider information, insurance fraud, mo ney laundering, obstruction of justice, perjury, tax evasion, economic espionage, artificial price bubble, etc (Williams,  R. (2013).With the rapid development of Internet technologies, there is a rapid development of Internet fraud schemes. For example, online investment scheme is one of the recent ones. Commission on Securities and Exchange Commission on Law Enforcement, and criminal trials indicate that criminals use two basic methods to manipulate securities markets for personal gain. First, in so-called pump-and-dump projects, they usually disseminate false or misleading information in order to cause a sharp rise in stock prices which are not in demand, or shares of companies not having substantial assets and leading operations. Immediately after that they sell their shares of such companies to get substantial profits before the stock price falls back to its normal low level. All other buyers of the stock, unaware of the falsity of the information, become victims of the schem e as soon as the price falls.For example, in one federal prosecution in Los Angeles, the defendants purchased shares in a bankrupt company NEI Webworld, Inc. for the sum of 130,000 dollars, directly or through an intermediary. Assets of NEI Webworld, Inc. had been liquidated several months before. Then the defendants sent e-mail messages to hundreds of Internet bulletin boards, falsely stating that wireless telecommunications company planned buyout of NEI Webworld. At the time defendants purchased shares of NEI Webworld, share price ranged from 9 to 13 cents apiece. However, one day share price of NEI Webworld rose in 45 minutes from $8 per share to $15.5-16, and half an hour later it fell to 25 cents per share. The defendants made ​​a profit of 362,625 US dollars (Benjamin,  2011).In another federal case in Los Angeles, a man who worked for California company PairGain Technologies, created a fake website Bloomberg news, which had fake news about the impending PairGa in Technologies acquisition by an Israeli company. He sent fraudulent e-mail messages with links to fake Bloomberg news site to financial news bulletins. On that day PairGain Technologies shares rose by about 30% before the company issued its own refuting press release (Wanless,  2010).At the moment in San Diego, there is a federal prosecution of massive fraud using the Internet and telemarketing to attract potential investors in the so-called general partnerships involving investments in high technology, such as Internet shopping mall and Internet access providers. The scheme defrauded more than 3,000 victims nationwide for nearly $ 50 million (Miller,  2013).Corruption, as one of the types of economic crimes, is very common in our society and it slows the development of the country. In the anti-corruption fight it is recommended to implement legislative reform, which would bring not harsher penalties for corruption, but simplification and reduction of state control (reducing t he frequency of inspections, tax cuts) in order to reduce the very possibility of abuse official position.However, legislative actions of the State can not make a decisive breakthrough in the fight against corruption (at least because of the fact that the fight against corruption sometimes is headed by corrupt officials). Decisive success is only possible by increasing the dependence of the state of citizens. This requires such long-term institutional reform as reducing the number and size of authorities, creation of special or even independent of the State institutes authorized to investigate allegations of corruption (for example, Sweden and some other countries have institution of Ombudsman), introduction of ethical standards for authorities, etc. Finally, the fight against corruption is impossible without the help of whistleblowers. In the US, the informant receives from 15% to 30% of identified material damage and he is protected from persecution of violators (Kim, 2012).Econom ists say that successful fight against corruption provides immediate benefits that are many times higher than the related expenses. According to some estimates, $1 spent for the fight with corruption brings an average of 23 dollars in the fight against corruption at the level of state and about 250 dollars in the fight at the international level (Brody,  2010).General recommendations to fight white collar crime in the community include the following actions by the state:ensuring political and economic stability in the societycreating legal framework necessary for effective fight against economic crimesimproving the system of government agencies dealing with economic crimesincreasing control of the public authorities for the activities of enterprises, which commit most economic crimes, including the activities of their officers and materially responsible personsstrengthening preventive, precautionary actions of authorities fighting with economic crimes (in particular, explore condi tions that contributed to the commission of crimes and take measures to prevent further similar crimes).Fighting white-collar crime is one of the main problems of modern society. This struggle must be carried out in all possible ways. Since the damage from such crimes is huge, the end justifies any means. According to the FBI, between 2007 and 2009, white-collar crimes amounted 3.8% of all crimes committed in the United States. Despite their relatively small number, annual average white-collar crime costs victims much more than ordinary theft or robbery. For example, average property crime costs a victim $1.8 thousand, while the average white-collar property crime costs $9.2 thousand. White-collar crimes today account 42% of all crimes committed by using a computer (Akopyan,  2010). Many experts expect the growth of this number. According to National Fraud Center, the number of arrests for white-collar crime, especially fraud and misappropriation of corporate funds, has increased dramatically over the past few years, while the number of arrests for crimes related to violence against the person declines.White-collar crime is very dangerous. It causes great damage to society and country as a whole and, ultimately, each of us. Today, fight with this type of crime is of utmost importance. State and federal laws, and the US Constitution give the federal government the authority to curb white-collar crimes. A number of federal agencies, including FBI, Tax and the US Secret Service, US Customs Service, Agency for Environmental Protection, deal with white-collar crimes. In addition, most states use their agencies to fight white-collar crime. Penalties for white collar crime are very strict, much more severe than for other crimes (Waldie,  2010).