The At&T Restructuring Of 1995 Essays - ATT, Bell System

The At&T Restructuring Of 1995 Wednesday, September 20, 1995, AT&T Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert E. Allen announced plans for a strategic restructuring that would separate AT&T into three publicly traded global companies. Robert E. Allen said, The company was taking this bold step to capitalize on the opportunities in each business' segment of the global information industry -- communications services, communications equipment, and transaction-intensive computing. Under the plan, a fourth business -- AT&T Capital Corporation -- would be sold, and AT&T shareowners would hold shares in each of the three remaining companies. Changes in customer needs, technology and public policy are radically transforming our industry, said Robert E. Allen. We now see this restructuring as the next logical turn in AT&T's journey since divestiture. It will make AT&T's businesses more valuable to our shareowners, even more responsively to their customers, and better able to focus on the growth opportunities in their indi vidual markets. A focus of one of the new companies will be to provide the best communications and information services worldwide. The services company, operating under the familiar AT&T brand name, would consist of AT&T's current Communications Services Group, the AT&T Universal card Services Corporation, the newly established AT&T Solutions consulting and systems-integration organization, and AT&T Wireless Services. The services company plans to create an AT&T Laboratories unit around the core of the Bell Laboratories. AT&T's products and systems businesses, along with the world-renowned Bell Laboratories, would constitute a communications systems and technology company that would immediately be the global leader in its industry, said Robert E. Allen. The communications equipment company would include AT&T's Network Systems Group, Global Business Communications Systems, Consumer Products, AT&T Paradyne and Microelectronics. The new company named Lucent Technologies, would be a powerful competitor in the fast-growing communications systems market. Henry B. Schacht was designated Lucent Technologies Chief Executive Officer. The company's computer unit AT&T Global Information Solutions (GIS), would be established as an independent company by spinning it off to AT&T Shareowners. Our services and systems businesses are at the intersection of tremendous change and opportunity, said Allen. This restructuring ensures that each can follow the path of greatest opportunity without worrying about bumping into each other along the way. Lars Nyberg was announced Chief Executive Officer for NCR, formerly known as GIS, the new computer company. Allen believes Nyberg to be the right leader to get the computer business back on track. Nyberg is taking action to create a smaller, more focused and more rapid business. NCR will continue to develop, manufacture, and market computer platforms for any industry, however, it will focus on the three key industry segments where it has a leading position -- financial, retail, and communications. As a major part of its turnaround, NCR will halt the manufacturing of personal computers. It will continue to support and service all its current hardware and software installations and will market its service capabilities to all industries. NCR, which currently employs 43,000 people in more than 120 countries, announced a major cost-cutting initiative that will lead to the termination of approximately 8,500 jobs. AT&T will incur a pre-tax charge of approximately 1.5 billion dollars against third quarter earnings to cover the costs of the NCR restructuring. This reduces the 1995 earnings by 1 billion dollars, or 66 cents per share. AT&T plans to sell its remaining shares of AT&T Capital Corporation to the general public or another company. It holds 80 percent of Capital Corporation's shares, having only sold a minority of the shares to the general public in 1993. AT&T Capital Corporation is one of the largest equipment leasing and financing companies in the United States. It had revenues of approximately 1.4 billion dollars in 1994. Proceeds from the sale of AT&T Capital Corporation and from the Initial public offering of the new equipment company will be used to repay current AT&T debt and giving excess to each of the new businesses. The company plans to adjust each business' capital structure to ensure that it has the flexibility to raise resources, as it needs them. AT&T said that each of the businesses it is establishing will have everything it needs to meet its customers' needs. Each of the new companies already

Nero Cafe Financials Essays

Nero Cafe Financials Essays Nero Cafe Financials Essay Nero Cafe Financials Essay THE BEST ESPRESSO THIS SIDE OF MILAN’ ANNUAL REPORT 2008 HIGHLIGHTS FY2008 (JUNE 2007 – MAY 2008) FINANCIAL EVOLUTION STORES 371 REVENUE (? M) 129. 3 108. 8 90. 7 FY08 GROWTH 19% 70. 1 50. 5 REVENUE UP 19% TO ? 129. 3M (2007: ? 108. 8M) LIKE-FOR-LIKE STORE SALES INCREASED BY 2. 4% EBITDA ROSE BY 20. 5% TO ? 24. 1M (2007: ? 20M) PRE TAX PROFIT CLIMBED BY 38% TO ? 13. 2M (2007: ? 9. M) STRONG CASH GENERATION CONTINUES TO FUND ROLL-OUT OF NEW STORES A NET INCREASE OF 61 NEW STORES DURING THE YEAR, BRINGING GROUP TOTAL TO 371 YEAR END LAUNCHED â€Å"NERO EXPRESS† CARTS FOR AIRPORT AND RAILWAY STATION HUBS: OPERATING WITH A TOTAL OF 15 NERO EXPRESS CARTS BY YEAR END (MAY 2008) ENTERED FIRST INTERNATIONAL MARKET TURKEY. OPENED 7 STORES BY YEAR END (MAY 2008) CURRENTLY 393 STORES IN 210 UK CITIES AND TOWNS; ANTICIPATE 410 STORES BY CURRENT YEAR END (MAY 2009) 04 05 06 262 FY08 GROWTH 20% 214 162 10 07 08 04 05 06 07 08 STORE PROFIT (? M) 32. 7 28. 3 FY08 GROWTH 16% 10. 6 23. 0 16. 8 FY08 GROWTH 20. 5% EBITDA (? M) 24. 1 20. 0 15. 6 11. 3 6. 5 04 05 06 07 08 04 05 06 07 08 PROFIT BEFORE TAX (? M) 13. 2 9. 6 FY08 GROWTH 38% 7. 3 5. 1* 2. 4 04 05 06 07 08 *BEFORE GOODWILL WRITE-OFF 01 05 08 09 10 12 FINANCIAL EVOLUTION CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT GROUP INCOME STATEMENT GROUP BALANCE SHEET NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THE EXECUTIVE BOARD DIRECTORS ADVISERS 13 CAFFE NERO STORES FIGURES FOR 2004 ARE STATED UNDER UK GAAP AND PROFIT FIGURES ARE BEFORE GOODWILL AMORTISATION AND EXCEPTIONALS CAFFE NERO GROUP LTD ANNUAL REPORT 2008 FINANCIAL EVOLUTION 01 CAFFE NERO HAD THE WIT AND VISION TO WISELY CULTIVATE A MORE ENDURING, SOPHISTICATED EUROPEAN IMAGE SUNDAY HERALD 2008 02 03 CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT INTRODUCTION The financial year 2008 (FY2008), for the Caffe Nero Group (â€Å"the Group† or â€Å"Caffe Nero†), was a year of launching into new business areas as well as expanding Caffe Nero’s core UK high street business. Despite a noticeable consumer slowdown from September 07 – May 08, Caffe Nero successfully launched a new division and format called Nero Express; opened in its first international territory – Turkey; progressed its UK expansion by moving into Northern Ireland; continued to rank as the top UK coffee house brand among its peers; and recorded a very solid financial performance. FINANCIAL During FY2008, the Group had success both with top line revenue and with bottom line profit. Although the surrounding economic environment in the UK was challenging, revenue still moved up by 19% to ? 129. 3m (2007: ? 108. m). Like for like store sales were a respectable 2. 4%, marking 44 consecutive quarters of positive like for like store growth at Caffe Nero. Cash flow profit (EBITDA) also progressed significantly despite substantial rises in costs. Commodity prices – wheat, milk, coffee and oil – along with minimum wage and various other ingredient costs, all rose in the period. Whilst this put pressure on our margin, Caffe Nero was still able to grow EBITDA by nearly 21% to ? 24. 1m (2007: ? 20m). Likewise, at the pre-tax profit line, respectable gains were made: pre-tax profit rose by 43% to ? 13. 7m (2007: ? 9. m), which was ahead of management expectations. A second major advancement in the year was to open in our first international territory Turkey. We launched Caffe Nero Turkey in October 2007, which entailed forming a separate JV company based in Istanbul, building a team, developing operational expertise, securing sites and constructing stores. We managed to do all of the above and open seven stores in the year. By the year end we had approximately 100 people in Caffe Nero Turkey. This was a great start for our fi rst overseas territory, and a tribute to the hard work and dedication by our local partners and Turkish management team. The third area of progress was with our core UK business. We opened 39 new stores in the year, including our first foray into Northern Ireland. In a two month period we launched three successful stores in the greater Belfast area, and then, more recently, have opened a fourth store in the same area. The management team has been very pleased by the early results from this new grouping of stores. In total, the Group opened 61 stores in the 12 months to May 08, taking Caffe Nero to 371 stores at year end. BRAND We were proud to note that the Group received accolades from its peers recently. Caffe Nero was ranked as the most respected coffee house brand in the United Kingdom by independent UK coffee operators (Allegra Strategies 2008 Independent Coffee Operators survey) in September 2008. Caffe Nero was also named one of the most respected brands in all of the UK Food and Beverage (F B) industry in a recent survey of several hundred F B executives. It ranked just behind Marks Spencer and Tesco and ahead of Pizza Express and Starbucks. The survey included all types of F B businesses, ranging from food retailers to restaurants and pub groups to food service companies to food manufacturers. Allegra Strategies, â€Å" Top of the Mind† F B executive survey November 2008). During FY2008, the Caffe Nero brand also continued its â€Å"Partnership with the Arts† programme. It promoted and sponsored the RSC’s celebration of 100 years of English history, the Tutankhamen exhibition at the O2 and the First Emperor exhibition at the British Museum. We have co ntinued this partnership at the beginning of FY2009 by sponsoring the Rothko exhibition at the Tate Modern. â€Å"HOT, STRONG AND DELICIOUS COFFEE† HARDEN`S LONDON RESTAURANT GUIDE 2008 Our cash position also remained strong. Despite opening more than 60 stores in the year, the cash position of the Group at the year end was similar to that of the year before, namely more than ? 9m of cash at hand. GROWTH The Group advanced in three key areas during FY2008. The first was the launch of a new sub-brand called Nero Express. Nero Express units are smaller kiosks located in main transport hubs. They provide Caffe Nero coffee and a narrower food menu to â€Å"on the go† consumers. Caffe Nero opened 15 Nero Express units in its first year of operation. Setting up a separate organisation and working out the logistical issues of operating in railway stations and airports was no small challenge. We are very pleased with all the progress that has been achieved in our first 12 months of operating this division, and look forward to growing and strengthening our Nero Express business both in the UK and internationally. CAFFE NERO GROUP LTD ANNUAL REPORT 2008 CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT 04 05 CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT (CONTINUED) CURRENT TRADING The current economic climate remains challenging for most UK retailers. Costs have been increasing over the last 12 months, particularly hitting food and beverage operators, and consumer spending has also been slumping. There is evidence emerging, however, that cost inflation is abating in some key areas such as oil, heat and light, wheat and milk, which will help our margin in the coming months. To date, Caffe Nero has handled the turbulent times relatively well. We opened 22 new stores between June and October (the first five months of FY 2009), giving the Group a total of 393 stores. This total includes 11 stores in Turkey and 16 Nero Express kiosks. Caffe Nero also maintained its positive like for like store sales growth from June – October 08, and sales overall grew by 15%. The consumer environment looks set to remain challenging and will likely soften even further in the coming months. That said, a recent independent report by Allegra Strategies has indicated that the branded coffee market is forecast to continue to experience 6% annual growth. Caffe Nero’s strong brand and low price point, with an average transaction spend of ? 3. 40, will undoubtedly help to mitigate some of the predicted downturn as consumers refuse to relinquish their â€Å"affordable treat† in gourmet coffee. Whilst we anticipate that the second half of the year (Dec – May 2009) will be more challenging for our business than the first half, we remain committed to a measured expansion plan. During this period, we will also focus on our existing estate, with an emphasis on driving marginal revenue, maximising profit and preserving cash. In December we will open our first Middle East store in the Dubai Mall, the world’s largest inside shopping complex. At least two more stores in Dubai will follow shortly thereafter. We also anticipate adding two or three more stores in Turkey by the year end. Regarding the UK market, we will carry on opening stores at a steady pace. In total, we anticipate opening more than 35 stores in the year and remain confident of achieving double-digit sales growth. UK COFFEE OPERATORS RANK CAFFE NERO AS MOST RESPECTED COFFEE BRAND ALLEGRA STRATEGIES, INDUSTRY SURVEY ON COFFEE 2008 GERRY FORD CHAIRMAN CHIEF EXECUTIVE 24 November 2008 06 07 GROUP INCOME STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2008 GROUP BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2008 Notes 2008 ? 000 2007 ? 000 Notes 2008 ? 000 2007 ? 000 Revenue Cost of sales Gross profit Administrative expenses excluding depreciation, amortisation and impairment and exceptional items Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, impairment and exceptional items Administrative expenses – depreciation, amortisation and impairment Operating profit before exceptional items Administrative expenses – exceptional item Total administrative expenses Operating profit Bank interest receivable Finance expense Profit before taxation Tax on profit on ordinary activities Profit attributable to equity holders of the parent (2) 129,307 (96,591) 32,716 (8,660) 108,819 (80,488) 28,331 (8,290) Non-current assets Goodwill Software Property, plant and equipment Lease premiums Other receivables 831 92 53,019 2,240 1,040 57,222 Current assets Inventories Lease premiums Other receivables Cash and cash equivalents 1,058 543 5,490 9,580 16,671 Total assets Current liabilities Trade and other payables Provisions (24,388) (24,388) Non-current liabilities Provisions Total liabilities Net assets Equity Called up share capital Share premium account Capital redemption reserve Options tax reserve Other reserve Retained earnings Shareholders’ equity 389 13,385 15 – 6,249 29,411 49,449 389 13,385 15 – 6,249 16,182 36,220 (56) (24,444) 49,449 (63) (29,631) 36,220 (29,463) (105) (29,568) 73,893 872 363 1,721 10,399 13,355 65,851 831 125 48,697 2,561 282 52,496 4,056 (11,154) 12,902 (19,814) 12,902 327 13,229 13,229 20,041 (8,894) 11,147 (1,249) (18,433) 9,898 423 (762) 9,559 (5,116) 4,443 08 CAFFE NERO GROUP LTD ANNUAL REPORT 2008 GROUP INCOME STATEMENT CAFFE NERO GROUP LTD ANNUAL REPORT 2008 GROUP BALANCE SHEET 09 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AT 31 MAY 2008 2. TAXATION a) Analysis of tax charge in the year Current tax Deferred tax Income tax expense reported on consolidated income statement 2008 ? 000 2007 ? 000 – – 5,585 (469) 5,116 b) Reconciliation of total tax charge The tax assessed for the year differs from the avarage standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 29. 67% (2007 – 30%). 2008 The differences are explained below: ? 00 Profit on ordinary activities before tax Profit on ordinary activities multiplied by standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 29. 67% (2007 – 30%) Effect of: Expenses not deductible for tax purposes Movement in deferred tax asset not recognised Group relief Adjustment for prior year deferred tax Reversal of deferred tax previously recognised Income tax expense reported on consolidated income statement 13,229 3,925 856 2,135 (6,916) – – – 2007 ? 000 9,559 2,868 1,045 – 169 (10) 1,382 5,116 c) Deferred tax Deferred tax recognised in the financial s tatements and the amounts not recognised are as follows: 2008 Recognised Not recognised ? 000 ? 000 2007 Recognised Not recognised ? 000 ? 000 Decelerated/(accelerated) capital allowances Other timing differences Tax losses Deferred tax asset – – – – 2,369 193 139 2,701 – – – – 1. 087 299 149 1,535 CAFFE NERO IS STILL ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING BRANDS IN EUROPE BUSINESS WEEK MAGAZINE EURO 500 2008 Deferred tax assets are recognised once it is considered more likely than not that they will be recoverable against future taxable trading profits arising in the group. 3. AUDITED ACCOUNTS The income statement and balance sheet extracted from the statutory financial statements for Caffe Nero Group Limited. Full accounts are available from 3 Neal Street, London WC2H 9PU. The financial information provided is not inclusive of Caffe Nero Turkey. 10 CAFFE NERO GROUP LTD ANNUAL REPORT 2008 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 11 THE EXECUTIVE BOARD DIRECTORS ADVISERS CAFFE NERO STORES BEBEK FLAGSHIP STORE IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY GERRY FORD CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE Dr Ford oversees the general management, strategy, and branding of Caffe Nero. Dr Ford first developed his European coffee house concept in 1996. The concept was applied to the five original sites acquired in 1997, and the brand has subsequently been rolled-out throughout the UK. Dr Ford holds a BA from Stanford, an MBA from INSEAD and a PhD from Oxford. He has over 20 years experience managing, advising and investing in small and medium sized consumer goods companies. He also co-founded Paladin, a private equity group which invests in food, consumer brands, and media businesses. In 2005, Dr Ford was named â€Å"UK Entrepreneur of the Year† by the Financial Times, London Stock Exchange and the British public. BEN PRICE FINANCE DIRECTOR Mr Price oversees all financial aspects of the group as well as site acquisitions in the UK. Mr Price has a physics degree from Oxford and qualified as an accountant with Ernst Young, where he worked for five years in the audit practice. Since then he has had over 15 years of senior finance management experience in the retail sector. For three years he was at Dixons, where he became one of the senior finance managers reporting directly to the Group Finance Director. He then served as the finance controller of a furniture retailer before joining Caffe Nero in June 1997 as part of Dr Ford’s original management team. JONATHAN HART MANAGING DIRECTOR, UNITED KINGDOM Mr Hart is responsible for the growth and general management of the day-to-day operation of the UK business. He has over 20 years of retail experience with a number of major-brand companies including Tesco, Woolworths and Dixons, where he was responsible for creating and growing a number of its businesses including The Link, Dixons Tax-Free and international e-commerce. At Dixons he became a member of the Group Executive Committee reporting to the Group CEO and responsible for all of the Group’s high street formats with a turnover exceeding ? 1 billion. ISIK KECECI ASUR MANAGING DIRECTOR, CAFFE NERO TURKEY Ms Asur heads the Caffe Nero Turkish joint venture, and along with her husband, Mustafa Asur, holds a 50% investment stake. Ms Asur has over 20 years management experience in media and branded consumer goods. As Director of corporate development for Bertelsmann AG New York, Ms Asur successfully led several MA projects, later becoming a board member for the largest media conglomerate in Turkey – Dogan Holding. In 2001, she founded Al Shaya Turkey, a multi-brand retail operation including Starbucks, The Body Shop and Debenhams. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Ms Asur was named as the CEO of the most admired company in Turkey in 2004 by the Capital magazine poll and a Global Leader by the Economic Forum in 2005. DIRECTORS G W Ford B J Price J D Hart I K Asur (Turkey) SECRETARY B J Price AUDITORS Ernst Young LLP 1 More London Place London SE1 2AF BANKERS Bank of Scotland The Mound Edinburgh EH1 1YZ SOLICITORS PWC Legal 1 Embankment Place London WC2N 6DX Linklaters 1 Silk Street London EC2Y 8HQ REGISTERED OFFICE 3 Neal Street London WC2H 9PU COMPANY NUMBER 4129005 HEATHROW T5 AIRPORT STORE NERO EXPRESS KIOSK 12 CAFFE NERO GROUP LTD ANNUAL REPORT 2008 THE EXECUTIVE BOARD DIRECTORS ADVISERS CAFFE NERO GROUP LTD ANNUAL REPORT 2008 CAFFE NERO STORES 13 CAFFE NERO GROUP LTD 3 NEAL STREET LONDON WC2H 9PU WWW. CAFFENERO. COM Manufactured from 100% Virgin ECF Fibre. Fully recyclable and manufactured from environmentally approved 100% ECF wood-pulp in mills with excellent environmental records. ISO14001 Accreditation    Designed by hattrick marketing 0870 609 3216 www. hattrickmarketing. com

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 18

Assignment - Essay Example ?The way schools work: A sociological analysis of education† and â€Å"School and Society† were the most critical readings.The books served to introduce the contexts of how schools served to promote social values. This paper will present a reflection of the critical things I learned throughout the course. The first chapter of â€Å"The way schools work: A sociological analysis of education† introduced an interesting concept that helped me to understand the purposes for the different systems of organizations evident in schools today. For a long time, I had been wondering why American schools have adopted the modern system of organization. Chapter 2 of the same book helped me to recognize the structures and dynamics of schools that qualify them to be social organizations. Worth noting is the fact that students from different backgrounds have an opportunity to interact freely with the school systems. In addition, the school content covers certain critical social concepts that shape the perception of the students. It emerged to me that schools are critical social organizations explaining why it is important to develop an effective curriculum for the American schools. In the third chapter of the book, I gained familiarity with the social impact that schools have on children. Notabl y, the interactions between different children in the school setting lead to an exchange of social and cultural values. For many students, it is impossible to resist the social impact experienced in schools. Therefore, there is a salient need for teachers to promote positive socialization within the school system in an effort to avoid negative social impact. From a personal experience, schools can affect an individual in different ways. During my early school days, I gained familiarity with different cultural aspects. For this reason, I have first-hand experience that schools have a critical social impact on students. The content discussed in the school system also served to shape my social

SC1067C Trends in Contemporary Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

SC1067C Trends in Contemporary Society - Essay Example It is sad but true that one out of five in the Britain's population is affected by poverty. Nearly Thirteen million people live below poverty line in the UK. That is a massive amount to be dealt by government and non-governmental organisations. A new report estimates that over five million people live in absolute poverty in Britain. The survey took its definition of absolute poverty from a 1995 United Nations statement which defines it as "a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs." The UN statement defined anyone lacking three or more of the following items as living in absolute poverty: food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and access to social security benefits. "The survey, Breadline Europe: The Measurement of Poverty researched measurements of poverty across the continent and concluded that there were drastic levels of increase of poverty in the UK."(Robert Stevens, 2001) As per Oxfam, an NGO working towards elimination of poverty in Britain, "3.8 million children in the UK are living in poverty. 2.2 million, pensioners in the UK are living in poverty. 7.2 million, working age adults in the UK are living in poverty. 70% of Bangladeshi children in the UK are poor. Women are the majority in the poorest groups. London has a higher proportion of people living in poverty than any other region in the UK." These statistics are shocking but true. The UK is trying hard to fight against the social stigma called poverty. The question arises that what poverty means in the UK. An average family affected by poverty does not have enough to eat, unable to heat their homes, does not have adequate warm clothing, and enough money to cope with unforeseen events. They are struggling more than the rest of us to get a proper education, a decent job and make real choices about what they want to do with their lives. And to top it off, most of them face situations where they are being looked down upon and discriminated because of their situation. Poverty in the UK exists alongside high economic prosperity in a wealthy country. This has lead to large disparities in income and wealth. It has a negative impact on people living on low-incomes. The latest income inequality data for the UK suggests that over the last decade inequality has been pretty much unchanged. Analysis from the Office of National Statistics says the UK's Gini coefficient, which is an internationally accepted measure for measuring inequalities in household income, climbed in 2005/06 after falling between 2001 and 2005. The reason is more unequal distribution of earnings from employment and self-employment, rather than a result of changes in taxes and benefits payments. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has investigated some of the possible explanations for the higher level of inequality that has persisted since the late 1980s. They include an increase in the gap between wages for skilled and unskilled workers, perhaps because of technology change; the decline in trade union power; and falling participation in the labour market by male workers (who are higher paid on average than female workers). Poverty is caused by circumstances beyond an individual's control like gender, nationality, ethnic origin etc. All over the world, women and people from ethnic minority groups are likely to be poorer than the general population. The same is true in the UK. As per Oxfam, "Sixty-nine per cent of Bangladeshi and

Language Obervation Essay Example for Free

Language Obervation Essay Setting: The observation took place in the child’s home. The child’s home is a semi-detached house in a housing estate Immediate Context: This observation took place in the kitchen. TC is seated at the kitchen table finishing his homework. His father is nearby washing up at the sink. The observation took place at 2.30 in the afternoon. An hour after TC returned home from school. TC’s brother and sister are running around the kitchen while another brother is sitting at the table playing Lego. Name of Child: TC Brief description of the child: TC is a male aged 6 years and 5 months. He has been in school since September 12 months ago. He has one older brother (aged nine) three young brothers (twin 3 year olds and a 2 year old) he has  a younger sister also (aged 2 years). Because of the number in his family he is very active and talkative. Aim of observation: The aim of this observation is to observe TC for a period of time of 10 minutes in order to assess his language development. Observation: TC is sitting on a chair at the kitchen table finishing off his homework he is drawing objects that begin with â€Å"I†. He asks how to spell ice-cream, igloo and ice as these are the shapes he’s drawing. He takes out a sheet filled with words to learn. He is now looking at his words and pronouncing them. TC has finished his homework and packed away his bag. He takes out a sheet a paper. TC - A â€Å"Daddy how do you spell IGLOO?† A - TC â€Å" I-G-L-O-O† TC - A â€Å"How do you spell ICE?† A - TC â€Å"I-C-E† TC - A â€Å"How do you spell ICE-CREAM† A - TC â€Å"Well you already have ice on your page copy that first† TC - A â€Å"but I need to spell ice-cream† A - TC â€Å" Write down ICE then put a – then put C-R-E-AM† TC - A â€Å"Okay† A - TC â€Å"Are you finished now Ois?† TC - A â€Å"Where’s Mammy Daddy?† A - TC â€Å"Show me, what it is?† TC - A â€Å"No it’s for Mammy, not you; you won’t know what to do with it!† A - TC â€Å"ok she’ll be here in a minute she’s gone to the bathroom† A1 - TC â€Å"what’s wrong Oision?† TC - A1 â€Å"this is a letter for you from teacher† A1 - TC â€Å"what’s it about?† TC - A1 â€Å"The parent teacher meeting† A1 - TC â€Å"ok what have I to do with it?† TC - A1 â€Å"you have to read it and fill it out for teacher† A1 - TC â€Å"oh right okay you go on and play so, good boy† Evaluation: The aim of this observation was to observe and record the language of TC, a six year old boy, for fifteen minutes as he finished his homework and engaged in conversation with his parents in order to gain a better understanding of his language development. I feel that I achieved this aim very well and that generally TC’s language development appears to be within the normal range for his age. Certainly, TC’s word pronunciation is accurate. He does make little errors tough e.g. he says â€Å"ate† for â€Å"eight†. This is usual for his stage of development. While children between four and five years pronounce most words correctly, they â€Å"may show some immature sound substitutions† (Flood 2010) One of the theorists I have studied is Skinner (1957), Skinner believed â€Å"that  learning, including language learning, occurs as a result of reinforcement.† Another theorist I have studied is Bruner(1915-). Bruner believed first-hand experience allows children to develop their ideas and thinking, he called this â€Å"enactive thinking†. Bruner stress the importance of the child’s environment in language development. He believes â€Å"The adults and more able peers in a child’s life provide what he calls a language acquisition support system (LASS).† Motherese, recasting, expanding and labelling all part of this system . Key stage of language development Gross Motor Skills †¢ Child tries to understand the meaning of words. The child uses adverbs and prepositions. The child talks confidently, and with more and more fluency. †¢ The child uses language creatively. The child adds vocabulary all the time. †¢ The child is an explorer and communicator; he or she begins to be able to define objects by their function – for example, â€Å"what is a bicycle† â€Å"you cycle a bicycle†. Fine Motor Skills †¢ A young child does not learn well in isolation from other children and adults. The child begins to share as he or she learns. Sharing sharpens and broadens the child’s thinking. This helps the child to learn better – for example, he begins to understand book language, and that stories have characters and a plot (the narrative). †¢ The child begins to realise that different situations require different ways of talking. The child establishes a sense of audience (who he or she is talking to). In summary, TC’s language development in terms of both fine and gross motor skills seems to be just on target and have reached the developmental milestones expected for his age. Personal Learning Gained †¢ I learned more about children’s language development. I know understand the terminology of â€Å"labelling†, â€Å"semantics†, â€Å"syntax†, â€Å"recasting† and â€Å" expanding†. †¢ I learned that in order to do so accurately, a tape recording with transcription is advisable. References †¢ Child Care Education (5th Edition) (Bruce, Meggit, Grenier) Hodder Education †¢ Planning Play and the Early Years (2nd Edition) (Penny Tassoni, Karen Hucker) Heinemann †¢ Child Development for Students in Ireland (Eilis Flood) GillMacmillan †¢ Education Care in the Early Years (4th Edition) (Josephine Donohue Frances Gaynor) GillMacmillan

Explore How Much Ado About Nothing Present Ideas About Love English Literature Essay

Explore How Much Ado About Nothing Present Ideas About Love English Literature Essay Figuratively, the fair lord represents pure love and the woman represents lust. These two types of love are contrasted against each other, which allows the reader to evaluate and think about the ideas each type of love presents. However, where is the humanity within this sonnet? There is no mention of humans; one can only be classed as an angel or a devil. How would one go about attaining an angel, one of the purest beings that dwells in heaven? Perhaps the fact that Shakespeare has likened the fair lord to an angel is for the simple fact that he cannot attain him, that pure love cannot be attained. This idea of likening love to something that is unattainable is replicated in Much Ado About Nothing. Shakespeare has the character Claudio fall in love with Hero at first sight. When Benedick asks Claudio if he will buy her, he replies: Can the world buy such a jewel? Despite likening Hero to something as perfect as a jewel, again there is no humanity within a jewel. Combined with the idea that the world cannot, in fact, buy this jewel seems to suggest that Hero (this completely pure virgin) is unattainable. Perhaps Shakespeare is trying to suggest that if you compare love with wonderful and perfect objects then you simply wont be able to attain it, just like you cannot attain an angel or a priceless jewel. This idea is applicable in modern society. In Much Ado, Hero is portrayed as this completely pure and innocent virgin. Being compared to that of unattainable priceless jewels, Shakespeare highlights how a woman like Hero (in most cases) is unattainable. In todays modern society it would probably be extremely rare to find a woman like Hero, whereas perhaps in Shakespeares time it was more common, especially if the woman was of high social status. One might say that there was more of an expectation for women to behave in certain ways during Elizabethan England. However Shakespeare added the character of Margaret to his play, perhaps to juxtapose the expectations society held for a high class woman to that of an ordinary servant. Margaret seems to represent more of a realistic view on how love and relationships will be, not pure and perfect, but flawed and tainted (by physical love). Shakespeare seems to allude that a more pragmatic and realistic view to love is needed in order for it to succeed. Sonnet 130 takes more of a practical view to love. Its meaning is simple: the dark ladys beauty cannot measure up to the beauty of a goddess or to that found in nature, for she is a mortal human being. Shakespeare rejects deification of the dark lady: I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. Here the poet overtly states that his mistress is not a goddess and cannot even begin to rank close to one. Although this seems to be extremely unflattering, it is also the truth. After all, no mortal being can actually compare to a god or a goddess. She is also not as beautiful as things found in nature: My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips red. Yet Shakespeare loves her in spite of this, and in the closing couplet says that she is actually as extraordinary (rare) as any woman depicted with such overstated or false comparisons. Shakespeare has accepted the fact that his mistress is not perfect and that she will indeed have flaws, yet so does he. Sonnet 130 may be suggesting that if you recognise and accept the fact that love will have flaws and is not some perfect idealistic emotion, then the likelihood of the love lasting is more likely. This blunt but charming sincerity is also seen in Much Ado between Beatrice and Benedick. These two characters have never been pleasant with each other, and whenever they meet, they often continue a merry war between them. They have known each other of old and seem to enjoy fencing insults at each other, using them to show their true feelings of fondness towards one another. When the playwright makes his characters confess to one another there is no employment of blank verse, just simple prose. Beatrice and Benedicks confessions seem to go against the stereotypical, grand Shakespearean love confessions: I protest I love thee I was about to protest that I loved you These two characters appear to be aware of their downfalls and seem to have a mutual respect between them. The love between these two seems to be more realistic than the bashful sincerity and comely love that exists between Hero and Claudio. However, because of this there appears to be more room for Beatrice and Benedicks love to grow. Shakespeare seems to favour the idea of love as an actuality than an ideal because he appears to suggest that thinking of love as an ideal will end in tragedy. In Sonnet 116 Shakespeare refers to love as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the star to every wandering bark. While the image given to us by the poet is initially one of constancy, the idea that love will guide those who follow it to their desired destination, one must question the feasibility of it. Stars reside up in Space, and while it is true that they can be used to provide direction (in the case of the North Star, Polaris), one can never touch a star. In fact, one would never be able to get close to a star, as it is a mass of burning gas that would have you severely burned before you could even attempt to get near it. Because of this, you can never attain a star and so perhaps with this line in the sonnet Shakespeare is trying to say that, although love has the potential to be this wonderful, shining ideal like a star, the actuality is that if you blindly follow this ideal then you will get hurt. Another point about stars is that they will eventually burn out and die, they do not last forever. This seems to create a contradiction in Sonnet 116 as the overall theme of this sonnet appears to be how constant and everlasting love is. Shakespeare even goes so far as to say that: Loves not Times fool, Yet stars are always falling victim to time, being ravaged and then eventually destroyed by it. This seems rather ironic and seems to reinforce the idea of love being something that is unattainable, especially if you cling on to the perspective that love is something that is constant, perfect and pure. Not only does Shakespeare mention Polaris in Sonnet 116, but he also mentions it in Act 2, Scene One of Much Ado where the character Benedick is claiming that Beatrice: would infect the north star. The fact that the character of Beatrice is so nasty that she can influence something that is not even reachable puts her in a very negative light. After all, if she can affect something as bright and pure as a star, then she can affect anything. This claim not only appears to besmirch Beatrices reputation, but the idea of pure love itself. Perhaps Shakespeare introduces this idea of pure love being impressionable so early on in his play to make the audience consider realism in love. One may argue that this quote highlights just how easily influenced pure love can be, and how it can be tainted. Sonnet 144 continues the idea that pure love can be tainted: And whether that my angel be turned fiend Suspect I may, yet not directly tell. Shakespeare could be suggesting how easy it is for pure love to be contaminated by that of physical love. Perhaps he is suggesting that it is not possible to just have the former because an impure aspect will eventually sully it.   Though love can bring out the best in all of us, it can also cloud our judgement and expose the worst in all human beings. Claudio is used by Shakespeare to illustrate this point further. This character is constantly subjected to the emotion of jealousy. During the masked ball, Claudio immediately takes Benedicks statement of, The prince hath got your Hero to mean that Don Pedro has betrayed him and wooed Hero for his own. Later on in the play, Don John convinces Claudio that Hero is having an affair. Rather than proceeding with matters in a calm and mature manner, Claudio decides to exact revenge on their wedding day. This immediate change of heart in Claudio makes one question the strength of the love Claudio holds for his fiancà ©e. One moment he is completely infatuated with her, referring to her as a jewel, yet the character is calling Hero a rotten orange and accusing her of being an approvà ¨d wanton the next. Claudios ideas of love being this perfect ideal are shattered over the events that occur in the play, yet he seems to grow because of this. Shakespeare made it so that Claudio had to learn to appreciate Hero, and for him to realise that not all can be perfect when it comes to love. Because of this, when the two characters finally get married at the end of the play the audience is given the impression that their relationship actually has a foundation on which to can flourish, as opposed to the unstable relationship that was likely to happen between these two had they gotten married on the original wedding day. Shakespeare uses a vast array of techniques within his sonnets and Much Ado that highlight how love really is an unattainable, perfect ideal. All of Shakespeares sonnets consist of three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet which is composed in iambic parameter. The rhyme scheme for the sonnets are ABAB. Sonnet 144 is no exception to this, and is constructed in the usual Shakespearean sonnet manner. Perhaps the poet chose this conventional method of writing the sonnet because the ideas presented within the sonnet are conventional. It is not to hard to imagine becoming disillusioned between the two types of love, as we all yearn for something permanent and lasting, a pure love, yet humans also succumb to temptation and can fall victim to the desire for a purely physical encounter. As these two types of love both offer something completely different, one must struggle to choose the right one, which Shakespeare says is the pure love presented by the fair lord. However as I mentioned ea rlier, it is not possible to attain an angel. The fact that Sonnet 144 is written this way is rather ironic as the poet is writing about his conflicting emotions and the disorder that they bring, yet iambic pentameter suggests order and harmony. Perhaps Shakespeare could be suggesting that you can attempt to make love a perfect and ordered ideal but the reality is that you will, in most cases, have some element of discord. In my opinion I feel that Sonnet 130 utilises iambic pentameter to maximum effect. Shakespeare has admitted that his mistress is not perfect, yet he loves her nonetheless. This view the poet appears to hold, that love is better thought of as an actuality, seems to suggest that love will be much stronger this way. Rather than have everything be perfect, if you know about the others imperfections and accept them, then you will achieve harmony within your relationship. This is why I feel that the use of iambic pentameter is essential in this sonnet: it highlights the fact that this type of love is more likely to provide security and a sense of order, despite not being a perfect ideal. Iambic pentameter is also used in Much Ado, to elevate the importance of love in the play. When Claudio is confessing how he feels about Hero, he claims that when he looked upon her: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦thronging soft and delicate desires, All prompting me how fair young Hero is Came to him. As this happens early on in the play, the audience seems to get the (wrong) impression of harmony in the relationship of Claudio and Hero being prominent. Yet maybe the playwright deliberately did this to emphasise the fact that the complex emotion of love cannot be completely ordered when the characters relationship falls apart. In direct contrast with this, the seemingly more ordered love Shakespeare gives to Beatrice and Benedick is written in simple prose. At no point in the play do Beatrice and Benedick speak in blank verse to one another, this suggests that the two characters are comfortable with one another and perhaps feel a sense of security between them. Perhaps the playwright only utilised prose between this couple to accentuate the fact that the characters do not view love as a perfect, ordered ideal. A subtle technique Shakespeare uses to define his characters and the type of love that they are likely to have is by their names. Benedicks name comes from the Latin word bene meaning good and blessed. Beatrices name also has a similar meaning: the one who blesses. The love between Beatrice and Benedick is portrayed as a more realistic view on love, yet ultimately they seem happy together. While they have attained love, they do not view the emotion as a perfect ideal and so perhaps this is why their relationship is so strong. Shakespeare may have been trying to convey how this view on love is more likely to last and be blessed by the clever use of these two characters names. Conversely, the supposed love at first sight that Shakespeare portrays between Claudio and Hero is hinted at as being more chaotic. Claudios name is derived from the Latin word claudus which means lame or crippled. The playwright may have chosen this name for his character to illustrate how this type of love has no real support, how it is more likely to be crippled. It may also suggest that Claudios view on love, which is that it is a perfect and pure emotion, is rather handicapped. Claudio seemed convinced that Hero must be an utterly pure human being in order for them to attain love, but as I have previously mentioned a woman with these qualities is hard to find. This short sighted view on love appears to make Claudio unable when it comes to matters of love, for example: taking Don Johns word over Heros when it comes to her alleged affair. It seems that Claudios judgement becomes clouded where love is concerned, and so he had to learn how to appreciate it. Thus, I feel that overall Shakespeare is trying to say that if one is to consider love only as a perfect ideal then they will not attain it, for love is a complex emotion that is far from perfection. However, if one considers love to be more of an actuality and can accept that themselves, their partner and their relationship is bound to have a few imperfections, then love can be attained. Just because love may not be perfect doesnt mean that we shouldnt strive to attain it.

Is Walking Better Than Traveling by Car?

carCars revolutionize transportation but walking is still the best. Automobiles use gas that emits carbon dioxide which causes the world to heat up. Big powers come with big responsibilities; there is no surprise that the car has many financial responsibilities. Cars require practically no work to make it move and it resulted in losing health related benefits. Walking is better than driving because it is environmentally friendly, it has financial benefits, and it has far more health advantages. First, driving ruins the environment.For an automobile to function, it requires gas, and when the gas is used up, it becomes carbon dioxide that traps heat near the Earth’s surface. Greenhouses gases are necessary for influencing the amount of the sun’s energy being absorbed into earth and being radiated back into space. However, the overload of the greenhouse gases, which is caused by the increase in gas emissions, can cause the earth surface to heat up. This is called global wa rming which will raise the sea level by 18 to 59 centimeters if all the glaciers melt.This change in ecosystems and destruction in habitats caused by the rising sea level will also result in the extinctions of many species. Since cars release greenhouse gases, walking is therefore a better choice because it won’t exacerbate the tragedy of global warming. Additionally, driving has financial disadvantages compare to walking. Walking requires only a person’s two legs, while driving requires a car. The cheapest car one can purchase at a car dealership is at least ten thousand dollars.Adding to that expensive fee, there are other expenses like car insurance, gas expense, repair expenses, and maintenance expenses. Respectively, they are needed to be financially secured from accidents, to make the car function, to follow the law and to prolong the performance of the car. Hence, walking is better than driving due to its financial-freedom. Lastly, walking is better than driving because it is better for one’s health. Walking is a physical activity that trains the heart.According to a recent Harvard study, walking can reduce heart risks, chances of cancer, type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression. As a matter of fact, walking at least 30 minutes a day can increase the life expectancy of people suffering from obesity or high blood pressure. On the other hand, driving is dangerous which is proven by the following statistics. In 2005, United States of America had 6, 420, 000 car accidents with 2. 9 million people injured and 42, 636 people killed. Thus, walking is better than driving because it is a hysical activity that promotes living and doesn’t risk common, dangerous accidents. Walking is carbon free which does not contribute to global warming and therefore it is better than driving. Also walking doesn`t cost a single cent unlike driving. Furthermore, walking can prolong a person`s health while driving can shorten it. Clearly from, walking is better than driving because it doesn`t affect the heating environment, it requires practically no money, and it has health benefits.

Expository/Persuasive Writing: Romeo & Juliet Essay

Is Romeo & Juliet still relevant to a modern audience? Romeo and Juliet’s story is still relevant today, as people in society and religion have similar experiences with what they went through. For example: -Gang warfare (Capulet vs Montague) -Strength of love (Romeo & Juliet) -Strength of friendship (Romeo & Mercutio). Don’t you agree? Romeo and Juliet is a play that shows how prejudice leads to escalating violence, In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare teaches that families can divide a relationship. It took both families the deaths of their own children to realize the family feud had to be ended immediately. The two key factors of this message: Love is blind Vengeance never ends well. ‘Romeo and Juliet were silly kids who asked for trouble and got it’ is this fair to say? Was this Love or Stupidity? It was love alright. Love at its purest and most intense. I think that’s why Shakespeare chose such young people to be the lovers. And yes, they’re stupid. Young love often is. Unfortunately for Romeo and Juliet, they die before they get wiser, or more disillusioned. What lessons can we learn from Romeo and Juliet? We can learn that Romantic love can be beautiful and ennobling, Passion Can Overtake Reason and Common Sense, Immaturity and inexperience can lead to tragic endings, Judge People by their character and personal qualities, not by their name or social standing and Innocent children sometimes pay for the sins of their parents.

Very Good Editors Must Pay Attention to the Details

Very Good Editors Must Pay Attention to the Details Its often said that the brains of human beings have two very distinct sides, with the left side being responsible for language, logic, and math, while the right handles spatial abilities, face recognition and processing music. Editing is also very much a two-sided process, one that we divvy up as micro- and macro-editing. Micro-editing deals with the technical, nuts-and-bolts aspects of news writing. Macro-editing deals with the content of stories. Heres a checklist of micro- and macro-editing: Micro-Editing AP Style Grammar Punctuation Spelling Capitalization Macro-Editing The lede - does it make sense, is it supported by the rest of the story, is it in the first graf? The story - is it fair, balanced and objective? Libel - are there any statements that might be considered libelous? Substance - is the story thorough and complete? Are there any holes in the story? Writing - is the story well-written? Is it clear and understandable? Personality Type and Editing As you can imagine, certain personality types are probably better at one type of editing or the other. Precise, detail-oriented people are probably best at micro-editing, while big-picture types probably excel at macro-editing. Small Details vs. Content of Stories And in a typical newsroom, especially at larger news outlets, there is a kind of micro-macro division of labor. Copy desk editors generally focus on the small details - grammar, AP Style, punctuation and so on. Assignment editors who run the various sections of a paper - city news, sports, arts and entertainment and so on - generally focus more on the macro side of things, the content of stories. But heres the rub - a good editor has to be able to do both micro- and macro-editing, and to do both well. This is especially true at smaller publications and student newspapers, which typically have fewer staffers. Not Getting Caught up in Small Details to Lose the Big Picture In other words, you must have the patience to correct bad grammar, misspelled words and punctuation problems. But you cant let yourself get so caught up in the small details that you lose sight of the big picture, i.e., does the lede of the story make sense? Is the content well-written and objective? Does it cover all the bases and answer all the questions a reader would likely have? Both Are Equally Important The larger point is this - both micro- and macro-editing are equally important. You can have the most wonderfully written story in the world, but if its filled with AP Style errors and misspelled words then those things will detract from the story itself. Likewise, you can fix all the bad grammar and misplaced punctuation but if a story makes no sense, or if the lede is buried in the eighth paragraph, or if the story is biased or contains libelous content, then all the fixes you made wont amount to much. To see what we  mean, take a look at these sentences: Police said they confiscated three point two million dollars of cocain in what was a massiv drug bust. The CEO of Exon estimated that 5% of the companys profits would be plouwed back into resarch and development. Im sure youve figured out that these sentences primarily involve micro-editing. In the first sentence, cocaine and massive are spelled wrong and the dollar amount doesnt follow AP Style. In the second sentence, Exxon, plowed and research are misspelled, the percentage doesnt follow AP Style, and companys needs an apostrophe. Now, look at these sentences. The first example is meant to be a lede: There was a fire at a house last night. It was on Main Street. The fire burned the house to the ground and three children inside were killed. The CEO, who is known for his money-grubbing personality, said he would close the factory if it lost money. Here we see macro-editing problems. The first example is three sentences long when it should be one, and it buries the most important aspect of the story - the death of three children. The second sentence includes a potentially libelous bias - the money-grubbing CEO. As you can see, whether its micro- or macro-editing, a good editor has to catch every mistake in every story. As editors will tell you, theres no room for error.

Four Main Causes of Latin American Independence essays

Four Main Causes of Latin American Independence essays Four Main Causes of Latin American Independence During colonization of the New World in the early sixteenth century, explorers sought fame and fortune in the wilds of Central and South America. Two countries stand out as key players in the colonization of that area; Spain and Portugal. Several colonies were established to mine gold and to export the native flora. There are several reasons that the Latin American colonies became independent. The main reason is that the colonies are so far from Europe they require governors and later viceroys to govern them. The second reason is that over time these countries became increasingly self sufficient. The third reason is the emergence of a class of landowners that were born in the colonies and have little to no ties to Europe. The fourth reason is based on the race relations between the mother country and the colony. African slaves were brought in and intermixed with the white landowners, creating a mulatto image of that colony in the mother country. The independence of Latin America is a result of four main factors: one, distance from the home country; two, economics began to centralized in each colony; three, a new generation of citizens that were born and died in just that colony; and four, the trend of vehement racism of European whites with the ever growing mulatto The relationship between Europe and the Latin American colonies must be thought of the same way as a man in California and his girlfriend in New York: communication flows eagerly at first, but soon dwindles to nothing more than a trickle. As the colonies grew in economic importance, Spain and Portugal alike found it hard to keep hand in local colonial affairs. The leaders of the new colonies began their political life as governors, and over time, were promoted to princes. The crown was often ignored by the colonial leaders, especially about native relations. ...

Coporate finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Coporate finance - Essay Example 2.1 Describe the business model and strategies of Tesco by taking on strategy and discuss with evidences cited from the case how it is consistent with corporate objective of maximizing shareholder wealth. Tesco’s business model is for the company to what matters better together as it deliver its core purpose to customers. The core retail activities of insight, buy, move and sell are what the company tries to make better as supported by its strategies, among others, of building the Tesco Brand, Leveraging Group skill and scale, operating responsively, establishing multichannel offer for customers. The financial results measure the performance on how the company was able to accomplish its strategies and objective of wealth maximization. The business model of Tesco includes those made from the perspective of strategic choices. The strategies being used in relation to its business model including that of operating responsibly which include maintaining its good profitability, efficiency management of its assets, acceptable liquidity, balanced gearing ratio and responsive investment ratios. As to whether the strategies are consistent with the corporate objective of maximizing shareholder wealth, it could be said that there is good amount of evidence. The results of the company’s profitability, liquidity, good Solvency , and good investment ratios provide good pieces evidence of meeting the financial objectives of the and which are consistent with the objectives of maximizing wealth of shareholders. Making good strategic judgements has a good way to determining the company’s prosperity and building value for its shareholders over the coming decade. Building shareholder value cannot be done in instant or in short-term. It is actually long-term as it may even be sacrificing in the short-run in order to attain the

CPD Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CPD Nursing - Essay Example Center of discussion in this paper is continuing professional development (CPD) as the education that professionals in various fields undertake after their formal training. It mainly consists of any educational or training activity that helps professionals to maintain, increase or develop knowledge, technical skills, problem-solving or professional performance standards. It is therefore a means through which professional can demonstrate their continued commitment to competent performance in a framework that is relevant, fair, transferrable, inclusive and formative. CPD includes self-directed activities as well as formal activities. Formal activities include conferences, workshops and courses whereas self-directed activities include directed reading and preceptorship. Learning in CPD could be delivered in group sessions within the workplace or away from the workplace or work-based programmes specifically designed to meet the needs of individual professional and their employers. Daly e t al state that the main aim of CPD is to ensure that nurses and other professionals provide improved healthcare services to their patients and the society at large. In all professions, CPD as a learning initiative could be undertaken either as an initiative of an individual professional or the initiative of professional institutions, governments or employers. CPD is related to lifelong learning in that both CPD and lifelong education involve a continuous building of knowledge and skills. They both occur through experiences encountered in the lifetime of an individual and this means that their learning objectives are meant to address their inadequacies or incompetency in some specific areas an individual has noted. Both CPD and lifelong learning are continuous. This means that the acquisition of knowledge does not have a designated ending period (Bulman and Schutz 2004). Instead, it continues as long as the individual is still willing and capable of learning. Both CPD and lifelong l earning are a result of personal interest hence learning is voluntary and self-motivated according to Quinn (1998). Learning in both cases is learner directed hence education or curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the individual and their learning objectives and not individual fitting themselves into a pre-set curriculum and learning objectives. In both cases, the individual has a chance to learn through formal experiences like counselling, training, tutoring, apprenticeship, mentorship or higher education, as well as informal experiences like mass media. CPD and lifelong education are also related in that CPD takes place throughout the working life of a professional. This means it covers the individual’s working lifespan just as lifelong learning. How CPD can improve the standard and quality of nursing practice According to Chinn and Kramer (2004), CPD is a good means through which nurses are helped to have a better understanding