Motivational Activities of Part time Staff at Tesco Essay

Motivational Activities of Part time Staff at Tesco - Essay Example The deductive method proves reliable in this study because theoretical arguments will be of critical significance. Interpretivism is one of the underlined philosophies that governs qualitative research and will be applied in this study (Klenke 2008, p. 67). The outstanding strategy in this research will be the construction of a correlation and observation of the existing motivational activities and the pertinent satisfaction exhibited by part time staff at Tesco. Since this study focuses on establishing the existing relationship between the motivational activities of Tesco and the level of satisfaction exhibited by part time workers, it falls under the category of relational studies (Merriam 2002, 123). This research will focus on Tesco express for a defined period and hence the study is cross-sectional. Primary and secondary Researches  Two types of data will form the core of this survey and such data will emanate from the primary and the secondary researches. Primary data will be the data collected from the 30 participants identified from this research. A rigorous analysis and evaluation of such primary data will serve to inform the researchers of the probable findings (Miles, Huberman, & SaldanÃŒÆ'a 2014, p. 143). In addition, the research will also consider an extensive literature review as a reliable source of secondary data in a bid to support the primary data. The literature review will consider the conclusions drawn from existing studies and the theories developed from such studies.

How do you react Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How do you react - Essay Example Teachers commonly â€Å"write a descriptive narrative of each child's cognitive and social growth† (Brualdi). I remember that in my very early years in school, I specially looked forward to getting a star whenever I submitted any work for the teacher to check. Specially in Math, I had a star on every page. In order to maintain this honor, I would work even harder so that I might not miss a star on any of the pages. Those stars served as a big source of motivation for me. I felt pleased and encouraged. I would proudly show them to my fellow class mates and peers. Many years have passed since then, but I am just as sensitive to my teachers’ written comments on my work as I ever was. As I stated before, my academic record has always been very good, so poor comments have been extremely rare for me. However, if I ever happen to get bad comments, I take them as a lesson to judge my performance so that I can raise it to the level where the comments become nice. Teachersâ€℠¢ comments are of primary importance to me and I usually use them to make my writing better. Works cited: Brualdi, Amy. â€Å"Teacher comments on report cards.† Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, vol. 6. no. 5. 1998. .

Compare And Contrast Theory With Practice

Compare And Contrast Theory With Practice Case management is the process of helping patients with lives that are not productive or satisfactory as a result of a number of problems among them drug and substance abuse. Case management in social work is whereby a social worker professionally assesses the needs of the client and their respective families (Ballew Mink 1997). The social worker then coordinates, monitors, evaluates, arranges and advocates an effective service package to meet the clients or patients needs. Case management differs from managed care whereby the former is designed to obtain the most appropriate and perhaps best treatment for patients while the latter is designed to avoid hospitalization or initiate shorter hospital stays thereby reducing costs incurred. Case managers professional credentials will comprise broadly of the following: A masters graduate accredited by the council on social work education Have a current state or national social work certificate or license At least two years work experience at the masters level relating to bio-psych social needs Practicing in line with federal and state regulations and laws An adherent to the social work code of ethics (National Association of Social Workers NASW) Case management constitutes psychological and clinical components. As a pre- requisite therefore, a case manager should be able to address a variety of matters some of which may include: Crisis intervention: where the patients state or situation signifies a crisis needing urgent attention Resource brokerage: This involves marshalling of the necessary resources to commence treatment. Teamwork collaboration: The bringing together of all the stakeholders involved in the treatment plan Client / family education: Provision of all the necessary information and education related to the condition and treatment procedure. Client / family advocacy: Advocate for patient or client where society or family puts forth a set of demands (Halley, Kopp Austin 1997) Psychological assessment and diagnostic procedures Results and evaluation: Interpretation of patient assessment results. Client / family counseling: Initiate patient / family counseling sessions. Most importantly the case manager initiates a team oriented approach to case management. Generally case management procedures offered by organizations are effected based on a screening procedure outcome. This screening criteria will pinpoint all collaborative services through coordination of high quality care services. The coordination is meant to reduce any service fragmentation. The ultimate goal of this process would be to identify patients: With costly illness or injury With terminal condition With chronic illness or illness in an acute stage The coordination of the case services during screening is aimed at enhancing the quality of life and appropriate usage of health care resources. Client screening should cover the following aspects: Financial Environmental Physical Psychological Cultural / spiritual Vocational Client psychological screening is achieved through an assessment process which may include among other components: Patients personal data Patients health status and age Patients emotional and financial status Patients vocational and functional status including spirituality Cognitive functioning focusing on the client The case management process exploits a number of intervention options. The case manager assists clients / patients and family members to establish a suitable treatment plan. The plan pinpoints the patients strengths and supportive systems. These are employed during the implementation. Alternatively the case manager may monitor a patient from community to an inpatient facility and back to the community setting. The manager then adapts a treatment plan suited to the patients needs in each of the set ups. Collaboration as an option can also be used where the case manager collaboratively and collectively involves the patients family and others concerning the implementation of the treatment plan. The parties are continuously updated about the progress, goals, obstacles and any variations to the initial treatment plan. The Patrician movement most likely adopts this kind of approach or practice based on the fact that this movement considers the family as a basic societal unit that can be directly involved in the treatment and prevention of substance and drug abuse (The Patrician Movement 2010). An important aspect concerning any process is the documentation process. In the case management process the manager develops suitable case management plans which are documented in the patients record. These documentation should be accessible by all relevant and authorized team involved in the treatment plan of the patient in question. The documentation contains vital information based on the current or proposed treatment plan. Accordingly all medical documentation should be kept confidential and treated as so. The case management process must have an established measurement of outcomes. The plans outcome indicators should include observed and measured goals for every problem, the progress being periodically measured by the case manager along with the supportive team. The measurement indicators will include: Resolution of the problem: This will include the patient care plans connoting the percentages met, partially met or not yet met. The patients level of dedication to treatment estimated by measuring the attendance frequencies for the assigned treatment sessions. A decrease in procedures and treatments that was unplanned for. Service costs, reconciled service levels and utilization of resources The patients or clients satisfaction which can be derived by the use of tools such as questionnaires the likes of DUKE, Darmouth Co-op or SF- 36. Levels of patient satisfaction can also be demonstrated through contract renewal by the client usually an indicator of insurance company satisfaction. The patrician movement was founded at St Patrick Parish on the Eastern side of San Antonio in Texas in the late 1950s as a church based drug and substance abuse prevention and treatment facility. Initially founded as a haven from multi racial violence within the neighborhood, patrician movement founders realized the need to address the substance abuse that was clearly evident among the various gang members who came to seek shelter at the parish. The movement has largely evolved into a fully fledged facility today offering prevention and treatment services from a holistic point of view (The Patrician Movement 2010). The treatment program is largely inclined on a self assessment journey making every case unique in its own sense. The core concept embraced by the patrician movement points to the fact that each individual is unique and has a right to develop maximum potential. The family is emphasized as the basic unit of society and education as paramount for human development and treatm ent. The prevention and treatment services at the patrician movement are somewhat unique. This is due to the fact that prevention and treatment process are family oriented and managed. Case managers are basically from within the community and a conservative approach to rehabilitation process is followed. Among the case managers are those with special skills, others are former clients of the patrician movement whereas some are family members (Ballew Mink 1997) The patrician movement is concerned with the whole person and serves the San Antonio population basically. However the entire Texas state also benefits from the services of this movement. This movement having started at community level and as a community initiative is thus strongly San Antonio based. While involving the family in case management; patrician movement is helping to build stronger rehabilitation programs with effective accountability and follow up. The age bracket covered by the services offered at Patrician movement ranging from 18 to 65 years ensures a wider population is catered for. Patrician movement runs a brief strategic family therapy (BSFT) to cater for youngsters exhibiting early substance abuse and delinquency. By focusing on the family as a base of contact and rehabilitation Patrician movement ensures full community involvement in the programs thereby making them quite effective. Established in a mixed race society, Patrician movement cross racial approach to treatment and prevention continues to elicit community support from people of mixed race. Posted statistics are indicative of the fact that as at 2003 over 2500 families had been served with over 2200 adults as well. Proportionally this implies almost one adult per family. This means drug and substance abuse rate in San Antonio is high. A perusal of the testimonials from the Patrician movement website indicates a community full of gratitude to the services offered at the movement. The GED diploma program is among the unique service offered at Patrician movement meant to empower the population intellectually. By focusing on the whole person the Patrician movement boasts a higher level of success in rehabilitation unlike the common approaches that will mainly focus on the resolution of the problem. In developing and involving the family and therefore the community as a fundamental part of the rehabilitation process, Patrician movement is ensuring lower chances of relapse due to the fact that all other underlying factors are looked at and addressed. Due to the fact that the San Antonio population is mixed race, the Patrician movement believes in intellectually empowering the community as part of its prevention and treatment strategy. The administration of GED program ensures that those without the basic intellectual skills are equipped and in so doing the general public is able to receive and act on general public information without misinterpretation or misunderstanding.

Comparative Economics: U.K. vs. Japan :: Economics Essays

The economy of a nation is a major indication of its success. One aspect of a nation's economic success or failure is the system of government. Whether a nation is socialistic, communistic, ruled by absolute sovereignty, or based on capitalistic principles can be a key factor in a country's economic success or failure. Government is the foundation of an economy but it is not what determines its success. Issues that determine a nation’s economic success include growth strategies, improved or increased resources, investment and savings, government policies, trade, foreign direct investment, income distribution, labor allocation, innovations in technology, and several other economic issues. I feel that economic growth is the main indicator of economic success. Additionally, innovations in technology, improving human capital, and improving foreign direct investment (FDI) are three issues that can lead to economic growth. In the following essay I will try to compare two highly developed economies, Japan and The United Kingdom. I will emphasize the success of their economies and how human capital, advancing technology (innovation), and FDI have contributed to their current success or failure. I will briefly discuss the contemporary history of each country, thoroughly cover their current conditions, and end with expectations for their future. Introduction: Comparison of Japan and the United Kingdom The U.K. and Japan seem natural subjects for comparison. British and Japanese observers alike have long been fascinated by the many parallels (and the even more numerous divergences) in the histories of these two island nations. Particularly interesting about these two was the "economic role reversal† which occurred between Japan and Britain over the course of the twentieth century. In 1900, the United Kingdom was the world's dominant colonial, financial and naval power, as well as a center of industrial production and technological innovation. Japan was a mere up-start, a precocious and aspiring, but still unthreatening, economic competitor in East Asia. The beginning of the twentieth century, and more accurately the 1950s, saw Japan and Great Britain’s economic â€Å"role† reverse. Although Britain has enjoyed healthy growth rates and rising standards of living over the past 100 years, it has been progressively eclipsed by Japan as an economic superpower an d an international model. Indeed, Britain's accomplishments have paled in comparison to Japan's meteoric rise: while Japan has emerged as the outstanding economic "success story" of the twentieth century, Great Britain's relatively modest performance has been both discouraging and confounding. Brief Contemporary History:

Learning Team Deliverable Week

Walter and Traction. The customers and subscribers of the internet and cell phone service started sharing information with each other and decide to file a class action suit against Walter and Traction. Class Action Fairness Act (CAFE) is at the national level of Tort reform legislation. This type of legislation must consist of 1 00 members and citizen from various states. â€Å"Intentional tort disparagement is the publishing of a false statement of a material fact about a business's product or service† (Subtask, Browne,Heron, Geometry-Meyer, Barracks, Doge, & Williamson, 2012). Suggestion to President/Owner—-Divvies Hernandez Even though what Traction is doing is not illegal and I'm sure was clearly stated in the customer agreement that was signed by the customer its sometimes best to settle than to waist money and take your chances on someone else deciding whether the company should be help legally responsible. The owner or whomever is making the decisions should deci de on what the person or group of people are trying to get out of this case is worth settling on.If the complaint is that they weren't given what they thought they were given than the company may want to give them what they expected for the time period that the service was paid for. With prepay payment is usually made one month at a time so the company may want to give them a free month with the expectations they had with their service and clearly state what the future agreement will be after the settlement has been taken care of. The company will than need to change advertising and contract agreements disclosure to make sure this is prevented in the future.

Bill Miller and Value Trust

? Bill Miller and Value Trust Background Information Bill Miller is one of the most renowned professional fund managers. This can be proven by the outperformance of the Value Trust, which is managed by him, compared to its benchmark index, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500), for an astonishing 14 years in a row; and this marked the longest streak of success for any manager in the mutual-fund industry. By the middle of 2005, Value Trust is worth $11. 2-billion. Bill Miller’s approach to investment management was research-intensive and highly concentrated. For instance, nearly 50 percent of Value Trust’s assets were invested in just 10 large-capitalization companies. While most of Bill Miller’s investments were value stocks, he was not averse to taking large positions in the stocks of growth companies. In other words, Bill Miller’s investing style is iconoclastic: â€Å"You simply can’t do what he’s done in the supremely competitive, ultra-efficient world of stock picking by following the pack†¦The fact is that Miller has spent decades studying freethinking overachievers, and along the way he’s become one himself. † Mutual Funds Definition A mutual fund is an investment vehicle that pooled the funds of individual investors to buy a portfolio of securities, stocks, bonds, and money-market instruments to meet specific investment objectives; investors owned a pro rata share of the overall investment portfolio (Bruner, 2007). The various investments included in a fund’s portfolio are handled by professional money managers in line with the stated investment policy of the fund. All mutual funds have a portfolio manager, or investment advisor, who directs the fund’s investments according to explicit investment objectives. Mutual Fund Types Investors have different objectives, so various types of mutual funds are needed to help them achieve their goals. Most mutual funds fit into one of three basic categories: money market mutual funds, bond funds, and stock funds. Money market mutual funds hold cash reserves, or short-term debt investments issued by the government, corporations, or financial institutions (i. e. , U. S. Treasury bills and bank certificates of deposit). Bond funds invest in debt instruments issued by corporations or government agencies. Stock funds are one of the most popular types of mutual funds, ranging from relatively conservative equity income funds to value funds, growth funds, aggressive growth funds, small-company funds, and international funds (Hirschey and Nofsinger, 2008). Advantages of Mutual Funds Diversification Using mutual funds can help an investor diversify their portfolio with a minimum investment. When investing in a single mutual fund, an investor is actually investing in numerous securities and spreading investment across a range of securities can help to reduce risk but will never completely eliminate it. If a few securities in the mutual fund lose value or become worthless, the loss maybe offset by other securities that appreciate in value. Professional Management Mutual funds are managed and supervised by investment professionals. As per the stated objectives set forth in the prospectus, along with prevailing market conditions and other factors, the mutual fund manager will decide when to buy or sell securities. This eliminates the investor of the difficult task of trying to time the market. Furthermore, mutual funds can eliminate the cost an investor would incur when proper due diligence is given to researching securities. Convenience With most mutual funds, buying and selling shares, changing distribution options, and obtaining information can be accomplished conveniently by telephone, by mail, or online. Minimum Initial Investment Most mutual funds have a minimum initial purchase of $2,500 but some are as low as $1,000. Disadvantages of Mutual Funds Risks and Costs Changing market conditions can create fluctuations in the value of a mutual fund investment. There are fees and expenses associated with investing in mutual funds that do not usually occur when purchasing individual securities directly. There are drawbacks associated with mutual funds: No Guarantees. The value of mutual fund investment could fall and be worth less than the principle initially invested. The Diversification â€Å"Penalty†. Diversification can help to reduce your risk of loss from holding a single security, but it limits your potential for a â€Å"home run† if a single security increases dramatically in value. Costs. In some cases, the efficiencies of fund ownership are offset by a combination of sales commissions, redemption fees, and operating expenses. If the fund is purchased in a taxable account, taxes may have to be paid on capital gains. Expenses Because mutual funds are professionally managed investments, there are management fees and operating expenses associated with investing in a fund, which is called expense ratios ranging from 0. 2% to 2. 0%. These fees and expenses charged by the fund are passed onto shareholders and deducted from the fund’s return. Taxes As a fund shareholder, you can be taxed on distributions of dividends and/or capital gains made by the fund and profits you make when you sell the fund shares. Research Hypothesis 1. There is a possibility that his overall performance may be affected because of Bill Miller’s choice of concentrating heavily in certain sectors such as financials, health, consumer goods, and telecommunications. 2. By examining and analyzing various theoretical explanations, we will be able to determine whether Bill Miller’s success is dependent on luck and/or skill and whether it is sustainable or not. Evaluation of Bill Miller’s Performance Bill Miller’s results seemed to contradict conventional theories, which suggested that, in markets characterized by high competition, easy entry, and information efficiency, it would be extremely difficult to beat the market on sustained basis. Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) There are three levels of market efficiency which were distinguished by the degree of information believed to be reflected in current securities’ prices. The weak form of efficiency maintained that all past prices for a tock were impounded into today’s price. The semistrong form of efficiency held that today’s prices reflected not only all past prices, but also all publicly available information. The strong form of efficiency held that today’s stock price reflected all the information that could be acquired through a close analysis of the company and the economy. Many scholars argued that the sock market followed a â€Å"random walk†, where the price movements of tomorrow were essentially uncorrelated with the price movements of today. They argued that capital markets’ information was efficient, and that the insights available to any one fundamental analyst were bound to be impounded quickly into share prices. If EMH were correct and all current prices reflected the true value of the underlying securities, then arguably it would be impossible to beat the market with superior skill or intellect. â€Å"In such a market,† as one economist said, â€Å"We would observe lucky and unlucky investors, but we wouldn’t find any superior investment managers who can consistently beat the market. Yet, Bill Miller, who over long periods, greatly outperformed the market. In reply, Malkiel suggested that beating the market was much like participating in a coin-tossing contest where those who consistently flip heads are the winners. Malkiel suggested that the success of a few superstar portfolio managers could be explained as luck. Similarly, the stock-market crash on October 1987 had also seemed to undermine t he strength of the EMH. Academic research exposed other inconsistencies with the EMH, for example, January effect, blue Monday effect, etc. Those results were inconsistent with a random walk of prices and returns. Bill Miller was an adherent of fundamental analysis; his approach was research-intensive and highly concentrated. Nearly 50% of Value Trust’s asserts were invested in just 10 large-capitalization companies. Analysis of Bill Miller’s Key Strategies Bill Miller, portfolio manager for Legg Mason Value Trust, had a great track record for an astonishing fourteen years in a row. He was the only active mutual fund manager to have consistently beaten the S&P 500 over the last fourteen years. Bill Miller pointed out that his streak was due to luck; 95 percent luck. This section will evaluate Bill Miller’s investment philosophies and whether he is just plain lucky or it is based on luck and sustainability. The figure below lists the categories in which Bill Miller has invested in and the annual returns each category receives: As can be seen in the figure above, Value Trust has a portfolio that is highly volatile. Although highly volatile, the concentrated portfolio still showed outperformance when judged by calendar years, thus giving an ominous sign that the outperformance is not the result of good stock picking, but merely the result of taking on greater risk than the market as a whole. Bill Miller’s investment philosophy to build up Value Trust is to consistently buy cheap stocks, and focused on established companies suffering through periods of poor performance. These judgments resulted in Value Trust’s outperformance for fourteen years. However, taking risks (i. . having a highly concentrated volatile portfolio) and underperforming the value style (i. e. buying cheap stocks from companies suffering through periods of poor performance) is not a good combination and could hurt him later on. One might think that Bill Miller’s investment philosophy could be a â€Å"value trap†, mistaking a more or less permanent change in value or industry conditions for a tempora ry one. The bulk of Bill Miller’s portfolio is from consumer (i. e. homebuilding) and financial categories. These stocks tend to trade at cheap prices. Furthermore, the housing bubble began inflating in mid 1990’s, thus making it an easy way for investors like Bill Miller to make money. This event led to further success of Value Trust despite the high level of volatility. Investment Philosophies Buy low-price, high intrinsic-value stocks Bill Miller tends to invest in stocks that are undervalued by the market. People believe that a business is broken, scandal, but the company is still able to generate positive future cash flows. He buys low and sell high. The market price in long run still imitates the value of the firm. Take heart in pessimistic markets Bill Miller tends to invest in stocks that have the least promising outlook and sell those stocks that have the greatest opportunity for near-term gain. In other words, Bill Miller is investing in stocks that have the greatest opportunity for long-term gain instead of near-term gain. Remember that the lowest average cost wins The lower the shares go, the higher the future rate of return and the more money you should invest in them. When a stock drops and he believes in the fundamentals, the case for future retunes goes up. Again, market price in long run still imitates the value of the firm. Buy low-expectation stocks When the market’s been down for a while, and it looks bad, then you should be more aggressive, and when it’s been up for a while, then you should be less aggressive. Bill Miller thinks buying low-expectation stocks, buying higher dividend-yielding stocks, staying away from things with high expense ratios. Take the long view Bill Miller tends to hold onto stocks he invested in for a long period of time which results in a low portfolio turnover. According to him, the biggest opportunity for investors is really thinking out longer term. Look for cyclical and secular underpricing Bill Miller tends to invest in stocks that are undervalued or mispriced. He believes that most growth people own stocks that are secularly underpriced; things that can grow for long periods of time. Behavioural Finance Bill Miller’s educational background in Philosophy and Economics and his active involvement in the study of Behavioural Finance reflect his investment strategy. During Bill Miller’s Investment Conference in 2004, he remarked that â€Å"I believe that every exploitable anomaly in the market is behaviourally based. This is the only way that sustainable anomalies can be created. These are the anomalies that are not easily arbitraged away. One of the most remarkable behavioural anomalies that we see is that people take today’s data (e. g. , the GDP report, the unemployment report) and concludes that the market is getting ahead of itself. The market does not look at today’s data. It is looking at the data down the road. † This statement demonstrates that his belief that the market reflects the available information fairly accurately in the short term. In addition, he remarked that â€Å"Because the market looks forward, because the market discounts, and because the market prices reflect, in essence, the data refracted through the decision procedures and emotions of investors, then the market will change as the world changes because it is incorporating new information. † With this statement, it appears that Bill Miller expresses a partial belief in the EMH, unlike Warren Buffet. Value Investing As what was stated in the case, Bill Miller has been following an approach to equity investing and followed a number of strategies, specifically Ben Graham’s. Bill Miller analyzes and evaluates the stocks performance in the long run which explains his strategy of buying low, with high intrinsic value. In addition, he has been holding onto stocks for a longer period than an average fund manager, hence a low turn-over rate which explains his strategy of taking the long view. Conclusion By comparing Miller’s investment philosophy with Warren Buffett’s, there is one thing that makes Buffett’s investment philosophy more applicable and Miller’s philosophy a â€Å"swing-for-the-fences† approach. Miller should look at a company’s financials before making an investment. His view of welcoming negative sentiment about companies and buying stocks as their prices fall failed to look at the company’s liquidity. The company could have issues with high levels of debt and poor financials. Even though if for instance, some of his stocks (due to volatility) have failed to meet his expectations (a â€Å"stinker†), the inflated housing bubble that grew during the 1990s caused high levels of annual return could still make the overall performance of Value Trust successful compared to the others. Thus, given the nature of his concentrated portfolio, his long outperformance can be seen as a random variable, or â€Å"luck†. There are approximately 8,044 mutual funds out there; and 4,600 of these were U. S. equity mutual funds. Thus, there is a 50 percent chance of beating the market. Since Bill Miller has outperformed its competitors over fourteen consecutive years, how come no one has followed in his footsteps?