Explore the differences between working with individuals and working with groups in the community context Free Essays

When looking at community work firstly one must try ad define what is meant when talking about the community. Community can have many different meaning and due to this can be very hard to find one answer to help us to understand the word community. According to the dictionary community is ‘a group of people living in one place, the public in general’ ( Collins pocket dictionary, Collins, 1982) although this offers a place to start it doesn’t help us to understand community it’s self. We will write a custom essay sample on Explore the differences between working with individuals and working with groups in the community context or any similar topic only for you Order Now Both community and youth work both have totally different aims and have changed over the years. Youth work traditionally started as a form of informal education as a way of getting children involved with different activities although now it is becoming more and more formal. It started of as a collective idea where young people in the same social background could meet and the youth workers could work with them around these issues. Ultimately until very recently youth workers just helped the youth to over come their problems. Now in the modern society it is moving much more towards formal education where the youth workers take an active role on the administrating of the education of the youth. Working with individuals compared to groups of the community is totally different and throws up totally different problems. I’m going to look at the advantages of both first and then apply them to some common community issues to see which works best when put into perspective. Individual work usually involves working on a one to one basis with some one either simply talking about issues that worry them or offering help with a problem that they have. A huge advantage of working one to one is the fact that you can offer confidentiality to that person who has approached you. Due to this it enables the person the open up a lot more as they know that it isn’t going to be over heard by any other person. Working on this basis also allows much more sensitive issues to be addressed, like the issues of the home background. By working one to one it enables you to get a lot more information out of the individual that maybe they are ashamed to address in public. By using this way of helping people you can form strong bonds between you and the person who you are helping and trust can be built up from here. Eventually becoming a friend of the person and being seen less as a helper but more of an equal, this type of relationship can also a big help when dealing with emotional problems. Since the worker becomes more of an equal rather than a helper it can be addressed in a more relaxed way and hopefully be more beneficial to the individual. Although individual work has many strengths it doesn’t go without its weaknesses. By just having a one to one session the person does not have the social contact with they may need and attain by talking it though as a group. It also fails to let the individual know that they are not the only one with the problem that they have. By addressing it as a group the whole group can share their feeling on the issue but one a one to one basis the person becomes very self reliant on that issue and can some times fail to notice tat they aren’t the only ones suffering form that problem. Community workers only a have small money pots. By offering one to one help for everyone with a problem would be stupid. Individual sessions take up more time than group work and therefore allow the money that would be spent on the workers hours to be spent on other things like a project for raising awareness of sexual health. One aim of community work is to gain a sense of belonging and togetherness within that chosen area. By address each problem on a one to one basis it defeats the problem. Surely by addressing the problem as a group it would bring about a sense of understanding. By working with just individual people there is always the problem with the fact that they could become attached to that person or even dependant on you, which ideally should not happen as they should be learning to trust their peer group not an outsider. Although it may not happen on a regular basis it is still a problem of one on one interview. Group work although at first many seem a good idea has its down falls as well. Originally used on mass by the uniformed organisations, it offers a way of getting to know each other in a relaxed environment. Using group worked in the community has big advantages. Since community can mean togetherness by addressing a problem as a group it allows everyone to be come involed. Take for example crime. By working as group to address it, it is both easier and How to cite Explore the differences between working with individuals and working with groups in the community context, Papers

Finance Portfolio Management

Question: Discuss about theFinance Portfolio Management. Answer: Brazilian Stock Market Brazilian Stock Market, commonly known as BOVESPA, is one of the oldest stock market in the world. BOVESPA, founded on 23rd August, 1890, is situated at Sao Paulo, Brazil. There is a long history of Brazilian Stock Market. The year of 90s was the time of straggle for the Brazilian Stock Market. The market was losing ground in the world economy due to the lack of protection for shareholders, uncertainty in investment and the lack of technology. There was not proper management and transparency. However, Plano Real was the game changer for the Brazilian Share Market. Plano Real was an initiative taken by the Brazilian Government to revive the share market of Brazil (Hennings and Rocha 2013). The growth was due to a significant inflow of capital from the foreign market. This is the reason that BOVESPA is the fifth largest bourse in the world from the perspective of the participation from the foreign investors. The main reasons behind this significant participation of foreign investors are the high rate of internal interest and the revitalization initiatives taken by the Government. The percentage investment of foreign investors in July, August and September of 2011 was 33%, 34% and 36%. The growing investment percentages are showing the progress of The Brazilian Share Market (Sum and Wang 2014). There is a huge role of the Brazilian Share Market in the economic development of the country. First of all, this progress has improved the international image of Brazil to the whole world. On the other hand, the deficit management system has been improved as the Government is able to finance the deficits for much longer period of time with less interest rate. There is a good opportunity of costs reductions and capital expenditures (Janakiraman and Radhakrishnan 2015). The Brazilian Security Market is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil, widely known as CVM. The full form of CVM is Commissao de Valores Mobiliarios. CVM has the authority to monitor the stock exchange and securities market as well as the Central Bank. The laws which govern the Brazilian Stock Market is Law no. 10,198 dated 14th February 2001, Law no. 10,303 dated 31st October 2001 and Law no. 10,411 dated 26th February. These laws have all the necessary rules, regulations and descriptions for the smooth running of the share market of Brazil. CVM has many works to regulate the share market of Brazil. CVM continuously monitor the share market to know where development is necessary. CVM is responsible for the efficient functioning of the share market of the Brazil. Protection of investors is another job of CVM (www.cvm.gov.br 2016). Difference Between ASX and BOVESPA The function of a share market is same all over the world. However, there are some differences exist due to the change in country. Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and Brazilian Stock Exchange (BOVESPA) are two best stock exchanges in the world. The differences between these two stock exchanges are discussed below: The ASX is the ninth largest stock market in the world by market capitalization. The amount of average daily turnover in ASX is $ 4,685 million. SP/ASX 200 is the most important market index in ASX. The market capitalization amount of ASX is $ 1.6 trillion. The main products and services of ASX is shares, exchange trade options, warrants, options, real estate investment, listed investments and others. The trading currency of Australian Share Market is Australian Dollar (www.asx.com.au 2016). The BOVESPA or Brazilian Stock Market is the fifth largest stock market in the world by the amount of foreign investments. The capitalization amount of BOVESPA is US $ 1.22 trillion. This significant amount of market capitalization has made BOVESPA the 13 the larger stock market at the end of 2011. There are 381 companies trading in the Brazilian Stock Market. The currency of Brazilian Share Market is Brazilian Real (www.bmfbovespa.com.br 2016). From the above discussion it is clear that there is some major difference between ASX and BOVESPA. The difference is the raking. ASX is the 9th largest bourse in the world where the BOURSE is the 13th largest bourse in the world. There is also difference in the market capitalization amount. The market capitalization amount in ASX is higher than the BOVESPA. The reason is the condition of economy. The Australian economy is better than the Brazilian Economy. The Brazilian economy went through a very tough time. However, it is commendable that Brazil has recovered from that bad time and today BOVESPA is the 5th largest bourse in terms of the foreign investors. References Asx.com.au. (2016).Home - Australian Securities Exchange - ASX. [online] Available at: https://www.asx.com.au/ [Accessed 29 Sep. 2016]. Bmfbovespa.com.br. (2016).BMFBOVESPA Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange. [online] Available at: https://www.bmfbovespa.com.br/en_us/index.htm [Accessed 29 Sep. 2016]. Cvm.gov.br. (2016).HOME. [online] Available at: https://www.cvm.gov.br/subportal_ingles/ [Accessed 29 Sep. 2016]. Hennings, K. and Rocha, F.A., 2013. Evolution of Capital Flows to the Brazilian Economy after 2008.Banco Central del Brasil, indito. Janakiraman, S. and Radhakrishnan, S., 2015. Discussion of The Effects of Corporate Governance and Product Market Competition on Analysts' Forecasts: Evidence from the Brazilian Capital Market.The International Journal of Accounting,50(3), pp.340-346. Sum, V. and Wang, A., 2014. Economic Growth, Stock Market Performance, Economic Growth Uncertainty and Foreign Participation in Local Equity Market: A Cross-Sectional Examination of 63 Countries.Stock Market Performance, Economic Growth Uncertainty and Foreign

Impact of Brand Image on Consumer Buying Behavior

Question: Discuss about the Impact of Brand Image on Consumer Buying Behavior. Answer: Introduction: Accounting is a technique of identifying, recording, analyzing, evaluating, summarizing and communicating important financial information to internal and external users with an aim to assist them in interpreting relevant data (Weil, Schipper Francis, 2013). Managers use accounting information to understand consumers preference and their buying behavior. Every organization must design effective accounting system to provide timely and accurate report to various departments including the marketing department so that these departments can use the information for understanding and forecasting important matters (Aguilar et al., 2013). Thus, effective accounting practice is beneficial to entire organization. Profession and being professional: Profession is an occupation for which individuals undergo formal training and acquire intensive education through professional courses from recognized university or educational institution. Professionals provide counseling and services to clients and charge a predetermined compensation in turn, irrespective of whether the client incurs loss or earns profitability from the business (Aguilar et al., 2013). Professionals are generally not involved in any physical labor. They are competent in providing mental labor in the area of their expertise. They follow strict code of conduct and represent a body of professionals (King Fitzgerald, 2016). Accounting as a profession: Accounting profession has definite principles, methods and fundamentals and thus it is actually a pure profession. Accounting professionals can be private accounting professionals who work as an employee in an organization or public accounting professionals who are self employed and obtain a license to practice on their own. Accounting professionals can be engaged in different areas of specialization depending on the degree that they obtained and keen interest that they have in a particular subject (Carrington et al., 2013). The demand for accounting professionals has been rising continuously. Every economy is suffering from big corporate frauds and scams. Professional accountants play an important role in fighting corporate corruptions and fraud. The role of professionals like Income Tax officers and auditors in the corporate world is given due importance. Various legislations have made the audit of company by independent auditor mandatory for every accounting period. The auditors can help in preventing fraud by giving an independent, true and fair view of the accounting position of the company (Rezaee Kedia, 2012). Income Tax Officers ensure that the tax obligations are met within due date. Buying behavior is the study of pattern of purchase and consumption of various products and services by ultimate consumers be it individuals or group of individuals for personal consumption or organizations for business purpose (Solomon, 2014). Brand image is the set of beliefs and overall impression of prospective customers about a particular brand (Rocereto, Kwak Puzakova, 2015). It indicates the position of a brand in the market as compared to other substitute and competitive products. Consumers form an emotional and mental image with regard to a brand through observation and accumulation of knowledge about the company (Anselmsson, Vestman Bondesson Johansson, 2014). Accounting plays an important role in formation of brand image and thus it affects consumers buying behavior as well. Companys Income Statement and Balance Sheet shows the financial position of the company. It helps consumers to understand the liquidity, cash flow, net worth status of the company. Consumers use annual reports and other available data to evaluate the reputation of the company. Accounting also provides data, which are specific to customers. These data give details about the order processing, shipping details and commitment of the company to deliver the products on time. Thus, if a company fails to meet the expectation of customers, it affects the buying behavior negatively. If the reports show that the company is committed to provide quality service, the consumers tend to get attracted towards the brand. To explain the concept of brand image and consumer buying behavior To indicate the components of consumer buying behavior To discuss the impact of brand image on consumer buying behavior. Objectives and Research Questions: Which the term brand image means What is the concept of consumer buying behavior What is the impact of brand image on consumer buying behavior? How can the company create a good brand image? Time Horizon: Main activities Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Study of Contextual Background v Selection of the Topic v Collection of secondary data v Composition of literature review v Results and findings v Analysis of the report v Conclusion v Final submission v Figure 1: Gantt chart Created by: Author Consumer Buying Behavior: Consumer buying behavior is a complex term, which is concerned with different aspects of buying behavior from the decision to purchase to the final disposal and use of the product or service (Solomon, 2014) The following diagram shows systematic process of consumer purchasing decision influenced by consumer buying behavior: Different research methods are used to analyze what makes a particular consumer to buy a product and reject another (Claiborne Sirgy, 2015). Consumer buying behavior is influenced by various factors like personal psychological factors, prevailing political and legal factors, the existing geographical social conditions and marketing promotion strategies adopted by the company. While studying consumer behavior, not only the activities and decisions undertaken by consumers before purchase of the product, service, experience or ideas are considered but also the disposal and consumption activities of consumers are taken into account. It is a difficult task for marketing managers to predict and understand the consumers and their buying behavior (Juster, 2015). Consumer buying behavior is affected by following factors: The cultural factors Social factors like family, friends and other reference groups Personal factors like age group, gender, nationality Psychological factors like motivation and perception. Brand Image: Marketing managers are always concerned about maintenance of brand image. Brand is a unique feature of a product, which distinguishes it from the products of the competitors. A brand may be the name of the company, its logo or any other sign or symbol which defines and differentiates the product (Anselmsson, Vestman Bondesson Johansson, 2014). A customer evaluates all the available brands to which he has access and develops brand relationship based on the differentiating features, which attract mind of the customer (Tukej, Golob Podnar, 2013). Brand image is considered one of the most valuable assets a company can have and indicates all the visible traits, visible representations, tangible and intangible qualities of the product (Rocereto, Kwak Puzakova, 2015). Brand image is specifically related to a product or service and indicates expectation of the customers to meet the promises . Impact of Brand Image on Consumer Buying Behavior: Brand image is one of the most important factors that influence the consumer buying behavior. In industries like banking and tele- communication, brand image plays significant role in influencing consumer-buying behavior. Consumers evaluate different attributes of a product before making a purchase decision (lensen, 2015). If the product has a great brand image, it directly influences consumer perception about the product, which ultimately affects the purchase decision-making process. Researchers consider study of brand awareness and brand image as the first step in conducting the research on consumer behavior (Malik et al., 2013). A great brand is the psychological and intangible value of a product that the customers have in their mind. Customer satisfaction creates customer loyalty and customer preference, which ultimately result in brand image. If a product has a good brand image but the consumers have negative buying behavior, the company has scope to increase the sales by creating good brand image through various marketing strategies. Good brand image and positive buying behavior is the win-win situation. If the consumers have positive buying behavior towards a product but the product has a bad brand image, there are high chances that consumers will change their preferences. Again bad brand image and negative behavior requires urgent attention of marketing managers to improve the situation. Findings and analysis: Consumer buying pattern is very unpredictable and is a matter of concern for marketing managers (Kardes, Cronley Cline, 2014). The main motive of a company engaged in providing any kind of services, ideas, knowledge or product is to beat the competition and attract consumers to buy their product instead of those of the competitors. In formulating the marketing strategies, the companies always consider how consumers perceive the products that the company is offering. The consumer perception depends on the ability of the company to meet their expectation and is termed as brand image. If the company fails to keep the promises it makes, it affects the brand image. The consumers shift their buying decision to some other alternative. Brand image is an invaluable asset, which is difficult to regain in this competitive market. Thus, every company tries to maintain and improve the brand image in the eyes of customers. Conclusion: It can be concluded that accounting as a profession has very bright future. The importance of accounting professionals is rising day by day. Accounting plays an important role in marketing management too (van Helden Alsem, 2016). It provides information to consumers on which the consumers base their decision. Apart from the financial position, brand image is a factor, which influences the buying decision of consumers. Consumers make their purchase decision after evaluating a number of tangible and intangible key attributes of the product. Brand image reflects these attributes and is a sign, symbol, name or logo of the company, which is widely used by the consumers to recognize the product. Brand image is considered the most important factor in influencing consumer buying behavior. The consumer perception about the quality is influenced by the brand image. This perception has direct impact on consumer buying behavior. Hence, it can be said that brand image has direct impact on consum er buying behavior. References: Aguilar, A., Stupans, I., Scutter, S., King, S. (2013). Towards a definition of professionalism in Australian occupational therapy: Using the Delphi technique to obtain consensus on essential values and behaviours.Australian occupational therapy journal,60(3), 206-216. Anselmsson, J., Vestman Bondesson, N., Johansson, U. (2014). Brand image and customers' willingness to pay a price premium for food brands.Journal of Product Brand Management,23(2), 90-102. Carrington, T., Johansson, T., Johed, G., hman, P. (2013). An empirical test of the hierarchical construct of professionalism and managerialism in the accounting profession.Behavioral Research in Accounting,25(2), 1-20. Claiborne, C. B., Sirgy, M. J. (2015). Self-image congruence as a model of consumer attitude formation and behavior: A conceptual review and guide for future research. InProceedings of the 1990 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 1-7). Springer International Publishing. Hollensen, S. (2015).Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Juster, F. T. (2015).Anticipations and purchases: An analysis of consumer behavior. Princeton University Press. Kardes, F., Cronley, M., Cline, T. (2014).Consumer behavior. Cengage Learning. King, R., Fitzgerald, L. (2016). 10. Challenges facing the accounting profession: maintaining relevance in a changing environment.Perspectives on Contemporary Professional Work: Challenges and Experiences, 187. Malik, M. E., Ghafoor, M. M., Iqbal, H. K., Ali, Q., Hunbal, H., Noman, M., Ahmad, B. (2013). Impact of brand image and advertisement on consumer buying behavior.World Applied Sciences Journal,23(1), 117-122. Rezaee, Z., Kedia, B. L. (2012). Role of corporate governance participants in preventing and detecting financial statement fraud.Journal of Forensic Investigative Accounting,4(2), 176-205. Rocereto, J. F., Kwak, H., Puzakova, M. (2015). The Role of Self-Concept Brand Image Congruity in Consumers Attitudinal Formation and Attitudinal Brand Loyalty: A View From Utilitarian and Hedonic Product Brands. InProceedings of the 2009 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 141-141). Springer International Publishing. Solomon, M. R. (2014).Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being. Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: prentice Hall. Tukej, U., Golob, U., Podnar, K. (2013). The role of consumerbrand identification in building brand relationships.Journal of business research,66(1), 53-59. van Helden, J., Alsem, K. J. (2016). The Delicate Interface between Management Accounting and Marketing Management.J Account Mark,5(179), 2. Weil, R. L., Schipper, K., Francis, J. (2013).Financial accounting: an introduction to concepts, methods and uses. Cengage Learning. YourArticleLibrary.com: The Next Generation Library. (2016). Top 5 Stages of Consumer Buying Process. [online] Available at: https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/consumers/top-5-stages-of-consumer-buying-process/48596/ [Accessed 22 Dec. 2016].

Material Selection and Process Office Chair

Introduction It has been argued that the success of a product depends heavily on its industrial design through visual and emotional appeal to the customer. This conclusion can be drawn based on the role of technical design which in turn relies on sound information on material (Ashby and Johnson 56). For this reason the material used in production of a product is very essential to the usefulness and effectiveness of the end product.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Material Selection and Process: Office Chair specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Data on materials can be found from a wide variety of sources including data sheets from material suppliers. Other sources of data included those tabulated in hand books. These data sheets are essential as they provide a source of vital information that needs to be considered in technical design (Ashby and Johnson 56). This information includes engineering data such as str ess analysis, thermal analysis, methods fro optimization and simulation. In addition to such data there is the role of sophisticated software tools that can be used in the design process. The design process is crucial to avoid issues related to poor design interface. For example, a TV switch so cleverly integrated into the body panel it can not be located with ease, or a tap designed too smooth for soapy fingers to turn, etc (Ashby and Johnson 56). A well designed product on the other hand will not only work well but will be easy to work with, thus user friendly. It is essential therefore to take into consideration the user friendliness of a product during design to improve the potential success of the product. In this report the product being considered for design is an office chair. As it has been established that material selection is crucial to this process, the report will concern itself with making appropriate decisions for material selection. It is hoped that by the end of th e report the major considerations will be understood and some potential candidates identified for the design of an office chair. Ergonomics Ergonomics is a discipline that is concerned with the study of work performance with special emphasis placed on worker safety and performance. This discipline developed form the interests of experts in various fields including medicine, physiology and engineering. This came following the realization that many work related injuries and diseases could be avoided through improvements in design of equipment and the workspace (Jacobs 5). The study of ergonomics is crucial as it is through such improvements that both the organization and individual can maximize performance and results (Jacobs 18). It has already been established that prevention of work related injuries is far cheaper than the treatment and potential litigation that may arise from negligence.Advertising Looking for assessment on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get yo ur first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Within an organization the prevention of accidents and disability management are the responsibility of all members of the organization. Such initiatives success relies entirely on the continuous support and commitment of the staff and and employers (Jacobs 278). This may be at times difficult given that occupational therapists may not be conversant with business and management concerns such as cost benefit analysis. For this reason it has been suggested that for improved acceptance it is important to consider business terms when preparing a proposal for ergonomic adjustments. Common Issues with Poor Chair Design It is not uncommon to receive complaints from workers whose duties require them to be seated for long hours. It is sometimes difficult to establish whether the chair itself is poorly designed or poorly suited for the individual. More often than not the case is the chair is not suited for the individual raising the question of a djustments (Jacobs 197). A poorly designed ergonomic chair design will be difficult to adjust and has poor access to features for height, inclination, a back rest and appropriate lumbar support (Jacobs 199). As opposed to this a good seat design will thus provide stability through the buttocks via the seat pan and the to the back via the back rest. In addition to this it may necessary to provide the seated individual easy movement while seated to allow to the user shift easily to various positions. There are three basic chair designs to consider when selecting an appropriate office chair. The first design is the fixed posture chair. This design tends to lock the user in an ‘ideal’ position by static posture settings. Alternatively the chair can be designed using a dynamic chair design which allows the user to move freely. These allow relatively easy adjustments in the features such as the backrest and in movement. The last option is the combination chair which allow the user to lock the chair in a suitable position as well as automatic changes (Jacobs 199). Regardless of the design selected it is crucial that the chair provide a satisfactory experience to the user. The Role of Material in Form The material selected plays a major role in the final form of the end product. This relationship is most visible in the case of architecture. The Eiffel tower, Parthenon and Golden gate bridge are well known symbols of specific ages expressing the possibilities using varied materials (Ashby and Johnson 99). However, a change in material would render the artistic concept of the architect useless and possibly destroy the renown of these well known structures.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Material Selection and Process: Office Chair specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This direct link arises due to the forces that materials possess thus suggesting varied capabilities with each new mate rial. Consideration must be given to the varied needs of the material in question during design to ensure the safety and suitability of the completed product. Due to this it has commonly been quoted that ‘form follows material’ (Ashby and Johnson 101). Though chairs must meet certain mechanical constraints these are not fixed thus allowing choice in material and form of the completed chair. That being said it is clear to see that the form desired will have some effect on the choice of material. In relation to form it is also essential to consider the organizational theme where possible. It is common for some organizations to use a theme in their premises to improve their competitive position. Such themes include sporting themes, outdoor themes that are designed to attract clientà ¨le (Stephenson and Thurman 119). In such cases it will be essential to consider selection of a material that can be customized to suit the existing theme. In relation to the form of material it is essential to consider several physical factors such as the size, shape and weight of the desired material (Mital, Desai, Subramaniam and Mital 94). This is useful as the size is relative to the available space on the site. Thus an appropriate material will allow the company to provide an adequate number of seats within the required space. Further in relation to the shape is the complexity required to shape the material to the required dimensions. In addition to this consideration must be made to account for the mechanical factors in relation to the material in question. This should be done because different materials will reflect varied mechanical considerations. Some mechanical considerations worth mentioning at this point include strength, ductility, modulus, fatigue strength and creep (Mital, Desai, Subramaniam and Mital 95). In addition to this it is also vital to consider environmental factors and their effect on these mechanical factors. One concerned with designing a pr oduct will typically consider the static strength needs of the product. In addition to this it is essential to know whether the product will experience a static or dynamic load and what are the parameters expected. It will also be important to consider the products ability to cope with wear and tear and if there is a need to incorporate additional material to reduce wear and tear (Mital, Desai, Subramaniam and Mital 95). Other factors in relation to material selection include processing and fabricating factors. These influence the ability or responsiveness of the material with regard to forming a shape. This is most commonly achieved by casting and deformation procedures (Mital, Desai, Subramaniam and Mital 95).Advertising Looking for assessment on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Based on these factors it will be possible to assess whether the design can easily be achieved and manufactured. These factors will be useful in determination of potential production rates of the completed product. Through these factors it can be determined whether the desired quality level can be attained. Other essential factors include the life of components and availability. The components selected are likely to be affected by environmental factors such as corrosion and oxidation which need to be considered when selecting an appropriate material. It has been reported that performance of materials based on these properties is very difficult to predict thus it is important to make such consideration beforehand (Mital, Desai, Subramaniam and Mital 95). Further, there is the question of availability of the preferred material. In some cases a material may be very well suited for a particular design but unavailable in the desired quantities. In such cases the selection of the material may have been done after identification of the first suitable material. This suggests that it is better to go through a whole range of materials while making a selection to allow for the identification of several options (Mital, Desai, Subramaniam and Mital 96). Another consideration to make when selecting material for an office chair is the personality of the product. This is best described by the color, texture, feel and form of the end product (Ashby and Johnson 116). These aspects are useful in describing the perception that will be aroused on observing the product and can be seen in the use of terms such as ‘rugged’, ‘feminine’, etc. This aspect will be heavily influenced by the nature of business the organization is engaging on the premises. Types of Design In selecting material for a product it is also essential to consider the type of design in question. An original design is an approach that requires the creation of a working principle from scratc h (Ashby 115). In such cases it is common for the designer to be working with an entirely new concept such as the ball point pen, compact disk, etc. In such a case the designer has no choice but to make decisions based on tests carried out and individual design decisions (Ashby 2002, 15). In such cases the designer is free to experiment with new materials that can offer unique combination of properties that enhance the originality of the design. Another type of design the developmental or adaptive design that involves an existing concept and making some incremental improvements to the product. In the case where this is the approach used to design the chair in question it is possible to perform experiments with various existing materials. New materials may not necessarily be appropriate as the new product need not necessarily cost much more than its predecessor (Ashby 2002,16). In many cases this approach has been the force behind major improvements in product performance. Another ap proach to design that will affect the selection of material is the variant concept of design. In this case the objective of the design process would be to alter the colors, size or details of the product without making any significant changes to the function (Ashby 16). In some cases such as change of scale the designer may change the material due to changes in performance requirements. It has been noted in other variant design efforts that a change in material can provide significant improvements in performance. For example, in the use of fiber glass to design smaller boats (Ashby 2002, 16). Selection Procedures Having mentioned some of the important factors to consider in selecting an appropriate material to use the report will now briefly discuss procedures to use when making a selection. One approach is the use of screening to filter from a list of possible materials (Ashby 2009, 167). In this approach the constraints act as gates and if satisfied the material passes or else it is excluded. An example ,of a constraint is, ‘the chair must allow the user adjust height and inclinations’. Based on this therefore only materials that can be attached with components that handle such actions can be considered for the final product (Ashby 2009, 167). After completing the screening process what remains is a list of potentially useful materials. To achieve this you need to have an excellence criteria which can be used to rank the materials (Ashby 2009, 167). This can be based on what may be defined as objectives. Performance is sometimes limited by a single property or through a combination of properties. Based on this procedure the best candidate will be the material that satisfies the greatest number of objectives. Having established the best candidate it is also useful to provide some documentation on the material. This will include its potential weaknesses, reputation, track record, etc (Ashby 2009, 170). This documentation typically is in the form o f some graphical material and case studies on the material. In addition to this there may be some information on its corrosion behavior in specific environments. Other useful information to include will be the price and availability of the material and any environmental warnings in relations to its use. In the text above the methods of selection have focused on a manual approach to selecting the appropriate material to use. This approach to selection is useful when the constraints are not that many and thus the process is easily completed. However, when the set of constraints is long a more apt solution maybe the use of computer aided selection (Ashby 2009, 184). This software comes with a database of records arranged in a hierarchical manner. Every record in the database contains data relating to properties of the material, and some pictorial data and sources of reference for the material. Through this scheme the data is interrogated using a search engine that provides the user sys tematically arranged search interfaces. Other Considerations Though the report has already mentioned that cost is an important consideration in the selection of an appropriate material for an office chair, there are other cost related factors that may need to be kept in mind. For example the constraint the budget places on the entire process. Through the screening process it is possible several options may be identified. Despite of this it is necessary to keep in mind that the company has a budget for the entire activity and as such the best material may not be suitable for the budgetary requirements (Mital, Desai, Subramaniam and Mital 96). In addition to this there are other hidden costs that need to be considered in addition to the cost of the material. As mentioned earlier in the report the selection of material must take into consideration the additional effort to produce the desired product from the material (Mital, Desai, Subramaniam and Mital 96). Such costs include discrete costs such as fabrication costs. These discrete costs are likely to make major adjustments in the final figures thus resulting in selection of an alternative material. An important consideration that has been ignored through the report but is essential nonetheless is the purpose of the product. In this case the product is an office chair but the purpose is not clearly defined. Where the chair is for the computer operator it can be expected that whereas quality is essential cost will be also very crucial in choosing the material. However, if the seat was to be designed for the CEO of a huge multi national cost may not be a factor and thus the aspect of prestige may be considered. In the design of such a chair quality will be given the highest priority in comparison to all other factors. Based on this approach cost becomes a less crucial factor and quality becomes the dominant requirement (Kutz 1253). Having provided some information on possible and useful considerations when selecti ng the materials to use in designing an office chair, the report will conclude the report. Conclusion In this report the discussion presented was focused on the considerations to make in selecting material for building an office chair. The report began by mentioning the importance of design and its role in the success of the end product. In this regard it was noted that a good design does not just consider the physical components but also the materials used in construction of the end product. In a similar fashion the report continues to provide a brief description on ergonomics and its role in the workplace. It is observed that through a well designed and efficient workplace the degree of injury and disease can be reduced significantly. Further it is noted that through appropriate ergonomic design the cost of potential litigation can be significantly reduced. Therefore it would appear that the time taken in selecting an appropriate material is useful as it can directly influence the productivity of the organization. The report continues to provide information that can assist in the selection of appropriate material to be used to accomplish the design process. Further the report provides some of the basic issues that arise in the case of office chairs as reported by the users. In line with this the report mentions the role of the selected material in the form of the final product. It is noted that based on a selection of material there specific constraints that the user is bound to based upon the chosen material. Because of this above position the report concludes that material has a strong influence on the form of the final product. It is also mentioned that the type of design in this case will also influence the material selection made. In addition to this the report also touches briefly on other considerations such as prestige. In line with this it was noted that costs such as those associated with crafting the material to the desired shape need to be consid ered so as not to over step the budget. Lastly it was noted that the budget will influence the choice of material in terms of expected quantity as well. It is hoped that by going through these requirements it is possible to make a suitable choice for the production of the office chair. Works Cited Ashby, M. F. Materials Selection in Mechanical Design. Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005. Print. Ashby, M. F. Materials and the environment: Eco-informed material choice. Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2009, Print. Ashby, Mike, and Kara Johnson. Materials and Design: the art and science of material selection in product design. Woburn: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002. Print. Jacobs, Karen. Ergonomics for Therapists. Philadelphia: Mosby Inc, 2008. Print. Kutz, Myer. Handbook of Materials Selection. New York: John Wiley Sons Inc, 2002. Print. Mital, Anil, Anoop Desai, Anand Subramanian, and Aashi Mital. Product Development: a structured approach to customer product development,design a nd manufacture. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008. Print. Stephenson, James, and Courtney Thurman. Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide. Dubuque: Entrepreneur Media Inc, 2007. Print. This assessment on Material Selection and Process: Office Chair was written and submitted by user Eli W. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Concept of Managing Teams at the Workplace

Concept of Managing Teams at the Workplace Introduction The concept of teamwork at the workplace is practiced in many organizations. A team can be described as a group of people who depend on each other for skills and resources to enable them achieve a specific objective. Managers need special skills to manage various employees in the organization to enable them collaborate on specific tasks to achieve positive results. Managers need to make all their employees resourceful to ensure their output brings positive returns to the organization.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Concept of Managing Teams at the Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Concept of Teams Managers should realize that teams are formed to achieve a collective objective where all members depend on each other to achieve it. Team members need to be given freedom to make their own decisions. This approach makes all members of a team to tolerate different opinions put forward by their collea gues. All employees in an organization have different personalities and this has an impact on the way they share ideas (Burke and Cooper 57). Managers should structure their teams to accommodate all types of personality profiles to make them diverse and competent. Teamwork helps organizations to achieve key goals which are part of their long term strategies. Effective team managemen helps business organizations to come up with new ideas which make them stay competitive in their chosen industries. Employees who are skilled in a variety of disciplines enable firm stay ahead of its competitors because they share their knowledge and skills with each other. Managers need to monitor their teams to ensure their activities are in line with the firm’s strategic goals (Heneman and Greenberger). A manager should not interfere needlessly in team operations as this will affect the ability of members to think on their own. Conditions That Determine Team Success Managers need to know that t here are several conditions which determine the success of workplace teams. The design of work place teams should conform to the overall context in which the organization transacts to make team members’ contributions valid and beneficial. The organizational culture should make team members more open to acquire new skills and information from each other to enable them move forward in a positive direction. The knowledge acquired through collaboration between team members improves their ability to make decisions which have a bearing on the firm’s operations (Evans and Lindsay 97). Therefore, managers need to encourage team members to learn from one another to enable them stay focused on their objectives. Team members need to be open with each other to build strong relationships to make their team cohesive and progressive.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Team members need to learn conflict resolution and problem solving skills for them to be well prepared to deal with any challenges which may come their way. All members within a team should be willing to compromise so as to build consensus when making crucial decisions. Open communication between members enables them to set clear goals and how they are to be achieved. Team members should share tasks between them so that everyone is allocated a specific responsibility to ensure that each individual acquires crucial knowledge on what needs to be done. Team leaders should help members set goals and monitor their performance (Jackson, Schuler and Werner 83). Therefore, this enables members to develop standards which guide their partipation within the team. Building a Cohesive Team It is important for activities which are done by work teams to be well coordinated. A workplace team needs to be productive to make it achieve its goals within stipulated time limits. Members should work well with each other to achieve their expectations. Tasks to be performed by each member should be well defined and aligned to strategic goals in the organization. It is necessary for managers to decide how much decision making power teams should have in the beginning before they begin working on specific tasks. This will ensure that decisions made by team members are practical to make them easy to implement (Parker 45). Work place teams need to accommodate different employees and their skills to make them effective. Members of work place teams need to come up with common codes of conduct, which they all must abide by. Codes of conduct help to maintain discipline in all procedures members are involved in to ensure they are in line with organizational expectations. Workplace teams need to do tasks which are well defined to make members more focused on what they need to achieve. Members need to prioritize on the most important issues that need to be addressed which impact on internal oper ations within the organization (Sims 104). It is necessary for team members to make decisions which are only influenced by facts and not personal opinions. In conclusion, workplace teams need to have creative members to ensure that they generate new ideas which impact positively on internal operations in the firm. All members should be assessed on their abilities to determine their contribution to the team. They should also be encouraged to participate in team work as this is the only they can learn new ideas.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Concept of Managing Teams at the Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Burke, Ronald J., and Cary L. Cooper. Reinventing Human Resources Management: Challenges And New Directions. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print. Evans, James Robert, and William M. Lindsay. Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Heneman, Robert L. , and David B. Greenberger. Human Resource Management in Virtual Organizations. London: Information Age Publishing, 2002.Print Jackson, Susan E., Randall S. Schuler, and Steve Werner. Managing Human Resources. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Parker, Glenn M. Team Players and Teamwork: New Strategies for Developing Successful Collaboration. New York, NY: Wiley, 2011. Print. Sims, Ronald. Organizational Success Through Effective Human Resources Management. New York : Greenwood, 2002. Print.

Business Plan Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9000 words

Business Plan - Thesis Example This has lead to the growth of online business across the globe and was the major reason for choosing the online form of business as it relates to Ortiz. The products produced by Ortiz are also in demand as footwear market has showed a steady growth rate over the past years. Additionally, continual changes in consumer’s preference, footwear demands continue to evolve and increase at a rate comparable to that of the apparel market. Factories producing the product line of Ortiz are currently located in the country of Colombia. As such, Ortiz plans to export its product from Colombia to European markets and sell these products through online marketplace to the end consumer. The products of Ortiz are manufactured to specifically keep the needs and preference of its target market in mind. As such, this target demographic includes younger and middle aged fashion conscious men and women who place a premium on footwear that is both stylish, fashionable, and comfortable. Objectives: To become a market leader in the online market for fashionable shoes To develop a superior reputation by allowing the customer to experience a streamlined and painless online shopping experience. To gain a reputation of reliable delivery in UK market and also for high quality shoes and design To determine the success of the business plan feasibility study was conducted in the online business sector and footwear market. It has been revealed that there exists a huge potential in the online business sector and also in the footwear market as the demand has increased drastically as compared to previous years. The feasibility research took into consideration five key areas, product/service, industry, market, organizational, and financial sectors. Next the business plan analyzes the business model. Ortiz implemented the affiliate business model and aims to earn revenue by its â€Å"pay per click† facility. The core strategy has been defined and explained in Chapter 4 under the heading business model. Chapter 5 analyzes the present and future scenarios of Ortiz and how the business prepared to perform in the future as well as where it expects to stand within the next few years of its operation. It can be said that the business is expected to generate positive cash flow as well as increase its overall brand awareness and image. In the process of conducting business there exists wide possibility of risk to be encountered by the online business and hence the likely risks which Ortiz might encounter have been stated in the business plan along with the remedies and how to manage the risk. The business plan also included the critical success factor which the company should implement to its business and earns profit and achieves success. Budget and investment planned by Ortiz will be shown in detail where the budgets have been prepared for three years starting from 2012 to 2014. As such, by the projections of this analysis, Ortiz is expected to break even by next year - 2013. Thus it can be concluded that the business aims to provide its target customers with innovate and stylish footwear and create a brand value in the UK and Europe market. Contents Executive summary 2 Contents 4 Chapter 1 7 Introduction 7 Structure 9 Business Model and Source of Information 10 Assumptions 10 Timescale 10 Chapter 2 12 The business concept 12 Product/Service 13 Target market 14 Value Added 14 Specific Features 16 Opportunity 16 Marketing and

Write a essay about those questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Write a about those questions - Essay Example Except for the congenital syphilis, syphilis occurs in four distinct stages. In the initial primary stage, there is formation of a sore which is a small, round and firm referred as chancre that occurs at the site of infection. Chancre usually occurs 21-90 days after infection. The ulcer usually disappears and secondary syphilis sets in. This is evidenced by skin rash which do not itch at soles and palms. Symptoms associated with secondary stage syphilis include headache, swollen lymph glands, sore throat and tiredness. In the latent syphilis no symptoms are evident and the disease progresses to the tertiary stage. Failure to treat syphilis may lead to the complicated tertiary stage which affects almost all organs of the body including the brain, nervous system and heart. Late syphilis presents with mental illness and neurological failures. The diagnosis of syphilis maybe by examination of a chancre by a health worker and laboratory tests confirmation for the disease. Antibiotics especially penicillin are used in treatment of syphilis especially at the primary stages. Syphilis that has affected the neural system may be treated by intravenous injection of penicillin. Prevention of the disease is by avoiding contact (sexual contact) with infected individual and avoiding sex partners. Protected sex may also minimize chances of infection (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 1). The bacterium Nesseria gonorrhoeae infects the potential victim through the genital tract, mouth and rectum. Transmission of this bacterial disease is through sexual intercourse with an infected partner oral, anal or vaginal. The bacterium has its reservoir in infected humans. Symptoms of this STD include discharge in both men and women though some infected individuals may not present with any symptoms. These symptoms are evident after 2-10 days after sexual intercourse with an infected individual. In women possible symptoms