System Evaluation Essay Example for Free

System Evaluation Essay One of the most prevalent and effective systems used within the Marine Corps is the human resources system known as Marine Online (MOL). MOL was created to track Marines annual training, allow special requests such as leave, liberty, temporary duty assignments, personal time away from duty. MOL also gives Marines the ability to track carrier progression through annual reporting and rewards that are posted. The system includes promotion tracking and allows one to calculate physical training scores such as physical fitness training scores and combat fitness-training scores. The system allows Marines to track pay and leave in incremental amounts allowing one to view pay 15 days prior to being paid. The need for the system has been ever present and before its implementation everything was stored on paper and word of mouth. The system has helped the Corps as a whole because it creates a platform for many different types of data to be stored and calculates data automatically allowing data to be requested at a moment notice. The requirements of the Marine Corps that drove the system development of MOL are many in number but the need that drove the creation of it the most was how large the organization is. The Marine Corps size can vary from 200k to 400k including reserves. Commanders needed a system that would allow them to view leave and performance reports at a moments notice. In the process of creating the system they found there were many other facets of records they could include in the system. By digitizing these records they would be viewable by every Marine. This in turn allowed the Marine Corps to save hundreds of millions of dollars because they could reduce the number of departments. The Marine Corps had the ability to centralize all of the departments and reduce the amount of paper waste along with wasted man hours. In the past Marines would have to go to several separate departments to view the same information. The original system was only created to track only two areas of information. When the Marine Corps did their assessment of the system they found it to be so helpful they asked commanders if there was anything else they could add to the system to make it easier to track Marines carrier and allow individuals the ability to do the same. Allowing the individual Marines the ability to view these reports at a moments notice has allowed the organization as a whole to appeal to a much higher standard and expectation of the Marines. An example of a new tool that has been implemented in the system MOL is in the Marine Times â€Å"Use of the new communications tool, accessible through Marine Online, or MOL, will be mandatory for nearly the entire Corps by the end of February. † (Sanborn, 2011, para. 2). The use of this new communication tool has allowed family’s to stay in contact with loved ones while deployed over seas. The new system has improved almost every facet of the organization the basic use of the Marine Online System is to allow tracking of Marines to the commanders in the Marines Corps with the simple click of a mouse. The system has grown to so much more than it was originally created for allowing the growth of the Marine Corps in many other areas. Some likely future developments of the system will be the incorporation of medical and dental records. The system will probably be updated to include service record books to allow Marines individual records to be recorded electronically. The information system will eventually grow to allow every Marine to track every portion of their carrier to include new functions that were never though possible or never thought were needed. Something that has not been incorporated into the system is a mobile aspect but in the near future there will be. â€Å"In 2011, the Department of Defense announced it was creating a special online app store for members of the military so that they could download mobile apps that had been vetted for security issues† (Turban, Volonino, Wood, 2013, p. 88). Security has always been an issue for the Department of Defense (DOD) when creating mobile portions of their information systems. This is something that has repressed their ability to expand into the mobile business as of late the security of mobile system has become ever stronger and allowed the DOD to expand its information systems. Conclusion The MOL system has transformed how the Marine Corps functions in many different ways. The IS has allowed the organization as a whole to reduce aste and streamline the data it collects to a central location. Requirements of the system have always been present within the organization until recently has not been reasonably attainable with the amount of employees within the organization. The ultimate drive of the system is unit readiness and the unit readiness is easily quantifiable within the system because the commanders within the Marine Corps have instant access to the information required to gauge it. Unit readiness is the ability to leave at a moments notice when called upon by the president or congress to deploy to a war zone. The type and basic uses of the system are some of the most essential parts of the IS. Without the basic use of this system the Marine Corps as a whole would be at a loss without the use of it. In essence the application of this system has changed the business processes of the Marine Corps as a whole.

Requirements for Human Resource Planning in Healthcare

Requirements for Human Resource Planning in Healthcare PHOEBE COLETO TASK ONE – INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH REPORT Considers the following types of business factors that underpin human resource planning in a healthcare organisation business growth, decline, change, competition; impact of technology and labour market competition and employee development. Planning is one of the important factors in our life. Surely we all practice planning in our daily lives activities, careers, budgets and others. However we do it, planning is one of the important factor in the organization it is step by step to achieve a desirable outcome. This is typically refer to as business planning in corporate environment, accepting the more systematic and disciplined approach. The plan is to reach the achievement, programs and develop new services. The quality of such plans are organisational route maps to get business to some defined point, or points, in the future. Strategic planning is something that has grown steadily and one of the important part of modern business and organisational cycle. Human resources planning is an integration that define the current and future human resources needs for an organization to achieve its goals. Human resources planning should connect the human resources management and the whole strategic plan of an organization. BUSINESS GROWTH Cost has been more important theme in healthcare organizations. Organizations realize that future profitability will not be achieved by simply cutting the cost. Healthcare organization s system are starting to express and implement business growth strategies to implement effective profit and referral opportunities. Enhancing the business approach to working with clients, different organizations are investing in business growth strategies to promote better services, client expectations and gain customer loyalty and trust. Growth of the organization is depend on the ability of your team to develop services that meet client’s expectations; packaging the services for the benefit of the customer. The healthcare systems must differentiate the value and benefits of their services. The staff ability to meet this challenge is rejective to the organization’s to maintain successful growth. Therefore, in order the achieve the highest of success it needs strict implementation of plans. Implementation of training employees and hiring qualified staff will make an additional overall growth of the business. Through aiming for the quality of service and uniqueness of the service will give impression to client that this company is better to the other company. People will begin to be loyal to the services provided and will surely increase the business growth. DECLINE Doubt is ever present on business. Business decline refers to downward trend of business profit or revenue. The reasons of business unstable are generally caused by decline of service value, customer satisfaction, global and local competition, and new regulatory. On the other hand, it may result to business bankruptcy or closure of the company. The human resource management must do steps to prevent the decline or downfall of business. The business that flourishes in the middle of uncertainty times is the one who looks at the situation, change accordingly and define existing sales techniques to face the test of the business. This is the best method of willing to change and responsive. CHANGE â€Å"The ability to find new and non-traditional avenues to apply our strength is fundamental to our ability to remain competitive and responsive† by Stefan Kohn. Changes in the business is always part of the economy. It is an expected part of the business cycle. If there is a change it is important to consider people of the organization. Without the right people being willing, ready for the change, the solutions will never be implemented successfully. Usually changes struggles fail due to absence of attention. As quoted â€Å" The better you know your customer the better you are able to gauge what matters most in defining a positive customer experience† says Michelle Cox, head of contract centres at MBF (part of Bupa Australia). â€Å"Such customer – centricity is core to competitiveness in today’s market, helping to direct innovation, create value, and ensure flexibility and nimbleness in decision-making,† says Ms. Cox. Attending to the people dy namics should be completed as an equate factor of the design and administer of the change. The progression fit the change for success; measure through the designed solutions, implementation, planning, and testing. The key to achieve success is unruly designing the change process to handle all the content and people as one. COMPETITION The healthcare market faces many challenges. The impact increase the competition with quality and cost is not transparent. The relation between quality of healthcare provided to customer and system cost of giving health care is not explained. In every business there is rivalry to sales, profit, market and price, quality and service. In healthcare setting, the quality product or service would be the main reason to be a competitive. The human resource management should know the market or who they competing. It will help the Human resource to produce the quality services, marketing, and unique products. It will also accredit them to set a competitive cost and marketing campaigns. Create marketing strategies to the rivalry weakness and will improved the organization performance. Being a realistic in attaining goals will help aiming the success. IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY The use of technology to help ensure quality and control cost plays important role in every business. Technological advancement are used in healthcare industries to achieve efficiency and effectiveness in care. It is believe that to improve the system is through innovation and entrepreneurism. Client were given information and power, reshaping how care is delivered, and changing the services. It has helped give clear meanings and every record right from the billing to diagnostic and treatment can be maintain through easy access by healthcare providers. Using software and tools, profiles of patients can be created so doctors can give standardized treatment. This improves the client outcome and reduces cost of health care. This proves that technology touches each and every stages of our lives. Technology has amazingly enhanced of life and boost economy of the world. LABOUR MARKET COMPETITION In New Zealand, healthcare is very competitive market due to shortage of specialised staff. They were facility gives poor services due to fast turnover of staff. The reason behind this is the load of work they have does not compensate with the wages they received. Planning and developing a competitive rate will develop the attitude of competitiveness. Categorize the load of work and compensating it with correct incentive creates satisfaction of employee. Good governance of the manager and good relationship to the staff will also prevent fast turnover. Working together as one unit in this competitive environment and giving importance to staff will give positive outcome. EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT A staff who receives the advance training is better able to perform her job. She becomes more knowledgeable about safety and proper procedures. The training also build the employees confidence because she has now a stronger understanding and the responsibilities of her job. The confidence will push the staff to perform even better and think of new ideas to excel. Continuous training also keeps your employees to retain and attract. Staff who are competent and on top of changing environment will help the company hold a position as a leader and strong competitor. Considers the following types of human resource requirements and factors that underpin human resource planning in a healthcare organisation Identifying internal personnel requirements, internal and external factors in matching personnel to organisational requirements; government policies and labour market competition. Workforce plays vital role in the business. The performance of the employee and the quality of service gives determines the stand of the organisation. The steps of hiring starts with advance planning to detect the needed staff in the organisation. The effective determinant of a management’s ability to respond in time to a changing and unstable business work environment is know how to be flexible and adaptable. The health care system is highly intensive with regards to labour. The effective health care system must have the exact number and mix of health care provider and must be with motivation and skills to perform the job assigned. Other countries are now in crisis for scarcity of qualified health care staff and that involves availability. The three dimension which relate to right health care workers ; distribution of skilful, which relate with the recruitment and retention of health care workers who is most needed; and the performance, which relates to a health care worker productivity and quality of the health care workers provide. IDENTIFYING INTERNAL PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS The organizations may want to fill position or vacancies with their current employees. Usually a company will allow current employees to apply for the vacancies inside the firm. The vacancies are advertised around the organization and can be applied by any employee who they are qualified The intuitions usually needed investigation and assessment if require an additional qualified staff. Performance increase plays important role to assess the performance and quality of work of an employee in a specific duties and responsibilities. This process enhance the employee skills and opportunity for promotion if needed. Also, it gives appropriate experience. Arranging or rearranging the organisation is a hard task. The human resource will retain the staff who is fit to the job, also it another option is hire new skilful employee. It can be done by identifying, assessing and implementing the problem. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS IN MATCHING PERSONNEL TO ORGANISATIONAL REQUIREMENTS An internal personnel need a specific position that match to the need of specific organisation. The balance in organisation is important that bring the demand and supply, so that the scarcity and over staffing will be solved. Pool of applicants must eliminate and select the right person to occupy the right position or vacancy. An External factor is the people that are needed for the job. It describes the people who will be qualified to the position as internal requirement of the management. Planning gives perspective and make sure the accurate amount of staff that are present to gives the necessary outcome of the organisation. GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND LABOUR MARKET COMPETITION Government policies and guidelines are producing well for promotion of the safety of the staff and management. These legislation will have a big impact with process of hiring, training, compensation and discipline of the people in the organization. Due to the competition of labour market there is a set of specific compensation depending on the level or work. Wages are set for specific positions and jobs, however, in this competitive environment people will look that provides a better salary. Labour market economics involves studying the different dimensions of labour supply and demand, which collaborate with wages, employment and unemployment. It can be understood as process of human labour as bought and also sold, means labour demand is equal to labour supply. Which means it’s the process between the workers and the organisation. This puts pressure to the governments to decrease the regulation of the business pratices, including the people protection legislation, to make sure that the organization are best able to answer to changes in labour market. The governments have responsibility to protect the workers and force to implement balance in the economic interest and employee protection. This is shown in the issues of the right for agency and temporary/contractual staff. The flexible labours market has the ability to accept and fire workers and offer poor compensation and employment conditions. REFERENCES: The Labour Market Context of HRM http://www.sagepub.com/wilton/The%20Labour%20Market%20Context.pdf Internal Control Integrated Framework http://www.coso.org/documents/Internal Control-Integrated Framework.pdf HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS http://www.victoria.ac.nz/st_services/careers/pdf/career-view/career-view-human-resource-management-and-industrial-relations-web.pdf Why do health labour market forces matter? http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/91/11/13-118794/en/ Workplaces that Work http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/workplaces-interpersonal.cfm

The Value Proposition in Barclays PLC

The Value Proposition in Barclays PLC The organization that is used for this assignment is Barclays PLC; this project is divided into three parts. The first parts aim is to identify and to explain what is the perceived value for the customers, to do this, suitable models of consumer values are going to be used and then the model will be applied to the organization. The second part will critically evaluate the value proposition of the business and then a comparison will be made with that of the leading competitors value proposition. The third part would produce a new value proposition, which will match the value criteria of the existing customers; this will be done by identifying the weaknesses in the existing value proposition. It will also provide us with a plan to implement the value proposition internally and externally. Using suitable models identify the customer perceived value for the customers for a product/division/company of your choice. Customer perceived value, what does this really mean? Customer perceived value, can be regarded as the opinion that a customer has or has formed of a particular product and how it is of value to him. Simply put, the customer perceived value of any product is the consumers overall assessment of the utility or use of a product based on perceptions of what the customer receives and what he is giving to get the desired service or product. This concept can also be explained with the help of the following diagram: Customer perceived value= Perceived Benefits _______________ Perceived Sacrifice Where, Perceived benefits are the attributes of the service being received and the customer perceived quality and price of the product. Perceived sacrifice are the customer costs involved in purchasing, such as time, travel etc. Introduction to the organisation: For the purpose of this assignment, the company that has been selected is BARCLAYS PLC; the following text would give a brief company profile followed by the identification of the customer perceived value for the organisation by the use of the Customer Value Hierarchy Model. Company profile: Barclays is one of the worlds leading financial institutions headquartered at 1 Churchill Place, London. It is a 300 year old corporation that became a major financial services provider that engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, wealth management, investment banking and management services provider for big global equity firms. It has an extensive international presence in Europe, Africa, Asia and off lately has started to expand in the United States market as well. It moves, lends, protects and invests money for than 38 million customers and clients worldwide. Barclays has two business clusters: Global Retail Banking and Corporate and Investment Banking and Wealth Management- both compromising world-class business and brands. Before we take a look at the customer perceived value of the Barclays brand, the project would like to discuss the Customer Value Hierarchy Model, and then try to apply them to the customers of Barclays. Customer Value Hierarchy Model: OBJECTIVE LAYER Customers goal and purpose CONSEQUENCE LAYER Desired consequences in use situation ATTRIBUTE LAYER Desired products/services attribute and performances The Customer Value Model consists of three layers, namely the Attribute layer, the Consequence Layer and the Objectives layer. The objective layer includes the ultimate motivations of customers, the consequence layer represents the customer experience desired by the person and finally the attribute layer specifies what actually the needs of the customer are. From the bottom of the customer value hierarchy, customers would always firstly consider the attributes and availability of products. At the second layer, customers begin to make expectations according to the attributes. At the top layer, customers form expectations about the realization of their aim. How do Barclays customers perceive their bank? Thats the question that this assignment would like to answer by giving the objectives, consequences and attributes desired by the customers, followed by a customer review. OBJECTIVES Easy personal banking Safety of the account at all times Saving account options Availability of loans at a good interest rate Online banking to keep a record of their account details at all time Ability to invest Good mortgage options Insurance options Credit card facilities Assistance while travelling CONSEQUENCES Easy accessibility to the account Peace of mind as the customer is aware that the account details are secure and safe More control over their own finances The customer does not require to keep much cash with them at all times because of the debit cards Saving for the rainy day A secure and safe environment Future is taken care off Can start a business with the help of financial banking More purchasing power ATTRIBUTES Pin- sentry device Debit card Online banking facilities which enable the customers to check account balances, make transfers, setup standing orders and direct debits. Chequebooks Barclaycard ISAs Bonds Home insurance Different types of savings accounts Different types of current accounts Overdraft facility E-savings Car insurance Travel services Looking at the above attributes, consequences and objectives list one can identify the value of the brand as perceived by the customer. The brand Barclays is a very widely recognized name and almost every person in the UK is a big fan, of course with some exceptions which are bound to be there, the customers on a general note feel very happy with the huge array of services and products made available by the bank for its customers and are satisfied with the huge network of customer service centres spread all across the world providing 24/7 customer service, also the safe and secure online banking facility provided by Barclays is very user friendly and easy to use, letting the customers always keep a track of their money. So its safe to say that Barclays as a bank not only just for people but also for small businesses and big equity firms is a financial institution of repute and is trusted and respected by the people. PART 2 Critically evaluate the existing value proposition of the product/division/ company you have chosen. Compare and contrast the value proposition with that of the leading competitor in your sector. This part of the project would evaluate the value proposition or the customer value proposition of Barclays and contrast it with the customer value proposition of HSBC. But before we proceed to comparing and contrasting the value propositions of both the brands we first need to understand, what a customer value proposition really is? This is the question this project would answer first and then proceed on to discuss the variations in the value propositions of both the brands. Customer Value Proposition: In the subject of marketing, the customer value proposition is a measure of the sum total of the benefits which a provider offers or promises a potential consumer which he/she will receive in return for the customers payment (or any other value transfer). A customer value proposition is a business or marketing statement that would describe why a customer should make use of the services and products being offered by the organisation. It is targeted towards potential consumers, rather than at other groups such as employees, suppliers or partners. It is a defined statement, which is designed to convince the customers that this particular product will add more value or better solve a problem than the other competitors in the same industry. Why are customer value propositions so important? This question is of utmost importance to any business, because it is only these statements that give the customer an expectation of a desired service, it provides the consumers with a convincing reason to buy the desired good and also helps differentiate the product from the other services provided by the other competitors in the same industry. They help in gaining customers attention and if the customer value proposition is strong, and is able to gain the approval of the customer that helps in building of faster and more profitable sales and in increasing the market share of the organisation. Understanding of the customer needs is very vital as this would ensure the promotion and creation of a successful brand. Types of Customer Value Propositions: All benefits: This is a list compilation of all the benefits of the products and services offered to the customers by the organisation. This approach requires the least market knowledge about customers and competitors and thus does not provide a good base when seen from a marketing perspective. Favourable Points of Difference: This type of value proposition explicitly recognizes the fact that the customer has different alternatives and it then it lays it focus on how to differentiate one product or service from another. A product or service can have several differences, confusing the customer and thus complicating the customers understanding of the product which would offer him more value. Resonating Focus: This approach is used by managers who directly deal with a supplier who fully grasps the critical issue in the product- consumer cycle and who delivers a customer value proposition thats simple yet powerfully captivating. The value proposition offered is superior in the few attributes that are of the most importance to the customers which convey a message to the targeted audience, that here is an organisation which is communicating a sophisticated understanding of the customers business priorities. When talking about the value proposition of a financial institution we have to take into account the current market conditions and then arrive at the capital and funding strategy of the bank which in itself is a sort of value proposition available for the customers to have a look at and, then these consumers can decide for themselves whether they do need to associate themselves with the financial institution. Analysis of value proposition of Barclays: Capital Strategy: Barclays capital management activities will attempt to maximise shareholders value by optimising the level and mix of its capital resources. Barclays ability to operate as a bank is directly dependent upon the maintenance of adequate capital resources. Barclays works according to a centralised capital management model considering regulatory and economic capital. The Groups capital management objectives are to: Maintaining the sufficient capital required to meet minimum regulatory capital requirements set by the UK FSA. Maintaining sufficient capital resources which can support the Barclays risk appetite and fulfil the economic capital requirements. Support the banks credit rating Ensure that the locally regulated subsidiaries can meet the minimum capital requirements without having to borrow from other financial firms. Allocation of capital to support the strategic objectives set by Barclays, including optimum returns on economic and regulatory capital. Funding strategy: Barclays will manage the funding position so as to comply with the regulatory requirements decided by the UK FSA .Barclays operates on the model of centralised governance and control processes that covers all of its liquidity risk and management activities. Funding Structure Global Retail, Commercial Banking, Barclays Wealth and the Head Office Functions are to be self-funded through customer deposits and Barclays equity and other long-term capital. The Barclays Capital and Absa businesses will be funded through the wholesale secured and unsecured funding markets. The major currency payment inflows and the payment system collateral are going to be monitored and managed, so it can be ensured that at all the times there is going to be availability of sufficient collateral to make payments. Day to day funding will be managed through putting limits on wholesale and the secured borrowings. This is going to ensure that on any day and over any specified period of time there is only going to be a limited amount of refinancing requirement. In addition to cash flow management, Barclays would monitor the term mismatches between the assets and the liabilities and also the levels and the types of undrawn lending commitments.Additional value propositions specific to a personal customer and not the global market: Personal banking made easy by the debit card that is an internationally valid card which has many advantages like international assistance anytime anywhere, guaranteed transactions etc. Wide range of current accounts available to suit different customer needs.(mobile phone insurance, car breakdown cover etc.) Availability of loans at competitive rates Online facilities giving easy accessibility to customer funds. 24/7 customer service Wide array of savings and investment options Credit card facilities Insurance facilities(home, motor and life insurance) Mortgage facilities(buying, building and renovating of property) To understand the customer value proposition of Barclays and then to contrast it with the value proposition of HSBC, this project is going to use the SWOT analysis which is preceded by the mission statements and the vision statements of both Barclays and HSBC, thus giving us a better idea of what the customer expects from the brand and what are the promises being made by these institutions to potential and existing consumers. Mission Statement: This is a short, formal, written statement of the purpose of the company. It guides the actions of the company, benchmarks its goals, provides a sense of direction and guides in decision making. It provides a framework within which the strategies of the company are formulated. Vision Statement: This can be defined as statement that captures the long term picture of what the organisation wants to become. It gives a broad and an aspirational image of the future that an organisation wants to achieve. It is often inspirational and memorable. Mission Statement of Barclays: To develop deliver the most innovative products, manage customer experience, deliver quality services that contributes to brand strength, establishes a competitive advantage and enhances profitability, thus providing value to the stakeholders of the bank. Vision Statement of Barclays: We have a clear view of where growth will come from over the coming years. While there will be significant growth opportunities in the UK, we see many more internationally. Barclays will become a leading global universal bank. Mission Statement of HSBC: We aspire to be one of the worlds great specialist banking groups, driven by commitment to our core philosophies and values. Vision Statement of HSBC: We envision enabling HSBC to achieve its strategic objectives, driving excellence in our delivery through partnership with our customers and associates. SWOT Analysis of Barclays: Strengths: Extensive network in Europe providing business sustenance. Focus on cost efficiencies which ensure relatively higher profitability. Ability to lend amidst reduced size of the balance sheet. Associated with innovation, Barclays in 1966, brought out the first credit card, most recently the OnePulse card combining Oyster, credit cashless functions for its customers. Opening of several new branches, along with a massive refurbishment programme. Weaknesses: Strained trading income impacting the revenue diversity. Barclays Capital credit market exposures are impacting the financial position and performance. Large bonuses for the Directors have attracted unwanted attention. Expansion plans in the Asian market thwarted, when Barclays lost the deal for ABN Amro in 2006. Opportunities: Barclays wanted to acquire Lehmans assets prior to the collapse but however, after the collapse, they negotiated a better deal with the liquidators which allowed them to be selective in what parts of the business they actually wanted to acquire. The banks strategy was to offer a full plethora of services worldwide, which provided a wide range of cross-selling opportunities. Asia is still an opportunity for business expansion, and thus operations are going to be set up at various locations. Welfare provision has been decreased in many countries because of the subsequent cost to governments, and  Barclays  considers self-provision as an increasing fad that it can use. Positive outlook for buy to let market may bring business volumes. Buoyant secured personal loans market in the UK could help the business. Threats: Bleak outlook for the UK economy. Regulatory fines can compress margins and financial position. Increase in online fraud. Barclays  is accused of loss-making investments which are associated with the sub-prime market from the accounts to those of other investors, and there could be legal risk. Though it offers a wide range of services, there is a threat that customers may go to suppliers who can present a more specialised approach. Barclays has been closing branches left right and centre, and the competitors have positioned themselves as more consumer-friendly by adopting a strategy of keeping the branches open. The Asia expansion is risky given that  Barclays group  are not in a strong position than the banking industry leaders when it comes to capitalisation, and this can detract investors. SWOT Analysis of HSBC: Strengths: The bank is well capitalised which enables it to perform well in comparison with other banks in the recent economic conditions. Going forward, the bank is unlikely to borrow from the UK government because of the huge market capitalization; this enables it to retain more autonomy. HSBC has a strong presence in emerging markets, which places it in a good position allowing it to take advantage of future growth in those economies. HSBCs global presence in Asia, South America and Europe spreads the risk and offers significant economies of scale. Rebranding relatively recently (1999), the HSBC bank has become well-established and is considered of great value within the industry circles. Weaknesses: HSBC strongly believes in investing in the small business sector, but the current economic downturn has led to increase in risk, which could potentially compromise the activity levels in the area of its operation. HSBCs involvement with sub-prime markets in the US has forced it to write off large sum of figures lent to high-risk borrowers. Despite cuts in the UK interest rate, HSBC has been increasing its mortgage rates. This can be perceived negatively by the borrowers and potential borrowers, which may add pressure to a depressed housing market and can ultimately lead to more defaulting as borrowers would struggle with higher repayments. A redundancy programme which was announced recently can affect morale among staff, leading to decreased productivity and loyalty. HSBCs branding emphasises the global presence of the bank, and this may be seen as negative thing by some consumers due to the implication of homogenisation and the lack of personalisation. Opportunities: HSBCs high levels of market capitalisation place the bank, in a strong position which helps it to acquire assets. Banks which find the trading conditions particularly difficult at present could be available at low costs. HSBC has adequate capital which it uses to purchase strong local banks such as Bank Ekonomi in Indonesia, in which it has purchased a stake to continue the Asian expansion despite challenging economic times. HSBCs strong position presents the opportunity to outperform other banking competitors during the economic downturn which allows it to build a reputation of being one of the safe banks for depositors which further helps to increase resources for lending. Negative press coverage of competitors such as HBOS may encourage customers to choose HSBC instead. Threats: Decreased trust in the financial system overall, including HSBC due to financial losses suffered by investors may be a reason for them to invest elsewhere. Financial losses which have affected the banking industry and the sole investors on the global scale has resulted in less amount of credit being available for customers. In the UK this coupled with increases in living cost has resulted in less money being saved. The slump property market is leading to a rise in the numbers of homeowners with negative equity. If a propertys worth is less than what it was borrowed to finance its purchase, then there is going to be less likelihood that the bank will recoup all the losses if owners default. Claims have been made against HSBC, about the bank understating its losses resulting from the US sub-prime markets, and this has led to undermining confidence in the bank by the customers. CONCLUSION: Barclays is currently taking a  conservative approach due to the recession. However, the downturn has provided the bank with many opportunities for consolidation. Also, with the BRIC and East Asian markets rebounding fast this region looks to be a source of potential revenues and provides opportunities for increasing operations. With the United Kingdom and the Americas looking at a slow and prolonged phase of recovery, Barclays will need to adopt a policy of looking east when it comes to operations. The threats and problems being faced by Barclays will be because of the sustained economic situation being experienced in the United Kingdom, America and Europe which leads to uncertainty within the retail consumer market and could result in shortage of availability of credit. This in turn makes it even more important for Barclays to drive the overall corporate profitability margin by seeking to offset the shortfalls in the UK domestic market by making advances in the emerging markets. All the companies, like Barclays, are forced to re-examine the retail aspects of their operations which are seeking to remain competitive on the high street and also to make cuts wherever necessary. In the current financial climate, banks are not ready to finance each other and with the UK market on the verge of a projected severe recession, all of the retailing factors will influence Barclays competitiveness and it would depend largely on how the Bank of England and the Treasury would regenerate and r einforce the weak confidence in the stock markets. HSBC will concentrate on the strategic and prioritized areas of its worldwide operation with the further emphasis on HR management strategies and technologically-advanced applications within the group to keep a firm lead in the financial markets. HSBCs conservative approach to banking, staying focused on keeping its capital base strong and liquid balance sheet have prevented its failure. Executing the HSBCs strategy emphasizes on improving the intra-group linkages by joining up the businesses and functions so as to effectively create additional value. The HSBC brand is going to be leveraged to reach new customers and add more services to the existing ones. Efficiency will also be enhanced by taking the full advantage of the local, the regional and global economies. Appropriate objectives and new incentives will be adopted so as to encourage employees to be fully engaged in delivering the strategy. PART 3 In light of your analysis of your existing value proposition and what you have learnt in this module produce, a new value proposition that will match the value criteria of your customers, and a plan to implement the value proposition externally and internally http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/pix/spacer.gif To create a new value proposition that would be acceptable to the customers of Barclays, all the weaknesses that the current business structure has would have to be removed and a new and better business plan would have to be drafted by identifying the opportunities and removing the weaknesses. A New Value Proposition: The trading income should be relaxed so that it does not impact the revenue diversity. Capital bonuses should be distributed in accordance with the FSA and the bad practice of the directors receiving huge bonuses should be curtailed. Barclays should provide the consumers with a full portfolio of services worldwide, rather than just concentrating in the UK, this move could enable cross-selling opportunities. Barclays should look towards expanding in the worlds booming economies like India, China, Indonesia etc. so that these economies could provide Barclays with the market opportunities it is looking for, thus increasing the market capitalization. This project would propose that Barclays should have an aggressive expansion policy in the Asian market. Barclays needs to invest in buy to let market, which would in turn bring business volumes. Due to the economic crisis in the markets, Barclays needs to cut down its interest rates and mortgage rates, so as to become a peoples bank and thus raising the brand image. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION: To implement the new value proposition described above the project, will identify the key relationship-marketing issue, followed by refocusing of marketing effort: moving activities away from a marketing mix that creates a series of one-off transactions, to manage a complex network of relationships involved with the production of the whole consumer offering. T Marketing audit will be carried out so as to map out a plan that will be of most advantage to the customers and will be conducted in stages, namely at the beginning, the middle and at the end. Marketing analysis in terms of the strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities. A review must be undertaken to understand the new value propositions outlined above in the light of internal marketing. A new strategy development process concentrating on differentiation, cost leadership and adequate response systems would have to be created. Action programmes would have to be designed by managers so as to determine the most appropriate course to take in tackling the weakness of the organisation, with a determination of the likely costs which would be incurred. The implementation plan would have to be monitored and controlled by keeping a track of staff performance, evaluation and appraisal schemes. To ensure effective, appropriate and accurate results, basis for market segmentation would have to be identified, based on extensive market research. Marketing orientation is going to be very important, the new value propositions must be made clear to all the employees and clearly defined individual goals should be set down to enable the employees to see their own contribution in achieving the organisations objectives. Externally implementing the plan is going to be very important, and can be done by the use of media, electronic, print and sponsorships. The new value propositions can be made available in the form of television advertisements, available for all the people to see. The Barclays website can act as a powerful medium on which the new value propositions can be put up and made available. It should be designed in an effective and detailed manner so that the customers are aware about all the new services available to them. Print media is another powerful form by which the new policies can be made available for the masses. Barclays is a big sponsor for many big international events and meets and can use that as an active platform to educate the consumers about the new change in the policy structure.

Pillars of Salt, A Woman of Five Seasons and A Balcony Over the Fakihani :: Pillars Salt Seasons Balcony Fakihani Papers

Pillars of Salt, A Woman of Five Seasons and A Balcony Over the Fakihani missing works cited â€Å"Maha, sister, my life is like candy-floss; fluffy and full from the outside, empty like this damned hospital room from the inside. And they called the candy-floss ‘girls-curls.’ It was like my life. A girl’s life. A fluffy lie for half a piaster. Ya-la-la.† (Faqir, 19) To many eyes, the women’s liberation movement in the Middle East is nothing more than a mere faà §ade. The solidification of women’s rights in writing means very little when actually put into play, women still continue to be trampled on in all walks of life, behind closed doors and tinted windows. This is especially true of the three novels: Pillars of Salt, A Woman of Five Seasons and A Balcony Over the Fakihani. In these stories, women have earned little or nothing of their God given rights and continue to remain silent behind the false protection and ordinance of the law. True, the circumstances surrounding the equality of women have improved compared to what they once were, but even the most simple of things which Western women take for granted are thorns in the sides of Middle Eastern women. The authors of these books do their best to expose the injustices put upon women that the public rarely sees, even in the light of modernity. It is in these novels that we see how little the women’s liberation movement has done for these â€Å"real† women, these women made of flesh and blood who are still largely insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. Rape as a Model of Society One of the most obvious disguises of inequality is the rape of Nasra in the first novel Pillars of Salt. Rape is very much illegal and yet it happens and happens openly. Maha’s mind races when Nasra tells her that she has been raped, we can see how the society view women who have lost their virginity through rape, â€Å"My friend had lost her virginity, her honor, her life. She was nothing now. No longer a virgin, absolutely nothing. A piece of flesh. A cheap whore. (Faqir, 11) This sums up what society thinks of a woman who has dishonored herself and it seems that once this has happened, there is no hope or chance of one ever redeeming herself. This is the fate of Nasra and the fate of all women.

Cleopatra the Great - VII Essay --

The Great Man Theory was extremely prominent in the 19th century, originating from historian Thomas Carlyle, who stated that â€Å"The history of the world is but the biography of great men.† This mirrors his belief that heros shape history through their personal attributes and divine inspiration. According to this Great Man theory, history is written around the ‘Great Men’ or heroes who, due to their exceptional characteristics of charisma, intelligence, and wisdom utilize their power status to embark on a decisive historic imprint. This theory specifies on these heros’ historical events, being compared to their individual orders and decisions as rulers. In order to fit this title, individuals must use their power of leadership to protect and lead their country, seize given opportunities, possess machiavellianism characteristics, and be influential and captivated by their people. Cleopatra VII, an Egyptian Queen, had exquisite leadership skills which are a rgued to be better than any man’s, and she was honored and influenced by not only her people, but the world, through the hardships of war, famine, and the expansion of the Roman Empire. Her ideas, guiding principles, and public values influenced why she made the decisions she did. Thus, Cleopatra is the epitome of a ‘Great Man’, according to the criteria of the Great Man Theory. Cleopatra is a substantial leader because she was one of the first influential female leaders throughout her time on the throne, obtaining more power than any other female leader could achieve. Her leaderships were much different from other leaders which made her shine. Almost every Egyptian queen was named Cleopatra, however, the most famous of which was Cleopatra VII. She was born in Alexandria in 69 BCE... ...event makes her a ‘Great Man’ because she turned Egypt from a famished state, into a strong nation once again. She was able to use her intelligence to make allies to save her nation, and this is a very erioc stunt. She knew she was exiled from the throne, yet she went to a place where she was still considered of high authorities, and was able to organize an army to wage civil war on her brother. This is a remarkable event which allowed her to be remembered; she saved Egypt's’ state. This shows how she always acted to further her vision of a strong nation, equal in respect and stature to Rome. Lastly, it shows her determination to reign the throne, and became a mature leader in making Egypt great again. Thus, Cleopatra is applicable to the Great Man Theory. Cleopatra fits every little aspect of a ‘Great Man’. according to the criteria of the Great Man Theory.

Consideration when building market-competitve compensation system Essay

Discuss and explain the considerations when building market-competitive compensation systems. A company that strives to be competitive in whatever market they belong to will always look for strategic and competitive advantages. Building a market-competitive compensation system is the first step needed to attract, retain, and promote high performing individuals who will help a company reach and maintain that edge over competitors, so it is imperative to get it right the first time: offer compensation that is far above the median wage and the company must lower its bottom line, leaving it less money to reinvest, pay stockholders, etc. Offer too low a compensation package and the company will not be able to attract the high performers it is looking for to drive the competitive advantages further. To build a market-competitive pay system a company must: Conduct Strategic Analyses – When a company conducts a strategic analysis of both the external market (industry profile, competitor information, long-term growth prospects) and internal factors (functional capabilities, financial situation) it is looking for the parameters or the limits that it can perform and grow with (Martocchio 146) . Assess competitor’s pay practices with compensation surveys – The textbook goes into depth the factors surrounding compensation surveys, much of which are better explained in a statistics class. It is understandably difficult for a company to develop an internal custom compensation survey, as training personnel who have never done this is difficult, not the mention a company’s competition is understandably resistant to releasing pay numbers to rivals! Published surveys do exist, however, and consulting firms are there, depending on the industry. The most important strategic considerations to develop in a survey are determ ining the relevant job market and choosing benchmark jobs within that market (150). Integrate internal job structure with external market pay rates – Using regression analysis, which â€Å"describes the linear relationship between two variables (i.e. simple regression) or between the linear composite of multiple variables and one other variable (i.e. multiple regression)† (380). In simpler terms, it is finding the sweet spot for the company pay based on external markets and what they pay and factors internal  to the company (relevant work experience, job value, etc). Determine compensation policies – A Company has three pay level policies to choose from: market lead, market lag, or market match. A market lead policy â€Å"leads† the way, establishing a pay which is higher than market trends but may result in reduced profits. This is, however, what a company may want to do to differentiate itself from the competition. Market lag policy has a company compensating employees less than the average. This is best suited to a lowest-cost strate gy and the claim can be made that those low costs are passed to the clients or consumers. Market match policy ensures the company is compensating its personnel the same as current market trends. It is a safe way to go but does little to help a company distinguish itself from competitors, but if it fits within the strategic goals of a company it is the way to go. Works Cited Martocchio, Joseph J. Strategic Compensation: A Human Resource Management Approach 7th Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2013.

Defining Bullying Analysing Essay

Bullying in schools continues to be a problem faced by educational institutions today. It corresponds to the ability of both students and educators to use their power and capacity to intimidate and coerce others to follow their desires. Such realities then present negative consequences not only to the student but also to the overall capacity of the institution to facilitate opportunities for learning and growth. By seeking to identify the corresponding impact and risks associated with bullying, stakeholders in the realm of education can provide inputs and new strategies that can help promote change and pursue effective classroom management. Defining Bullying Analysing the definition of bullying, it is then crucial to determine its main scope and purpose. Here, it can be seen that using aggression, coercion, and violence are oftentimes the themes used by individuals to create situations of intimidation or torment. Under these specific circumstances, various reasons can be attributed to why people engage in bullying behaviour. Some scholars argue on the grounds of satisfying the need for control or power while some are just responding to the environment they see (Banks, 1997). Due to this, it is then crucial to understand these reasons more effectively to better identify policies and elements related towards change. Similarly, the idea of bullying also emanates from how one exercises influence and power over the other. Given that students who engage in such actions arguably have equal power than any other student in campus, the issue then here is their ability to abuse it due to specific circumstances. To elaborate further, â€Å"individuals differ in the power they can exercise over others and children need to learn not to abuse that power† (Rigby, 2003, p. 6). However, one must not try to align bullying with conflict between parties. This is because the idea here is that in bullying one exercises/has power over the other while in conflict both parties equally share an issue to argue about. It is through such interaction process that the playing field is levelled and therefore should not be mistaken for bullying. In essence, bullying does happen when students resort to misuse of their power, control, and influence towards others. Individuals commit to such actions because they believe they can while victims continue to be subjected to bullying because they continue to succumb to it (Findely, 2006). After looking at the definition of bullying, it is now crucial to identify specific ways on how such behaviour is carried out. Specifically, the main objective of any bullying behaviour is to have a specific target where individuals can utilize power and control over others. These actions can revolve from verbal abuse towards physical violence in small and frequent doses (Smith, 1999). Given the multiple ways that people can engage using verbal and physical bullying, it becomes rather difficult for educators and school administrators to point these issues accordingly unless students report such situations. What Australian Statistics Say Applying the elements of bullying in the educational system of Australia, it can be seen that considerable attention must be made to bridge gaps and develop strategies for change. In particular, several studies have noted the prevalence of the behaviour as early as preschool and continue to grow as the student progresses in his/her academic life. In particular, Rigby (2003) asserts that â€Å"assessing how often it happens is not easy, but research in Australia based on children’s reports suggests that about one child is bullied in one way or at least weekly† (p. 6). Similarly, statistics have also shown that both boys and girls do engage in bullying but illustrated using different means. For boys, they are most likely to commit physical actions and verbal abuse. On the other hand, girls tend to be more indirect and focus on ostracizing or excluding the individual from the rest of the group (Smith, 1999). This incidence greatly shows how each student is vulnerable to such threats and what different school administrators in Australia should focus on. By trying to point out and define the standards for appropriate behaviour, then the problem of bullying might be lessened. Identifying Reasons Looking closely at specific at the reasons why people engage into bullying behaviour, it can be seen that there are specific trends that illustrate behavioural and psychological conditions which hamper their ability to effectively respond according to school standards. On the behavioural perspective, different studies have argued that the main catalyst for students to practice bullying is their early exposure towards violence. They see their homes and environment they live as the norm and standard on how they should act and respond to others (Findley, 2006). Related to this process is the manner that educators showcase the bullying action themselves. Here, the practice of teacher violence emanates, either directly or indirectly, creates a mindset for students that the actions committed are valid (Riley, Lewis, and Brew, 2009). Through this, educators also serve as catalyst in expanding bullying due to their ability to influence and showcase a reality where one get what he/she wants provided that they coerce or overpower others to follow. On the other hand, there are also studies that tend to establish a psychological analysis of how bullying behaviour occurs. Specifically, it tries to argue how some children may have been suffering from conditions such as depression, ADD, or ADHD and brings about violent conduct towards other people (Ribgy, 2003). These dynamics in turn hinder the ability of a student to fully utilize their abilities and find it fearful to engage in classroom activities. Impact among bullied students Assessing the impact of bullying among students who have been subjected to it, it can be seen that these actions impede their ability to grow. In particular, students who have been subjected to such continuous behaviour often lose the ability and interest to study in schools (Banks, 1997). They see the location as threat and limit their ability to establish better means to coexist with their peers. In essence, this is one form of harassment that degrades the value of the individual and alienates them from participating in the educational endeavour and socialization (Findley, 2006). Looking closely at the specific effects of bullying, it can be seen that they revolve around the emotional as well as social levels. Particularly, students who been subjected to such harassment often lose their self-esteem and ability to isolate themselves from people at school (Smith, 1999). Since bullying may in turn correspond to a domino effect, the loss of self-esteem can lead towards the student feeling depressed and lonely. This in turn can result towards having limited motivation to go to school or engage in frequent absences (Findley, 2006). These elements are just examples of the short term effects of bullying. On the other hand, bullying can also induce negative effects in the long run. Here, an individual’s feeling of self-worth would be low and would result to accepting inadequacy as answer to this problem. Likewise, one would continue to isolate and feel powerless as they continue to tread their professional life. In addition, depression and psychological problems may also be present among students who have been bullied. More often than not, students who have been subjected to bullying behaviour have problems handling issues as they move towards their adult life (Rigby, 2003). Impact among those who Bully Analysing the impact of those who bully others, it can be seen that their actions correspond to the creation of uncertainty and insecurity within the school grounds. This especially applies for students who have not been subjected to such acts. Here, they feel that they can become victimized and create fear in the process (Rigby, 2003). These directions in turn serve to establish a bully’s ability to control the environment he/she is in. Another impact relevant effect of bullying revolves around creating opportunities for more bullies and continued disruptive behaviour. Given the idea that students do not tell teachers and administrators of what is going on in school, students feel they are powerful and can control the people around them. This then gives them the luxury to persist in abusing their power and likewise create opportunities to also influence others as well. With this environment, bullies are given the leverage to exercise what they want with limited possibility of being penalized or subjected to disciplinary measures. In the long run, bullies also are a problem for society if not addressed appropriately. Here, they can commit crime and limit their ability to engage in long term positive relationships towards other people. The threat then of criminal conviction alongside the development of specific problems on handling conflict issues with others are just some of the problems that bullies can experience in the future. Identifying Potential Risks of Bullying Student/Individual In determining the risks of bullying among students, it is important to note that since they are the ones who either engage in such behaviour or recipients of it, students are the most prone to experience the hurdle of responding and aligning their behaviour to survive such. That is why different effects, both emotionally and socially, can be seen among students and generates problems as it then relates with other potential risks such as academic achievement, teachers, and parents. Given the dynamics related to this approach, it is then essential to redefine programs that are focused on both victims of bullying and those who commit such acts. Academic Achievement Bullying also poses a risk in a student’s academic achievement. This remains to be seen especially among students who have been subject to continuous bullying and resulted to lack of motivation to go to school or partake in activities. Since some of these areas are important variables to get a good mark, academic achievement is comprised and sacrificed (Rigby, 2003). In particular, the ability to meet these standards becomes burdensome for students because they had to set the balance of adapting to bullies and the stress related to fulfilling the requirements of their subjects. Likewise, academic achievement is also at risk for bullies also because it gives them the leverage to abuse their power and gain opportunities to coerce people to follow their lead. Given that bullies have this ability, they can then ask others to do their assignment and submit specific projects or otherwise be beaten up. This then defeats the purpose of the educational process as bullies don’t learn anything and the bulk of the workload is provided to bullied students. Overall, bullying becomes a risk for academic achievement because it hinders students the ability to concentrate on their studies. Though the socialization process also is a significant precept in one’s academic life, the instance of bullying complicates the problem and leaves students the capacity to balance each of these tasks according to how they see it fit. Such reactions in turn limit students to reach their full potential and hamper their abilities to utilize their skills in academic activities (Smith, 1999). Parents and Intervention Parental intervention is also another risk that bullying creates. Under this process, parents are often clueless of what is happening to their children. Expecting that they do well in school, it can tarnish a child’s relationship with their parents especially if a student tells their parent’s they don’t want to go to school anymore or learns from their teachers that their child often absents. The basic assumption here is that since parents can exercise control, bullying hampers effective communication among parents because students feel that this can only worsen the issue they’re facing. Here, Banks (1997) point out, â€Å"students feel that adult intervention is infrequent and ineffective, and that telling adults will only bring more harassment from bullies† (p. 1). Likewise, if bullying transpires within a student-teacher relationship, then it is also another difficult aspect for students to balance. Allowing their parents to intervene would only result towards educators putting the blame on students or become intimidated further in class. The aspect then of defining misbehavior and what is the boundary between the process of ‘disciplining’ and bullying becomes an issue to consider (Lewis, Romi, Katz, and Qui, 2008). Similarly, since students find it difficult to establish and determine these boundaries accordingly, they are often left succumbing to intimidation, coercion or at times reprimand that crosses the line of how discipline should be provided. Indeed, it has always been the interests of parents to see to it that their child gets the most out of school. However, bullying impedes these expectations and at the same time serves as a barrier for students to communicate to their parents effectively. By understanding the dynamics related to the role of the parents in this issue, better means for intervention can be made available for students to use (Lewis, 2001). Teachers and Administrators Lastly, the prevalence of bullying within schools also becomes a risk among educators and administrators because it illustrates their inability to control the issue. Since both actors are valuable stakeholders in the maintenance of an effective learning environment among students, the increased incidence of bullying in schools makes them accountable to these children’s parents. Likewise, both educators and administrators need to realize that their role encompasses the insides of the classroom. They must see to it that the school environment is responsive to students need and assesses potential risks and providing solutions to these issues (Lewis and McCann, 2009). Applying this precept in the realm of student-teacher relationship, bullying also poses a risk among teachers and administrators because the incidence of such behaviour violates their roles and responsibilities within the classroom. Given that there are certain parameters that educators can use to discipline students, it must not cross the line and induce traces of intimidation, coercive action, or physical violence among students (Lewis, Romi, Qui, Katz, 2005). Seeing this, bullying makes a difficult process to develop since establishing a proper means to discipline and sanction students for misbehaviour would appear to be compromised or construed in a different way. Opening up Opportunities for Change Given the potential risks and effects that bullying does, it is then crucial to devise specific measures that can infuse changes and increase responsibility among actors involved. Here, it takes into account the role of each stakeholder in the educational process and finds means to integrate ideas and inputs to generate a facilitative response to the issue. That is why change must not come from the educational sector alone, rather it must try to reach out and allow parents, students, and the community to get involved. The purpose of this not mainly revolves around limiting the occurrence of bullying in classrooms but also generate an appropriate response on how to prepare students to effectively respond to democratic ideals and values (Lewis, 1999). Evaluation, Experience, and Education The first step in establishing providing change revolves around evaluating the current school environment. Here, educators and administrators may need to ask whether or not bullying is rampant on campus or not. Here, it is important to note that the ability to apply real change in the process involves not disregarding the realities that are happening and simply seek out to know the truth (Smith, 1999). Through such mindset, administrators can have a clear picture of what is happening in the school environment and understand the dynamics related to how students interact and respond to the issue of bullying. The next stage involves gathering experiences from students and observing what really happened. Through this, administrators can then realize how rampant the situation is and what possible strategies can be used to alleviate the issue. Seeing this, experiences matter in resolving the issue because it helps observers learn from it and gain specific insights on how to respond accordingly (Findley, 2006). Likewise, experiences also highlight the shortcomings and mistakes of the school in how they had addressed the bullying issue before. In essence, these facets can serve as useful tenets that administrators can use to define and plan out the next strategies to be used (Banks, 1997). The last part revolves around education. Under this process, administrators now provides specific inputs on what needs to be done and lays it out for educators to apply and use. Here, specific importance is given towards communicating to stakeholders about the issue that is happening, its gravity, and how it is affecting students from academics to their personal life. This remains to be important because this serves as the crucial precept in determining what actions need to be made and how different actors would respond in accordance to the issue of bullying. Likewise, education seeks to bridge inputs and policies together. This stage serves as the application phase where behaviour is patterned according to the observations and inputs gained from experience. By synchronising these inputs altogether, it helps create a dynamic process and further the ability of promoting sustainable and long term growth (Rigby, 2003). Diversifying the Anti-Bullying Campaign Given the inputs gained from experience and observation, the next step to address bullying would be to create an Ant-Bullying campaign in schools. Here, it must entail a collaboration of actors involved in the educational process and establish specific norms and responses in addressing specific cases. If an educational institution already has particular rules concerning bullying, it would be best to diversify options available. To diversify means that the scope, application, and analysis of cases must come from different actors. The purpose of this is to enrich communication patterns among stakeholders and generate new inputs on how bullying can be addressed within and outside the classroom (Rigby, 2003). The attempt to diversify must also seek to promote the aspect of inclusion. This means that decision making processes must not come from the school administration alone. Rather, it must try to include and introduce this principle to the community and parents. This is particularly relevant because it can showcase transcendence and capacity to align specific policies and behavioural changes according to the values and principles provided by the school (Banks, 1997). This then can become a good strategy for success because it merges common interests altogether and justifies what inputs need to be considered and applied. In essence, diversification entails creating a shared responsibility among actors involved in the educational process. The ability to include parents and the community within the dynamics of change, it can create better responses among students. This process can also serve to complement an educator and administrator’s increasing tasks by providing an assistive strategy related to implementation of educational goals and objectives (Findley, 2006). Opening Patterns for Communication Another crucial step to address bullying revolves around the process of infusing communication among students. The idea here is to develop the ability to track down cases of bullying and providing appropriate disciplinary measures to culprits and protection amongst victims. Here, educators, parents, and the community must work hand-in-hand to ensure that appropriate means are created to open lines of communication among students regardless of the possibility of threats from bullies (Smith, 1999). The value of communication then is to help ascertain the degree of bullying happening in school and determine what actions need to be made in order to accomplish these directives. Strengthening Disciplinary and Protection Measures Alongside the development of openness in communication patterns, educators and administrators should also contribute their part in providing concrete and available means to exercise disciplinary and assistive measures for bullying. The main reason why many students don’t complain about this issue is the fear of retaliation and the ability to distrust how the overall process works (Banks, 1997). Due to this, the capacity to strengthen strategies and instruments related to the process discipline can then motivate students to take part in the initiative to stand up against bullying. At the same time, inducing means for protection and counselling would also complement the ability to limit the occurrence of bullying. By providing specific and goal-oriented strategies, educators and administrators can align behaviour according to the needs of a student. Allowing students to take part in this endeavour also justifies that the school administration is committed in putting an end to bullying rather than just trying to control. Thus, redefining the rules and regulations to meet these requirements can induce positive outcomes and carry out means to shape students for the better (Lewis, 1999). Reinforcing Accountability and Responsibility among Educators Given the idea that bullying can also transpire in a student-teacher relationship, it also crucial to reinforce accountability and responsibility among educators. Here, it revolves around facilitating the value of openness and professionalism of practice. Under this process, specific rules can be modified and changed to adapt to the trends of 21st century education. By doing this process, it can allow educators to become more responsive and address the increasing needs of students in the classroom. Arguing further on the need to redefine rules, it is also crucial for administrators to take into consideration defining the boundaries of what the aspect of ‘discipline’ and bullying diverge. Since educators can also be subjected to stress, pressure, and emotional conditions that distracts them from achieving their purpose, it is then essential to outline specific strategies that can help handle misbehaviour and occurrences of bullying inside the classroom. By redefining and aligning these principles with respect to educational norms and the needs of educators, the idea of reinforcing discipline and sanctions would become constructive and induce better means for addressing student behaviour (Lewis, Romi, Qui, and Katz, 2005). In essence, the increasing roles and responsibilities sometimes limit the educator to function to his/her optimum capacity. By trying to align and create changes in the way educators operate, it can help induce greater means for educators to effectively facilitate classroom management and diversify opportunities to address bullying. Conclusion To conclude, bullying is a huge issue in classroom management that educators and other relevant stakeholders need to consider. This is because it takes into account the ability of both educator and student to use their power and position to promote intimidation and coercion to other people. Similarly, it creates negative consequences on the bully and those bullied in terms of their ability to respond to the environment, motivation, to study, and other behavioural long term effects. Bullying also creates risks on different facets shaping learning and professional development among educators. Given these challenges, it is then crucial to outline policies for change. It is important to note that the ability to transcend in this type of environment inside and outside the classroom corresponds to the recognition and redefinition of student behaviour. At the same time, it must also try to incorporate openness in communication and value inputs gained from experiences in the past. Fundamentally, the basis for managing and preventing bullying from happening circumvents from the recognition of each member’s role and aligning these ideas within policies and rules. In the end, as the current educational system continues to undergo changes that affects the role of students, educators, administrators, and other stakeholders, classroom management issues such as bullying would always be existent. The challenge then is to ensure that appropriate mechanisms are in place to address the situation and effectively carry out patterns to make appropriate changes and models suitable to meet the demands of today’s 21st century educational environment. List of References Banks, R (1997), ‘Bullying in Schools’, ERIC Digest, viewed 29 Jul. 2010, http://www. ericdigests. org/1997-4/bullying. htm Findley, I (2006) Shared Responsibility: Beating Bullying in Australian Schools, Australian Council for Educational Research, Australia. Lewis, P (1999), ‘Preparing students for democratic citizenship: Codes of conduct in Victoria’s ‘Schools of the Future’’, Educational Research and Evaluation, vol. 5 no. 1, pp. 41-61 Lewis, R (2001), ‘Student Responsibility and Classroom Discipline: The Students View’, Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 17 no. 1, pp 307-319 Lewis, R and McCann, Tricia (2009), ‘Teaching â€Å"At Risk† Students: Meeting Their Needs’, International Handbook of Research on Teachers and Teaching. LJ Saha and AG Dworkin (eds), Springer Science + Business Media LLC, US Lewis, R, Romi, S, Katz, Y, and Qui, X (2008) ‘Student’ reaction to classroom discipline in Australia, Israel, and China, Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 24 no. 1, pp. 715-724 Lewis, R, Romi, S, Qui, X, and Katz, YJ (2005), ‘Teachers’ classroom discipline and student misbehavior in Australia, China and Israel’ Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 21 no. 1, pp. 729-741 Rigby, K (2003), Bullying among young children: a guide for teachers and careers, Commonwealth of Australia, viewed 29 Jul 2010, http://www. ag. gov. au/agd/WWW/rwpattach. nsf/VAP/(1E76C1D5D1A37992F0B0C1C4DB87942E)~Bullying+Teachers. pdf/$file/Bullying+Teachers. pdf Riley, P, Lewis, R, and Brew, C (2009), ‘Why did you do that ? Teachers explain the use of illegal aggression in the classroom, Teaching and Teacher Education, pp. 1-8 Smith, PK (1999) The nature of school bullying: a cross-national perspective, Routledege, US