Church Leaderhsip and Ministry Evaluation Paper Essay

1. Would you say that your congregation (or the people within your particular department or area of ministry) is â€Å"Living Out the Mind of Christ† (i.e. Unity, Humility, Selflessness) as they interact, serve, and minister to/with each other? How specifically do you as a ministry leader teach, cultivate, and maintain â€Å"The Mind of Christ† in your area of ministry? Taking a look at what Dr. Gutierrez tells us in his book. He breaks down each one of the three areas and gives some direction and a checklist on applying these elements to your message. In our Bible study and conversations that we have during our meetings, or get togethers. Someone is appointed each time to research and set up a game plan for us to discuss and have a meeting of the minds. Just as if Jesus was sitting in the room with His disciples. The speaker controls his/her format and gives a ten to fifteen minute summary of what they found interesting and gives us time to react in questions and opinions. This is a meaningful and responsive reaction towards the main source of the material that was presented. Each one gives their time and when there is two or three in the mist there will be a revival for which the word of God is proclaim. Dr. Gutierrez states: â€Å"With an open Bible and a willing spirit, you can begin an exciting spiritual journey that will not only instruct you in teachings of the Book of Phillippians but also equip you with wise counsel and guidance†.1 So in our meeting we have the spirit and devotion to be with the Mind of Christ. 2. Would you consider yourself a â€Å"Wounded Healer?† Also, would you please share an example where you have ministered to a person who is/was â€Å"wounded† in the same manner that you once were? (cf. II Corinthians 1:3-5) My son and his wife lost my eight month old grandson to drowing and we had a terrible time understading how God would take a precious baby boy so full of life and joy. We prayed and search for answers and found that sometimes bad things just happen to you in life. Job lost everything in being a servant to God, and the devil punish Job with pain and suffering but he never turn against the Father. Satan attached his character, health, property, and children, but Job fell down and whorshiped. So when this happen to us we reflected on Job story and prayed to the Father and in November they will be blessed with another son. God will never forsake thee and with this we are humble and stronger with faith and salvation in our hearts. 3. How specifically does the Holy Spirit help guide you as you lead/serve in your ministry? Also, can you give a specific example of how you were able to clearly recognize that the Holy Spirit was helping/guiding you in dealing with a particular situation and/or decision while in your ministry? What advice would you give me that, if I obeyed, would assure me that I would be able to be guided by the Holy Spirit in my life and/or ministry? The Holy Spirit will give you the right questions to asked and will lead you in the correct path to minister to the congregation. Everytime someone comes to the altar we all pray and the Holy Spirit is present and the feeling of fire is within all hearts and the joyful noise is released. The prayers and praises are given to the Lord and the church is in the mist of revival. Take heed to honor the Father in your life and humble yourself and seek Jesus to lead you in the direction that the Holy Spirit will take you. John 14:16-17; â€Å"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever†Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬Å"the Spirit of truth, whom the word cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you†.2 4. Do you have a personal philosophy (i.e. an agreed upon plan of action/policy/understood protocol) of how/when/where you confront sin in the lives of 1) co-ministers/co-leaders in your ministry, and 2) people to whom you minister? If so, what is it? How did you come to this philosophy? If not, do you see a need for such a philosophy? Why or Why not? Col: 2:2-3; â€Å"that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,†Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬Å"in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge†.3 These two verses will give you everything you need the knowledge, wisdom, and know that philosophy is the meaning of exsistence, reality, knowledge, and goodness in the world. The Bible with give you the knowledge as long as you read it, study it, and seek answers from God. He sent Jesus to be the great philosopher, teacher to the disciples, and all people that listen to Him. I try to set my standards of teaching to the policy of the Bible and seek answers from others that have devoted their life to understanding God’s word. This allows for a direct approach to the people I am talking too and allows them to asks questions and hopefully I can give them the correct answers. 5. Can I perform a little ministry quiz on you? (Remember: This question is taken from the section within chapter 25 entitled â€Å"Recalling Encounters with God!†) a. Can you recall for me what you specifically did (i.e. tasks performed, people you talked to, the number of hours of service) on any individual day in your ministry approximately six weeks ago? Yes I can because it was a time of joy and happiness I just finish my AA degree in religion and I wanted to tell everyone how excited I was that I accomplish a goal. It was a personal quest to get a degree in the field and thanks to Liberty University I applied myself and finish. Even though I am continuing on with my schooling I hope to get my BS next year about this same time. It has given me more of a understanding and also a guidance in certain material that gave me more opportunity to share with others. Seek and you shall find and with the help of the Father, and His Son I will be a better listener and teacher. b. Can you recall any time in the past that you were either so moved by hearing a sermon, reading a bible verse, hearing a testimony of a someone’s salvation that made such an impact upon your life that you still have a vivid recollection of the event today? How long ago did that spiritual event take place? It has been many years ago now that my mother passed away and I dearly love my Mom and when she died a part of me died with her. In June 1997 she gave up this life on this earth and Jesus took her away from us. I have always been someone that writes notes, poems and I wrote my Mother one and told her how much I love her and would missed her and during the funeral the preacher use it in his sermon. It was a joy inside and I knew that Jesus was with me and the Holy Spirit had carry my Mother to heaven. I could feel her presence on me as He read the letter and afterwards many people came to me and told me how wonderful it was to be so thankful in loving a person so much, but is this not what Jesus did for us as He was nailed on the cross and when He ask God to forgive us for our sins because we do not know what we do. Somewhere and sometime everyone will depart and hopefully there will be that special love one to remember them as Jesus remembers us on the cross. c. Could you briefly describe for me how your daily â€Å"Quiet time with God† or your â€Å"Communion time with God† or â€Å"Your Devotion time with God† usually goes? My time with God and Jesus is not nearly enough time to humble myself and bowed down and pray like I should. Always to busy to just give my time to just praying and praising the Father. I know that being selfishness is a sin and that I will have to answer to the reason I went to the game or play golf when I should been studing and preparing. I do pray and many times I am alone and just open my heart to Him and ask for forgiveness and through His precious Son Jesus to lead me in the straight path that He wants me to go. I would say I am a normal man and sometimes I fall short in honoring our Father and His Son. 6. As a minister, are you ever tempted to become competitive with either a fellow minister or a neighboring ministry or covet the â€Å"success† or resources of other ministers and/or ministries? How do you overcome this temptation in your life if/when it ever comes up in your heart? What advice would you give me to make sure I remain content with what God specifically has for me in my own life and/or ministry? Competing against someone else is not my idea of serving God and it is not a game of winning or losing. Jealousy is not a righteous trait to have and to let yourself overcome with jealousy will surely destroy your favor with God. For it is written that the Jews were jealous of Jesus and they crucified Him on a cross. Even though you might not crucified someone there are a lot of people that kill because of jealousy. In our lesson book â€Å"Ministry is† tells us that â€Å"To love is to stop comparing.† It is impossible to have a heart full of love for a Christian brother and still be envious or critical toward him at the same time.4 We only have to read in Genesis all the jealous hatred that occur from the very beginning with Cain and Abel, Joseph and His brothers, and Sarah and Hagar just to name a few these all ended up terrible and no one is ever a winner. Our God is a very Jealous God in Exodus 20:5 (one of the ten commandments) you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. â€Å"For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.†5 The chosen people paid a severe price by worshipping other god’s and suffer for forty years in the wilderness. So do not be jealous of any other ministry but rejoice that so many lives are being save. 7. Provide a summary of your interview. a. In what areas of leadership and/or ministry do you feel you need to improve? Personal behavior and spend more time in studying and preparing the materials. Reaching out to others, donating more time and energy towards building a better relationship with God and Jesus Chrsit. Set a personal mission in visitation and inviting outsiders to join in our worship service. Help with the youth in planning more activities and helping with the men’s club and women auxillary. But the most important will be to talk to God and seek better answers to the questions that people might ask of me. b. Develop a specific plan to improve in these areas. Organize my time, pray longer and often, study and do research, sat down with the elders and members of the council to set up more direct meetings and feedback. Take a look at the finances and see if there is a more productive way to assist and help others. c. How will you measure your progress? During the monthly meetings set aside a time for the members to ask me questions, and give me feedback on policies and do we need to update old standards and policies that might change with the new generation of the younger members. Get them involved and asked them to get active in planning new outreach programs and as well as visiting new people. Conclusion: It is without saying that we must have Jesus Christ in our lives, and as minister’s, preachers, or elders we should put forth extra effort in building a solid foundation in the church. Involvement will be the key and knocking on doors to get people interest in the church. Determine if our motives are still moving in the correct way and take the time to celebrate the joy of friendship. I can not say about how things will change because it is not a lot that I can do except present the message that I have already set in place. If I could have interview any other preacher I do not think that their answers would be to much different than mine. Because I believe if you are call to preach than the Lord our God has already given you a outline to follow. The reason I can say this is because if you go too ten churches they will have certain things they do differently but when it comes to celebrating and worshipping Jesus Christ our Savior most of them are on the same game plan. 1. Living Out the Mind of Christ, Copyright © 2011 by Ben Gutierrez. 2. The Holy Bible, New King James Version copyright ©1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. 3. Ministry Is,,,copyright © 2010 by Dave Earley and Ben Gutierrez. All rights reserved. 4. The Holy Bible, New King James Version copyright ©1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. 5. Ministry Is,,,copyright © 2010 by Dave Earley and Ben Gutierrez. All rights reserved. Total Word Count: 2,356

A Good Life essay

The Good Life Denise West April 14, 2013 Siena Heights University Gail Ryder Introduction A good life is what everyone desires. But what is actually a good life? Many people have their own interpretation of what a good life is. Society today has a different outlook on what is an acceptable lifestyle. Many people are influenced with the perception of how an individual should live their life. Some often find themselves trying to fulfill their happiness through America’s perception on how they should live. Instead they become disappointed with the disapproval of others and often forget what happiness really means to them.A good life consists of maximizing happiness. Many believe wealth, power, and respect brings happiness. I happen to disagree. I believe wealth and power bring sorrow and problems. The philosopher Socrates did not approve happiness was result of affluence and material consumption. He believed a rich and active mind is happier than a consumer of finer foods and exp ansive clothing (De Botton, 2000). Whether it is positive or negative, as long is the individual accepts and is happy of his or her own life, then they are living a good life.My life revolves around a combination of these six themes: education, work, ethics, relationships, spirituality, and success. In my essay, I will give my expertise of a good life. I will share thoughts of my life and give examples of each theme of why live the way I do. Education I believe education is a lifelong process that consists of both formal and informal experiences that lead to the individual learning something. The setting could be a home, a school, a workplace, a volunteer position, or an internship learning experience.Education is an ongoing mix of experiences; I think an educated person is a one who has made the most of each experience and learned from it. One should possess the general knowledge needed for making informed rational decisions and inferences on familiar and novel situations in person al and intellectual life. An educated person should also master of the general thinking abilities required for making informed intelligent decisions, estimates, assessments, and inferences. Philosopher Montaigne was an educated man with great wisdom. He spent most of his spear time in a circular library reading books (De Botton, 2000).I was raised by a family who is very educated. My mother and father have master degrees. My sister is a graduate student at Kansas State University. My father pushed my sister and I our entire lives of the importance of education. I receive a tremendous amount of support from my parents, family and friends. They continuously motivate me to be successful in completing and continuing my education. My plans for education are to continue to graduate school. Later in life, I am interested in teaching secondary education. I have a lot of inspiration and support from others and I am determined to succeed.I instill the importance of intelligence to my children . I agree with Montaigne’s two categories of knowledge: learning and wisdom. â€Å"In the learning category his placed logic, etymology, grammar, Latin and Greek. And in the wisdom category he places a far broader, more valuable kind of knowledge, everything that could help a person to live well† Montaigne’s intentions were to assist people† live happily and morally â€Å"(De Botton, p 153, 2000). These are two categories that keep me hungry for more. I often find myself harder on my son, because the graduation rate has dropped tremendously and it continues to decline.Depending on what aspiration a person has, having an education qualifies for great employment. Work The will power, motivation, and education are a good start in performing the ideal job in the workplace. The ambition and excitement of commuting to work daily is great feeling. A good work environment improves satisfaction and productivity. When a person is unhappy in the workplace, it is a d rag waking up each day to return to that place of business. Philosopher Epicurus believed the tension starts to show at home and we often point the finger at work (De Botton, 2000).It is important to be able to balance work and home to manage a positive work environment. Having a stress free job as well having fun and believe in your work is part of the good life. A good working environment is important for employee morale. It builds strong relationships between associates and among the biggest motivating factors in the workplace. I enjoy the work I do on a daily basis. It is a challenging job that requires an outgoing personality, sales drive, and patience. The down fall of my workplace is the associates and environment. We lack communication and the ability to coach each other to improve the workplace.The location in an urban area limits the opportunity of sales growth, variety customer base, as well as deepening relationships. At times, I felt the same pain as Epicurus. We both s tarted to wonder if were on the correct career path. One thing I lack in the workplace is empathy. I meet a lot of people each day. Many customers have personal problems they choose to share with me. Many times I can’t relate, because I have not experienced it. I represent my employer, and I am branded by them. I have to maintain a certain image and give great impressions. My supervisor has coached me on empathizing with my customers.We role play each week, and he has given me different conversation tools to better assist my customers. I want to give my customers a great experience each time they visit. To minimize tension, and misinterpretation, I will start utilizing 360 coaching. This is a tool recommended by my employer. Associates coach each including management. We give positive feedback to each other on how we could improve. This should help my team with any disagreements one may have with another associate. After opening up with one another and sharing each other diff erences, the company is great place work.Communication is the key to every success. With our recent suggestions and improvement, I believe everything will work out great. Ethics Ethics is a concept of morality principles. It defines the standard behavior which tells us the most common way of society: good, bad, right and wrong. The book Affluenza written by authors Graff, Wann, and Naylor have great information on living a good life daily minimizing consumption. â€Å"Affluenza is a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, deft, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more† (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, p. , 2001). Afflenza respects those perfectly human desires, and seeks to create ways to make comfort, elegance, and enjoyment more genuine and durables than purchasable, perishable commodities (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, 2001). Unfortunately, I struggle with Affuenza. My finance and I live a certain lifestyle. Our lifestyles boil down to become e xpansive. We often find ourselves caught up in what we feel we have to have or need, such as hair, nails, brand name clothing, jewelry, and restaurants. We also have plenty of unnecessary bills only because they are available resources to us.We are not utilizing the product or service for what it is worth. We have more stuff, less time, and our quality of life seems to be deteriorating (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, 2001). As we move forward in our lives, I try to educate my finance of Affluenza and suggested a variety of ways will can save time and money. I plan to start tracking our daily spending habits more closely. If we cut back on luxury habits we could save thousands a year. We are coming to together and taking it one day at time. It is difficult to change some things you are accustomed to.Overcoming this disease is important to us, because we are embarking on a higher level in our relationship. We are currently testing our new ideas to happiness in our lives. Hopefully the results give us some leeway to plan what matters most to us, and how we will cherish our years to come. Relationships One of my biggest challenges of my life is my relationship. There is nothing more important than the quality of my relationship. My relationship influences the major decisions I make and is a large part of my happiness. Relationships can be very stressful at times. They require at lot of listening, effort, and compromising.Both parties have to be willing to sacrifice in order to move forward. A fundamental to a strong relationship is commitment. Commitment to making a relationship strong and healthy is the basis on which it will mature. Relationships take plenty work and effort. Compared to life itself, relationships are aggressive and intense because we are forever changing. A durable relationship need continuous nurturing and that takes commitment from both parties. Our commitment to the relationship is unconditional caring about maintaining and improving our relationship , even during times of anger or disappointment.There may be times when I am not even sure I like him, but I am committed. My strong commitment reminds me of Epicurus views of friendship. At first he thought pleasure brought him happiness. He eventually had a change of heart and found that the loyalty of friendship is what matters most (De Botton, 2000). I will spend the effort to sustain relationship during tough times. The motivation of keeping our family together saved us. We put our differences aside and our children first. Their security is most important. Our determination led us to our engagement. We are set to wed next summer. Spirituality One doesn’t need either the bible to instruct one in prudence; nor the fear of divine retribution to provide the incentive† (De Bottom, 2000). Epicurus shows us how morality can be founded upon prudent self-interest. I was raised a Christian. Philosopher Nietzsche called Christianity â€Å"the religion of comfortableness† (De Bottom, p. 238, 2000). Until my grandmother died in 1993, my family and I attended church regularly. As an adult, continue to believe in the Christian Religion; however I do not practice it. I currently do not the bible for a number of reasons. I do not want to be put in a category as a hypocrite.I am uncomfortable in committing to a religion if I am not ready to live righteously. I don’t want to find myself going back and forth and continuously repenting to the Lord for sins I have committed. The second reason I do not practice Christianity is because I do have a church home. I have not find a church where I felt comfortable worshiping. In the past, I found myself visiting a variety of churches and none felt right to me. I started to wonder, I am looking in the right religion? Maybe there’s another religion that makes more sense to me and has a place where I could worship and feel comfortable.The significance of any religion lies simply in the answer to the ques tion: why do I exist, and what is my relationship to the infinite universe that surrounds me? â€Å"It is impossible for there to be a person with no religion as it is for there to be a person without a heart. He may not know that he has a religion, just as a person may not know that he has a heart, but it is no more possible for a person to exist without a religion than without a hear â€Å"(Leo Tolstoy, 1879). As I read this statement from Tolstoy Confession, I thought about my current situation.Tolstoy was a philosopher who came to believe that he had â€Å"accomplished nothing and his life was meaningless† (Patterson, p. 5, 1983). The third reason I do not practice Christianity is because my finance study’s another religion. I have taken in to consideration to research his religion and to a common ground and decide which religion is best for me. Either way, we both have to agree on the same religion. It is important we raise our children with the same values to l ive a good and happy life. Success The meaning of Success comes in many forms, and a variety of meanings.It defines what you are searching for in life. It is within the perception of the individual. A large portion of one’s life is spent working to become successful. People are told during the upbringing to work hard so they earn make lots of money. People have a variety of interpretations of what success means to them. Socrates says, â€Å"One who understands the limits of the good life knows that what eliminates the pains brought on by need and what makes the whole of life perfect is easily obtained, so that there is no need for enterprises that entail the struggle for success† (De Botton, 2000).Success is often measured by social status and wealth. I determined success by the amount of happiness one feels. I live my life by planning. This is task that I put in place to organization my life. Time management is important to me. I currently have a blue print for my lif e. It is sectioned in four categories which are three weeks, three months, one year, and three years. This is a tool used to set goals and manage my life. Each year I review my blue print to ensure each goal is accomplished. My goals are similar to the six themes I have discussed.I consider myself to be a successful person. I have managed to complete every major task I have set forth. I have an outstanding family with two beautiful children. I am scheduled to graduate in December 2010, and I have an awesome job. I am in process of simplifying consumption, and we are working toward spirituality. These are important goals that I and my family discuss on a regular basis. I continue to stay open for suggestions and constructive criticism. I am willing to explore whatever is necessary to work toward a wonderful and happy life. This year is a successful year.Conclusion We think happiness is good, therefore we seek it. The search for happiness can be endless if you do not know what you are searching for. Individuals find themselves never accomplishing their goals. We can choose to enjoy the adventure and explore as much as possible. Try to make a conscious resolution to be content. By having a peace of mind and satisfaction means you are happy with what you have and what you are. I received my results of a good life with a history of effectiveness and success. I have a general sense of what I feel are the best ways to get things done.I set of process and principles that has worked well for me over many years. I am a detailed person who manages time, plans for the future, and a fan of great strategy. I choose to ignore the setbacks and I look at the big picture in order to guide myself and my organization to maximum results. A good life is a combination of many things. Everyone has their own interpretation of what a good life is. It starts with self development within individual. Many philosophers such as Epicurus and Socrates believe pleasure brings forth happiness ( De Botton, 2000). I happen to agree.Nothing matter to me more than my happiness. It is up to the individual to decide what pleasures them most. My life has had its many shares of a rollercoaster. I have made and learned from my mistakes. There is not anything that I regret nor wished didn’t happen during the years of my life. Without my mistakes, I would not have the opportunity to learn and grow. As a whole, I cherish my life I believe it is great. I am thankful for awaking each morning and for blessing me each day I have no reason to complain. I have experienced more than I ever dreamed of.Most importantly, I am blessed in being a mother. My family is extremely important to me. They complete each and every accomplishment. In combination of each principle, task, and theme they all relate and evolve around one specific goal which is my family. What a great life! References De Botton, A. (2000). The Consolations of Philosophy. New York: Pantheon Books. Graaf, J. , Naylor, T. , & Wann, D. (2001). Affluenza. San Francisco: Brerrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Tolstoy, L. (1993). Confession. Translated by David Patterson. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Many newspapers and magazines feature stories about the private lives

Many newspapers and magazines feature stories about the private lives of famous people. We know what they eat,where they buy their clothes and who they love. We also often see pictures of them in private situations. Is it appropriate for a magazine or newspaper to give this kind of private information about people? Give reasons for your answers. Everybody is interested to read the newspaper daily and also they used to read weekly or monthly magazine. Most of the people without fail used to read newspaper .People intention to read news paper to know about current affair and future development but the news paper and magazine are giving celebrities and famous person’ personal life instead of giving relevant news. In my opinion people hate this kind of inappropriate news. The news paper and magazine are publishing others personal life because of business. in fact people is not interested to know about others life. some people is interested to read about sports,science,business and politics.Moreover news paper and magazine should find relevant news for our society then only people like to read the news paper otherwise the ratio of buying newspaper will declined over period of time. The news reporter s are always seeing the news about celebrities personal life or their personal picture, which is not help our society, it may impact their business in their future. in addition the celebrities and famous people should not allow their personal life and should not discuss with media because it is not useful for people.Instead of going personal life,Reporters will collect the information like† How there are achieved their life and what is the secret of success† so this kind of things will help for our society. To sum up, The news paper and magazine should give good article, find out new information, which will help them to enhance the people knowledge and also the business will grow up. As far as my concern, may be people look at the news paper for others privacy but not interested to read anyone.

Firms Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Firms - Research Paper Example The firm prides itself on being, â€Å"Dedicated to design innovation and technical excellence† (Bluarch 7). Having expanded its ventures to many areas of the globe Bluarch has been discussed in various publications and has also been involved with several exhibitions from all over the globe. The firm has used its extensive marketing to extend its boundaries significantly in the few years they have been established, enabling them to carry out projects not just throughout the U.S.A but also in a in a wide range of countries which include Korea, the U.K., Italy, Russia and the Ukraine. In the area of interior design, the company works on projects in both residential and commercial settings. In the commercial area this can encompass work in hospitality (including restaurants and nightclubs) as well as within retail and office spaces. Whilst in the area of architecture their projects are extended to include opera houses, movie complexes and even a parachute pavilion that was constr ucted in Brooklyn. Fisher Maranz Stone Like Bluarch, Fisher Maranz Stone is based in New York City. More specifically the firm is housed in a classic district loft space and has been around for a little longer than Bluarch having been established in 1971. The company was originally founded by the trained architects and interior designers Jules Fisher and Paul Maranz who continue to operate as the company’s principle designers. They were later joined by Charles G. Stone who, whilst specializing in theatre lighting, has since become the President of the company. They are assisted in the workings of the business by several principal associates who function not only in the area of design but also in finance, marketing and IT. They also employ a dozen junior designers and several administrative staff thereby making it significantly bigger than Bluarch. Specializing in lighting designs, the firm claims to â€Å"Use light to narrate the architect’s story enhancing the commun ication of design through environmentally and economically conscious lighting solutions†. (FMS 1) Furthermore, for over forty years the company has incorporated their designs into a vast range of locations and has created lighting solutions for over 2500 projects around the world, that include museums and towers, corporate interiors and concert halls, private residences, casinos and universities, and have even extended their practice to airports and train stations. Jeffrey Beers International The introduction to this company’s website opens by describing how one can â€Å"Step into an environment by Jeffrey Beers International and you will discover a setting rich with imaginative variations on classic themes of glamour, elegance, wit, and seduction†. (Jeffrey Beers 1). Again this company resides in New York City, and was established there in 1986 by Beers who graduated from university with a degree specializing in architecture. Concentrating its projects mainly w ithin the areas of hospitality and retail, the company has nevertheless expanded to carry out projects in private residencies and office spaces as well as nightclubs. The company has now expanded its operations to encompass some 12 countries up to the present time although they are continually looking to expand even further afield. The team is built on the specialists skills of a number of associates who operate not only in the field of

Background Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Background Studies - Essay Example J. Acre realized that â€Å"there is a need for more research on critical pedagogy and elementary school practices† (Arce). â€Å"Critical Pedagogy is a teaching approach that attempts to help students question and challenge domination, and the beliefs and practices that dominate. In other words, it is a theory and practice of helping students achieve critical consciousness† (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 2009). It is concerned with â€Å"how education can provide individuals with the tools to better themselves and strengthen democracy, to create a more egalitarian and just society, and thus to deploy education in a process of progressive social change† (21st Century Schools , 2004). Arce observed that the foci of previous researches are â€Å"prosocial education, whole language theory and classroom practices, learning conditions and bilingualism and language acquisition† (Arce). On the other hand, there are only a few studies that â€Å"demonstrate the application of critical pedagogy as it relates to elementary school bilingual students† (Arce). Most of these related studies â€Å"address questions of student learning, whole language instruction, and relationships between schooling and the sociocultural process† (Arce). Arce realized to conduct such a study and he made use of a First Grade Two way Spanish Classroom as a participatory study. The second of these two studies is by S.P. Gillian which is â€Å"An Assessment of the Cross-Cultural Training Needs of South Carolina Counselors†. He mentioned that there are already a lot of studies on cross-cultural counseling to the point that they point to different findings and conclusion. His study then is not in a new arena but it is unique in a way that it focuses on the areas that are yet to be dug in. â€Å"The overall aim of [the] present study is to (a) bring attention to areas of need counselors have with respect to cross-cultural counseling, (b) sensitize counselor education program administrator to these needs for

CIT Summary and Response Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CIT Summary and Response Paper - Essay Example For that reason, therefore, the principle of common good seeks the good of all members of the society, as opposed to the selfish interests of the individual members of the society. The common good can be understood analogously as the social and the community dimension of the moral good. This is because just as the moral actions of an individual are accomplished in doing what is right, the actions of a society attain their full stature when they bring about the common good. Every human society that is aimed at serving its members should ensure that it guided by the principle of the common good. This is because human beings cannot find fulfilment individually, i.e. in isolation from other people; the happiness of the individual members of a human society is dependent on the common good of the society. For this reason, therefore, every member of the society should commit themselves in seeking the common good of the whole society. The principle of the common demands respect of the human person and his fundamental rights; the principle of the common good, therefore, demands that there should be peace and justice in the society. This is because peace and justice are a necessary conditions for the respect of fundamental rights of the human rights in the society. A community with the principle of common good, therefore, should ensure that its members are able to meet their basic needs, and that they are guaranteed their fundamental freedoms/liberties that respect their fundamental rights. Although common good is quite import in every society and every member of the society should seek it, attaining the common good, however, is not easy. This is because common good requires that we should seek the good of other people as if it were our own good. Since every person in the society has the right to enjoy the social conditions that are brought about by the quest for common good, there should be social justice in the

Art Originality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art Originality - Essay Example I view the program as a catalyst to better myself and to enjoy the boundless regions of art itself. I really find the lessons motivating. Here, we are constantly encouraged to draw anything that we wanted. The course made me relish the freedom of the art world. There are times when we are asked to draw something at home to be presented before the class the next day. I believe that the intention is to gain inspiration and creativity in an ambience beyond the class' art studio atmosphere. There would always be time allotted to talk about recent news and various issues such as the nuclear test in North Korea to Nicole Ritchie's eating disorder. I guess such discussions are substantial in improving our skills because it nurtures self-expression and consciousness. One time we had to bring four pictures which we perceive to be of good art, of bad art, of a beautiful looking person, and of an ugly looking person. I chose Frida Kahlo's works as good art because her works exude a great sense of style in contrast with the bad art of Damien Hirst who is identified with his eccentric exploitation of animals in his works. I also brought the photographs of Nicole Kidman and Michael Jackson and explained that the former is a picture of beauty and the latter is a display of ugliness and distortion caused by excessive plastic surgery. After those discussions we would talk about our own works.

The absorption and contribution income statements Essay

The absorption and contribution income statements - Essay Example Companies tend to have a need to produce different income statements since different details accrue on each of the statements. In other scenarios, the activities of a business entity may prompt the production of multiple income statements. The reason may be due to the kind of sourcing of the funds and the types of activities and programs that the company undertakes. The user of different income statements is also dependent on the immediate goal of the income statement. Some of the objectives that lead to different losses in profit accounts are the different goals the company may target. They include stablishing the past performance of the business entity, assisting in the future prediction of the future performance of the company or the assessment of the future capability of performance of a particular business entity.  The break-even analysis explains the point in time whereby an operation or a business activity generates no profit and incurs no loss. The analysis is important in establishing the earning impact that a particular marketing activity creates in a specific business activity. An example is the carrying out a break-even analysis after the advertisements of a particular commodity after prior entrance in the market. The analysis can show the differences in periods of supply and the improvement, stagnation or the successive failure of the product advertisement venture. The analysis thus helps managers to establish the diversities that attribute the relationship between sales, costs plus the resulting profits.     

Leaking waste containers ( ethics ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leaking waste containers ( ethics ) - Essay Example As a result the methods adopted by Tom Treehorn, could very well result in problems for the ABC Company. Environmental agencies are very much particular about the methods, which are adopted by the companies in disposal of the chemical wastes and they take tough action against erring companies. Hence Scott should warn Tom that if he does not follow the company ethics and rules of waste disposal, the matter could be brought to the notice of his superiors, since it could adversely affect the interests of ABC Company. 2. Should Scott inform Tom that he will not interfere with Tom’s plan? But he will not help him with it either. Answer: Scott very well knows that Tom is really not serious about preventing environmental problems that will be caused by ABC, if chemical wastes are not disposed properly and is only looking at ways by his workload is lessened and also finding ways to profit him. Scott being the Engineer of ABC and being given the responsibility of inspecting the warehou se, should never agree to Tom’s plan because it will affect his company. Being an employee to the ABC Company he would be taking the wrong decision by allowing Tom to dispose the chemical waste, by adopting his own time tested ways, which are very much against the rules, set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Thus Scot should never tell Tom that, he will not interfere with his way of disposing the chemical waste nor should he be given the assurance that Scott will not interfere in such matters. 3. Should Scot advise Tom not to go ahead with his plan? But not interfere if Tom insists on going ahead anyway? Answer: Scott being the Engineer of the ABC Company has got the authority to tell Tom regarding the best methods, which are to be adopted by companies in dealing with the disposal of the chemical wastes. Since it is a very serious matter that can undermine the ABC Company’s interest, future and also at the same time result in severe forms of penalties from the En vironmental Protection Agency and closure of the company operations, he should really advise Tom not to go ahead with his plan for the chemical waste disposal. Even after all this advise being given by Scott to Tom to follow the company norms, Tom still insists in going ahead with his plans of the chemical waste disposal, then Scott has to interfere and inform Tom’s superior and also the top management of the ABC company, since this could in the future become a serious issue for ABC. 4. Should Scott say nothing and help Tom with his plan? And why? Answer: If Scot says nothing to Tom’s stated plans for the chemical waste disposal of the ABC Company and allows him to go forward as per his own plan, then it will show that Scott is not a good employee of ABC. Scott being the Engineer is being entrusted with the duty of the warehouse inspection and to find out defects that are existing within it and take corrective actions to rectify the faults. If he decides to agree to To m’s plans, then he will be endangering not only his employment as Engineer within ABC but also the whole company’s future, since if the Environmental Protection Agency comes to know the illegal methods of chemical waste disposal adopted by Tom, then they could take severe action against the ABC Company. Hence Scott should not help Tom in going ahead with his plans but has to strictly warn Tom regarding the future adverse impacts, which his

IT-6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT-6 - Essay Example Differences in culture and language barriers are significant issues requiring scrutiny, as virtually every foreign nation has a different value and belief system, while making the process of relating to these customers more difficult due to the use of a different language. IS systems must be built with these factors in mind, including the appropriate usage of the foreign language on the international auction website. Political barriers are the most complicated, as many foreign countries block the free access of information to its society, therefore these factors must be considered prior to building the appropriate international auction website. Will the people in this type of nation be able to help build profitability? These are questions that must be considered prior to going international. I have located three commercial sites in different markets which offer affiliate programs: PowerWebsites.com, Office Depot.com, and Barnes&Noble booksellers. Powerwebsites is a marketing entity which utilizes its technological expertise to help companies build higher customer volumes through affiliate marketing. The online version of Office Depot provides office-related products, including papers, printers, desks and more. Barnes & Noble is a leading bookstore with bricks and mortar locations across the country. Powerwebsites provides FREE sign-up for the affiliate program, with a 20% commission on all sales generated by the program. Payouts are promised at a minimum of $25 in return for placing a companys web link on their site. Powerwebsites pays their commission on a pay per sale basis, meaning that the customer must not only click on the link, but also must make a purchase at the partner website. OfficeDepot.com provides an affiliate program which is also a pay per sale, meaning that customers must actually click this link AND make a purchase at the site. Their affiliate program promises a 20% commission on these

Marketing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Strategies - Essay Example This strategy implies that business is likely to be faced by five major influences, which must be economically and comprehensively addressed for the prosperity of the business. The company handles the threat of new entrants by providing quality services to its customers at a friendly cost to disadvantage new comers in the same business (medium to high pressure). The threat of substitute goods is handled by the company providing unique tastes and flavors of its food products to its clients; however, there is no much difference between the company’s food and Sedoxe hence, medium to high pressure. The company has a low pressure threat of bargaining power of customers. This is because the company deals with reputable companies like IBM, Microsoft and Caterpillar among others. It has a low pressure of supplier bargaining due to its vast chain of suppliers. Finally, the company has a high pressure of rivalry among existing firms like coca-cola and Pepsi among other fast beverage com panies. Marketing mix analysis uses the 4p’s principle to ascertain the viability of the business. Compass Group Company has recommended quality food products at affordable price. It has good distribution channel since their products can be found in almost all corners of the country. It has a working and economic promotion strategy through free samples, gifts and advertisements. Compass group is foodservice industry whose headquarter is in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company has the advantage of serving economically stable clients like United Technologies Corp, Microsoft, IBM, Caterpillar and SAP among others. Furthermore, it also serves customers from neighboring learning institutions like Louisiana State University, public schools in Chicago and the University...Although they seem to be of no value, they really attract and maintain clients. Compass Company provides food nutrition lessons or advertises to their esteem customers. This is like a bonus but it really helps to attract and maintain clients with nutrition problems like the obese and diabetics among others. Sedoxe provides business solutions to the online communities as a bonus to their services. This compels majority of people or companies to regularly visit Sedoxe company’s blogs or websites and in the process they learn about the company. Inseparability is the fact that a certain demand can never do with a specific product or services. Both the companies supply food which forms basic needs of human. This keep the companies running on a daily basis since people require food to live. Variability is the essence of providing more than one service or products to the clients. The companies offer catering and business consultancy services to clients, regionally and globally through internet among other platforms. Perish ability is the ability of the companies to maintain their daily delivery schedule of products with short life span. They have inbuilt cooling systems in their delivery tr acks to keep the food fresh till it reach the clients’ destinations (Brown, 2010). Finally, the companies have no specific ownership of the business, what they do is to attract several associates to operate under the common brand name.

A basic science of public health Essay Example for Free

A basic science of public health Essay According to Friis, epidemiology has to do with the distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, and mortality in populations. It is considered a basic science of public health, because its studies are applied to the control of the various health problems in the population. Also, its methods are applied to various health-related fields such as health care administration and health education. Because its focus is on the amount of health and disease in the population, it is at times referred to as population medicine. There are various uses and applications of epidemiology. Some specific applications of epidemiology that Friis did not specifically mention in lesson 1are genetic epidemiology, environmental epidemiology, and occupational epidemiology. Genetic epidemiology puts an emphasis on hereditary factors that may play a role in various human diseases in families and in populations. Research in this area is focused on the risk factors and traits of the genetic basis of diseases. Members of a Psychiatry department in Virginia completed a meta-analysis on the genetic epidemiology of major depression using relevant data from previous primary studies. They concluded that major depression is as a result of genetic influence, not alone, but along with environmental influence. This conclusion was made on the basis of a review of family, adoption, and twin studies that met specific criteria for the primary studies. Environmental epidemiology studies the environmental exposures that are related to various diseases, illnesses, developmental conditions, disabilities, and deaths in populations. Some examples of these environmental exposures are air pollution, radiation through air, water, or food contamination, second-hand smoke, and hazardous waste. Health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive problems are some of the effects of these environmental exposures. A local example of this is the pollution from the refineries here in Corpus Christi. People who reside near the refineries have a 17% higher cancer rate than the rest of the city. There are apparently many consistently sick residents in the area. They are called the ‘Black Thumb’ neighborhood, because the soil in the area is poisoned and contaminated by the pollu tion from the refineries. The application of epidemiologic methods to populations of workers is occupational epidemiology. Studies on this topic involve various work-related patterns of disease and illness. They look at workers exposed to various risk factors such as heavy metals or chemicals and determine if these exposures result in adverse health outcomes. There is also a focus on biological and physical health effects as well. Occupational Epidemiologists attempt to study how often workers are injured on the job, what groups are most affected, and the reasons for these injuries. The results from these studies are used to find ways to prevent or reduce the risks of injuries and illnesses on the job. In conclusion, the various epidemiologic methods and studies are applied to the control of health problems in populations. Three specific applications of epidemiology are genetic epidemiology, environmental epidemiology, and occupational epidemiology. Genetic epidemiology is concerned with the role of genetic factors in determining health and disease in families and in populations. Environmental epidemiology is concerned with the relationship between exposures from the environment and adverse health outcomes in populations. Occupational epidemiology studies work-related patterns of disease and illnesses. The existence of these various epidemiologic applications help to identify and prevent the causes of health and disease in our communities. Epidemiology provides us with necessary and beneficial information we need to live a healthy life. References Corpus Christi’s Refinery Row. (n.d.). Retreived from www.txpeer.org/toxictour/corpus_christi.html Friis, R. (2010). Epidemiology 101. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Kendler, K.S., Neale, M.C., Sullivan, P.F. (2010) Genetic epidemiology of major depression: review and meta-anyalysis. Am J Psychiatry. 157(10): 1552-62 Occupational Epidemiology. (n.d.). Heartland Center for Occupational Health Safety. Retrieved from www.public-health.uiowa.edu/heartland/academic-programs/occ-epi.html

Employee Development Plan: Importance and Applications

Employee Development Plan: Importance and Applications Employee Development Plan Running Head: EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT PLAN Abstract With the nation’s economic turmoil still lingering it is more important than ever to develop plans that will encourage employees to remain with the company. Employee turnover is a crucial issue when it comes to the current economic standing of America. Each time an employee leaves the company the company loses the money it spent training and developing that employee for the future with the company. The training, classes, and cross skills the company has invested in the employee then benefit the new company. Because this situation costs the company money, a new employee development plan has been designed in the hopes of improving employee retention rates in the future. Employee development allows for the development of the employee so that they can better equip themselves for their career choices. It is important to support their desire to develop more fully at work, while at the same time not investing money that walks out the door and to the competition. This design allows the company to support and assist the employee desire to develop in career skills and to feel that the company supports the loyalty he or she has shown by years of service while encouraging education as well as cross training. The organizational consultant, per the research information and plan, challenges the organization to embrace the detailed plan to further develop each valuable employee. No matter what, organizational leaders must see the value in employee development and be willing to make the effort to show loyalty to its employees. Employee Development Plan With the nation’s economic turmoil still lingering it is more important than ever to develop plans that will encourage employees to remain with the company. Each time an employee leaves the company the company loses the money it spent training and developing that employee for the future with the company. The training, classes, and cross skills the company has invested in the employee are then benefiting the new company. Because this situation costs the company money, a new employee development plan has been designed in the hopes of improving employee retention rates in the future. Ebbert Hubbard, the prominent American philosopher and writer, once said, â€Å"One machine can do the work of 50 ordinary men, but no machine can do the work of one extraordinary man† (Goldstein, 2003). His statement seems to be more pertinent than ever in the contemporary context of commuting from organizations focused on tangible assets like land or property to organizations relying on intangible assets such as creativity, knowledge, or problem solving. Statistics show that more than 50% of the Gross Domestic Product generated by developed economies is based on knowledge—information technology (IT), education, and pharmaceuticals being the key sectors that account for the impressive percentage (www.yourpeoplemanager.com). This means that humans have become the major resource for modern companies. Consequently, their development and education are the major levers conditioning the organizational growth. For that, leaders must understand the value of their employees and develop them for organizational and employee benefit. This research defines employee development and addresses why organizational leaders need it. The research proves the link between employee development and company growth while sharing the benefits of employee training and development. Then the research outlines a plan that addresses hiring, training, development based on time, promotion, and education. Lastly, the conclusion calls leaders to action to realize the importance of, and build the plan for, developing their employees. What is employee development and why do we need it? Before starting to analyze the correlation between these two aspects, a clear picture of what employee training and development mean could prove extremely useful. First, a clear delimitation should be made among three concepts that people often confuse. These are education, training, and development. The first one consists of preparing an individual’s mind in a framework that is different from the organization. The second refers to attending courses aimed at improving skills, knowledge or attitudes for appropriately achieving a certain task within an organization, while the third is the natural result of the first two and is represented by the growth of the individual in terms of ability, understanding and awareness (www.accel-team.com). This triangle proves to be indispensable to company performance as it allows employees to account for more tasks that are difficult. In addition, it accommodates newcomers to the organization’s performance standards and helps them act w ithin the same competitive pattern responsible for the company’s success. Further, it enhances the organization’s efficiency and effectiveness, it responds to legislative requirements regarding health or safety, and sets an adequate framework for informing employees on changes that have been made and the courses they have to attend in order to cope with modifications. Detecting the personnel’s needs requiring employee training and development programs is very difficult. However, task as managers can rely on various sources such as common sense (for instance, the implementation of new technologies undoubtedly represents a solid reason for training) and negative aspects that statistics reveal (the decrease of output per employee, lower performance indices, behavioral problems like absences, sickness, lateness etc.). Furthermore, government recommendations, predictions, specialists’ advice, alarm triggers pulled by specialized journals or confessions made by other organizations which have encountered a certain problem also are other sources on which task managers can rely. Training and development may be achieved in both formal and informal ways. The former category implies attending courses held by internal or external managers who usually combine impersonal lectures with interactive activities like role-playing or simulation, forums, tests, case studies presented with the help of video and computers. The latter category is a non-official one, and is mainly based on the employees’ ability to draw their own conclusions after observing other workers, participating in meetings, rotating jobs within the organization or temporary assisting employees from another company, autodidactic teaching by reading texts or viewing video tapes, being a member of a research team and so on (www.accel-team.com). Measuring the outcome of such training and development initiatives is a very difficult thing to do because results are rather qualitative than quantitative. Still, managers may observe if the effectiveness and efficiency of their employees have increased by analyzing the number of customer complaints or the time in which a certain task has been performed. They can also notice a faster accommodation of new employees, more effective use of machinery, a higher job satisfaction reflected in performing more qualitative services to the client (and thus attracting new customers), fewer accidents etc. Managers can also draw some conclusions concerning the employees’ loyalty or the improvement of their qualification allowing them to contribute to tougher tasks or other positions within the organization (www.accel-team.com). Researches proving the link between employee development and company growth Undoubtedly, employee development has a significant impact on the customers’ satisfaction and the employees’ ability and willingness to solve crisis encountered by the organization or to adapt to changes occurred in the business environment. Through training and development, a company’s personnel may gain the necessary expertise for approaching new markets or technologies, thus inducing cost savings in the end. Additionally, employees value trainings because these are seen as strategic investments that the organization accepts to make because of the huge trust it has in its personnel’s potential. Therefore, employees will embrace a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards the organization concerned about their intellectual evolvement and will work harder for helping it achieve its mission and goals (Gross, 2000). The link between employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and financial performance has also been outlined by AC Nielsen through its market researches or by Sears through surveys carried out on its retail stores (Goldstein, 2003). Another research survey, carried out by Sirota, Mischkind, and Meltzer (2005), on a sample of 2.5 million employees, highlighted that companies boasting high morale had the tendency to outperform competitors. Moreover, the research emphasized that out of 28 companies having almost 920,000 employees, the share price of 14 (known as high morale firms), had an average increase of 16% in 2004, while the share price of 6 (known as low morale firms) had an average increase of only 3%. The results were significant when compared with the industry average of 6%, calculated for 9,240 companies (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu). In conclusion, higher morale and enthusiasm lead to increased financial performances. As employee development and training are said t o be rewards boosting the personnel’s positivism and satisfaction, they may be considered inherently linked to company growth. Benefits of employee training and development A major benefit of employee development is increased productivity. Because of the courses he or she attends, an employee may learn advanced techniques that lead to higher efficiency and effectiveness in performing tasks. For instance, if a company’s bookkeeper is sent to an Excel course, this will be taught several shortcuts that will help him or her comply faster with his job requirements. On one hand, this means that he or she can perform other activities that would have otherwise required hiring new employees, and spending more money. On the other hand, increased efficiency results in prompt accountancy reports and ledgers that may be timely consulted by managers in order to make operative decisions. This means shorter time, and consequently, less money spent. A second benefit of employee development refers to reducing turnover. Researches that have been carried out with regard to this issue have emphasized that an employee’s trajectory within an organization has the form of a parabola. In the beginning, he is enthusiastic about his new job and learns everything he needs in order to live up to the company’s expectations and gain recognition for his well-done work. This ascending trend (or honeymoon as Sirota calls it) lasts five or six months until the individual reaches a climax where routine comes into the limelight. Thus, he continues to do his job for a certain period, but as nothing new appears, the employee decides to leave the company and try something different or look for another challenge. Yet, Sirota’s (2005) research shows that 10% of the companies surveyed succeed in ensuring a prolonged honeymoon throughout the entire career to their employees because they understand the difficulty of â€Å"being enthusi astic about an organization that is not enthusiastic about you† (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu). Consequently, they implement development programs that help employees seize opportunities and prepare for complex tasks that might reveal numerous latent skills or abilities. Additionally, employee development may be presented as a supplementary path to job security that has become a top need after the collapse of high-tech companies and September 11, 2001. A perfect example of a high-morale company in these terms is Southwest Airlines, which, after the terrorist attacks in September, stated: â€Å"We will take a hit in our stock price and not lay off anybody† (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu). Furthermore, training and development can exert a positive influence in the recruiting process. First, managers may wish to hire an elitist who does not correspond to job requirements because of a certain skill. If the company is ready to offer trainings for developing the missing feature, it could win a valuable employee who may be responsible for future performances. The following is an example: A person applying for the PR executive position may be rejected because he or she does not correspond to a single requirement such as updating the company’s website. Although he or she is a performer and a fast learner, the organization prefers to hire a less brilliant candidate who poorly meets all the requirements instead of investing some courses in the first one. Such a decision may greatly affect the company’s performance and image. Secondly, development programs may prove enticing enough to potential employees. Therefore, the company can use them in order to attract the desired staff capable of inducing the organization’s growth. Thirdly, if existing employees are trained for different or more complex tasks, these may become eligible for vacant positions or may handle a wider range of activities. In this context, the company saves money by reducing its need to hire. Fourthly, development consists of rewarding loyal employees who after learning new skills are promoted to higher positions. This also accounts for a company’s performance. Lastly, development strategies allow employees to be more independent or, in other words, they give them wings to fly. This autonomy cuts off the supervision costs, thus increasing the company’s efficiency, and inherently, performance (Gross, 2000). Employee training also plays a major part in maintaining a work/life balance. This is essential for the organization’s health because the employee burnout phenomenon can decrease productivity or can have other negative consequences like: sickness, lateness, absenteeism as a result of the unusual stress; lower efficiency and morale because of their exaggerate workload; higher turnover rates. Consequently, employees should be helped to handle both work and life commitments through trainings teaching them how to better manage time and priorities or how to recharge batteries after projects or seasons involving an unusual amount of work. In response to the company’s concern, an employee may prove unexpectedly grateful and may voluntarily contribute to a future project, essential to the organization’s success (Gross, 2000). Employment Development Plan Hiring The first step to employee development is the hiring process. When there is an opening the department head will meet with human resources and determine exactly what the new job requirements will be. In addition, at this time there will be a discussion about where the position may lead in the future and what type of education or skills will be important to have for the path to be followed (Bass, 1985). Hiring in the future will involve a careful screening of applicants to cull the most qualified for the particular position in question. In the past, it has been accepted as a practice to hire the first one who was qualified in order to get the position filled. In the future, this will change and improve the retention rate of employees to the company. The applicants will be carefully examined so that the candidate who is most likely to advance within the company is selected. Hiring will happen by way of Internet sources, employee referrals, recruiters, and job fairs. When an opening occu rs it will be publicized in several publications so that the company will have a diverse applicant pool from which to select those who will be interviewed (Steines and Kleiner, 2003). Training Employee development is an expensive process. The company invests funds to train the employee, and then further train and then possibly invest in the employee’s college education as well. All of this is done with the hopes that the company will eventually reap the benefits of the investments made on the employee’s behalf (Liggett, 2007). The company’s employee development plan has changed to be more cautious about fund investments at the front end of the employee history with the company, but on the back end as time moves forward, the benefits are increased from previous years. When an employee is first hired, there will be a three-day training period by which the employee will view the videos and company policies, be given tours of the company, and will engage in a discussion about future possibilities. After the three days have passed, the employee will begin working along side someone in their chosen department who will assist with their acclimation (Liggett, 2007). While this will cost time and money because the training or supervising peer will have to slow down their own work when the new employee needs help, it is still less expensive than paying for the new employee to spend time in a training institution. The training will initially for nothing more than the job the employee was hired to do. At the first three-day session however, the employee will be told of the entire development package so the employee has an understanding of what the future holds and what staying with the company can mean to them. There will also be an employee suggestion box outside the cafeteria from which ideas for development will be read and discussed quarterly (Liggett, 2007). Development based on time The entire foundation of this employee development plan is to reward employees for loyalty and longevity. The plan is based on a staggered schedule that allows the company to provide the best benefits for those who stay with the company (Redling, 2003). The reward is incentive for employees to remain in the employ of the company while offering the company some security that it is investing in long-term workers. It also reduces the loss of funds that occur when a short-term employee goes to a competitor after receiving training at this company. Because the company’s new policy is operated with the bulk of the benefits on the back end of employment they must be made better than they were before so that employees want to stay and reap the rewards of the new package. After six months of employment the employee may request for a cross training package to be started. In this package, the employee will be trained in other departments so that he or she can work throughout the company in several different capacities. The company will provide a temporary worker to perform the employee’s duties while the employee is cross training for the other department (Redling, 2003). Each six months the employee will be encouraged to choose another department that he or she wishes to be cross trained for and the company will provide an temporary worker so that the employee can devote a full forty hour week to the business of learning the new skill. There will be no limit on the number of departments an employee can be cross trained in as long as there are at least six months worked at the regular position between training sessions. This allows the employee to develop their skills as well as provides additional back up support for the company because the empl oyee can handle multiple tasks within the company (Redling, 2003). Promotion It is important that an employee feel they are being treated well and given opportunities to advance in their careers (Solomon, 2002). Any time there is an opening the company employees shall have the first opportunities to apply for it. If there is an employee who is qualified, that employee shall be given the job and the hiring will focus on replacing him or her in the old position. Education After one year of employment with the company, the employee can apply for the education package. This will allow the company to reimburse for some costs of education. In years two through four of employment the company will reimburse the cost of tuition following the receipt of a report card that demonstrates a C average in the classes attempted. The classes can be based on any subject but there will be a one hundred percent reimbursement for classes pertaining to work and a seventy five percent reimbursement for classes that do not pertain to the industry. During years five through ten the company will reimburse at one hundred percent not only the cost of the tuition but also the cost of the books for any classes the employee chooses to take. The employee simply needs to provide a report card at the end of the semester to receive reimbursement. From years ten to 15 not only will the company pay for the employee college but will allow the employee to attend during the work day without docking the pay. This will work up to two hours a day for the duration of employment. The employment development plan not only allows for the development of an employee in the area of training but also in staff development. The managers of the company will attend annual seminars on staff relations so that they can better understand how to communicate with their subordinates (Dowling, 2001). The company wants to focus on employee retention and part of the reason employees choose to stay with a company or leave it for greener pastures is because they do or do not get along well with their superiors. Staff development and relations is an important aspect of employee development and annual staff relation seminars are targeting problem communications so that the employee will continue to feel loyal to the company. Conclusion Employee development can serve to save funds that the company would otherwise have to write off. Employee turnover is a crucial issue when it comes to the current economic standing of America. Employee development allows for the development of the employee so that they can better equip themselves for their career choices. It is important to support their desire to develop more fully at work, while at the same time not investing money that walks out the door and to the competition. This design allows the company to support and assist the employee desire to develop in career skills while at the same time discouraging a cash loss. If the employee stays with the company the development program risks very little of the company’s assets before the employee has proved themselves a long-term investment. This plan allows the employee to fully develop and to feel that the company supports the loyalty he or she has shown by years of service while encouraging education as well as cross tr aining. The organizational consultant, per the research information and plan, challenges the organization to embrace the detailed plan to further develop each valuable employee. No matter what, organizational leaders must see the value in employee development and be willing to make the effort to show loyalty to its employees. References Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations. New York, NY: Free Press. Dowling, F. (2001). â€Å"Just the Job: Bosses need work on staff relations.† Birmingham Post. January 6, 22 pp. Function 7: Employee education, training, and development. (2006). [Online], Available:http://www.accel-team.com/human_resources/hrm_07.html (2008, January 30). Giving Employees What They Want: The Returns Are Huge. (2005). [Online], Available: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1188CFID=3898075CFTOKEN=53249968 (2008, January 30). Goldstein, S. (2003). â€Å"Employee Development: An examination of service strategy in a high-contact service environment.† Production and Operations Management. Summer. Gross, B. (2000). Effective Training Programs for Managers, [Online], Available: http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/careers-job-training/2975408-3.html (2008, January 30). Helping Employees Maintain Work/Life Balance. (2006). [Online], Available: http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee-development-employee-productivity/1242-1.html (2008, January 30). Liggett, D. (2007). â€Å"Training and qualifying your employees.† Industry Applications Magazine. May, Vol. 13, Issue 3. pp.25-30. Redling, R. (2003). â€Å"Assembling a solid staff: Job rotation, job shaping and cross training help employee retention.† Connexion/Medical Group Management Association. March, Vol. 3, pp. 38-40. Sirota, D., L. Mischkind, and Michael Meltzer. (2005). The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want. University City, PA: Wharton School Publishing. Steines, S. R., and B. H. Kleiner. (2003). â€Å"Keys to Hiring Employees Effectively.† Management Research News. Volume 26, Issue 2/3/4, pp. 170-180. Solomon, M. (2002). â€Å"Discovering the Leader Within.† Computerworld. August 5, 38 pp. YPM Briefing: Employee development. (2005). [Online], Available: http://www.yourpeoplemanager.com/YarBGXpoTX_-WA.html (2008, January 30). Total Quality Management: Advantages and Disadvantages Total Quality Management: Advantages and Disadvantages Quality plays a significant role in the development and success of any organization or product. UK is recognized as a core of the creation of petrochemical and other associated products of petrochemical. There is high demand for petrochemical products all over the world; so quality assurance and quality management are very important in petrochemical industry in order to exist in the global economy. There are many petrochemical industries in this country and millions of people are working in these industries. Even though this sector is one of the major sources of economic growth, the petrochemical industries are facing some problems regarding quality management and quality assurance (Grote, 2001). The main challenges faced by the petrochemical industry are the need to manage the commercial environment better and as a minimum to stop worsening the industrys inherent cyclicality  the need for further restructuring in order to improve underlying performance  and the need to improve relationships with the outside world because crucially these relationships increasingly will determine the scope for success in our industry (ibid). In terms of long term challenges, petrochemical industries in the UK are facing number of challenges that need careful planning. These challenges are firstly, the increase of demand (BP, 2010). This increase in demand is caused by the increase in population in the UK and around the world which will put petrochemical under pressure to follow the demand. Another problem is dealing with petrochemical suppliers it will be possible to survive the prices that are caused the changing in petrochemical raw material (oil and gas) in global market (ibid). For example, in 2008 the oil prices raised to record value over $138 for barrel. Thirdly, they need to find more resources to cope with demand increase (ibid). Finally, they are going to face a problem of where should they make investments and train their workforce (ibid). The investment should not be on only finding new oil field but Its about discovering new technologies and pioneering new methods; developing the best equipment and equipping our teams with the right skills and be more innovative to become even more environmental friendly (ibid). Some petrochemical industries in the United Kingdom have problems in utilizing their resources in best way. This causes a great loss of profit for them since in higher demand season they need to increase the capacity by hiring skilled workforce or buying needed products from competitors which needs extra costs. Others have problem recycling there products or some kinds of product or even recycling of the waste product. This also causes a big loss to the company because if a product has a defect, its not necessary mean that all material integrated in the product cannot be recovered. Implementation of the Latest technology and train the workforce on it is necessary as it recommended by TQM and ISO 9000 in system improving point. The pressure which making solving these problems even more difficult come from the financial crisis for the past few years that has affected the running of the petrochemical industries 2008 saw crude oil prices rise to record highs and then follow the financial markets to unexpected lows (BP, 2010). Increase in the price of the resources decreased the production of these industries or if the production doesnt change, the profit will decrease. The petrochemical products are used for a number of purposes and the number of competitors has increased recently; therefore, leading in quality and clearing the company brand guarantee the survival in this competition. Implementation of TQM as a precursor to ISO 9000 and vice versa: The petrochemical industries are those involved in the manufacturing of toxic chemicals and organic compounds which can affect the people when not maintained properly. Quality assessment and quality standard implementation should be done from the start-up of production to the final despatch of the product for customer satisfaction and for the maintenance of quality system. The petrochemical industry should also comply with the requirements of occupational health and safety management systems which deal with the precautions on health and environmental factors. This is applicable to all chemical industries. In Diagram 1, the implementation of quality factors starts with the vision and mission of the company, the vision are the future view of the company; the mission are the goals in terms of quality products, customer satisfaction and the profit which they want to achieve (DTI, n.d., p2). The statements should be clear and spontaneous (ibid). CSF/KPI: The critical factors for successful implementation are the building blocks for the success and those identified factors that affect in the implementation by analysing of the past data and the modification to be done in implementing the new standards (DTI, n.d., pp2-3; Oakland and Marosszeky, 2006, p363). They identify the key performance indicators like the employees, resources like plant and machinery, innovation etc. Encouraging new ideas and technology, discarding obsolete ones etc. contribute to the success in the implementation; they monitor the performance and report the progress and the feedback for the organizations well-being (ibid). Core process: The core business processes are the profit rearing segments of the business and they consist of suppliers, process and the customers (DTI, n.d., pp3-4). The quality implementations create a major impact on the core process and the competitive advantage when the implementation of the TQM is done in the business process (ibid). Defining of the business opportunity: Quality implementation is done mainly for increasing the reputation of the company which leads to increase in profit. The company must be against the acceptance of any kind of compromise in the product quality which affects the company and its reputation in the market. To make the situation at an ease and conducting a review to identify the particular need and the specification of the customer and the company and the analyzing whether the required standard is met or not, this becomes the method for getting a better business opportunity (DTI, n.d., p6). The ISO 9000: This is an important tool for the implementation of TQM. This is a general name given to the list of quality standards. The main aim of these quality standards is to provide the company with the standard products and to make the company a profit oriented and highly reputed. The brainstorming of the ideas is given a good place for the implementation. They help in several ideas generated by the people and the product analysis and the performing of the functions according to the effectiveness of the customer satisfaction and the major role in the quality assessment criteria and to enhance the company position, reputation and profitability (Karakas and Kavas, 2008, pp.8-11). Decision making by the management and the implementation to be done by the different standards and the performance of them are monitored continuously, and the demerits in the performance are identified and continuous improvement is done by providing adequate training and development (Maddalena, 2007, pp.71-72). ISO 9000 series is a quality management system that has to be maintained in an organization. This means what the organization does to fulfil:   the customers quality requirements, and  applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to  enhance customer satisfaction, and  achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives (ISO, 2010). The idea of improvement in implementing TQM by the companies is to have the accreditation, proper dealing with the customer for the certification for the business and exports to be done to other countries and also to increase the position and profit of the company. Advantages of implementing TQM as a precursor to ISO 9000 and vice versa globally: The ISO 9000 and TQM are two main subjects that are used to show the quality of an industry. Although fundamentally different TQM ensures organizations do the right thing, while ISO 9000 is about doing things right (Williams and Buswell, 2003, p133). There are many advantages in implementing ISO 900 as precursor to TQM and vice versa. ISO 9000 has grown popularity due to its advantages. The ISO 9000 is considered as a quality model, and it can be used as a tool to TQM. ISO 9000 helps in planning household finance because keeping records of paying bills and taxes is the first step to run a business effectively (Kurtus, 2001). ISO 9000 will help the process of production when the quality management process is at the starting stage. ISO 9000 has nowadays become a need to any organization because it helps to improve productivity (Pike and Barnes, 1996, p27). It helps in organizing the process of production, and it also helps in improving the performance of the company (ibid). The implementation determines whether the work is done in an efficient way or not, and makes sure that the system is on track (ibid). Moreover, ISO 9000 gives a great advantage to an organization to work globally (ibid). Finally, by implementing ISO 9000 first, the implantation of TQM will be more effective. On the other hand, Total quality management can be implemented as a precursor to ISO 9000. Implementing TQM as a precursor can be of advantage to the implementation of ISO 9000 because the company can keep its regular customers which can be possible because TQM helps in meeting the needs of the customers. The implementation of TQM creates a competitive advantage, and it will also improve the participation and dedication of the employees. The employees work as a team for the implementation activities and thus cooperation increases. Besides, the implementation of TQM as a precursor to ISO 9000 will reduce the time of the registration with ISO because most of ISO 9000 requirement should be met by the organization. The implementation of TQM and ISO 9000 helps provide quality to the customers. So, the advantages of both quality systems in an organization can be listed as follows; They improve the productivity of the organization from top to bottom. They are systematic and well-structured approaches that can be used for enhancing customer satisfaction. Theyre very improvement methods by which the deviations can be reduced. Both help in delivering the product and services that required quality which expected by the customers. Together they help in reducing a higher level of wastages. Implementation of ISO 9000 offers a strong foundation for the efficient implementation of TQM. The implementing of ISO 9000 as a precursor of TQM helps to create an understanding of the requirements of the customers. It enhances the involvement of the employees in the TQM process. It increases the relationship with the suppliers. The profit of the firm can be boosted up by implementing ISO 9000. Disadvantages of implementing TQM as a precursor to ISO 9000 and vice versa globally: ISO 9000 and TQM are the integral components of the successful running of every organization. While implementing TQM as a precursor to ISO 9000, few problems arise in connection with customer satisfaction, because without the incorporation of TQM and ISO 9000 does not bring enough customer satisfaction. They consider that ISO 9000 certification is the main thing which shows the manufacturers ability to produce high quality products (Schoonmaker, 1997, p5). Also implementation of TQM as a precursor to ISO causes difficulties for entering into international market because ISO 9000 certification is an integral component of petrochemical industry to enter an international market. In order to get ISO 9000 systematic planning is necessary and it will help bring faith from the part of the customer and also to produce good quality products. ISO 9000 certification is the major thing which is used to compete with the international markets. Also, implementing TQM as a precursor to ISO 9000 will cause difficulties to maintain quality improvement. So, it is better to follow ISO 9000 standards before TQM in every organization. Nevertheless, there exist few disadvantages also for this type of implementation. In order to achieve maximum profit from a business, the major thing is to fulfil the needs of the customer and TQM approach gives more consideration to customer satisfaction. So, by implementing ISO 9000 first will cause few problems regarding customer satisfaction. Even there is quality in the products for the satisfaction of the customer ISO 9000 and TQM certification is essential. It is better to implement ISO 9000 before TQM because in the newest version of ISO 9000 it includes several features of TQM. Therefore the implementation of TQM before ISO 900 is really wastage of time and money. There are some problems regarding the implementation of TQM as the precursor to ISO 9000 and some of that problems are Initially higher cost of production as more is recognized as rejects. Cost of training personnel, cost of implementing stages of feedback for employees (Voters 2010). The implementation of this TQM standard requires more cost because there need to bring total changes in the organization such as for the training of the employees, implementation of the latest technologies etc (Pike and Barnes, 1996, p275). It is difficult to alter the practice of the long-time workers to the TQM procedures and ISO 9000 procedures. While the organization is ru nning smoothly with their existing functional procedures as the customer demands for the ISO 9000 and TQM standard certification, the company owners are forced to change to these standard procedures. Even though an organization maintains quality in their products and excellent workers the customer does not agree the quality without the certification of these standards. The petrochemical products are used for several purposes so the certification of ISO 9000 and TQM for every product seems to be very difficult because sometimes the assurance of the quality of a product requires much more money than the money required for the manufacturing of that product. There are also some difficulties in implementation the ISO 9000 as the precursor. To finish the procedures of ISO 9000 registration it takes several months. The 1996 Quality Systems Update survey indicated that it took businesses an average of 15 months to move from the early stages of the process to passage of the final audit, and that processes of 18-20 months or even longer were not that uncommon (Answers, 2010). It is really wastage of time and effort to the business owners moreover wastage of time to other employees in the organization. Frequently companies will have a customer who demands that they be ISO 9000 certified to continue doing business. NOW the company has the choice of losing a customer or implementing ISO 9000. Either way money is lost in the short term (Gunaman and De-Almeida, 2000, p.5).

Beauty Therapy for Wellness | Business Plan

Beauty Therapy for Wellness | Business Plan Part 2 The Business My Background: The idea for this business has been getting planned out in my mind since I first began studying Beauty Therapy at James Watt College. My years of customer service experience, that I gained previous to starting college, in hospitality both in a managerial role and a team member will serve me well and can be adapted to suit the beauty and complementary therapies industry. When I started I knew my end goal was to set up a small business of my own using the qualifications I was to gain, I did not, however realise at the time that I would go on to pursue complementary therapies. During the 3 years I have been studying I went from beauty, to spa route and then onto Complementary Therapies, I have been a devoted student throughout this time and always took on any challenge given to me. I have worked hard throughout this time and as a consequence to the hard work I have done I was offered a job in the 5 star Blythswood Square Spa where I had done my placement, I have been there for almost 2 years now where I have developed my skill and knowledge base, this had allowed me to work with many different people and get a taste of the work I want to do. I have also had the opportunity to witness first hand many excellent working practices, which has given me plenty of ideas of how I can see my business and treatments running. As well as my time in college and the spa I also do work from home with clients I have met through close friends and family members. This has let me build a small client base with whom I can fall back on at quieter times in the beginning of my new venture. I have added a copy of my CV in Appendix 2. The Idea: The idea for my business will be a room in the local health centre in which I will offer complementary therapies. Massage will be the main focus, I will offer limited aromatherapy using pre-blended oils which have been pre-blended and labelled before I get them. The main treatments I will offer will be Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports/remedial massage, Indian head massage, aromatherapy (using pre-blended oils) and facials. I will be working closely with the healthcare professionals in the centre in which the business is based and will take referrals from them to try and aid the patients in their healthcare needs. The business will be different from anywhere in the area as there are only salons around, all of which are much more focused on beauty treatment and nails as opposed to massage and complementary therapies. Business Name: My business name will be A Tranquil Touch, tranquil means quiet, calm or peaceful and this is how I intend my business to be. I will aim to always have a tranquil atmosphere, calm staff should I need to expand or get help and always leave my clients feeling tranquil and relaxed. The touch part refers to the massage treatments I will offer. Position to Date: All of my initial research has been fully compiled and as soon as I have purchased the products and equipment needed and register that I am self-employed to HMRC I will be in a position to open. Mission Statement: A Tranquil Touch will be a place of calm and tranquillity, as the name suggests. I will provide the best possible service to my clients through hard work, excellent customer service, high standards and professionalism. I will aim to provide a place and treatment list for which my clients will wish to return time and time again to receive the complementary therapies they need in order to feel their best. Short term objectives: Over the next 12 months I aim to achieve regular visits from existing clients from the health centre and of my own, alongside new faces through recommendations and with successful advertising through Facebook, through promotion, packages and pricelists. Posters will be on display in the health centre, town halls, schools and other public buildings in town, price lists will be available in various locations throughout the various locations as well. To ensure a profitable business in the future and establish a healthy clientele I will advertise as much as I can before opening and in the 1st year updating and drumming up new business through promotions and advertising as and when is necessary. Long term objectives: My aim for the future is to expand the business into an wellness centre, where clients can come to relax, unwind, fine tune their minds and bodies and enhance any medical they are receiving from the NHS. I would hope to have a successful business and employ staff to run a room each in any given day. I would also like to include a beauty room as part of the business to help clients look as good as they feel, trends are fast moving however and while I will strive to continue my own learning and that of my staff, I would take over as a managing role providing treatments as and when possible. I will always be 100% involved in my business, supportive to employees, always looking at things through the customers eyes while providing the best possible client journey for all. Industry Analysis Distribution Chanel: A Tranquil Touch, based within Port Glasgow Health Centre, is a holistic salon with a friendly and relaxed ethos in which provides a high standard of massage services. The method of distribution is direct distribution as the service is coming directly from myself to my clients and they come to the premises. Competition: For A Tranquil Touch I want to set myself apart from other salons in the area that offer a similar type of service. After researching I discovered that there are 4 salons in the surrounding area of Port Glasgow Health Centre, who are my direct competitors. There is a gap in the area for a service which concentrates on complementary therapies, specialising in massage and which is not focused on beauty treatments but looks to improve the health and wellbeing of its clients. After having sent out a questionnaire (included in appendix 3) and speaking to my own clients I have gained through mobile services, I found out that they want a business they can feel confident will provide them with services and treatments to complement and enhance the health care they are receiving from the NHS. Most people seem to be unaware of the added benefits of massage or do not think that beauty salons are the best place to receive these treatments (some examples of the returned questionnaires are included in appendix 4). Direct Competitors Tres Mar: 5 Church Street, Port Glasgow, PA14 5EH are the salon in my area I consider to be my strongest competitors. They offer aromatherapy, reflexology and chiropody as well as massage, facials and sports massage. At the moment they are often fully booked but this mostly with nails, waxing and the other beauty treatments they offer. As long as I keep my prices low I should be able to target my clientele and keep them. I will also offer different opening hours keeping my room open late when they are not in order to target clients after working hours (I have included a copy of the treatment price list in appendix 5). Amethyst Hair and Beauty: King Street, Port Glasgow are the closest salon to the health centre where I will be based, at the moment they do offer facials but have no body massage treatments on their treatment menu as they offer more superficial treatments such as nails, lashes, waxing and hair dressing. This should be of great benefit to me. I may also try and make a link with the salon where we can offer referrals to our clients (I have included a copy of the treatment price list in appendix 5). The other 2 salons in the area are the Relaxation Room and Brown Street Hair and Beauty. Both of these salons are relatively new and also offer mainly beauty treatments, as they are not yet well established within the area and have not done much in the way of advertising I do not see them as a major threat, as long as my advertising is done well I am positive I can establish my business in the area without too much bother in the way of competition. Operational Plan Services: I plan to offer different types of massage which will be Swedish, Aromatherapy (using pre-blended oils), deep tissue, sports/remedial, Indian head, bamboo, hot stones and facials to begin with. I will offer full body and have many options for part body which will be back, neck and shoulders, facial, scalp neck and shoulders, legs and feet, hand and arm, abdominal and chest, neck and shoulders. All massages will be customised to meet the needs of the client and will therefore be bespoke, this is something completely different from that which is offered in any of the surrounding salons and will be my main selling point. Cost: The rent for the room for the 1st 2 months will cost me  £600. The room is in walk in condition and needs no decorating, due to the specialised nature of the business I will need very little equipment which is massage bed at approx  £350, hot stone heater and stones  £100, a hot towel cabinet  £150 and a selection of towels (large and small), face cloths and mitts on which I estimate I will need to spend  £100 to begin with. My other costs will be products and consumables such as couch roll, spatulas, bowls, first aid kit, grapeseed oil, pre-blended aromatherapy oil, cleanser, toner, mask, exfoliator, cotton pads, tissues, massage cream and moisturisers all of which I can get for an approximate cost of  £200 to get me started. I can get all of this from beauty express which will keep my shipping costs to a minimum. As I plan on paying my insurance with my own money I estimate I will need an approximate total of  £1500 to get me started. Legal Entity: The legal entity I will be trading under will be as a sole trader as I will be working for myself, renting a room and solely responsible for starting it up. Therefore, there are no particular legal formalities to adhere to and no planning permission is needed as the business is already established. However, I will contact the HMRC to inform them that I will be self-employed and when I intend to start my business. Health and safety legislations: There is a great deal of legislations which protects both the clients and myself. I must ensure as well as the manager at Twisted Sister salon, to follow the legislations efficiently according to the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974). Health and Safety at Work Act (1974): This forms the basis of health and safety regulations in the UK, this act explains the minimum standards required for health, safety, and welfare in the workplace. This makes sure that all work premises are safe to use. How this applies to me? I work in a specific work area carrying out treatments on clients. Therefore, I am responsible for maintaining my work area throughout each treatment and making sure that it is safe and hygienic enough for my clients and myself. I will check my work area thoroughly such as the cleanliness of the work surfaces and trolleys. I ensure there are no lose wires, spillages and blockages of any of the pathways and that there are no hazards causing risk to any of the employees or customers. The workplace (Health, safety and welfare) regulations 1992: This is to make sure that all those working, maintain the high safety standards of the environment. This includes equipment, ventilation, working temperature, lighting and cleanliness, avoidance of falling objects, safe floors, windows and doors. How this applies to me? I am responsible for my clients comfort and safety. Therefore, it is important for me to check all aspects of the treatment and treatment area. I ensure that the temperature is at the correct working level along with accurate lighting, the light bright enough for me to carry out the treatment safely yet low enough to create a relaxing ambiance. Also, ensure that the area is thoroughly cleaned with disinfectant to reduce the chance of cross-infection, in which can be passed on from person to person, or coming into contact with a contaminated work surface or tool. All tools and equipment which I use is sterilised and disinfected appropriately. All bedding is freshly laundered and changed after each client. Methods of sterilisation and disinfection UV cabinet: These are highly recommended for equipment sterilisation. Tools and equipment can be placed in the cabinet for effective sterilisation. Disinfectants: Ammonia compound disinfectants (e.g. Barbicide) can be used for metal and plastic items such as tweezers and scissors. Follow manufacturers instructions for correct use. Control of substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002): This is commonly referred to as COSHH Regulations. These regulations are very important as it is a legal obligation to assess any risks associated with hazardous substances used in the workplace to eliminate or control risks. How this applies to me? To prevent personal harm from hazardous substances e.g. skin irritation, respiratory disease, a COSHH risk assessment is required for such substances as cleaning chemicals. All cosmetic products used in salons must comply with the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2004, which are enforced by Trading Standards Officers. During the treatments I handle products with care and only use and store them following the manufacturers instructions throughout. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989: These ensure that all equipment and sockets have been checked by a professional electrician. It is important to ensure that any employee uses their own initiative to check the appliances they are using. For example, spotting any worn or exposed wires. How this applies to me? Before my treatment I ensure that the electrical equipment I am using are all checked and maintained in accordance of the manufacturers instructions and recommendations. I ensure that no wires are twisted, worn or frayed and that the plug is not cracked or loose. Once the treatment is over I store the equipment away safely with all the wires fixed securely in its place. Data Protection Act: The client is asked very personal questions during a consultation through specific consultation techniques. Therefore, it is important to ensure that any information given is kept confidential and secure. How this applies to me? I conduct a consultation with my clients before a treatment depending on what they are having to determine contra-indications and to ensure it is safe and suitable for the client. I therefore, ensure that all information that is given remain confidential and protected. I keep all documents and answers from others and are not kept longer than necessary. Amy GrayHNC Complementary Therapiespg. 1