Leading Supply Chain Turn Around

Five years ago, salespeople at Whirlpool said the company's supply chain staff were â€Å"sales disablers† Now, Whirlpool excels at getting the right product to the right place at the right time-while keeping inventory low. What made the difference? by Reuben C Slone a Supply Chain Turnaround ^ ^ eading T hings would be very different today-for me, my colleagues, and my company – if the votes of Whirlpool's North American leadership team had swung in a different direction on May 3,2001.It was a move I hadn't expected; Mike Todman, our executive vice president at the time, decided to go around the table and ask each member of his staff for a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the investment that Paul Dittmann and I had just formally proposed. Did I look worried? I can't imagine I didn't, even though we'd spent hours in individual meetings with each of them, getting their ideas and buy-in. We thought we had everyone's support. But the facts remained: Our proposal had a bigger pr ice tag than any supply chain investment in the company's history. We were asking for tens of millions during a period of general belt-tightening.Some of it was slated for new hires, even as cutbacks were taking place elsewhere in the company. And Paul and I, the people doing the asking, were coming from the supply chain organization. Let me be clear: The supply chain organization was the part of the business that Whirlpool's salespeople were in the habit of calling the â€Å"sales disablers† in 2000. We were perpetually behind the eight ball, tying up too much capital in finished goods inventory – yet failing to provide the product availability our customers needed. Our availability hovered around 87%. Our colleagues grimly joked that in surveys on the delivery performance f the four biggest appliance manufacturers in the U. S. , we came in fifth. 114 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 200 U HBR The 2Xst-Century Supply Chain. spotlight And here, with all the credibility that track record conferred on us, we were proposing an ambitious new suite of IT solutions – something, too, for which the company had little appetite. It had been just 20 months since Whirlpool North America had flipped the switch on a massive new ERP system, with less than desired effect. Normally, Whirlpool ships close to 70,000 appliances a day to North American customers.The day after we went live with SAP, we were able to ship about 2,000. A barrage of bad press followed. Even though the situation was soon righted (SAP remains a valued partner), the experience of being treated as a sort of poster child for ERP folly had left scars. So imagine our relief when we heard the first voice say â€Å"yes. † It was the executive who headed up sales to Sears. Paul and I looked anxiously to the next face, and the next. The heads of our KitchenAid, Whirlpool, and value brands followed suit-a watershed, given that the funding would have to come from their budgets.I could see that J. C. Anderson, my boss and senior vice president of operations, was happy, too. He had tried to voice his support at the beginning of the meeting, but Mike Todman had asked him to wait. Now that it was his turn to vote, he did it with a fiourish:†I am fully committed,†he said,†to moving our supply chain from a liability to a recognized competitive advantage. † Only after Todman had heard from everyone in the room – brands, sales, finance, human resources, and operations-did he cast his vote. costs. Sales had risen to record levels in 2000 as our launch of some nnovative products coincided with an uptick in housing starts. With the rest of the company chugging on all cylinders, there was only one thing holding us back: our supply chain. Jeff called me into his office and gave me a two-word order: â€Å"Fix it. † If that constitutes a mandate, we had one. But it was up to us to figure out what fixing the supply chain would entail. At the to p level, of course, it's a simple formulation: getting the right product to the right place at the right time – all the time. That gets complicated very quickly, however, when you consider the scale of the challenge.Whirlpool makes a diverse line of washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and ovens, with manufacturing facilities in 13 countries. We sell those appliances in lOO countries, through retailers big and small and to the construction companies and developers that build new homes. In the United States alone, our logistics network consists of eight factory distribution centers, ten regional distribution centers, 60 local distribution centers, and nearly 20,000 retail and contract customers. M We needed to formulate a battle plan that would include new information technology, processes, roles, and talents.But before we could begin to imagine those, we needed to define our strategy. Looking to the future, what would it mean to be world-class in supply chain performa nce? The decision we made at this very early point in the process was, 1 think, a pivotal one. We decided that we could answer that question only by focusing on customer With that last yes, the tension broke, and everyone was requirements first. Our approach to developing our supsmiling and nodding. Paul and I had a sense of triumphply chain strategy would be to start with the last link-the but also trepidation.Because now, we knew, there could consumer-and proceed backward. be no excuses. We were on the hook to deliver some serious value. It's an obvious thought, isn't it? Fxcept that it wasn't. The overwhelming tendency in a manufacturing organization is to think about the supply chain as something Devising the Strategy that originates with the supply base and moves forward. It's understandable; This is the part of the chain over y responsibility at Whirlpool today is for the which the company has control. But the unfortunate performance of the global supply chain.But effect is th at supply chain initiatives typically run out of in 2001,1 was focused only on North America, steam before they get to their end point-and real point. and I was utterly new to the supply chain organization. Whether or not they make customers' lives easier be(I had come into the company a few years earlier to lead comes an afterthought. its e-business efforts. ) By contrast, Paul Dittmann, the vice president of supply chain strategy, was a Whirlpool vetUnderstanding Customers' Needs. If you start with the eran with a tenure spanning a quarter century. ustomer, the customer can't be an afterthought. The way I expressed this to my colleagues was to say,†Strategic relOur lots were cast together in October 2000 by Jeff Fetevance is all from the consumer back. † And conveniently, tig. Jeff is now Whirlpool's chairman and CEO, but at the we had new research to consult on the subject of contime he was president and COO – and he was good and sumer needs. Whirlpool and Sear s had recently engaged tired of hearing about spotty service and high logistics Boston Consulting Group to study consumers' desires Reuben E.Slone [email  protected] com) is the with regard to appliance delivery. The top-line finding vice president of Global Supply Chain at Whirlpool Corpo- was that people value what I call â€Å"delivery with integrity. † That is, your ability to get it there fast is important, but ration in Benton Harbor, Michigan. 116 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Leading a Supply Chain Tux*naround not as important as your ability to get it there when you said you would. â€Å"Give a date, hit a date† is what they're asking for. This sounded familiar to me, coming from the automotive industry.In my previous position at General Motors, I'd been involved in several studies that emphasized the psychology of delivery date commitments. Identifying Trade Partners' Priorities. Moving upstream, we needed to understand the desires of our direct customers better. We conducted our own interviews to define requirements by segment. As well as looking at smaller retailers versus larger ones, we focused individually on Sears, Lowes, and Best Buy, our three biggest customers. And within the contract-builder market, we studied many subdivisions, from contract distributors and apartment developers to ingle-family-home builders. We asked about their overall availability requirements, their preferences in communicating with us, and what they would like to see along the lines of e-business. We asked about inventory management and how they might want Whirlpool to assist in it. In all, we discovered 27 different dimensions along which our performance was being judged, each varying in importance according to the customer. Benchmarking the Competition. Naturally, our customers' expectations and perceptions were shaped in large part by what others in our industry were doing.So we benchmarked our competitors-primarily GE, which was our biggest rival. We obt ained cross-industry information and competitive intelligence from AMR, Gartner, and Forrester Research to make sure we had a broad and objective assessment of supply chain capabilities. Then we mapped out what would be considered world-class (versus sufficient or transitional) performance for each of the 27 capabilities and how much it would cost us to reach that top level. It turned out that to prevail on every front would require a total investment of more than $85 million, which we knew wasn't feasible.It was time to get serious about priorities. Now that we had established the cost of world-beating performance, we asked ourselves: For each capability, what improvement could we accomplish at a low investOCTOBER 2004 ment level, and at a medium level? We quickly staked out the areas where a relatively small investment would yield supremacy, usually due to an existing strength. A few areas we simply decided to cede. Our plan was to meet or beat the competition in most areas, at mi nimum cost. Building for the Future. Strategy, of course, does not simply address the needs of the moment.It anticipates the challenges of the future. A final component of our supply chain strategy was identifying the probable range of future operating scenarios based on industry, economic, and technological trends. The point was to assure ourselves that our proposal was robust enough to withstand these various scenarios. To date, the planning has worked. Having set a course, we've been able to deal with situations we hadn't conceived of and to continue evolving in the same basic direction. Selling the Revolution I t's always a difficult decision-when to involve your internal customers in the planning of a major capital investment.Their time is scarce, and they typically 117 HBR T h e Spotlight Chain. don't want to be embroiled in the details of what you, after all, are getting paid to do. You must have your act together and have a solid plan to which they can respond. On the other hand, you can't be so far along in the process that you've become inflexible. You need to maintain a careful balance between seeking their guidance and selling your vision. Paul and 1 liked to think we had that mandate from Jeff Fettig to get the supply chain fixed. But it wasn't the kind of mandate that comes with a blank check.Like most well-managed companies, Whirlpool will not undertake a capital investment without a compelling business case. As a cost center in the company, we had to justify our project wholly on expense reductions and working capital improvements. Even if we believed that better product availability would boost sales, we couldn't count those chickens in the business case. We spent an enormous amount of time talking with the brand general managers and others who would be needed. They said they had nothing more to add. But we persisted. I remember telling Paul, â€Å"If they won't let us in the door, we'll go through the window.And if they lock the window, ther e's always the air vent†¦. † Along the way, we'd been particularly concerned about cherry-picking. We knew that, in a company of smart businesspeople, the first reaction to a multimillion-dollar price tag would be, â€Å"OK, what can I get for 80% of that total? † And indeed, from a project management standpoint, we knew it was important to break out each component of the plan into a stand-alone initiative, justified by its own business case. Yet we knew the whole thing came together as a sort of basket weave, with each part supporting and relying on multiple other parts.What helped here was our competitive analysis, in which we had plotted our capability levels against others'. We charted our current position against our number one competitor on each dimension valued by customers, then extrapolated to show how, depending on the level We staked out the areas where a relatively small investment would yield supremacy, usually due to an existing strength. affected by the changes we were proposing. The Japanese call this kind of consensus-building nemawashi (literally, it means â€Å"root binding†), and it is impossible to overstate its importance.Yet it is often neglected in the midst of a complex project. Note that, at the same time we needed to be meeting with key decision makers, we were also in the thick of the analysis and design of the solution. In those early months, the project needed leadership in two directions – the kind of work people typically refer to as needing a â€Å"Mr. Inside† and â€Å"Mr. Outside. † I made sure we had sufficient consulting resources for the inside work while Paul and I devoted 50% of our time to the outside work – interfacing with the trade, outside experts, and internal stakeholders.In our initial meetings with these key people, we'd essentially say, â€Å"Here's what we're doing. What do you think? â€Å"Typically,the executive would half pay attention, half blow us off . But we'd get some input. In a second meeting, we'd show how our work had evolved to incorporate their ideas and others'. Usually, we'd see more engagement at this point. By the time we were asking for a third meeting, reactions were mixed. People were more or less on board, but some felt another meeting wasn't 118 of investment, we could overtake that company or allow the gap to widen.Sure enough, the competitive instincts of our colleagues kicked in. No one wanted to fall behind. Getting Focused O ne of the earliest successes in the turnaround of Whirlpool's supply chain was the rollout of a new sales and operations planning (S&OP) process. Our previous planning environment had been inadequate. What passed for planning tools didn't go far beyond Excel spreadsheets. Now, we had the ability to pull together the long-term and short-term perspectives of marketing, sales, finance, and manufacturing and produce forecasts that all the participants could base their game plans on.We soon pushed our forecasting capability further by launching a CPFR pilot. The acronym stands for collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment, with the collaboration happening across different companies within a supply chain. The idea is straightforward. Traditionally, we forecast how many appliances we will sell through a trade partner (Sears, for example) to a given HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Leading a Supply Chain TumarouiuL market And at the same time, that trade partner develops its own forecast.Each of us has some information that the other lacks. With CPFR, we use a Web-based tool to share our forecasts (without sharing the sensitive data behind them), and we collaborate on the exceptions. As simple as it sounds, it isn't easy to pull off. But we have, and it's been a real home run. Within 30 days of launch, our forecast accuracy error was cut in half. Where we had close to 100% error (which isn't hard, given the small quantities involved in forecasting individual SKUs for specific warehouse locations), today we're at about 44% or 45%.To put this in perspective, a one-point improvement in forecast accuracy across the board reduces our total finished goods position by several million dollars. These were just two of many initiatives we launched in rapid succession after May 2001. A couple things were absolutely critical to keeping them all on track: a highly disciplined project management office and stringent performance metrics. The key was to think big but focus relentlessly on near-term deadlines. We organized the change effort into 30-day chunks, with three new capabilities, or business releases, rolling out monthly-some on the supply side, some on the demand side.The job of the project management office was to ensure the completion of projects on time, on budget, and on benefit. Paul oversaw this for me. Also keeping us honest were new metrics – and the man 1 brought in to enforce them. My colleague John Kerr, now general manager of quality for the North America division, was then in charge of Whirlpool's Six Sigma program. He's a real black belt when it comes to performance management. It took some persuading, aimed at both John and the North American leadership team, before he was freed up and allowed to dedicate himself to the supply chain turnaround.But we absolutely needed his data-driven perspective. When one of my team would say, â€Å"We need to take this action tofixthis issue,† John would always counter with,†Please show me the data that allowed you to draw that conclusion. † Were these demands sometimes a source of irritation? I'd be lying if 1 said they weren't. But they forced all of us to rebuild the metric â€Å"fact base† and hone our problem-solving skills. By the third quarter of 2001, we had already done a lot to stabilize product availability and reduce overall supply chain costs.And, after a challenging fourth quarter, we took a huge step forward by implementing a suite of software products from i2, which specializes in supply chain integration tools. That was in January 2002. Six months later. Whirlpool had historic low inventories and a sustained high service level. Before the year was out, we were delivering very near our target of 93% availability across ail brands and products. (Momentum has since carried us OCTOBER 2004 well into the mid-nineties. ) We delivered slightly more than promised by reducing finished goods working capital by 10% and improving total cost productivity by 5. 1%.Our customers were voicing their approval. By May 2002, a blind Internet survey given to our trade partners showed us to be â€Å"most improved,†Ã¢â‚¬ easiest to do business with,† and â€Å"most progressive. † I remember that after these results came out, our VP of sales said, â€Å"You're good nowbut more important, you're consistently good. † It was a turning point in the trade's perception of Whirlpool. Engaging Talent I ‘ve t ouched on the state-of-the-art technologies we've employed in our turnaround-the Web-based collaboration tools, the planning software, i2's rocket-science optimization-but let me correct any impression that this is a tory about technology. More than anything. Whirlpool's supply chain turnaround is a talent renaissance. It's sometimes hard for us to remember how demoralized this 3,000-person organization had become. In 2000, many people in supply chain roles had been with the company for years and had watched in frustration as competitors outspent and outperformed us. Part of the problem was the massive effort required by the ERP implementation. As an early adopter of enterprise systems in our industry (SAP and other vendors got their start with process-manufacturing concerns like industrial chemicals).Whirlpool had bitten off a lot. With limited attention and resources to spare, it put other projects on hold. We took our eye off the ball in supply chain innovation and fell behind. A s a newcomer, I tried to inject some fresh energy into the organization and give people a reason to be confident Paul Dittmann told me this project gave him a â€Å"second career wind. † He's a brilliant guy, with a PhD in operations research and industrial engineering, and suddenly, he had the opportunity to innovate in ways he had only dreamed of in his first 20 years at the company.Other people benefited from changes to how we develop, assess, and reward talent. With help from Michigan State University and the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), we developed a supply chain â€Å"competency model. † This is essentially an outline of the skills required in a top-tier organization, the roles in which they should reside, and how they need to be developed over time. And we created a new banding system, which expanded the compensation levels in the organization. Now people can be rewarded for increasing their expertise even if they are not being pro moted into supervisory roles. 19 The 21st-century Supply Chain^ We also put a heavy emphasis on developing people's project management skills. Here, we relied on a model developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a sort of standard for assessing and enhancing an organization's project management capabilities. I wanted as many supply chain professionals as possible to become PMI-certified, and not just because of the glut of projects we were facing at the moment. My view is that project management's disciplined planning and execution is just as vital to ongoing operations management.After all, the only real difference between running an operation and running a project is the due date of the deliverable. Over time, my operating staff stopped dismissing project management as a lot of â€Å"overhead† from a former management consultant and car guy. Now they're the ones insisting on things like project charters and weekly project reviews. Meanwhile, we hired at least 13 new people on the business side and at least as many more on the information systems side, and I made sure that every one of them was top-notch.To fill out our project management ranks, we recruited young people from companies with strong supply chains and from premier operations-oriented MBA programs like Michigan State and the University of Tennessee. Perhaps we were lucky that our talent drive coincided with a downturn in the consulting industry. On the other hand, it might have been the excitement of a turnaround situation that drew the best and brightest to Whirlpool. Finally, I wasn't so arrogant as to believe that my senior team and 1 didn't need development ourselves. We assembled a supply chain advisory board and chartered its members to keep challenging us.The group includes academics Don Bowersox of Michigan State and Tom Mentzer of the University of Tennessee, and practitioners Ralph Drayer (the Procter & Gamble executive who pioneered Efficient Consumer Response) and La rry Sur (who mastered transportation and warehouse management in a long career at Schneider National and GENCO). Get a group like this together, and you can count on creative sparks flying. These experts keep us on our toes in a way no consulting firm could. Sustaining Momentum refrigerators, washing machines, and other products that appeal to a broad range of consumers.They are the equivalent of a supermarket's milk and eggs; running out of them has a disproportionately negative impact on customers' perceptions. We're now formulating a supply chain strategy that allows us to identify these SKUs across all of our trade partners in all of our channels and to ensure that the replenishment system for our regional warehouses keeps them in stock. That constitutes the â€Å"plan to sell† part of the program. At the same time, for our smallest-volume SKUs, we are taking out all the inventory and operating on a pure pull basis, with a new, more flexible build-toorder process. The inv entory avings on the small-volume SKUs helps offset the costs of stocking up on the highvolume SKUs. We're also working on the capability to set service levels by SKU. That is, instead of having one availability target for all our products, we are recognizing that some products are of greater strategic importance than others. Some of them, for instance, are more profitable. Some hold a unique place in our brand strategy. Again, it's easy to grasp the value of being able to vary service levels accordingly. But in a sprawling business like ours, shipping thousands of different SKUs daily, it's a very difficult thing to accomplish.We continue to develop new Web-based tools. Recently, we've been focused on system-to-system transactions, in which our system talks directly to a customer's system for purposes of transmitting orders, exchanging sales data, and even submitting and paying invoices. We've rolled out this capability with a number of trade partners over the past i8 months. At th e same time, we keep enhancing our Partner Store, which allows customers to check availability and place orders via the Internet. The site allows them to find near equivalents of models, for those times when a SKU is out of stock or retired. They can even find deals on obsolete inventory.By the time this article appears in print, we'll also have implemented event-management technology, which will allow us to be more on top of the movement of goods through the supply chain. An event manager provides an alert whenever an action in the process has taken place-for example, when a washer is loaded into a container in Schomdorf, when that container full of washers is loaded onto a ship in Rotterdam, when the ship departs, when the ship arrives, when the container is unloaded from the ship in Norfolk, when the container leaves the port via truck, and, finally, when the washer is unloaded at the Findlay, Ohio, warehouse.The result is that people's attention is directed to what needs to be d one. We'll also be further along in our application of HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW T 120 hree years into the project now, we continue to assign ourselves and deliver three new capabilities per month. This doesn't get simpler over time, either. As I write this, for example, we're focused on something we call â€Å"Plan to Sell/Build to Order. † Here, the notion is that certain high-volume SKUs should never be out of stock. These are the heart-ofthe-line dishwashers. .l^ading a Supply Chain Turnaround ean techniques (usually associated with manufacturing operations) to our total supply chain. This involves using pull concepts and kanbanlike triggers to speed up processes, reduce inventory, and enhance customer service. On the Hoz4zon W hirlpool has much to show for its supply chain efforts. By the end of 2003, our product availability had reached over 93%, up from 88. 3% in 2001. (Today it's more than 95%. ) That allowed us to attain an order fill rate for key trade partners of ove r 96%. The number of days' worth of finished goods we were holding in inventory had dropped from 32. 8 to just 26.We drove freight and warehousing total cost productivity from 4% to 7. 2%. From 2002 to 2003, we lowered working capital by almost $100 million and supply chain costs by almost $20 million. Does all this add up to value in excess of the expense our leadership team approved? Absolutely. In fact, total payback on that original investment occurred within the first two years. Still, our work is far from finished. In October 2001, just months after we kicked off our turnaround, we were fortunate in that the new executive vice president brought in to run Whirlpool's North America region had deep supply chain knowledge.Dave Swift, who came to us from Kodak, believes strongly in the strategic importance of the supply chain both for building brands and for creating sustainable competitive advantage. Immediately after joining us, he elevated our sales and operations planning proce ss by personally chairing monthly executive S&OP meetings. These meetings have become the model for the company and the basis for much of our just-started global supply chain efforts. In the future, we'll face greater demands for end-toend accountability. We're already responsible for the resale of any returns. Soon we'll be accountable for the disassembly of products in Europe.It's only a matter of time before similar laws are enacted in the United States. And we'll be taking an even closer look at the design of the products themselves. If we can redesign a productOCTOBER 2004 make it in a smaller plant, make it with smaller parts, ship it in smaller pieces – we can dramatically affect supply chain economics. It's great to improve forecasts, optimize transportation, and speed up our processes with existing SKUs. But what if we could push the end stages of production closer to the consumer and get higher leverage from those SKUs? That's the kind of thing that can change the r ules of the game.It's a wonderful thing about our business: We have fierce competition all over the world, and on top of that we have very smart trade partners who deal with numerous other suppliers. We may be a white goods, big box supplier, but because our customers also buy electronics and apparel and so on, we're constantly being challenged by the benchmarks of other, more nimble industries. Technologies continue to evolve, channel power continues to shift, and the bar is constantly being raised. But I'm confident that the talent in Whirlpool's supply chain organization will be equal to it all. ^ Reprint RO4IOG To order, see page 159. 121

Child Development Essay

The difference Between the Sequence and Rate of Development Children’s development generally follows a predictable sequence of stages known as milestones. However, occasionally a child may skip a stage or go through a stage very quickly e. g. a child may miss out crawling and move straight from sitting to walking. An example of a sequence is the physical development of a baby where movement begins with their head and then downwards and from the centre of their body outwards. The time of a child’s development milestone isn’t as consistent as the sequence because children’s stages of development happen over different rates rather than particular ages. An example of this is that children don’t begin walking all at the same time. Some children are learning to walk before their first birthdays whereas others may learn to walk many months later. However, it is important to understand that although a child may be developing slower in certain aspects of development, they maybe excelling in others and that all children are generally following the same sequence. 2. 1 Personal Factors Affecting Children’s Development Early childhood development can be affected by a number of factors. A child’s health plays a crucial role in their development and can be determined by factors including the genetics they inherit from their families, malnutrition from a poor diet and poor conditions in their environment. Unhealthy children may find they are less equipped to tackle problems in comparison to healthy children. They may also be restricted in participating in activities which can have a detrimental effect on building relationships with others, access to creating an understanding of their environment and their progression in motor development. Disability can have a profound effect on a child’s development. The three core areas of disability are physical disability, learning disability and sensory impairment. Normal development involves children to be able to interact with their environment, and to understand their findings. Children with physical disabilities will often be restricted in their ability to effectively interact with their environment which can then have a detrimental effect on their ability to develop cognitively and emotionally. The limitation of exploring their environment can also impact on their motor skills due to lack of mobility. Furthermore, children who spend time away in hospital may have limited opportunities to develop age appropriate social skills, language skills and speech. Learning disabilities can affect children’s ability to grasp, process and analyse information. Disabled children often show an uneven pattern of development e. g. language development and physical development which can have some effect on their ability to interact with others. Inadequate interaction with others may have a negative influence on a child’s personal skills, their self esteem and often causes a reluctance to face problems. Children with sensory problems such as visual or hearing impairments may experience difficulties including mobility, language development and communication skills. Visually impaired children often suffer with mobility issues hindering their physical development which reduces their ability to explore their surroundings. It also interferes with engaging in imaginative play limiting the child’s ability to develop imitative skills. Hearing impaired children commonly lack language and communication skills as they have a reduced opportunity to take advantage of the critical early period of language development by hearing people’s voices. The lack of communication skills can impact on the child’s ability to engage with other children. 2. 2 External Factors Affecting Children’s Development Poverty can create a lasting disadvantage in children’s development. The areas of poverty to take into account are housing, diet, education and leisure activities. Children who are underprivileged in these areas are more likely to face challenges with their social and emotional development leading to behavioural problems. This can leave them at risk of developing negative relationships affecting social skills, academic skills and self esteem. Poverty can also influence a child’s health where poor housing and diet and a lack of leisure opportunities often lead to obesity, malnutrition and a likelihood of becoming ill. This can affect a child’s ability to join in activities with other children hindering many areas of development. The family environment can have a profound effect on a child’s development in both a positive or negative nature. Children living in a positive family environment often develop good social interaction with others as a result of positive relations with family members. Therefore this may impact on a child’s development in learning areas such as personal, social and emotional skills and communication, language and literacy skills. Similarly to poverty factors, family factors can also influence a child’s academic pathway. A child with underdeveloped social skills may express themselves with inappropriate behaviour, a lack of interest to learn and an inability to create positive relationships thus reducing the chance to progress and succeed in a predominantly social environment as is education. Personal choices are another major influence regarding normal development. As children grow, they develop a greater independence and are presented with more choices to which can impact on many areas of development. A prominent area of development in which a child’s personal choices impacts on is their relationship with food and physical activity. In recent times and partly influenced by the media, children’s eating habits have become increasingly unhealthy and in addition, children’s physical activity has declined. This has resulted in many children becoming overweight or obese and even diabetes. The consequences of this is likely to impact on physical development as children who are suffering from the above are more likely to be restricted in participating in all areas of physical activity in contrast to their peers who have a healthy lifestyle. The development of a child may also be impacted upon if they are in care of the local authority. An unstable living environment may affect children in many negative ways as often the child may move to various care settings on a regular basis. With this in mind, a child may develop issues with regards to their emotions. A lack of confidence and self-esteem may arise resulting in anti-social behaviour thus impacting on social skills. Academic ability may also be diminished through the inability to socialize effectively as well as many other areas of development in which social skills are essential. Education is an important area of a child’s development as it determines children’s academic ability through their education pathway. In particular, this influential area impacts on a child’s cognitive development in which they gain skills in reasoning, understanding and the ability to solve problems. Education is not only acquired through schooling, it is also gained in the family environment via social activity and family life in general. Educating through schooling can develop a child’s confidence in their ability, encourages positive social behaviour and helps children to understand the norms and values which are appropriate in society. 2. 3 How Theories of Development and Frameworks to Support Development Influence Current Practice. There are many theories which were created in order to understand children’s development. These theories are very important as they often have and influence on current practice. Piaget’s psychological theory of development was of the role of maturation, that by growing older a child would have increased capacity to understand new and differing concepts. This though was not a smooth learning curve but one which was transitional. These stages occurred at specific age ranges; 18 months, 7 years and 11 or 12 years. This appears to have impacted the school curriculum as a basis of when children are capable of understanding new concepts and ideas. The way in which a child adapts to these new changes or differences to their perceptions of the world is through assimilation and accommodation which work in unison. Assimilation refers to the inclusion of new concepts into existing schemas whilst accommodation refers to the challenges to the existing schema and accommodating ones thought processes around the differences. Only at the specific stages of maturation will a child be able to assimilate and accommodate for these new concepts. This approach can be perceived as rigid as although a child may not learn in a smooth learning curve, they may progress at different rates at a lesser staggered approach. Vygotsky’s theory of development differs to that of Piaget in that development was ‘proximal’. The ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ (ZPD) promotes the notion that children develop through their engagement with adults and activities alongside their peers rather than through teaching or by working through concepts and challenges alone. It was the development of language and articulation of ideas that would govern a child’s development and may be seen as an enabling approach that will allow a child to solve challenges and develop in a way that they will as a final result be able to perform the task alone. This approach has proved to be influential with regards to early years education particularly in the frameworks of England and Scotland in that there is an emphasis placed on building positive relationships with adults and other children in the setting. Furthermore, children are encouraged to work together during activities thus promoting teamwork in order to conquer challenges and in addition play an active role in their learning. Skinner, who adopted a behaviourist approach to learning developed the theory of operant conditioning. This theory suggests that a child’s behaves and learns via creating an understanding based on consequences and reinforcements. These reinforcements are divided into three sub-groups described as positive reinforcers, negative reinforcers and punishers. Positive reinforcers are a form of reward in response to being presented with a desired outcome for example, if a child has created a nice piece of work they may be given praise or a sticker as a reward. This then reinforces an understanding that they have done something good to which they will aim to continually reproduce. Negative reinforcers also produce repetition in behaviour in that they are used to stop something from happening for example, a child may try to avoid one of their peers due to the fear of having their favourite toy being taken away from the understanding of previous experiences. In contrast to the above, punishers are believed to weaken the repetition of behaviour such as if a child hurts a member of their peers they may be put in a reflective corner to recognise their inappropriate behaviour and if this process is repeated, the child will understand and aim to avoid this consequence. This theory links in with practice today in that children are often rewarded with positive reinforcements when behaving appropriately for example sharing during activities, comforting a peer who is unhappy or following a task with good results. Furthermore, punishers are also used in todays practice when a child is behaving inappropriately in which tactics such as the reflective corner as well as a telling off are effective in breaking the repetition. 3. 1 How to Monitor Children’s Development using Different Methods. A child’s development is monitored in a number of ways which includes observations, parent – practitioner meetings and standard measurements. Observations can be carried out in a variety ways and provide valuable information in terms of a child’s development. Narrative observations involve watching a child or children during an activity and making notes to what has been seen including all areas of behaviour. In this form of observation it is important that the practitioner who is observing remains unnoticed in order to avoid a change in behaviour of the child or children. Time sampling observations involve making a record at regular intervals of what a child is doing which focuses on a specific behaviour for that particular time. An example of this maybe during outdoor play time in which a child’s social interaction could be observed. Event sampling observations involve focusing on particular events in order to build up a pattern of children’s behaviour over a period of days or weeks. In this form of observation, the events leading to behaviour, during behaviour and after behaviour are recorded in detail. Standard measurements may also be used to monitor a child’s development. This method of assessment is employed by various professionals in order to assess development in areas such auditory, health and education. Standard measurements in contrast to having an overall objective, focus on a child’s development in relation to the overall population and furthermore, is used to determine whether a child has a particular deficiency in an area of development. This form of monitoring children is of particular use when monitoring disability or suspected disability in a child as it places all emphasis on one child whilst using a range of assessment methods to determine any apparent problems. 3. 2 Reasons Why Children’s Development May Not Follow the Expected Pattern. There are a number of reasons in which a child’s development is not following the expected pattern. Disability may affect a child’s development in a range of areas which include physical development, personal development and social development. In some cases disability can restrict a child from participating in normal physical activity, for example some settings may not be wheel chair friend in areas such as outdoors. This in turn may prevent a child from being involved in the same activities as other children thus impacting on their physical development. With this in mind, outdoor play is important whilst developing effective social skills. Children often use a range of communication skills whilst exploring and discovering therefore deprivation of social interaction may have a harmful impact on a child’s personal and social development. Children with emotional problems are also at risk of not developing along the expected pattern. A child lacking in confidence and self-esteem can often become reclusive and struggle with communication in particular during situations where it is loud and fast paced such as in a nursery environment. Children who tend to hide away from the action are inevitably missing out in areas of learning and development and is unfortunately often carried through to later life. Environmental factors are another area to consider in relation to an expected pattern of development. The home environment can have a profound affect in many areas. A negative home life may often determine a child’s ability to socialise effectively thus affecting numerous other areas. Due to a lack of social skills, a negative impact may be made on a child in education and as a consequence their academic achievement may be at risk. In addition, cultural difference may also play a part as there are a variety of ways in which different cultures nurture their children. Some cultures, for example in western society encourage freedom and independence. This in turn gives children the opportunity to discover new things and develop and understanding of the world. Children with learning difficulties often follow an uneven pattern of development. Tasks and activities are often more of a challenge for children with learning difficulties in which failure is not uncommon in academic situations and as a result can lead to frustration and issues regarding self-esteem. In some cases with these personal issues, a breakdown of communication can emerge resulting in a negative impact on areas of learning and development which rely on effective communication skills. How Disability may Affect Development. Disability can have a substantial influence on a child’s development. Disability covers three areas in which normal development is more of a challenge in contrast to children who are not disabled. These areas include physical disability, learning disability and sensory impairment, all of which may hinder development. Due to the interdependence of learning areas in order to maintain normal development, disabled children as a consequence are more unlikely to develop at the same rate as other children. For example, a child with a physical disability such as being wheel chair bound may find it a challenge whilst exploring the environment. This could have a knock on effect in learning areas such as social interaction, communication and knowledge and understanding. This then in turn may be detrimental in terms of developing positive relationships with their peers which can often lead to social rejection or bullying. As a consequence of this, a child may develop personal and emotional issues manifesting itself in reduced self-esteem and confidence resulting in reclusion. How Different Interventions can Promote Positive Outcomes for Children where Development is not Following the Expected Pattern. If a child has been recognised as not following the expected pattern of development, interventions are made in order to establish where the problem lies and the best way to tackle it. External practitioners known as agencies may then become involved and assess the child whilst providing support and expert advice to the family and the nursery or educational setting. These agencies may include paediatricians who are responsible for monitoring progress and make referrals to additional healthcare, health visitors who offer advice and support to families and physiotherapists who are responsible for working with the physical problems of disabled children and young people and suggest exercises. Speech and language therapists provide support to disabled children who have problems with their speech and language. They also offer advice on communication to the parents whether it is verbal or non-verbal for example using sign language. Other areas of intervention include the role of the Educational Psychologist who assesses the way in which a child learns and identifies issues with a child’s learning. They can then identify how to benefit a child’s learning by creating Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and are responsible for managing the child’s statutory assessment and the issue of a statement of needs if required. In nursery and school settings special educational needs coordinators (SENCO) can become involved in the coordination of activities and the provision of support to meet the specialised needs of disabled children. In many cases multi agency and partnership working is adopted as it provides integrated support for children who are not following the expected pattern and their families. Supporting children with additional needs and their families with a range of agencies working collectively provides more effective care for the child due to the sharing of information and agreement as to how to implement plans. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supports this practice as a way of contributing to a child’s development as this information shared may aid any further assessments. The Importance of Early Identification of Speech, Language and Communication Delays and Disorders and the Potential Risks of Late Recognition. It is extremely important to identify delays in speech, language and communication as soon as possible. Early identification of speech and language delay is critical to a child’s development as it is interconnected and is a key area with regards to many other areas of learning and development and furthermore, it is essential whilst developing the ability to communicate. With the inability to use effective language, a child’s cognitive ability may become weakened as both these areas are strongly linked to each other. Language delay can influence a child’s ability to understand concepts and develop intelligence amongst other areas of cognitive development. Communication and speech delays are also important to identify as they determine a child’s ability whilst interacting with others. In addition they can affect a child’s emotions, in some cases resulting in anti-social behaviour, thus impacting on areas such as education. However, through early identification and intervention, the impact of speech, language and communication delays may be significantly reduced thus creating a more positive future for children. 4. 2 How Multi-Agency Teams Work Together to Support Speech, Language and Communication. Multi-agency and partnership working plays a key role with regards to a child’s speech, language and communication development. When it has been recognised either by a parent/carer or whilst in the nursery setting that a child is showing signs of difficulty in these areas, the child would then need to be assessed by either a health visitor or general practitioner. This would then enable a greater understanding of where the problem may lie and furthermore exclude a number of other possibilities. Once a diagnosis has been found, the child may then been referred to a variety of agencies in order for further assessment and to create a plan to tackle the problem areas. These agencies may include speech and language therapists, educational psychologists and specialist teachers who provide support for children who have sensory impairments, learning difficulties or communication difficulties. These agencies will often work together in collaboration discussing and sharing information which in turn enables the child to make maximum progress. Furthermore, the agencies will work together to develop strategies, provide knowledge and in some cases provide resources to parents/carers and the nursery setting. 4. 3 How Play and Activities are Used to Support the Development of Speech, Language and Communication. Effective play and activities are beneficial in order to support a child’s speech, language and communication development. The nature of play and participating in activities generally involve a great deal of social interaction with others. Therefore by providing play situations and activities that support these learning areas, children’s development will be enhanced. Toy animals are an effective play resource. They engage children into the natural world and encourage them to imitate movements and sounds which in turn enhance a child’s speech development. Nursery rhymes and singing encourage the development of language. Children who are exposed to these activities have a greater ability to listen and understand words and actions. Nursery rhymes also enhance a child’s ability in reading as a result of the development of language. Reading books with children can enhance their communication skills. Stories can generate interest where children become inquisitive. Children often ask questions and discuss ideas which can enhance their ability to communicate with each other. In addition to the above, a child’s speech and language may be developed by role modelling in which they will learn to use new sounds and words by listening and engaging in general conversation. With this in mind and from own practice I feel it is important to provide appropriate speech for a child to be exposed to, using clear and slow language whilst altering vocal pitch in order to convey grammatical information. Furthermore, I feel if a child has attempted to say a word with ineffective results, it is important to praise the child for their effort in order for them to continue trying. 5. 1 How Different Types of Transitions can Affect Children’s Development. Transitions are a significant stage in a child’s life and can affect them in a range of ways and in a number of areas of development. They are an nevitable part of growing up, however it is important to recognise and understand the signs and the impact of transitions on children’s development. A change in the family structure of a child in terms of an additional sibling may have an impact. The child may feel their relationship with their parents is threatened by the arrival of a new baby and they may feel they are getting unequal amounts of attention. The child’s personal and social development may be harmed during this transition. With this in mind the child may develop issues with self-esteem as a result of receiving less attention than previously. The child may also develop anger issues from seeing the frequent attention and care being provided to the new baby which could then in turn manifest itself in sibling rivalry. The position of beginning nursery or school is another major transition for a child which may impact on their development. A new and unfamiliar environment may be a daunting experience for many children. Children who are less outgoing in comparison to their peers may try to avoid interacting with others and avoid social activities. This could then result in the child becoming a recluse resulting in missed opportunities to play, learn and develop. A child’s admission into an institution such as hospital due to ill health is also a significant transition which could impact on their development. Social interaction may be diminished in particular of children who stay for long periods in hospital. Through this lack of socialising, children may become underdeveloped in others areas including their knowledge and understanding through missed opportunities to explore the environment with their peers developing new ideas and perspectives. Moving to a new house or location is another transition which can impact on children’s development. This can be a traumatic time and in particular of a child entering the care of the local authority. Often in this situation a child has moved around a number of locations thus creating a sense of instability resulting in personal issues. These issues are often expressed in the form of anger, isolation and anxiety which in turn can hinder normal development. Furthermore, many children in this situation come from broken families which in some cases involved abuse and neglect. With this in mind when involved in a situation of this type, it is important to build trust whilst working with the child in order to prevent a further negative impact on their development. 5. 2 The Effect on Children of Having Positive Relationships During Periods of Transition. Transitions are a significant and potentially harmful experience in children’s lives, therefore it is important to provide a positive and supportive network around children in order to make transitions an easier and more comfortable process. A child who is undergoing a process of transition whilst receiving positive support and encouragement is more likely to accept changes in their lives and develop a greater confidence in the transition process. A strong relationship with someone such as a key person in an educational setting can benefit a child’s transition. A child beginning nursery will be presented with an unfamiliar environment in which a key worker’s job is to develop a close relationship with the child and provide support allowing the transition to run more smoothly. In some cases a key worker may change settings or may be away for a long period of time such as maternity leave. In these situations a child may react negatively to the loss of familiarity which subsequently may impact on their development. Therefore it is important to provide additional support to the child via attention; reassurance and encouragement in order to alleviate further negative affects whilst a close relationship with a new key worker is being formed. Children encounter transitions with an array of experiences in which some may be positive and some negative. Children generally will always be worried. Confronted with unexpected transitions, like divorce or death, a child may feel excluded or to blame or angry. An understanding of their experience and the possibilities of what is going through their heads and giving a thoughtful and sympathetic response will often help bring them through the transition and in turn lead to a more confident and rounded child.

Good News Final Question Essay

A young man named Saul stood by and watched as a crowd stoned Stephen.   He went on to be a major persecutor of Christians for a number of years.   One day he was on his way to Damascus, he was blinded by a light and God spoke to him.   He was converted to Christianity and changed his name to Paul.   He made up for his persecution of Christians by telling the â€Å"good news† all over the region. What is the good news?   The good news is that Jesus is the son of God.   He was sent to earth to save the people from their sins.   Those who accept him as their savior will have eternal life in Heaven.   He knew it was true, because God himself told him it was in the blinding light.   The difference it should make in the lives of people in modern society means people should live according to the words God has provided for people to live by.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Paul spent years trying to save people from their sin once he’d learned the truth.   He was taught about God and Jesus.   He taught many to accept the gift of eternal life through the acceptance of Jesus.   Then he wrote many books of the Bible to teach people how to live their lives.   He wrote basic instructions for Christians to follow to be an example for God.   God sent his son to earth for the sole purpose of saving his creation (man) from their sins. He would not choose for anyone to be lost, but he provides humans the opportunity to make the choice for themselves. The life people live on earth is short, for most only about eighty years then there are two possible places to go.   The best choice obviously is the one without eternal torture.   When a person goes to Heaven it will feel like home (familiar, comfortable) (Alcorn, 1999)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Paul learned about God through God himself.   God spoke to Paul through the light on the road.   He then blinded him and gave him specific instructions on what to do.   Paul realized he had been wrong and needed to follow the instructions, because he did this he was not only healed of the blindness, but he received the gift of eternal life. He had no reason to doubt this and neither should those he taught or those still being taught.   Paul taught of God’s love for his people and his forgiveness. He also taught people to continue sharing the good news.   An additional reason to believe the news is true is the hundreds of promises from the Bible, many of which have already been fulfilled and although people fail to keep their promises, God does not (LaHaye and Jenkins, 2003) In order to convince others the news is true, though, his people need to change the way they live in order to set an example.   Just as Saul changed his name to Paul and turned from persecuting Christians to converting people to Christianity, his followers need to live by the words of the Bible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How should Christians change the way they live their lives?   It usually does not have to be as great of change as the one Paul made, but it does need to show a change of heart.   God created people to have free will, the ability to make their own choices.   From the moment people are born, they have choices.   They can cry or sleep wet or eat, etc.   As they get older the choices are more difficult.   If they are lucky enough to be raised with religious parents, they are taught the news of Jesus and Heaven from an early age.   Others have to hear it along the way, and like Saul may have several years of making rather bad choices first.   However once the news has been heard and the person has accepted the gift of eternal life, a change must be made. God still expects mistakes since no one is perfect, but an attempt to live as he wants is how Christians teach others.   The first step in this change is to strive to be like Christ being righteous, loving others and overcoming the world (Wiersbe, 1996).   It is popular to wear jewelry that says WWJD, which stands for What would Jesus do?   This is a very important message if people want to live their lives according to God’s word and to teach the good news to others.   When a person stops long enough to consciously ask themselves what Jesus would do in a situation, they would be less tempted to make the wrong choice. Living the kind of life God wants people to live does not mean they have to act extremely different or carry their Bible around with them everywhere they go.   They just need to think they are taking Jesus with them, because if they have truly accepted the gift, they are taking Jesus with them.   He wants his people to be honest and caring.   He wants them to make positive choices for their lives and not get caught up in things that would take their focus off of their ultimate goal (life in Heaven).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What Paul would tell people is that the news he has to share is the greatest news anyone could hear, because it promises an eternity without pain or sadness and it is a free gift.   All anyone has to do is accept it show it off for everyone else in the world to see.   If people receive a diamond or a new car they can not wait to show it off.   How could they be embarrassed or afraid to show off the world’s greatest gift?   Paul would tell people to believe in God and if they have questions to simply turn to the instruction manual (the Bible), because it contains all the answers.   He would say it should change the way a person lives their lives simply because of the hope it offers in an uncertain world.   Paul heard the news, accepted the news and spread the news.   He would encourage everyone who hears it to do the same. References Alcorn, Randy. 1999,In Light of Eternity, Colorado Springs, Colorado: Waterbrook Press LaHaye, Tim and Jenkins, T. 2003, God Always Keeps His Promises..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers Wiersbe, Warren W., 1996,Being a Child of God, , Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publishers

Introduction to Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Introduction to Microeconomics - Essay Example Although, the shift in demand can raise the quantity of food at any given prices, due to the present level of food supply, food prices would have to rise to let this ever-increasing food demand ‘make-up’ with the given supply-level. This making-up of food demand with supply describes upward (leftward) movement along the shifted (new ­) demand curve, raising the equilibrium food prices. Thus, equilibrium food quantity and prices are expected to rise, however, due to the upward movement along new demand curve, the increase in price would keep this increased equilibrium quantity lesser than the shift in demand. But what’s worsening the scenario is leftward shift in food supply which main determinants are unfavorable, volatile weather consequences including droughts, freezes, and floods in the main food producing and exporting countries: China, Russia, Australia, and Mexico. These unpleasant weather conditions have badly affected the crops and other productive resou rces, alarming the food production capacity in these countries. Other harmful environmental changes i.e. global warming can further shift the food supply leftward.

The Dynamics of Design High Street and High Design Essay

The Dynamics of Design High Street and High Design - Essay Example The modern theory sticks to the similar assumption that jeans are a comfort statement, yet it also stresses on the fact that it is a necessity. Here, the modern theory takes off on a more interpretative note. While a pair of jeans are a necessity, the tone for luxury has been set by celebrities lending their names to a line of jeans and other designer jeans that 'fit and look better' than the normal brands. For example, while most people would opt for a pair of Lee or Levis', design high street fashion is achieved with Zara and Marks and Spencers', and high design is achieved by a couture label like Armani or that of Victoria Beckham's. On the other hand, within the modern theory comes the second twist. Here, design high street meets high design to a great extent when a celebrity endorses a certain brand. This can be better understood through the following lines: When something has been perceived, then it has been noted and the message is recorded. In the words of psychologist, W. H. Ittelson and F. T. Kilpatrick, perception can't be definite, of 'what is'. Rather what we perceive is created by ourselves, which is mostly based on past experiences (Arnorld,1992). Also people's perceptions of brand are governed by some factors which are personal and public. It is one of important challenges for an advertiser trying to reach the customers, either by any form of mass communication like newspaper, or television ad so that they could notice it. Even sometimes the consumer miss out some messages directed to them. So the main thing is to give them exposure. (Arnold, 1992, p. 241). For example if all the ads are in colors then a black and white will be noticed. So by this the customers attention can be taken. Awareness: Awareness implies that the message has made an impression on the audience or reader, who can then identify the pair of jeans. Although awareness is a low form of impact, but it is objective of a great ad. Relative low level of attention can create minimum awareness for low interest product (Sudijic,1985). . Brand equity: This is a very important concept from 1990s. This refers to the use of respected brand name to add value to the jeans. Branding is a way to help the customer's memory

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Final exam - Essay Example This is because when newcomers arrive, as aforementioned, many changes take place that negatively affect majority of the original residents of the area. However, for the newcomers, this is a new chance at getting cheaper and better services than they previously exposed. Gentrification was not all bad in New Orleans. This is because the newcomers brought with them a lot of knowledge and expertise that was useful in the reconstruction and recovery of New Orleans after the hurricane Katrina. Most of them helped in developing the area, thus boosting the economic situation of the area. The newcomers took up different roles in New Orleans ranging from education, entertainment and media as well as entrepreneurship. Public Housing as a hard struggle The public housing program in New Orleans was created in 1937 and sought to improve the lives of working class and the poor in the society. However, this program was impeded by institutional racism (Arena 100). To illustrate this is the racial se gregation of different projects in the public housing projects, neglect of the blacks’ project as well as the eventual demolition of such projects. The most controversial attacks that marred this housing project occurred when tenants were padlocked. Most of these tenants were poor and black. The housing projects favored the white citizens who were given first priority. In fact, it was not until 1996 that a single black man was allowed to represent others in the housing authority of New Orleans, HANO. HANO further decided that some part of the land be sold to HRI, which subsequently sold to Wal-Mart. The latter was a private development group in the land. This raised a lot of negative reaction and criticism, especially from the progressive urban planners, white activists, and conservationists. In the end, privatization emerged and most public projects ceased to exist. Hurricane Katrina and Corporate Development Hurricane Katrina has gained its infamous popularity in the world from its destructive and devastating nature in different states; New Orleans included (Arena 90). It caused a lot of havoc in the state, submerging about eighty percent of New Orleans, thus destroying homes and infrastructure. In general, hurricane Katrina tops the list of the most costly natural disasters in the United States of America. With these destructions, the economic stability of New Orleans was interrupted, a fact that saw dire need for reconstruction in order to bring back its previous stature. Many developers, entrepreneurs, and politicians came together for this purpose. Economic instability is attributed to the adverse effects of hurricane Katrina. The first reason why this is so is the poor response to a disaster as well as inadequate disaster management strategies in the city. This, coupled with the shortages of Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, led to the need for a localized approach to handling such calamities. New Orleans’ leaders, together with t he local government were forced to take up the task of mitigating the effects of hurricane Katrina, as well as other natural calamities (Arena 67). This occurred in all senses, from emotional to financial support. Before hurricane Katrina, high unemployment issues characterized the city of New Orleans, and those who were lucky enough to get jobs were paid low wages. This was

ASSIGNMENT ( The judiciary as a referee ) Essay

ASSIGNMENT ( The judiciary as a referee ) - Essay Example It plays the role of a neutral arbiter, or a referee in any dispute before it, by applying the law as it is to the facts before it. The judiciary is vested with the powers to interpret the law. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort as far as interpretation of the law is concerned. The duty of the court is to interpret the statute law from parliament, to affect the purpose and intention of the parliament. The judiciary cannot make law. If the parliament is not satisfied with the way the court interprets the law, it can make law to quash the court’s interpretation. As a referee, it is the judiciary’s role to determine who should do what, or which state of affairs should prevail in any dispute that is presented before it, that is, it makes decisions. In essence, it arbitrates disputes that arise over facts and law. In doing so, the judiciary should apply the law, and should not let the personal opinion of individual judges or their bias to influence the outcome of the court. Everyone should be treated equally before the law, and it should act without fear or favour. The New Zealand legal system is an adversarial one and, therefore, the judge’s duty is just to hear cases presented by both sides, and plays minimal role as far as evidence adducing is concerned. To add, they should not make law or policy that should be a reserve of the parliament. ... In doing so, the court can never question the validity of the Acts that have been passed by parliament. The court has jurisdiction to look into administrative decisions of public officials to ensure that they observe the law. The courts role is to ensure that the public officers execute their mandate in good faith, without malice, and pursuant to the law. In R v Somerset County Council, ex parte Fewings [1995] 1 All ER 513, 524, stated that any action taken by a public official must be justified by a positive law. The court also has a duty to enforce and uphold personal liberty and human rights that are enshrined in the law: to wit the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the Magna Carta 1215, which still applies in New Zealand. Therefore, it is the courts duty to enforce human rights and to prevent the government from abrogating human rights. In Attorney General V Chapman [2011] NZSC 110, the court held that the bill of rights does not apply to the judges in discharge of their du ties. It relied on the common law protections under the judicial immunity to render New Zealand Bill of Rights’ remedies available for breach of rights by the New Zealand judges nugatory. Nevertheless, the judiciary, as a referee, it should not make laws. In essence it does, through the doctrine of precedence. For instance, the court in Fitzgerald v Muldoon [1976] 2 NZLR 615), made a decision that is considered to be part of the constitutional law. In this case, the court held that the Prime Minister had no powers to suspend law. He stated that sentiments made by the Prime Minister to that effect were contrary to the bills of right of 1688 that prohibited public authorities from suspending the law.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 22

English - Essay Example One of the main differences between soccer and football is the use of the hands and feet. In soccer, the only person who can touch the ball with his hands is the goalie. In football, the ball is carried by hand or thrown by hand only (Tara OÂ ´Gorman) For American football the playing field will be of size 90-120 m long and 45-90 m wide while in world football it is around 110 m long and 48.8 m wide. In world football each player will have specific positions while in American football such positions are not defined. In football there will be mostly the match is controlled by a referee and 2 lines man while in American football apart from a referee another 6 more judges will be there. In football the ball will be a round leather ball measuring 68 and 71 cm in circumference, weighing between 396 to 453 g. But in American football the ball is an extended spheroid with a circumference of 72.4 cm around the long axis and 54 cm around the short axis, weighing about 397 to 425 g. Though both in American football and in world football colored uniform is used by player, the pants of the world football players will be little longer than that used in American football. American football players enjoy direct contacts with the fans while in world football players will be under protective armor. World football playing time is 90 minutes consisting of two equal halves of 45 minutes with a 15 minute break in between while in American football is divided into 4 quarters of 15 minutes each. World football is more popular than the American football with famous football playing countries like, Brazil, Italy, England, Argentina, Germany, Netherlands, etc. which brings joy to trillions of fans

Critically review the role of Planning Manager and assess the impact Essay

Critically review the role of Planning Manager and assess the impact on our business plan - Essay Example Since Annex House is a new bakery to be opened up in the market of Cardiff where other bakeries already exist with proper market shares and acquired base of customers, it is important for the planning manager of Annex House to identify the gaps prevailing in the market of Cardiff and try to position the new bakery house in order to fulfil this gap by catering to the unfulfilled and emerging demands of the customers in the confectionary market of Cardiff, Welsh. Deciding the proper strategies in order to ensure the competiveness, profitability and sustainability of Annex House is critical for aligning the business objectives and goals with the running of the bakery business. Also, implementing suitable strategic decisions and employing a proper strategic management and control in the business would ensure that the bakery house is enabled to meet the set objectives and goals for the business with respect to its operational, financial and other functional aspects. The strategic manageme nt process encompasses devising and incorporating the objectives and goals of the company with respect to the proper consideration of the available resources and capabilities in the business and by carefully assessing the internal as well as the external environment pertinent to the business. Developing a proper strategic management plan would help to decide the future direction of the bakery house and would also help to specify the objectives of the company, develop suitable policies and plans for achieving these organizational objectives and allocating proper resources in order to implement the decisions. This would ensure that the internal and external strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the business are evaluated in order to make key decisions regarding the strategic management of the bakery house. This would also help in ensuring the

Film vs Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film vs Book - Essay Example The film versions of the books One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Breakfast at Tiffany’s amply testify to the fact that it is pragmatic and necessary for the film versions to be different from the actual books on which the films are based so as to bring out the appeal and context of the overall plot as per the requirements of the cinematic genre (McFarlane 164). In that context there tend to be marked differences between the book and the film version of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The book tends to deal with the plight of a mental institution in 1963. The movie got released in 1975, which is about 12 years after the book got published. Before delving into the differences between the movie and the book, one does need to know that the movie version of the book was utterly successful that won all the five major categories of Academy Awards. The primary thing is that the book is dominated by the point of view of Chief Bromden, a gigantic Indian, who is in the s ame ward with McMurphy. It is true that the writer Ken Kesey backed out from the film project when he came to know that the point of view of Chief Bromden had been removed from the movie and he no more stands to be the narrator in the film version of the book. It goes without saying that this alteration of the point of view in the book and the movie lead to major differences in the book and the film version of the story. When one reads the book with Chief Bromden being the chief narrator, the overall mood tends to be quiet slow and poised. The narration facilitated by Chief Bromden delves into the essential traits, characteristics and inclinations of the varied characters in the asylum in a threadbare, sophisticated and lilting manner. However, it is but natural to assume that in the film version of the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the producer had to adapt the storyline in consonance with the needs and requirements of the cinema. The film version of the book simply does not afford to be slow paced and languid as the book. Yet, if one reads the book before watching the movie one does miss the edgy, disturbed and cynical point of view facilitated by Chief Bromden as he says, â€Å"If my being half Indian ever helped me in any way in this dirty life, it helped me being cagey, helped me all these years (Kesey 4).† However, in the film version of the book, it is the trio of McMurphy, Nurse Ratched and Chief Bromden that bring out the story. The film version simply sets aside the pain and hurt inherent in Chief Bromden reveries, to display a larger view that incorporates an array of characters, thereby relying on the variety and the interactions between varied characters to move the story forward. Hence, if on the one side the plot in the book is poised, slow, emphatic and gripping, the storyline in the movie happens to be racy, action-oriented, emotive and multi-faceted, exactly the way it ought to be in a successful movie. The film versions do h ave their limitations and one simply could not expect a film version to stick diligently to the storyline and plot as it is given in the book (McCreadie 126).

Marketing Plan Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Marketing Plan Project - Research Paper Example more on effective strategic activities with a view to meet consumers’ on demand-expectations. In order to be competitive and to survive in today’s fiercely competitive markets, businesses have not only to seek response from customers, but also discover hidden market opportunities and stimulate demand for their goods or services (Kotler and Keller, 2006, p. 10). Regardless of whether it is small or large in scale, startup businesses essentially need to plan for its business and marketing activities by analyzing various strategies that they can implement for future. Business organizations that manufacture or market goods and services are performing its business function primarily to meet their commitment and responsibilities to the society, consumers and all other important stakeholders. Marketers create benefit or utility that are the want-satisfying power of the consumers (Boone and Kurtz, 2009, p. 5). It is extremely important for any business to see what utility or be nefit its goods or services can offer to the consumers and to evaluate the value and money-worth that consumers may expect for them. It is also important to weigh up whether customers are satisfied with the offerings and how they can be turned to be loyal-customers so as to gain advantage as long-term assets. Marketing plan, which has recently gained greater significance among business experts, is an invariably practical tool that can provide insights in to the overall business environments, competitive levels, strategic aspects and major areas of opportunities and threats. As contemporary markets are largely impacted by radical changes in technology, consumer behavior and buying patterns, competition, management and business strategies, marketers have to foresee how these variables may impact their marketing domain and how they can be dealt with. Marketing plan is a roadmap that can illustrate how these marketing forces create challenges on the business and how they can be managed as well. It is an important strategic tool that helps a marketer comprehend business potential and foresee ways with that it can achieve sustainable competitive advantage. It provides detailed explanation of various environmental factors and significant elements in relation to competition, management, and marketing mix and so on. This paper presents a brief marketing plan for Al-GiZza Restaurant in Abu-Dhabi, UAE. Al-GiZza is going to be an incredible experience with dining of multicultural organic food and entertainment for the local Arabian community, people around the world who visit UAE for leisure and other expatriate professionals working in UAE. Though there are many pizza

Final Project AAT Essay Example for Free

Final Project AAT Essay 1.TERMS OF REFERENCE 1.1 The report has been prepared to cover the requirements of the AAT Unit â€Å"Internal Control and Accounting Systems†. 1.2 The objectives of the report are to analyse the accounting function at Inkwell Ltd and to identify any weaknesses, so that recommendations for the implementation of a new and improved system can be put in place, in order to minimise errors and to prevent fraud. 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.1 The aim of the report is to analyse and evaluate the current internal control system and accounts receivable ledger of Inkwell Ltd. 2.2 The findings of the investigation highlighted the flowing weaknesses: The Retail shops use stand-alone computers which are not connected to the network. Lack of security measures put in place to safeguard the sensitive personal data held on individuals, and non-compliance with the Data Protection of 1998. Non-compliance with company policy, as updates only carried out once per day. Data lost due to infrequent back-ups are costly in both time and money. The retail shops have a sloppy approach to cash management. Cash only banked twice per week. The company does not produce or provide any instruction and help guides, which employees can refer to in order to find help and advice. The company do not have contingencies in place for staff absences due to illness or annual leave There is no encouragement for employees to attend training courses. Passwords used are not sufficient to maintain an adequate level of security. The company uses a just in time system of production, and any unforeseen upholds in delivery can cause delays and may have an impact on the company’s reputation. There are insufficient control and monitoring procedures carried out by senior personnel. The company allows customers to pay by cheque. The company does not conduct performance appraisals. The company does not conduct regular staff meetings. Management not upholding ethics and integrity, and not practicing their own policies thus creating an ideal environment for fraud and unethical practices to be committed. Staff shortages contributing to processing delays of sales invoices. 2.3 Suggestions and recommendations have been made to help make improvements which will increase the company’s performance and efficiency and to help  create anti-fraud environment. 3. METHODOLOGY 3.1 The research conducted to create this report was primarily obtained from data provided from the AAT website, the Internet, and reference textbooks. 3.2 A period of four months was taken to monitor the Internal Controls system and Accounts Receivable Ledger to gather sufficient data in order to compile the report. 3.3 A meeting was arranged with Inkwell’s Finance Director and Company Accountant to discuss the areas of concern and the procedures that needed to be implemented to make suitable improvements. 4. INTRODUCTION 4.1 Inkwell Ltd is a large private limited company within the private sector, supplying a complete range of re-manufactured inkjet and laser toner cartridges to its customers. Products can be purchased from either the company’s sixty nationwide chain of high street shops, which are situated in most of the UK cities and large towns, or from their on-line shop facility which is accessible twenty-four hours every day of the week. 4.2 The company is run by three directors who are the main decision makers. Inkwell Ltd was created seven years ago by two of the directors, Mr Paul Farnon (Managing Director) and Ms Victoria Dawson (Sales Director). Mr Anil Gupta (Finance Director) joined Inkwell after investing in the company two years ago. The company shares are owned by internal stakeholders only. 100% of the shares are split between the directors, with the Managing Director being the majority shareholder with holdings of 40% and the other directors each holding 30% of the shares. 4.3 Their head office is situated in an industrial estate, based in Birmingham, where the management team, accounts department, on-line shop and large central warehouse are all located. The company has progressively grown since it was initially set up and currently employs one hundred and eighty full-time employees, and has reported revenue of over sixteen million pounds. . 4.4 Inkwell has a mission to become environmentally friendly and promotes this by ensuring that they continue to strive towards achieving a greener environmental future, without jeopardising or comprising the quality of their products and reputation. The company ensures that products meet with 100% quality satisfaction guarantee, and has made a promise that should certain conditions not be fulfilled; that the company’s policy of replacing the products without rejection, will be adhered to without affecting the customer’s statutory rights. The company assures their customers that the recycled cartridges, which are cheaper than the genuine, original products by up to 20%, will meet or exceed the quality of the original cartridges. 4.5 80% of Inkwell’s sales are purchased by non-trade customers. Trade customers represent the remaining 20%, and these customers are supplied goods on credit terms of between thirty to sixty days. 4.6 The Finance Director, who owns 30% of the company’s shares and reports directly to the Managing Director, is qualified to BSc and FCMA standards, and has worked for the Inkwell Ltd for five years on a full-time basis. This Director is entrusted to ensure that all the financial strategies, support the aims of the business and to identify opportunities in order to achieve greater efficiency and cost savings, as well as driving sustainable and profitable growth and optimising profitability and shareholder value 4.7 The Company Accountant, who reports directly to the Financial Director, is AAT and ACCA qualified and has worked for Inkwell Ltd for seven years on a full-time basis. The Accountant complies, analyses and produces the company’s quarterly and annual financial statements 4.8 The Accounting Technician, who reports directly to the Company Accountant, has worked for Inkwell Ltd for six months on a full-time basis. This employee possesses relevant experience but does not currently have any accountancy qualifications. However, the Technician is currently studying for the AAT qualification, with the aim of passing the exams within the following year. 4.9 The General Ledger Clerk, who reports directly to the Company Accountant, has worked for Inkwell Ltd for four years on a full-time basis. This employee’s principal responsibilities are to input financial data into the computer system, in order to produce monthly trial balances. This clerk does not possess any accountancy qualifications. 4.10 The Accounts Payable Clerk, who reports directly to the Company Accountant, has worked for Inkwell Ltd for three years on a part-time basis, and already holds a level two AAT qualification, but has expressed an interest in progressing on to the next level. 4.11 The Accounts Receivable Clerk, who reports directly to the Company Accountant, has worked for Inkwell Ltd for three years on a part-time basis. This clerk has worked previously within the accountancy industry, but does not currently possess any relevant qualifications. 4.12 The Costing Technician, who reports directly to the Company Accountant, is  highly experienced and competent within this role and has worked for Inkwell Ltd for seven years on a full-time basis. This employee does not currently possess any relevant qualifications and has expressed their reluctance and unwillingness to participate on any training activities 4.13 The Payroll Clerk, who reports to the Company Accountant, possesses a level two AAT Accounting qualification, and is enthusiastic about progressing further. This employee has worked for Inkwell Ltd for four months on a full-time basis, and has very limited experience of working within a payroll department. 5.REVIEW OF THE ACCOUNTS SYSTEM 5.1 Inkwell’s policy for their large business customers is generally to trade on a cash-with-order basis for the initial three months of custom, and uses the services of a credit reference agency which conducts the necessary credit checks. The Accounts Receivable Clerk is responsible for carrying out the credit checking procedures, and after liaising with the Sales Director regarding accounts which require a credit limit of more than  £1,000 per month, recommends suitable credit terms. This is a strength of the accounting system in that by using the credit reference agency it will determine the ability of new customers to pay their debts. This will prevent fraud in that customers would not be able to purchase goods knowingly that they could not afford to pay for them, so increasing cash flow. This will also have an impact on the integrity of the customer. However the weakness should be that a full limit should be set, in that the customer is not allowed to go over a total limit, otherwise the customer could do four or five months trading up to  £5,000 and this would escalate further if they were non payers, meaning the debts are more likely to go bad. This would have an impact on the cash flow of the business. 5.2 All new credit limits and changes to existing limits of more  £5,000 per month, have to be approved by the Financial Director. Risk management is  essential for a company’s survival and success. This is a strength in the company as any increase in limits have to be authorised by a senior member of the finance team. This will reduce the risk of fraud, in that no individual has control over the customer accounts, and can extend limits for customers for their own personal gain. 5.3 A potential customer may want to know the price of the goods before deciding whether to proceed with a proposed transaction, and will request a quote either by phone, email or in writing. As a means of preventing fraud, due to either party contesting the quotes given, the company’s preferred method of issuing these quotes is by email. Written quotes are supplied on a customer’s request, however, Inkwell likes keep this method of issuance to a minimum, as paper usage has an impact on the environment and goes against the beliefs of the company. Inkwell, also prefer not to give a quote over the phone, as a record cannot be kept regarding the quote given, and there would be no written evidence to support against any disputes that may arise in the future. Before proceeding with the order a customer can make comparisons between the prices given by different suppliers. If the customer accepts the price given by Inkwell, and proceeds with the order, the price quoted is fixed and cannot be changed, which is contrary to that of an estimate being given. This has an effect on the ethical principle of objectivity, in other words the customer would be free from biased. 5.4 Once an order is placed it needs to be checked by the appropriate sales representative. This is important, as the recorded data may contain errors which require correction and checks must be made to see if any data that has been omitted, needs to be added. The order form is then passed onto the Sales Manager for additional checking, approval and authorisation. This is good practice and carrying out this procedure, helps to minimise the chances of fraud being committed and over charging being recorded on the order form. However, there is still the opportunity of fraud and misuse of funds and assets taking place as other unauthorised members of staff still have regular and easy access to the system, so is a weakness in the accounting  system. 5.5 It is important that the customer produce an order number as this will hep track the order, but the most important thing is that the purchase order must be authorised. Without this signature the order will not be processed. This is a great strength in that it will prevent fraud, in that goods could not be obtained for employee’s personal gain, so creating fraud. This helps enhance the ethical principle of integrity. 5.6 Once an order has been processed, it is sent to dispatches, ready for transportation. Once the goods have reached their destination, both the customer and the delivery driver are required to sign the delivery note. This confirms that the goods are been delivered and received. This will prevent fraud, in that the customer could not deny that they have not received the goods.. However, if the delivery personnel collects the signatures from the recipient in paper form rather than collecting these signatures directly on a smartphone or digital tablet, in order to confirm proof of delivery and receipt, there is a danger that the paper form confirmation may be lost in transit or may become misplaced, therefore providing no proof that delivery ever took place. The outcome to this is that the customer can abuse this situation by contesting that any goods were received. Also the use of paper has a negative impact and significantly endangers the environment. Having the delivery note in paper format is not sustainable to the environment. . 5.7 Sales invoices are created and issued via the use of a goods dispatched listing, which are then sent out to the customers on a weekly basis. The person responsible for the issuing of these invoices is the Accounts Receivable Clerk. The clerk also has the responsibility for inputting the sales invoices into the accounts receivable ledger system, which also incorporates the general and accounts payable ledgers, which all run on the Windows Vista software package. There is a severe weakness in this  procedure as the purchase orders, dispatch notes and sales invoices are not reconciled against each other. This is a weakness in the accounting system in that invoices could be sent out for the incorrect amounts, or incorrect customers are invoiced for goods that may have not been received. The impact on the company would be the delay of payment which would have an adverse effect on the company’s cash flow. This would also have an impact of the company’s reputation of profess ional competence. 5.8 Inkwell chooses to issue invoices by email, unless a customer requests a posted version. The email method is easy to use and quick to deliver. As emails do not use paper they are environmentally friendly. However, a problem with using emails is that viruses can be transmitted, but with due care and attention, and a strong security software in place this can be minimised. This is a strength of the company’s system. 5.9 The software for issuing invoices is Sage Line 50 and the invoices are sent out to the trade customers on a weekly basis as instructed by the Finance Manager. As the invoices are processed electronically this helps to minimise the chances of errors and discrepancies. Many handwritten invoices contain errors in the calculations. Another strength of processing invoices using the electronic method is that transactions can be traced. One positive part of the system is that all sales invoices are checked for errors by the Company Accountant, by the use of the double entry checking system. This means that there are no time delays encountered by having to make amendments to invoices returned due to containing discrepancies in the recorded data so increasing cash flow. This also upholds the company reputation of professionalism. 5.10 Inkwell issues credit notes, in order to credit all or part of a sales invoice, for goods which have been returned by the customers. The credit notes have to be counter checked, approved and authorised before they can be issued. However, the Retail Shop Managers’ actions are not controlled nor  monitored. The company has placed trust in these Managers, so they have been given the authority to issue refunds on any returns they consider necessary. This gives a Branch Manager the opportunity to commit fraudulent activities and to manipulate figures, by abusing their position of power in order for personal and financial gain. 5.11 To improve the profitability of collection by stimulating payments and minimising the occurrence of bad debts, customer statements showing the payments made, sales, sales returns and calculations, are dispatched every month, by the Accounts Receivable Clerk. This method can be used as a reminder to customers that payment is expected and therefore prompt them into making a payment on their accounts. The statements inform the customers of the status of their accounts, and enables them to make comparisons between the records they hold and that of the supplier. If a customer discovers a discrepancy regarding any of the transactions recorded, they can contact the supplier to question this. These statements can be used as an effective method to highlight any overdue payments, which need to be chased. The statements prevent fraud by the company in the customer is able to check all the invoices and credit notes issued. This would prevent the company form over stating their account or adding fraudulent invoices to their account. 5.12 Large trade customers have credit terms accounts held with the company. Each customer is given between thirty and sixty days depending on their account status. Trade customers can also benefit from a cumulative discount, each quarter, based on the value of their orders. This incentive is to try and keep a steady flow of business and increase sales, whilst at the same time increasing Inkwell’s cash flow due to the prompt payments that would be generated. This is a strength of the company in that increasing sales will eventually increase the profits of the company, creating sustainability of the company. 5.13 All cash and cheques received are compiled and recorded in the cash receipt book. These amounts are then entered into the system using the Sage Line 50 package, in order to update the applicable customer accounts. The Accounts Receivable Clerk, who receives the payments, has the responsibility of banking them on a twice weekly basis. The cash and cheques are held in the company’s safe for security whilst waiting to be banked. This is a strength as it prevents the opportunity for the funds to be stolen, creating fraud. However, there is an increased risk that the cash or cheques may be lost or misplaced, particularly in the event of the office being in disarray, during times of low staffing levels, disruption and having to meet tight deadlines. If there is a lapse in internal controls regarding the checking and monitoring of the accounts receivable ledger, this creates the opportunity for employees to commit fraud using recognised fraud schemes such as lapping, skimming/hiking, the kiting of cash and cheques, the improper posting of cheques and also cash/cheque substitution. This would not protect the company’s reputation of professionalism and integrity. 5.14 Customers can attach a remittance advice slip with their cheque payment to inform the company that they have made a payment on their account using the BACS method. This slip details the amounts that have been paid, the amounts that are left owing and what is being paid for. By summarising the transaction details, the slip ensures that the correct amount has been paid. Any discrepancies can be questioned with the customer. The remittance advice slip will be kept with the customer’s records, as proof that payment has been received, and can be referred and used as evidence in the future. This is a strength as time is not unnecessarily consumed by having to figure out what part of the invoice the payment relates to, as this has already been clarified by the customer. The advantage to receiving payment in the form of a BACS transfer is good, because this is instant cash and helps to increase the cash flow. However, the receipt by cheque delays the access to cash. This method of payment is slow as the cheque needs to go through the clearing system, and there is a danger that it may be returned by the bank, if the customer has insufficient funds. 5.15 The company has implemented a policy that should be followed when dealing with overdue accounts. If an account is seven days overdue, the customer is telephoned to request immediate payment. If after fourteen days of the telephone call, the payment is still outstanding, the customer will be sent a letter requesting the immediate payment, in order to bring their account up to date. This is a strength of the company as credit control is an important part of the business, and collecting monies would increase the cash flow and sustainability of the company. 5.16 The company is being proactive in trying to collect payments before they turn into bad debts and escalate out of control. An effective approach to the collection of debt helps to boost the company’s cash flow and avoids the assistance of debt collection agencies, which costs the business money. Accounts more than one month overdue are inspected by the Company Accountant. Accounts which are overdue by more than two months are reviewed by both the Finance Director and the Sales Director. However, this procedure is not executed, which is a major problem. Both Directors avoid any involvement as the Finance Director has the opinion that the task is of a tedious nature and the Sales Director is anxious that her involvement will damage her relations with the customers. The liquidity of a company is very important. Without funds, bills cannot be paid and the company may encounter financial difficulty. There is danger that Inkwell’s future may be put at jeopardy if debts are not being actively chased. No money coming in whilst money is going out has a severe impact on the company’s cash flow. If it is known to the customers that the company would not go to a debt collecting agency, then they may take advantage of this and receive goods knowingly that they could not pay so creating fraud 5.17 The computers which are located in the retail outlets are stand-alone computers. These computers are operated by Windows Vista software and all have Microsoft Office 2007 installed. However, there is a weakness in this system. Although, shop employees using these computers are not allowed to upload, download or connect any external devices, which have not been purchased or approved by the company, as per company policy instructions, issued by the Finance Director on 23rd May 2010, there is no way of monitoring this. All the computers have full internet access including email using the Firefox Internet web browser. Although it is advantageous to have all the computers running on the same software and web browser systems, there is a downside, in that each computer must be updated and configured individually, which is costly to the company. Had the systems been networked, this could have been done all at the same time, remotely, thus saving the company time and money. This would have an adverse effect on the company’s data and therefore would not be secure and compliant with the Data Protection Act (1998). This would also have a negative impact on the ethical principle of confidentiality and integrity. 5.18 The company’s entire computer systems are password protected which is a strength. However, the problem is that when the computers were installed seven years ago, they were all given the same password, which is â€Å"Go Green†, and no action has been taken to make any changes to this. This has created a massive weakness regarding all aspects of security within the accounting system. Trade customers’ account and bank details are open to exposure and this increases the risk of being abused. This information can be accessed and stolen by dishonest and untrustworthy persons who use this information with the intention of obtaining financial and personal gain, so creating fraud. The company’s policy handbook clearly states that each computer must be individually password protected and only authorised users are permitted access. Staff are required to maintain the confidentiality of such passwords used in order to protect security. However, the policy is being ignored and abused by staff, who continue to disregard and follow the rules and regulations, which is evident, when shop employees are allowing unauthorised persons to use the computers for social media etc., without seeking the authority from senior management first. This is a serious breach of the computer policy and security, as this leaves records, bank details and other valuable information of other staff members, customers and suppliers, open to exposure, which in turn could lead to identity theft,  fraud and therefore the Data Protection Act of (1998) is being breached. 5.19 The computers are protected by Windows Firewall that helps to protect the network, against hackers’ or viruses. When the controller leaves the workstation unattended, they are required to log off, however, if they forget to do this, each computer has an automatic timeout installed that has been set at five minutes. If no activity has taken place within this duration, the computer will revert to standby mode (hibernation). This saves on energy which is good for the environment. Whilst in the standby mode, any sensitive and confidential information is hidden from prying eyes, preventing fraud such as identity theft, and without the correct password, prevents any access to gain such information. At the end of the working day, all computers are required to be shutdown. Protecting sensitive and confidential information is complying with The Data Protection Act of (1998). To disable the standby mode, the controller has to enter the correct password, which is â€Å"Go Green†. As this password is known and used throughout Inkwell, any employee is able to gain access to this data, and therefore the confidential information is not being protected or secured. It is the company’s moral duty to protect confidential information, and they are breaching the Data Protection Act (1998), which carries with it hefty fines and can result in prosecution. This does not uphold the company’s reputation for confidentiality and integrity. 5.20 The Finance Director issued instructions concerning the updating and backup procedures of all the IT systems as per the extract of the company policy handbook, dated May 2010. These instructions required that all of the IT systems are to be backed up twice per day, once at lunch time and again at the close of business. The Company Accountant instructed the accounts department to back up data once only, and only at the end of the working day. This requirement has been in force since the Accountant joined the company, therefore totally disregarding the Finance Directors updated policy. This breach of company policy has already resulted in unnecessary losses in time and money. A power cut that took place in October of 2010 at  the head office premises, late in the afternoon, resulted in the loss of most of the day’s work. The majority of this information has been re-entered into the system but came at a cost, due to the number of hours that had to be paid in overtime. This is a weakness and was not cost effective for the company, as these extra labour hours could have been used doing other duties. 5.21 Maintenance of the recorded stock levels in reference to the company’s printer cartridges which are held as inventory in both the warehouse and shops are not controlled by a password protected, Microsoft Excel spread sheet. Due to the omission of password protection being implemented in this area means that there is an increased chance of the data being altered, whether by accident or by intention. The opportunity for fraud to take place is heightened and there is no way of preventing this occurrence happening again, unless the system is password protected. This means that the company is not abiding by the guidelines laid down by the Data Protection Act (1998). It means also that the company is not treating its data with the ethical principle of integrity and confidentiality. 5.22 The Finance Director noticed that the company did not have a proper system in place to record any of the company’s business dealings relating to any of the previous years’ transactions, so the decision was made to purchase an archiving package. However, the Financial Director has lost interest since and no longer considers this task a point of priority anymore. Therefore the implementation of this package has wasted valuable time, effort and money. This is a weakness of the accounting system, in that all records must be kept for six years. By purchasing an archiving system that is computerised would mean that the company would be proactively following the guidelines of the Data Protection Act (1998), but it would greatly help the sustainability of the environment, and would reduce the use of paper. 5.23 The Payroll and Personnel Clerk completes the annual VAT returns using Her  Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) guidelines. This highlights the difference between the input tax charged on the company’s purchases and expenses and the output tax which is charged on the supplies and goods sold to the customers. The net difference indicates whether payment is due to or from HMRC. It is of the upmost importance that the VAT 100 forms are completed promptly and accurately and that payment is made before the deadline is reached. Penalties for submitting a return form late are severe. The Company Accountant is responsible for checking that the details recorded are correct and then passes this form to the Finance Director for re-checking. This is a strength as it minimised the chances of discrepancies occurring or any fraudulent activities being committed. It is against the Law to falsify or omit any information that should be recorded on the VAT 100 form. The company are complying with the VAT Act 1994, s72 (1), (2) and (3) and The Fraud Act 2006. 5.24 The Income Statement and Other Comprehensive Income shows the performance of the company over a given period. This statement shows the company’s income, expenses and the resultant profit or loss figure. The profit or loss can be calculated by deducting all of the expenses incurred including finance expenses and tax costs from the revenue earned to show the profit/loss made. This statement shows entries made using the accruals method. This means that revenue and expenses are matched with each other and recorded when they are recognised (earned/incurred) and not when they are realised (cash received/payment made). Users can analyse the statements and make comparisons with previous years or with other competitors. Both Private Ltd companies and Public Ltd Companies are required by law to submit this statement with the other accompanying statements to Companies House. Various accounting ratios to measure the profitability of the company can be calculated using the financial information as shown on the statement, such as the Gross Profit %, Operating Profit %, and Expense and Revenue %. 5.25 The Statement of Financial Position also referred to as the Balance Sheet shows the company’s assets, liabilities and equity at a given date, and is  useful for interested parties to ascertain the financial health of the business. A formula which is associated with this statement is Assets – Liabilities = Equity. Assets are what the company owns, liabilities are what the company owes and the equity is the residual interest after the liabilities have been deducted from the assets. This statement used in conjunction with the other financial statements can help to assist users when making economic decisions, such as investing, lending, or acquisition etc. This statement can be compared with those of the previous financial years or with the statements of other competitors. The principal users are mainly, investors, lenders and creditors, and like the Income Statement, the Statement of Financial Position also needs to be submitted to Companies House, if the reporting entity is a Private Ltd Company or a Public Ltd Company. Financial information recorded in this statement can be used to calculate various accounting ratios used to measure the Company’s liquidity, effective use of the company’s resources, their financial position and their gearing (the measuring of how much the company is financed by debt). 5.26 The Statement of Changes in Equity is part of the set of the financial statements that accompany each other and shows how the equity has changed over the specific year. The statement links information contained in the Statement of Profit and Loss and Comprehensive Income with that contain in the Statement of Financial Position. The Statement of Changes in Equity shows the entries for ordinary capital shares, share premium, retained earnings, dividends, and unrealised gains on assets etc. 5.27 The Statement of Cash Flow shows the changes in inflows (money coming in) and outflows (money going out) over the financial accounting period in reference to Operating activities, Investing activities and Financing activities. The financial information recorded on the statement gives a user the opportunity to see how feasible it is for the company’s to generate future cash flows, and to assess the company’s ability to meet its obligations and to pay its shareholders their dividends. 5.28 The company does not hold any regular staff meetings and is a weakness in the accounting system. Staff meetings are an effective way to get employees to engage and communicate with each other; sharing and exchanging information and new ideas. Such a meeting would also give staff the opportunity to flag up any problems or issues which need to be addressed. When important decisions regarding the company have been made without the involvement of employees, they can be left feeling frustrated that they have not been given a voice. When the staff members feel undervalued and de-motivated, performance and productivity are affected. Employees may commit fraud as they feel justified by their actions. The number of employee absences may increase and the company will find it difficult to supply their customers as staff shortages may cause delays, due to increased workloads having to be performed by fewer staff members, costing the company money and may damage their reputation. 5.29 The only form of discussion between the departments is via email. Although there is an advantage to using this method of communication, such as convenience, quick delivery, lack of paper (sustainable for the environment), and cost effective, there are also several disadvantages to using this method, as it creates less social contact, messages can be misinterpreted, viruses can be downloaded, unwanted spam, and security issues. Another problem that could have a negative effect on the company is the tension that exists between the Finance Director and the Company Accountant, which has been on-going ever since the Finance Director joined the company two years ago. The Company Accountant was resentful that he was overlooked for this position and feels like he had been demoted. 5.30 The staff members do not get any form of appraisal which would highlight any performance issues relating to each employee. Therefore there is no way of filtering the staff that is underperforming to those that are exceeding requirements and should be considered suitable for promotion. This is a weakness of the company, and not cost effective as employees feel  undervalued and would not work as hard as they should. This will have an adverse effect on the ethical principle of professional competence. 5.31 The company has an issue with regards to staff training. Rather than investing in training courses that would be advantageous to both new and existing employees, the company only provides a one day crash course for new employees. This gives cause for concern as there is no fully trained staff available to cover in the absence of their peers. Also the company does not actively seek to encourage staff to further their skills by encouraging them to participate on any training programmes or courses. This can leave staff feeling demotivated and demoralised. Therefore the employee may become unproductive and uncooperative, which has a negative impact on the company. The company may have an excessive turnover of staff, as employees resign due to the lack of future prospects being made available this can result in a decrease in the overall efficiency of the company, which can cost them dearly. This is a weakness of the system, and is not following the ethical principle of professional competence 5.32 The company does not have any contingency plan in place when it comes to staff absences and so is a weakness of the system. Staff members who are not familiar with the duties of their peers cannot help. This is due to the fact that they cannot get access to useful material such as instruction manuals, guidance tools, help menus, instruction sheets and helplines, as the company have not produced nor made any available. Therefore work does not get done and this has a severe impact on the company as workloads increase, delays occur and errors are made. This can be costly to the company and can damage their reputation of professionalism. 5.33 The company does not have any staff that are adequately trained on work on other practices. This became evident in the month of September when problems linked to the initial stages of the new integrated payroll and personnel system was causing difficulty. The Payroll and Personnel Clerk,  who was only given one day’s intensive training on the system, confessed that she was still struggling to operate the system, even after a month of having worked with it. As no other member of staff was trained on the system, the Payroll and Personnel Clerk had no one to approach who she could ask for help and advice. Another issue that could cause further problems is in the event of the clerk becoming absent from work due to sickness or annual leave, this would have a negative impact on the company because they would have no one who could temporarily cover their role. This is a weakness of the accounting system. 5.34 There is a set of help menus for staff to use on the Sage Line 50 package to help them operate the system correctly. There are step by step guides, online tutorials and PDF guidelines made available, and if any staff member still requires help, they have access to a further phone and email support service. This is a strength as it is cost effective for the company meaning that staff are not tied up shadowing a new employee and are able to still carry on with their own duties. 5.35 Without sacrificing quality, and working towards ensuring a greener environment, Inkwell chooses to use products that are environmentally friendly. This includes the usage of recycled paper that is purchased from specialist suppliers. All employees are required to adhere to the company’s policy of discarding any of unused paper in the recycling bin, which is then sold to a recycling company. Inkwell encourages customers to bring in their old unused ink cartridges in exchange for purchasing re-manufactured ones, and as an incentive Inkwell offers these customers a 10% discount. The company also recycles its own unused ink cartridges, and sends these along with the old cartridges brought in by the customers, to a small number of manufacturers for refilling. This is a strength of the company’s system. 5.36 As an effective way of exposing their existence and improving their image within the community, Inkwell Ltd sponsors the local neighbourhood clean-up  scheme. This helps install pride within the community. Inkwell also receives an incentive from the Government for their involvement. The clean-up scheme brings members of community together, in their quest to clear the streets of refuge and litter. Walls and signs remain free from graffiti. Children can play safely in the streets, and wildlife remains out of harms reach. The clean environment is attracting new home seekers, and visitors therefore bringing more money into the community. Employment is rising due to the influx of visitors and the increasing consumer demand that comes with it, resulting in a happy and satisfied community who look favourably upon Inkwell Ltd. 6. WEAKNESSES 6.1 The company’s high street shops use standalone computers that are not connected to the network. A problem is encountered when installation of new software is required, as this cannot be installed simultaneously but must be installed on an individual basis; this operation is time consuming. Frequent upgrading coupled with regular maintenance is common, and this comes at a price, therefore this is not cost effective for the company. It is difficult to control and monitor the activities performed on these computers so there is a risk of fraud going undetected. A lapse in the adequate security of keeping confidential information protected is violating the Data Protection Act (1998). 6.2. Inkwell uses the password of â€Å"Go Green† throughout the whole company, which is common knowledge. The company is not adequately protecting the privacy of the sensitive information held on individuals, and this increases the risk of fraud. Employees are not demonstrating good ethical practices as they are allowing unauthorised users access to confidential data, which increases the opportunity to commit fraud by abuse and misuse. The company is legally and morally obliged to protect confidential information under the Data Protection Act (1998), but this is being breached. Compliance with the company’s own IT policy is not being adhered to either, as this policy specifically contains clear instructions that all company computers must be  individually password protected. 6.3 Inkwell’s policy that was updated in May 2010 by the Finance Director, gives clear instructions that all IT systems must be fully backed up twice per day. This action should be performed around midday and also at the close of business. The new company policy created by the Finance Director is not being complied with. An incident occurred when the company lost data and this came at a cost to the company in both time and money, and therefore they were negligent in their actions. This is not demonstrating good professional business practices. 6.4 The Microsoft Office Excel program used to store and control inventory levels is password protected but is still awaiting set up procedures necessary to restrict access to authorised users only. At present access is available to all users, which is not complying with the Data Protection Act of (1998), as confidential information is not being adequately protected. Unrestricted access to confidential information increases the risk of fraud, as it creates an opportunity for identity theft and gives a perpetrator the freedom to alter or manipulate the data. The company is not demonstrating good business ethics of integrity and confidentiality, through its negligence to protect confidential information, and they are violating the Data Protection Act (1998). 6.5 On the delivery of goods, the driver and the customer are required to sign a delivery note that shows proof of delivery and receipt. The company uses a paper based proof of delivery. The usage of paper has a damaging effect on the environment, and goes against the company’s beliefs, and this is not sustainable to the environment 6.6 Tension and conflict between the Finance Director and Company Accountant, who are not working together, is having an negative impact on the planning and  organising of work that needs to be carried out and completed. As a result the Accounting Technician has not been able to complete all the tasks that have been given to him, by both parties, but this has gone unnoticed. Work that demands priority and that must meet tight deadlines is left uncompleted and put to the side. Payments are not being collected in a timely manner and this is costing the company money. This is not cost effective for the company. The Finance Director no longer has interest in the projects that he gave to the Accounting Technician to complete, which had initially been considered a matter of importance. Any work that has accumulated regarding these projects has resulted in valuable time, effort and money being wasted, which is also not cost effective for the company. Delays are increased as employees are unable to carry out work until others have finished theirs. These delays have a negative impact on the company’s reputation because they are unable to supply a professional and reliable service. 6.7 Contingency plans are not put in place for the absence of employees who carry out tasks that require day to day processing. Sales invoices were not processed for the period covering the last two weeks of July as the Accounts Receivable Clerk was on annual leave. The company’s negligence in adequately covering this post has resulted in the credit control activities not being carried out, so monies due during this period were left uncollected. This has an impact on the company’s cash flow and is not cost effective for the company. 6.8 Inkwell accepts payment in the form of cheque as well as other methods. Payment by cheque delays the access to funds, as it must go through a three day clearing cycle process, which does not operate on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays. Even at the end of this process there is no guarantee that payment will be granted as the cheque may be returned to drawer has insufficient funds in their bank account. This is not cost effective for the company and can have a serious impact on the company’s cash flow and profitability. 6.9 Any customer accounts overdue by three months should be referred to a debt collecting agency who works on the behalf of the company to recover any debts owed. This is in accordance with the company’s policy. However, in reality, this policy is rarely followed. The Sales Director, concerned that the active pursuance of any of these outstanding debts may jeopardise the good relations she currently has with the customers, has decided to avoid the involvement of the debt collecting agency. Consequently, Inkwell’s cash flow is negatively impacted due to the lack of money coming in and this is not cost effective for the company. Trade receivables are mounting up significantly and bad debts are increasingly that will ultimately result in having to write them off. This loss in earnings will have to be borne by the company as the funds may become irrecoverable. 6.10 The company do not have regular meetings that give the staff the opportunity to share and exchange information between each other. Regular staff meetings could ensure that better decisions are made through effective communication, and enable staff to disclose any department issues. Because regular meetings are not put in place, this has a negative impact on the company because they are unable operate in an effective and efficient manner. The company is not demonstrating good business practices as employees get demoralised when they feel unappreciated, undervalued and disrespected. This is not cost effective for the company. 6.11 Inkwell Ltd does not have a performance appraisal program put in place in order to monitor the professional development of their employees. Performance appraisals can help to motivate staff and improve company morale, as staff become mindful that good performance can result in promotion and recognition. Due to the non-existence of these programs, management are unable to identify and address any issues or basic training needs of the staff, and therefore are not in a position to offer suitable training that would help staff become better at performing their jobs. This is not making the company cost effective or competitive within the industry 6.12 Inkwell do not offer training programmes to either new or existing employees, nor do they actively encourage staff to engage and participate on any suitable courses, in order to gain new skills, knowledge and qualifications. In a rapidly changing environment, Inkwell needs to be conscious that roles and responsibilities are continually evolving, and should respond to this by ensuring that employees are provided with appropriate job-related training to ensure that they have the necessary skills and knowledge in order to carry out their jobs in an effective manner. The company is not ensuring that the staff are acting with professional competence. 6.13 The company have not produced, nor have they provided any on-site instruction manuals that can be used by employees as guidance tools that are a valuable source of reference. In the absence of staff at short notice, due to sickness, other employees cannot be relied upon to carry out tasks of an unfamiliar nature, as they do not have adequate documentation to hand that contains information that can help guide and instruct the employee to carry out a particular task. This will have a negative impact on labour efficiency in that staff would be shadowing new employees and could be neglecting their own work. 7. RECOMMENDATIONS 7.1 Inkwell needs to remove the standalone computers and replace them with a full networked system. The accounting team would then be able to share data, access information and automatically update all the systems at once. This would save the company money in the long run as once installed it would be far more efficient and increase productivity. A quote can be arranged once decisions have been made concerning company requirements. His is a major overhaul which would be beneficial for the company in the long run, but would require further investigation ensure that the best product was purchased for the best price. 7.2 To comply with The Data Protection Act (1998), Inkwell must make regular updates to password protection every quarter and passwords should be a mixture of alphanumeric characters. Each password should be checked for complexity. Only the employee and the line manager are to know the password. Once in force this will comply with the Data Protection Act (1998). This would not cost the company any money, just for the IT department to set this in place as most computer software has the facility to secure the data. This would enhance the AAT’s code of professional ethics of integrity and confidentiality, and also make them compliant with the law. 7.3 The Accounts Department and Company Accountant must comply with the company policy on backing up the IT system twice daily. This will prevent any possible data loss by accident or otherwise. This will in turn entice other staff to follow suit which will ensure ethical behaviour within the company. This will not cost the company any money as a procedure would need to be typed up or the Finance Manager would put a rota in the daily schedule. It would cost a few labour hours, but as the staff are on salary this would be part of their daily routine. The benefit to the company would be that they would not have to pay extra wages for re-inputting the data lost and therefore make the company more cost effective and competitive within the industry. 7.4 An accurate and updated list with authorised signatories to make entries in the general ledger is of upmost importance to guarantee security of customers’ accounts and prevent fraud. All sales staff should enter transaction information on the relevant sales data spreadsheet and sign it then pass it to the manager for counter checking and password protection before it is forwarded to the Accounts Receivable Clerk. This action will prevent fraud and be insignificant in regards to the cost of implementation. This would not cost the company anything, but the IT department could establish this system, or it could be written up in the company policy  making it mandatory for the employees to do this. The benefit for the company would be that the company would be able to see who made certain transactions and would be able to detect any fraudulent activities and who done them. 7.5 The company should consider investing in electronic signature capture equipment which would remove the problem of paper delivery notes when goods are delivered. It will cost the company initially but will pay for itself in the long term as it would guarantee a traceable signature of the receipt of goods including the data and time and also remove the impact on environmental sustainability. An on line quote from Topaz Systems INC revealed a price of  £86.00 Excluding VAT per device (see Appendix 8.2). This would be beneficial for sustainability of the environment. 7.6 The attitudes of both the Finance Director and Company Accountant need to be addressed. As senior management, they should both pay more attention and interest to reviewing the tasks of staff and ensuring the tasks are being completed correctly and on time. Management should also ensure the tasks are being distributed to the correct staff which will improve efficiency and performance with no costs to the company. It is important that any differences between the senior heads of management are kept behind closed doors. This is being professional and the impact on the company would mean that it would be a happier place to work in, and would lead to better output, making the company more competitive within the industry. 7.7 All invoices must be raised day to day without fail as delayed invoices create delayed payments from customers which reduces the cash flow. The company need to address staff annual leave so as to avoid a situation where there is no cover to continue the day to day invoicing. The company should also promote staff training so that employees are trained on more than one job to allow for any emergency staff absence. It could be that the company could employ agency staff for the cover, but this would come at a cost,  depending on the agency. This would require further investigation to see if the benefits of employing agency staff would actually improve the cash flow of the business. The cheaper option would be for better planning within the company ensuring that all jobs are covered when employees are on holiday. 7.8 The company should look at phasing out the receipt of cheques and promote the use of BACs transfers as the preferred payment method. This allows the company instant control and visibility of all payments and collections, and allows review of the cash analysis. It is the most secure method of payment for the company and customer, prevents fraud and is of no further cost to the company as it is already a system in use by most companies. 7.9 The Sales Director and Company Accountant must review any account that is more than two months overdue and same again when three months overdue. By complying with company policy on this, the Sales Director should promptly pass the matter on to the debt collecting agency in order to recover the money and reduce the debt becoming bad. It will cost the company  £100 plus 25% of any recovered funds but will increase cash flow. However, if overdue accounts are reviewed sooner there is a stronger possibility of avoiding involvement of the debt collecting agency. The fact that this would increase cash flow would able the business to be more competitive within the industry. 7.10 The management must commence regular staff meetings in which any needs or problems can be addressed. Regular meetings will be valuable and important as it will give the staff confidence that the company is listening and acting on any issues they have raised. These could also include the awareness of fraud and the importance of rules and guidelines relating to the Data Protection Act (1998). The costs incurred to introduce regular meetings will be minimal in respect of man hours but will benefit the company in the long term as any problems get resolved and will streamline the running of the business. 7.11 The company should implement staff appraisals as this will allow feedback relating to productivity and performance of each employee. Appraisals have been known to improve staff morale, efficiency, motivation and job satisfaction, and can highlight any training requirements needed. A professional company could be employed to provide this service, but is too costly. A decision was made to devise their own SWOT analysis form and a Performance and Development Plan form, which will cost the company minimal hours of labour only (see Appendix 8.3). This would improve on the AAT’s code of professional ethics in professional competence. 7.12 Regular training programs should be implemented for staff awareness of their role within the company. Regular training will help staff be more accurate and competent to do their job which helps the company and employee, and in the long term is cost effective for the company. An online quote was carried out to find out the cost of a self-study payroll package for levels 1 and 2. The price is  £125.00 exempt of VAT (see Appendix 8.4). This would ensure that staff were up to date with their knowledge making them professionally competent. The company could send their staff to the local training provider and this would enhance sustainability in the community. 7.13 Staff should produce an instruction manual detailing their responsibilities and tasks. This would cost the company minimal labour hours in production but would help the company by allowing staff to concentrate on the task in hand rather than being too focused on training others. This would also ensure the task would be accurately and effectively. This would make the company more cost effective and competitive within the industry. As staff are salaried, this would just be an extra job in their daily routine and the only cost would be the printing of the manuals, however putting the manuals on the staff intranet would not cost money in stationery and printing making it sustainable for the environment.