Controlling employee health care cost Essay

1.) What do you think about Hagedorn’s approach to controlling employee health care cost? Do you agree with it? Why or why not? Mr. Hagedorn’s approach to control employee health care cost is through providing a wellness facility program for their employees and also creating rules concerning on health and monetary punishments to those who don’t want to follow these rules. From the 20% of the company’s net profits for the health care and health risk assessments, the goal is to limit health care insurance costs. First, Mr. Hagedorn made a companywide wellness program which is called the LiveTotal Health program and hired a third party, Whole Health Management to run it. Next, he started encouraging his employees to take health-risk assessments and for those who don’t take the health risk-assessments to pay $40 per month more in premiums. And for those employees who found to be moderate to high risk through the assessments and will not comply will pay an additional $67 per month on top of the $40. As we see it, Mr. Hagedorn’s approach is both intrusive and forceful. The employees cannot argue and are forced to comply with his requirements but his company has some rights since they are the one paying the bulk of amount for the premiums. Employees who surrender to his wellness program facility are forced to do monthly check ups and also quit smoking, drinking and other bad health habits. His approach is also very sudden, he only thought about it overnight and his type of approach needs a lot of adjustments especially for those employees who had already incorporated certain unhealthy habits into their lifestyle. His approach in controlling employee health care cost through making a wellness program facility and also letting his employees quit smoking and other bad health habits may also lead to certain losses in their organization in terms of the work/ labor force because there is a possibility that efficient and effective workers are going to be terminated because they can’t cope with this type of approach or they can’t change their habits and lifestyles and also because of the high monetary penalty if the employee can’t abide with his rules/approach. However, our group agrees with his approach b ecause his plan to lower health care cost through providing a wellness program facility is a win-win situation, not only can the company be able to cut costs, but also making employees live a healthier life leads to a more productive performance, improved mobility in doing their jobs and also a happier state. Being healthy means cutting  healthier care spending in the long run. Employees could be more confident and competent in building and interacting with their customers and various stakeholders. His approach is also a motivation for the employees to be engaged in healthy living. Furthermore, they become loyal to the company, as they feel that the company considers them as an important asset to operations, values and cares for them. Mr. Hagedorn’s approach may also attract new competent and potential employees because of the benefits they will get; because a good work environment and a healthy way of living await them in the company. Also, the program Mr. Hagedorn is offering ranges from offering information to employee’s fitness education and company’s fitness centers. These modes of helping and assessing the employee’s health contribute positive impacts on both, the company and its employees. After all, the welfare of the employee has a direct impact on the success of the company. 2.) What benefits and drawbacks are there to this type of wellness program? (a)employees (b)company (A.1) the benefits of this type of wellness program for employees are: †¢Reduce Medical Cost Through their wellness program facilities, their employees would be able to live a healthier and happier lifestyle which in turn reduces medical expenses for the employees, thus, they can cut off their company’s health care cost in the long run. †¢Built sense of camaraderie with co-workers They will have the chance of doing activities unrelated to the job such spending time together in assessments and physical workouts. Such activities would also encourage them for the possible results of others. The feeling of being part of the team will be emphasized more in this type of program. †¢Live healthy while they work. Employees tend to be healthy while doing the things they need to do at work. It’s more likely, hitting two birds with one stone. Being healthy means being able to do a wide range of activities most especially it relates to work. †¢More productivity (Happier) Being healthy is giving your body the strength and your mind the positive outlooks. Healthy employees tend to accomplish the jobs they were expected  efficiently and effectively and they can even engage themselves more in the organization’ activities though it’s not part of their jobs anymore. It can also lower their levels of stress and help them increase their self-esteem and confidence. †¢Stays more loyal to the company that treasures them Wellness programs make the employees feel that they are visible in the eyes of the employer and that they are cared. Also the employees can see that their needs and feelings are met. When they feel these, they are more likely stay in the company because it gives them importance. †¢Their life expectancy improves A healthy employee has a lesser chance of getting sick and probable health problems but with exception to hereditary factors. When you eat healthy foods and do corresponding exercises, you are revitalizing your body and mind and you can also live longer. (A.2) the drawbacks of this type of wellness program towards employees are: †¢Invasion of personal space and Health privacy Since health records are required to strengthen the wellness program facility, the person’s assigned to these areas have to look through the records of each employee and that may breach the health privacy of the employees. The employees might feel unsecured because of the fear that their health privacy might be leak amongst others. †¢Health Discrimination A High possibility of health discrimination could occur since some health information might be leaked and that people now are not only concerned about their health but also about the health of others. So, some employees may feel more discriminated than being cared. †¢Limited lifestyle freedom There will be lots of activities that employees need to engage themselves. They will have certain limitations and constraints on what they would eat, what habits they would have to eliminate and the type of activities they have to avoid with concern to their health. †¢Having a Change in Lifestyle needs a lot of Adjustments Employees really need to cope with the changes in the office. They need to adjust to having regular health check-ups, daily exercises and activities that are offered within the health program and also they need to adjust and try to change their bad health habits to continue working in their workplace. For Employees who refuse to join the program, their salaries would be lessened Because some employees would probably refuse in joining this program, they would be required to pay monetary penalty. The more these employees refuse to join the program, the more they would have to pay to stay in the company and also to avoid conflict within the company they are working. (B.1)The benefits for the company in this type of program are: †¢Lower health insurance cost Because of the new wellness program facility, the cost of the expenses will lower down due to the healthy lifestyle of the employees which results to the reduction of healthcare insurance premiums. †¢Raising reflection rates Attracts more future talented and competent employees because of the program that they offer (Recruiting tools) Reducing Absenteeism Because of the healthy lifestyle of the employees, the factor of employees being absent due to might be lessened or eliminated. Reduction in turn-over In Mr. Hagedorn’s approach, there is a possibility that employee turn-over would occur, either voluntary or involuntary. Some would quit because they couldn’t adjust to the changes while others would simply be fired because of the same reason. Healthier employees make for a Stronger association and Productivity It is already a fact that one of the key factors that affect employee production is their health. Meaning to say, that the healthier the employees the more possibility that their production would improve and that would benefit the company greatly. An improved production results in stronger association and more gained profits. Employees life expectancy improves There will be less injuries and illnesses in the workforce. Employee relations will improve, thus helping the organization achieve their goal. (B.2)The drawbacks for the company in this type of program are: †¢Deal with  the resistance of the employees It is inevitable that some employees would not agree right away for the said program. Each has his or her own opinion and for the company to create this type of program, they have to deal first with those employees who try to resist against this type of program. They have to find ways to change the minds of their employees or control their resistance. †¢Initial cost for starting the Wellness Program Wellness program facilities are very expensive nowadays; you have to hire a team for that area, buy gym materials and etc†¦ This would be the risky part of creating this type of program, you have to spend a lot of money at first before you can achieve your goal which is to have healthier employees and cut the cost of health insurance premiums in the long run. †¢Deal with other people’s backlash Everyone, especially people outside the company have their own opinions whether positive or negative about this wellness program. Some might say it is a breach to one’s right to health privacy and the right one person in living in his own lifestyle while some would agree with this type of program because it would help both the employees and the company. The company has to deal with the negative opinions of the people as to not influence the reputation of their company; they may find ways for other people to see their goals in another light and to make people understand what their program is for. †¢Without extensive employee participation investment may not pay off The biggest risk in this type of program is not only the expense but also the employees. If most of the employees tend to not participate in this type of program then the company would either fire these employees or remove the program. For Mr. Hagedorn, he found another way for employees to participate which is through monetary punishment/exchange, meaning to say if you do not participate in the program then you would be forced to pay or quit your work. †¢Deal with the changes in terms of food being offered in cafeterias The company must also adjust and deal with the changes in the workplace. Because of this type of workplace program, they would have to change the food being served in the cafeteria, their daily activities, how  they do things around now that there is also a wellness program provided and also their work schedule, when would they allocate the time for the program and what would they do. 3.) Research company wellness programs. What types of things are companies doing to encourage employee wellness? Are there any things that you found that you might recommend that Hagedorn implement? Describe. Some type of things that companies are doing to encourage employee wellness are adding community bikes all around the workplace areas when you move from one building to another like what Google has done. Google had also made it easier for their employees to make healthier food decisions in the dozens of cafeterias and small cafes with a simple color-coded label (green for healthy, red for unhealthy) on all offerings. Google has even hacked its 48,584 employees’ eating habits—smaller plates encourage portion control, and putting the salad bar at the entrance and the dessert spread in the far corner makes reaching for the greens a no-brainer. Another is to provide a â€Å"Tobacco Quitline† which gives individual counselling over the phone, and the â€Å"Ask Mayo Clinic† hotline is a 24/7 medical resource staffed by nurses ready to assess and give advice on health matters for the employees of Mayo Clinic. Companies like Blue Cross and Union Pacific offer smok ing cessation especially breathe therapy to their employees to help them stop smoking. Discounts up to full payment at health clubs is also offered by both Del Monte Foods’ regional headquarters and H.J. Heinz Co. to encourage their employees to live healthier for free. Chesapeake Energy had also made a wellness program where each of its employees is required to smile bright; through smiling bright you can brighten up the mood and also encourage more customers. WELCOA is also providing in-house facilities for their employees. For Union Pacific Railroads, they offer companywide wellness benefits like stop-smoking plans and health risk assessments and also they have regional walking contests. The wellness program in Pepsi Co. has several parts; they have health risk assessments, fitness and diet programs and helping people manage chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. In the Philippines, Unilab provides six months lifestyle modification program to improve their employee’s wellness. Also, the Maxicare and ABS-CBN partnership has created the â€Å"Kapamilya Health and Wellness Fair 2014† which  aims to improve the health and lifestyles of their employees through Zumba dances and fun runs. TELUS International Philippines (TIP), a top call center and business process outsourcing services provider, created a wellness and healthy living program for its employees. They held a Healthy Living Sports fest last June 18, 2011. The group recommend these wellness programs that Hagedorn also implement in assessing more of its subordinates health. Like the Union Pacific Railroads, they should offer a walking contest, health and wellness fair like what the Maxicare and ABS-CBN did. This would emphasize more of what the organization really wants in the employees’ health. This fun fairs would improve the health and lifestyles of their employees. They would also give the employees the change to be engaged in activities unrelated in their job. Like Pepsi Co.’s diet program. Offering healthy yet gastronomic dishes encourages employees to eat and indulge themselves with such foods. Like what the TELUS International Philippines’ sports fest. These activities not only provide an opportunity for the employees to showcase their talent in sports but also help promote teamwork, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. References: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/crazy-corporate-wellness-programs-that-work/ http://greatist.com/health/healthiest-companies http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20081006-164932/Benefiting-from-office-wellness-programs https://www.maxicare.com.ph/4082/maxicare-and-abs-cbn-present-the-kapamilya-health-wellness-fair-2014-3/ http://greatist.com/health/healthiest-companies http://www.telusinternational.com.ph/?q=node%2F32

He Loved Light, Freedom and Animals and Pneuomconiosis Essay

Both poems are about death and the acceptance of death although are written from different perspectives and are different for the fact that in â€Å"He loved light, freedom and animals† by Mike Jenkins the young boy’s death was quite a shock, but it could have been prevented whereas in â€Å"Pneumoconiosis† written by Duncan Bush the man’s death is inevitable, there is nothing he can do to change it. Both poems also have connection with coalmines. Pneumoconiosis is a disease caught from working down in the mines, and the background of â€Å"He loved light, freedom and animals† is about a mining disaster that happened in Aberfan where a slag heap on the side of a mountain collapsed and engulfed parts of the small town. The first poem I studied was Pneumoconiosis, and as the title suggests, the poem is about the killing lung disease that many coalminers suffered and died from. â€Å"Pneumoconiosis† was renames â€Å"The Dust† by the sufferers because it was mainly caused by inhalation of a lot of dust. The dust would get trapped in the lungs and made breathing difficult, and eventually killed after many years of effecting collier’s lives. Duncan Bush wrote in the form of an old retired coalminer who is slowly dying from the disease. The elderly man is now feeling the effects of the disease more than ever. He shows his feelings towards the disease and reflects to his past. The poor man worked down in the mines for thirty years without realising the fatality of his coughing and breathing difficulties but now he begins to see the truth, he’s now walking at a much slower pace and can not talk as fast and fluent. The constant repetition of the line â€Å"I try not to think about it† gives us the impression that in the back of his mind he cannot help the feeling of ominous foreboding that his life will soon be coming to an end. He is worried about when his death will come but doesn’t want the remainder of his life to be a misery. The opening line, â€Å"This is the Dust† is an introduction to the illness, it simply tells us what the whole poem and the title is about. The second line then describes it as â€Å"Black diamond dust†. It is a good way of describing the dust from the coal, as coal is similar to diamond in many ways. They are both valuable, and a fair amount of coal sparkles, as diamonds do. We understand that the man came from the South Wales valleys; the poet shows this by adding â€Å"boy† at the end of the line and uses informal English to punctuate his accent which symbolizes the location of the industry. It is a personal poem, Darren Bush is writing in the first person as though he is the old man telling his story â€Å"I had thirty years in it†. This is affective because we can relate with his character better by understanding what he is going through and feeling. The man was happy in his work back in the day; he didn’t have the slightest idea that one day working there would lead him to his death. â€Å"A laughing red mouth† He would be covered at work in black dirt, and his mouth would stand out, as it was the only clean part of him. We realize the first symptoms of his illness when he used to â€Å"spit smuts black† but obviously, he was unaware and didn’t realize the cause of his spluttering. The poet uses alliteration to describe the young collier suffering, the hard constant â€Å"s† conveys the way the sound the man made and it stands out. In the second verse, the man continues telling us about the disease he suffers from and points out the fact that he accepts it and he bravely admits he will die with it. The poet cleverly uses the line â€Å"it’s had forty years in me now† which follows the line â€Å"I had thirty years in it†. This shows that he is quite old, because he retired ten years ago. The disease isn’t only affecting his inside; his illness is visible – â€Å"like my blued scars†. The scars are a part of him that won’t go away, he can not erase them. The sufferer tells us how he gets by from day to day and how things have changed since he’s been ill in the third verse. There are a few pauses in the third stanza which conveys the shortness of breath the man has. â€Å"One step at a time; especially the stairs.† It is quite jerky, as I can imagine his breathing and talking would be like. He then goes on to talk about his past and his experiences. His own brother also died of Pneumoconiosis, so he knows what he is facing. He explains that he saw his brothers last moment, which I think is very emotional. Although he seems calm, he must be quite frightened that he will be going through the same thing. He doesn’t want to let the image of his brother that will always be with him scare him. The description the poet uses about the brother’s last moment are very good, and give us a vivid image of how much he struggled – â€Å"worse than a hooked carp drowning in the air†. The last three lines of the poem are very emotional and sad, he emphasises his slow walk and the occasional cough he lets out involuntary by telling people to know him as that man. This shows that the illness has effected him so much, he is different to a lot people when he used to be as healthy as the rest. After reading the poem, I admire the character in the poem because he can handle and accept his death, rather than complain and give up all hope. He is trying to lead his life as normal as possible and trying not to make the last of his life a misery which I respect. Another poem I studied was â€Å"He loved light, freedom and animals†. Mike Jenkins writes as if he is the father and he reminisces and remembers happy memories he shared with his son. He doesn’t believe that his son is dead and in his mind the boy is still as lively as ever. The disaster of Aberfan happened on the 21st of October in 1966. The slagheap was balancing on a mountain overlooking the small village. The flood of waste had slipped and rushed down the mountain shattering homes, farms and the village school, which killed 116 young villagers. Critics say that the disaster should never had happened and young, innocent people’s lives such as the character in the poems son shouldn’t have been lost. The poem contains many good descriptions that create strong images of both the child and the slag heap. This creates a good balance of positive and negative emotion in the poem. The images of the slagheap and the child are a complete contrast to one another; the descriptions of the boy are happy and beautiful foe example â€Å"his eyes gleamed as gorse-flowers do now† whereas the slagheap is described by the use of dark, depressing phrases such as â€Å"tumour on the hillside burst and the black blood coal†. The unpleasant phrase of the tumour growing on the top of the mountain reminds us of illness and gives us the thought people would want to stay as far away from it as possible. But tumours can be detected and defused, like the slagheap, it could have been manually moved but nobody had thought of the consequences until it was too late. The poet refers to the characters son throughout the poem, almost in every stanza which I believe makes the poem very interesting. It also shows that he will always think of his son, and will not give up the happy thoughts. He remembers the things he used to do when he was happiest. His son would be â€Å"in the classroom waving an answer like a greeting†. This emphasises how very enthusiastic and eager the boy was and obviously he was a pupil who enjoyed school, but it was there where he had died. When the poor boy was pulled out, the poet writes that his son must have been â€Å"like a child collier, dragged out of one of Bute’s mines.† A child collier would have been in a very dangerous job, and often lost their lives. They would come out of the mines hurt and covered in black dust but his son wasn’t a collier, he was at school. School is meant to be a safe place, but not for the pupils on the day of the disaster. A good example of a simile in the poem is the one about the son and his mother shown in the last stanza. â€Å"Ears attuned as a ewe’s in lambing.† The connection the boy had with his mother was like no other, his mother can still hear his laugh and like and ewe and a lamb, she was attuned to her son. This is a good way of showing that they were close, and his mother is lost without him. She will always recognize his laugh, and can still hear it clearly in her head. The parents of the boy will always remember him as they last seen him, young, healthy and happy. They will be hearing his â€Å"laughs springing down the slopes† for a long time. Mike Jenkins uses personification in his poem to make it more alive and colourful. An example of him using personification is shown in the fourth verse, he creates a character out of the slagheap when the poet describes it s if it has a â€Å"greedy belly† that ate up all the children and villagers. The tone of the poem is conversational, the father tells us as the reader about his son, and about his son’s death. It’s a dramatic poem, and is very emotional. Both negative and Positive feelings are shown in the poem. Although the theme of the poem is sad, the lines about the boy are happy; they are lines that bring a smile to the reader’s faces. In a way this makes us feel even sorrier for the father and makes it more emotional. The lines about the slag heap are bitter, expressing the father’s feelings towards it. In my opinion, the fact that the poem begins with a line about the grave â€Å"No grave can contain him† and then ends with a line about the grave â€Å"I try to foster the inscription, away from its stubborn stone† is clever. It emphasizes the fact that he is in his grave and will not do the things that were mentioned in the middle of the poem, he will not be â€Å"climbing a tree† again or â€Å"calling out names†. I personally enjoyed reading this poem because I felt I could relate to the father, as it was from a personal point of view and can relate to the loss of someone special. It was very emotional and made me sympathize for the mother and father. It was unfair for the innocent, fragile boy to die in such a horrific accident and it made me angry that people had not thought of the consequences they were facing by putting the slagheap on top of the mountain. Both poems are very successful in creating sad emotions, and also anger and frustration. In He loved Light, Freedom and Animals, anger is created because the boy and his classmates were so young when they died, and they didn’t deserve to have their lives taken away. In Pneumoconiosis, anger is created because the old man had been affected by the dust silently, and is expecting his death. This is very frustrating, as there is nothing we as the reader can do to change what has happened and what is going to happen. In my opinion, He love Light, Freedom, and Animals made the biggest impact to my emotions. As the child was only young, it is easy to relate to, and it makes the reader realize that life can be cut so short, although Pneumoconiosis is also very emotional, as the reader acknowledges the long term effects miners suffer. He has been, and is still fighting bravely but he knows he can’t hold on forever.

Legal framework for social work in United Kingdom Essay

Social work is defined as a professional and academic discipline that will seek to have improvement on the individuals, groups’ and communities’ quality of life and their well-being through having policies, conducting researches, organizing communities and teaching for the good of the people affected by social limitations that may include poverty, mental and physical sickness, social injustice including violation of human rights. International (Federation of Social Workers 2000). These groups may include school dropouts, the elderly in the society, juvenile offenders, drug and alcohol abusers and the homeless Social workers will work in different settings within a set of framework of legislation and practices. The setting may include a school situation, the service users’ home, a hospital or a public sector premise Social work values Social work is argued to be value based. Since it is a profession on, social work ethics (values) thus refer to a set of guidelines that have to govern the way professionals treat the people they interact with and the sort of actions that are regarded as right or wrong. They offer a vision and discernment (Bernstein 1970) Social work in the United Kingdom occurs in four spheres. The first sphere is majorly a concept relates to the moral philosophy that creates the ethical arguments on social work. The second sphere is based on the legislation that has created an environment for practice of social work with reference to the social work cases. The third sphere is the political ideas and concepts and their influence in shaping and sculpturing the social work models, social work methods and practices. The last sphere presents the historical part of the beginning of social work as a profession and its struggle for professional identity. These spheres are extended, mid range and restricted definitions of social work ethics and values (Bernard et al 2008, p. 6) This paper will focus on the second sphere in reference to the United Kingdom. Social work and law Social work as a profession has to follow certain laws and regulations which govern the profession. The legal framework involves the statute laws and case laws and tries to explain the relationship that links them. Moreover, it details legislation of the government under acts of parliament, the international laws, policy guidance, and the local government circulars that articulate the purpose and guidance principles of legislation. The Health and Care professional Council code of practice As a social worker, it is paramount to be aware of the legal obligations required of them to cretae a healthy and safe working conditions. The General Social Care Council code of practice imposes more duties for employers of social workers. The code states that (Brayne & Carr 2002, P. 49) The social worker shall protect and promote interests of the service users The social worker will strive to establish, maintain trust and confidence of the service users The social worker will promote independence of the service users while giving them protection from possible harm The social worker shall respect the rights of the service users while ensuring that their behavior will not harm other people and themselves The social worker shall uphold the public trust and confidence in the social care services The social worker shall be accountable for quality in their work and taking responsibility for maintenance and improvement of their knowledge ACTS OF PARLIAMENT The Carew standard Act 2000 This Act has a significant role in the social care work as it did extend the registration regime for the social care in England and that of Wales for provision of the children’s services, the Act requires the following: Registration of children homes Registration of family centre’sRegistration of the independent fostering agencies Registration of voluntary adoption agencies Registration of support agencies To be a permanent registered member one has to meet a set of regulations tailored to each individual service. In coming up to a decision whether the regulatory requirement shave been fulfilled, the registering authority must have a regard to minimum National standards. England’s registration authority is Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED). The Social workers and the social care services cannot function without having satisfied the above requirements. As a social worker or a social care service provider, there is a need to have knowledge to avoid prosecution by Law The health and social care Act 2012 This bill was agreed upon by both houses and obtained the Royal Assent on the 27th of March to become an act of parliament. The bill created an independent National Health Service Board to promote choices made by the patients in regard to their health issues and reduced the administration tool of the National Health Service. A National Health Service Board was also created to allocate resources and provide guidance on commissioning of social care services. Powers of the government’s ability to commission services on behalf of patients were increased. The function of the Care Quality Commission was strengthened and Section 209 of this Act amended. The powers of the new law under Section 60 of the 199 Act gave her majesty the power by order in the council to regulate social workers and social care practitioners of England. This placed the role of social workers and the role of social health care providers directly under her majesty (Britain 2012, p. 9). This Act placed a lot of Significance on Social Care services being provided in the United Kingdom. A consideration on the adult social care was emphasized. For example, allowing the transfer of public health to the local authorities through local health and the well being boards. Various new bodies have emerged such as the Local health watches which have a function of checking on health and the social care standards. Children’s Act 2004. In England, the law protects the right of children. Section 11 and 12 of this Act places a statutory duty on all agencies to co-operate and promote the welfare of the children. The government guidance for social workers and other professionals that interact with children is that: the social worker has a duty of keeping the children safe. There should be constant feedback to the children social care local authority on suggestions and assessment and lastly every person who has a role should not think that he/she has the absolute right to the child’s needs. Professionals sometimes fail to report the abuse and neglect cases do not face penalties for crime however; they might be subjected to professional discipline Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 The bill got a Royal Assent on 8th of March. The bill aimed to give strength to the social enterprise businesses sectors and make relevant the concept of social value and its importance in the placing and providing of public services. With this bill a National Social enterprise strategy was created to encourage the engagement in social enterprises. The local government act 2000 section 4 was then required to have a sustainable community strategy proposal that promote the engagement of social enterprise in their areas. The Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 This Act brought together the different fields of social work into a single Social service department in every local authority. With this establishment, an emphasis was laid on a co-ordinated and comprehensive system of approach to the social care, the support of families and identifying the need for people to seek aid. The formulated departments then became responsible for domestic aid, residential accommodation and recreational services. Care council of Wales All social workers should be registered. It is one of the bodies mandated to register and regulates the activities of the social workers and all other social care in Wales. The care council is set up under the Care Standards Act 2000. It includes the codes of professional practice, conduct rules, and a well established guideline on the complainant’s procedure. Some other features accessed include consultation services, annual reports, the newsletters and the e-bulletins. Registration of workers ensures that there is as constant data of available social workers and social health care workers in a given state or region. It is easy to verify a genuine worker and avoids imposters who might be out on criminal activities Care and Social services inspectorate Wales This is a body mandated to regulating and inspecting the establishment of agencies that offer social care services in Wales region. It carries out duties on behalf of the ministers of Wales. It has been given power under Act 2003 of the Social and Health care to look into the handling of social services by the local authorities. On their website, one is able to raise a query on social workers conduct for necessary action. Rights and freedoms of Social workers and limitations Guide to information sharing Social work is a professional duty. When dealing with children, England places emphasis on effective information sharing between the local agencies and the social workers on identification and assessment of service provisions. These are defined in â€Å"Working together to safeguard children (PDF). Under this guidance, paragraph 1.24 states clearly that fears that arise on sharing personal information should not hinder promotion of a child’s welfare and safety. All social workers and social care provider thus are required to have an efficient information discernment process to avoid a scenario of neglect in believe that another individual will do the task. Limitations to this guide These provisions however do have limitations. In Wales’s guidance on information sharing is found in chapter 14 of Safeguarding children working together under the Children Act 2004 (PDF). In these guidance paragraph 14.5 overlaps the guidance for professionals in England. It states that â€Å"The safety and welfare of a child or young person must be put into consideration first when making decisions about sharing information about them† and that must be, â€Å"an overriding public interest in disclosing information.† The guidance then further goes on to give the way forward in sharing on information. Paragraph 14.6 states that â€Å"the best way of ensuring that information sharing is properly handled is to work within carefully worked out information-sharing protocols between agencies and professionals involved, and taking legal advice in each case where necessary. Guide to Loss and damage Social workers have been mandated with a legal duty of caring and service providers. In essence these role places the employers with responsibility of paying up damages their employees suffer while in line of duty.In the event those being taken care of suffer adverse damage as a result of social work interference, then they are entitled to sue the social work company for negligence. These may be as a result of physical damage, emotional or psychological damage. While this is the case, the law prohibits the suing of social workers when performing certain statutory functions like safeguarding children. Employers need to understand the times which their employees may be liable to protection under the law and when not. Legislation on discrimination on Personal privacy In line of duty, social workers provide aid services. In order for them to carry out these functions effectively, it is paramount for them to have knowledge of the raft of legislation that protects individuals for discrimination basing on their gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability or ethnicity. These are domestic laws of the United Kingdom and are complemented by European Convention on human right which protects the citizens of the United Kingdom against unjustified state interference with their life. It is always possible for government and social work agencies getting into people’s life when they are not willing. In this event then the public can resort to the human rights protection of privacy and autonomy. Social workers and social work agencies need to have knowledge of the rights and privileges granted to the masses under the European convention for both parties to avoid violating them while at the same time helping individuals who have had their rights contravened The Human rights Human rights are legal obligations that are to be adhered to universally. Human rights are defined as â€Å"the universal right to standard living that is adequate for healthy and well being of individuals and their families.†(Roosevelt 2000, p.5). The global social work perspective embodies this by stating that â€Å"The struggle for dignity and fundamental freedoms, which allows for the full development of human potentials, boils down to two words: human rights.†(IFSW 1996). With this law, special work in the United Kingdom is bound to human rights which are considered sensitive to human race and collective citizenship. The social work must then be conceptualized and sensitized to the culture in which the services are offered. Thus a social worker in England should be able to accept the culture and laws of a state or region in which he/she is working in. Conclusion Social work and social care has a pivotal role in service delivery to the society. This view cannot go unnoticed. The values, ethics of social work such as respect for humanity, equality and service to all have played a major role in helping the less privileged in the United Kingdom. The beneficiaries have included the mentally ill, the old, women and children. The United Kingdom having realized the vital role of social care came up with various laws not only to check but to guide the professionals in their field of work. These laws have been defined in various Acts of parliament, Scholarly publications and various codes of ethics and conduct of the Social work profession. Social workers and social care workers interact with different people on daily basis. In order for a harmonious and efficient system of operation to uphold, these laws and various publications have played a major role. However the legal stipulations have also had a negative side of the story being felt where they h ave had to hamper the operations of social workers and social care practitioners. Technological advancements and constant reviews of challenges that have risen in the working environment of this profession I believe can act as a catalyst to new ideas to command this noble profession to greater heights in the United Kingdom References BRITAIN, G. (2012). Health and social care act 2012: chapter 7. [S.l.], Tso. BRAYNE, H., & CARR, H. (2012). Law for social workers. Oxford, Oxford University Press. BRITAIN, G. (2012). Health and social care act 2012: chapter 7. [S.l.], Tso. BARNARD, A., HORNER, N., & WILD, J. (2008). The value base of social work and social care. Maidenhead, England, Open University Press. ROOSEVELT, E. (2000). Universal declaration of human rights in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, Arabic. Bedford, Mass, Applewood Books. HEALY, L. M. (2008). International social work: professional action in an interdependent world. Oxford, Oxford University Press. REAMER, F. G. (2006). Social work values and ethics. New York, Columbia University Press. BERNSTEIN, P. (1997). American work values: their origin and development. New York, State Univ. of New York Press.BANKS, S. (2012). Ethics and values in social work. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan. (2004). Children Act 2004: Explanatory notes. [S.l.], Stationery Office. Source document

Montessori Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Montessori Education - Essay Example One of the most important differences between the Montessori Method and other traditional methods is that the Montessori Method focuses on enhancing the natural enjoyment of learning. According to Dr. Montessori there are several â€Å"sensitivity periods† of development during which a child’s brain is chiefly open to learning definite skills or knowledge; From the birth to about the age of six children have an, â€Å"absorbent mind† through which they acquire boundless impetus to gain knowledge of and attain proficiency within their world. This is also a period where children perfect their skills and understandings; Movement enhances thoughts and learning. In other words this theory is against the traditional way of classroom teaching where the children have to sit in their respective places and the teacher imparts the knowledge from the text; Children do well when they are interested and get involved or actively participate in the learning process; Children are competent of independent learning, and learning is enhanced by having a sense of control within a learning environment; Order in the classroom environment is favourable for childrenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s learning; Children generally learn on their own during periods of independent powerful focus; Children become skilled through self-discovery, and learn from their own mistakes (Stoudenmier, N.D). The Montessori educational system is unique and is gaining much popularity around the world. It has effectively undergone continued development for more than seventy years and has been used successfully among various categories of children such as mentally retarded, physically handicapped, normal, and gifted children. Several researchers point out that one of the significant reason, for its success and popularity is that it is a comprehensive method of education consequential from a combination of research on development, learning, curriculum, and teaching. Montessori approach work

Project maangement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project maangement - Essay Example This paper will evaluate the various reasons why organizations are using Project Management to achieve their strategic objectives. It will focus on the view of projects as investments rather than being likened to investments. The paper will evaluate the application of the various doctrines of strategic project management that project managers use to accomplish the strategic objectives. Project management generally takes the form of a decision tree (Fig. 1). Goodwin and Wright, (2009) observe that after developing the strategic objectives, the managers evaluate the current situation or status of the organization. This is a starting point that is necessary to determine the next course of action. Project management is therefore preferred because it answers the question of whether the organization has attained its maximum capacity (Chapman and Ward, 2003). If not, the managers engage in assessing the constraints to establish if their cause is known or not. From this point, if the causes of the constraints are known, ways of alleviating them can be determined. If they are not known, investigations are undertaken. Such procedures help organizations to apply a straightforward approach to solving problems (Kendrick, 2009). Many contemporary organizations undertake different projects depending on their significance to organizational productivity (Dale et al. 2007). In many situations, different departments in the organization come up with projects that compete for the available finances. They have different impacts on the overall organizational performance and priorities need to be set depending on the organizational needs. Project management is significant in making strategic choices to support the projects that need immediate attention as well as those that can be implemented in future (Kemp, 2006). Strategic project management integrates major organizational processes of strategic planning, tactical setting of

THE SCOPE OF AN ARBITRATION AGREEMENT IS A THIRD PARTY BOUND BY IT Dissertation - 1

THE SCOPE OF AN ARBITRATION AGREEMENT IS A THIRD PARTY BOUND BY IT - Dissertation Example heir businesses are built. Where there are contracts, however, there is must exist a system of enforcement that the parties may rely upon in the event a dispute on the interpretation of contractual obligations arises. The general Model Law on Arbitration enacted under the auspices of UNCITRAL is supposed to provide such a framework, although much is left to the national law for it to be made operative and mandatory upon the parties. There are many issues regarding the implementation of these tenets which, because of the wide scope of international public law and the conflict of laws, provides many sources of controversy. This research study provides a comprehensive scan of the major issues, and a survey of relevant cases from the jurisprudence of the different countries involved mostly in these international commercial disputes sought to be enforced by arbitration. While the study does not promise to be exhaustive from the sheer volume of material on the study, it shall seek to provi de as much background on the salient issues that surround arbitration. The method of research relied upon is qualitative legal research, which shall rely on case law as much as a survey of the relevant codal provisions in multilateral treaties and the UNCITRAL Model Law, as well as the New York Convention governing international arbitration. Chapter two: SCOPE OF ARBITRATION AGREEMENT There are many legal implications in determining the scope of an arbitration agreement. It has the nature of a special type of contract pertaining to a particular purpose, the nature of which springs from a principal contract. By case law definition, however, it is not a auxiliary contract in the sense that its validity may be determined by a separate tribunal and in a separate hearing from that of the principal contract in which the agreement may be contained. A question on the validity of the principal contract does not suspend the effectivity of the arbitration agreement. Furthermore, there are many instances when third parties non-signatories to the original contract may be included in an action based on the arbitration agreement. Arbitration clauses are often drafted in haste, and at times by persons not thoroughly familiar with the technicalities thereof. In the interest of putting into effect as far as possible the will of the parties, observers of ICC arbitration have come to distinguish certain indispensable elements without which the arbitration agreement may not be given effect. There are several essential elements of the arbitration agreement: 1 (1) The arbitration agreement must be concluded between two or more parties who are determined or determinable. In

BIOGRAPHY ON MY HUSBAND Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BIOGRAPHY ON MY HUSBAND - Essay Example However, his first marriage, despite all of his determination to make it work did crumble but this was not due to any fault of his own. He soon found that the marriage had been built on lies with his wife having lied about her age when they married and still being a very young and naà ¯ve girl, she left Fernando holding the dilemma of how to continue to care for the family. They had one child together which his wife left in his care since she seemingly wanted no part in motherhood. This left him with trying to figure out a way to continue to work while at the same time being a good father to the child caught in the middle of the separation and divorce. During this time Fernando was attempting to be a full-time dad and also working full-time with his landscaping company. Times were extremely hard for him as he did not have sufficient resources to depend on nor did he have any family that was near him who could have helped in taking care of his daughter while he worked during that tim e. Somehow this man did manage to make it through this period of time on his own, never once turning away from the responsibilities he had as a father to his daughter. He also did not try and prosecute his first wife for abandonment of their child so he only had his own self to rely on in order to guarantee the necessary sustenance to keep his family running smoothly. He did seek out daycare services for his daughter so that he could continue to work and this bill alone was quite substantial every month. However, his neighbors often helped him out with watching his daughter but he was very careful in this area because he did not want to come to depend on anyone or be considered a burden either so he assumed much of the work on his own. During this period of time Fernando did not seek out other relationships like a percentage of men would do. He dedicated himself to being a father and continued to work because he knew that in

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 45

Case Study - Essay Example In response to the second question, granulocytosisis a condition that occurs when there are too many granulocytes in the blood. Granulocytes form and mature in the bone marrow and their role is to attack foreign matter causing inflammation or infection. An increase in granulocytes occurs in response to infections, blood cell malignancies, and some autoimmune diseases. One main cause of granulocytosis is bone marrow disorders.A high white blood cell count is usually an indicator of infection or disease. Granulocytosis is one type of high white blood cell count. (April Kahn) I think the most likely cause for the man’s illness and death was a condition called encephalitis. On the morning of June 4, the patient had symptoms of confusion, disorientation, and lack of reflexes. Some of these symptoms indicate not severe encephalitis while others indicate severe and emergency encephalitis. However, it is worth noting that the patient’s neck was supple. In most cases of encephalitis, there is stiffness of the neck and the back in adults and stiffness if the whole body in babies. (Aksamit) Only occasionally does it happen that the neck and the back are supple such as in this case. Encephalitis which is an infection of the brain might have caused infections in the cerebrospinal system. These infections then might have subsequently caused infection of the bone marrow so causing it to produce more granulocytes and hence the earlier diagnosis of Granulocytosis as well as elevated protein levels prior to his death. Another symptom to this case was the increased abnormal activity which was another clear indication. (New York Times) A serology test and brain biopsy could be used to confirm encephalitis.Serology is a blood test to detect the presence of antibodies against a microorganism.Brain Biopsy involves surgical removal of brain tissue for testing for the

My First Conk from Malcolm X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My First Conk from Malcolm X - Essay Example Blacks thus degrade their natural bodies without realizing that such degradations are embarrassing as Malcolm says that it seems foolish to see women having green and pink wigs to look like whites. Moreover, none of the blacks are ever thinking of gaining similar education or intelligence as that of the whites (Malcolm, 131). Conked hair and wigs illustrates that blacks have been brainwashed because even in the modern world, most blacks still feel inferior to the whites. Blacks are always ready to endure the pain of conk hair even after knowing that it does not make a black person more adorable. This is based on the argument by Malcolm that no woman will admire a man based on his hair appearance no matter how well the conk is; it does not add any value to the man (Malcolm, 136). In conclusion, before Malcolm realized that conk hair was a degradation of his natural body, he was willing to endure the pain to look like the whites but after he discovered that blacks had been brainwashed to think they are inferior to the whites, he has never had a conk (Malcolm, 141). All black individuals need to do as Malcolm did and instead of trying to be like the whites, they should instead study hard to better than the

Traditional Institution Essay Example for Free

Traditional Institution Essay Education has evolved tremendously over the past centuries. With its history deeply rooted in the need for one to gain as much knowledge and insight into everything that surrounds and interests him, we can say that there is no person on this planet who does not want to have a solid educational foundation. Unfortunately, life is not easy and survival is a priority for most people. This is why when the choice boils down to work or completing an education, work usually wins out. But, with the advent of the internet and along with it, the emergence of high quality distance education, one no longer has to make the difficult choice between work and studies. Now, everybody has the option to do both. Such an opportunity did not exist during the era when attending traditional educational institutions was the only acceptable method of earning a college degree. To begin with, distance education proves to be the less stressful alternative to attending a regular university. Due to the fact that distance learning institutions are available online, a student can access his classes at his most convenient time during the week. I can personally attest to the way my student needs have been very well served by distance education. For instance, it has removed the hassles that I experienced while attending a traditional institution. I no longer have to leave work as early as possible, drive through traffic, find a parking spot, and then run to class before the final bell rings. Now, all I have to do is drive home after my designated work hours, have a good meal, rest and relax, before finally turning on my computer and logging into my open schedule classes. Indeed, distance education has changed the way I view the completion of a college education. These days, when I hear or meet someone who has not managed to complete his degree because of â€Å"work† or â€Å"family† related reasons, I immediately point out to the person that if he really wants to, there is no reason for him to not complete his degree. I believe that is precisely because of those flimsy excuses that distance education was invented and made to be so convenient for anybody to attend. Distance education has also allowed me to access a finite amount of information regarding my lessons because of the readily available internet access during class hours. I find that because of the vast array of knowledge and information available to me with just a few taps of my fingertips, I am able to ask proper and pertinent questions of my lecturer. I also have the benefit of being able to present my own findings during class discussions that help provide for a wider range of discussion between the online student and the lecturer. In a traditional institution, such would not be possible because the discussion will be limited to the textbooks provided for use in the class. In contrast to a traditional institution, distance education allows me to expand my horizons beyond the classroom setting. I have had people trying to convince me that distance education learning is not a conducive way to study because a distance education student is on his own during class. They believe it removes the social interactivity that is always present when attending regular classes at a regular school. As this is the very activity that makes school fun for most people, I am often asked if I do not miss having classmates to talk to and hang out with before and after class. Do I not look for people to compare notes and exam results with? Indeed, these are experiences that make traditional education unique. But these days, people have to mix education and work more than half the time. It is a very delicate balance that has to be achieved by simply concentrating on the most important aspect of education, that is learning. From personal experience, I find that I learn more from the distance education process because I am free from the typical classroom distractions such as classmates who insist on chatting while the class is ongoing, the rude interruptions caused by the entrance of a classmate who is late for class, or the noise from the hallway that seeps in when the door to the classroom is accidentally left open. I am able to concentrate on my task of learning more through distance education because the only worry I have is if there is a blackout in my area and my laptop battery does not hold out until the online class ends. As for interaction between the teacher and the student, I find that I do not need to be in the physical presence of my classmates or teacher in order to learn. Distance classes work the same way as regular classes and, in the event that the professor requires an oral interaction with the students, we simply turn on our web cams and plug in the microphone and viola! We have a simile of physical classroom interaction. Due to the aforementioned reasons, I am of the firm belief that distance education makes more practical sense than that of attending a traditional educational institution. Technology of the 21st century has eliminated the need for people like me, who do not have much time to spend during the day attending classes, to attend a regular school. I can get the very same, if not even more advanced education through distance education. I have come to the realization that distance education is the best, stress free way of completing a college degree. Now, I am able to learn at my own pace and without spending too much on the incidental fees such as transportation and student fees that makes attending a traditional educational institution so expensive. I used to think that there was no way I would be able to complete my college education because I have a family to maintain and a job to keep, distance education offered me an opportunity to achieve my dream of completing my education without sacrificing my family or my job. At the end of everything, I see no reason to choose a traditional educational institution just because it allows for interaction between teachers and students. If that is the only reason to choose a traditional educational institution over distance education, I say that tradition has a lot of catching up to do with regards to the educational needs of the modern man. Prewriting Main Points: 1. Distance education is less stressful for the student because of the open schedule 2. Distance education allows undergraduates and high school graduates to complete a college education without having to quit their regular jobs. 3. Allows for more freedom in the learning process. 4. It gets boring and lonely to attend distance education classes.

Content management system

Content management system Abstract This assignment is aimed to introduce students to how a project is to be managed and developed. This project is about planning for the project management of the move of a large corporate website from static HTML version to a data driven system based on a Web Content Management System. To plan for the project an evaluation for three options has to be made between Joomla, Drupal and SharePoint. As the project plan is to be for a 9 month period the time scheduling have to be made within this period. Also have to do Gantt chart and resource utilization in Microsoft project Microsoft excel and make lesion learned report. Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholders needs and expectations from a project. Project management is the discipline of organizing and managing resources in such a way that the project is completed within defined scope, quality, time and cost constraints. Executive Summary Introduction: This document serves as a course requirement of ITPQM assignment given by Greenwich University. It supersedes the previous HTML version to a data driven system for Web Content Management System (WCMS). Key parts of this report will be the choice of the content management system and the evaluation of M.S Excel and M.S project. A business criterion has to be selected regarding the chosen WCMS, which would be chosen after evaluating it in MS Excel. This assignment helps us to understand whether MS Excel and MS Project have features and functions that would support in a Project management. Research On Web Content Management System (CMS) CMS stands for Content Management System, a software application used for the creation, storage, and management of web content in many formats.A Web Content Management System (WCM, WCMS or Web CMS) is content management system (CMS) software, implemented as a Web application, for creating and managing HTML content. It is used to manage and control a large, dynamic collection of Web material (HTML documents and their associated images). A WCMS facilitates content creation, content control, editing, and essential Web maintenance functions. The software provides authoring (and other) tools designed to allow users with little knowledge of programming languages or markup languages to create and manage content with relative ease. Most systems use a database to store content, metadata, or artifacts that might be needed by the system. Content is frequently, but not universally, stored as XML, to facilitate, reuse, and enable flexible presentation options. Administration is done through browser-based interfaces, but some systems require the use of a fat client. A presentation layer displays the content to Web-site visitors based on a set of templates. The templates are sometimes XSLT files. Most systems use server side caching boosting performance. This works best when the WCMS is not changed often but visits happen on a regular basis. Unlike Web-site builders, a WCMS allows non-technical users to make changes to a website with little training. A WCMS typically requires an experienced coder to set up and add features, but is primarily a Web-site maintenance tool for non-technical administrators. This means users will not need to hire a web design company every time they want to update the site or add content. Benefits of WCMS: Upon completion of this project plan WCMS derives following benefits: Customizable pages and portal elements (banners, colors, etc.) that can be tailored globally or targeted individually Targeted announcements based on Banner criteria Web-based tools to manage user and group profiles, announcements, content and layout, and performance and usage A portal interface to control channel and content delivery An integration suite to share data between third-party applications, and databases Increased capacity to growth any organization. Project Scope Scope: The objectives of WCMS scope: Procure and install the selected web content management system Plan, test and deploy initial information architecture framework and update, document or leverage from existing Templates Workflows for known sites Roles and responsibilities Content guidelines Support and training materials Services to be provided System schematic logical and physical design Plan, test and execute Scope Elements: Several elements lack sufficient clarity without further analysis to determine whether they are in or out of scope: Number and scope of site migration: the number of Humanities departments that can be accommodated within the project is unknown. The scope of the University Relations migration is not fully defined. Use of authoritative course information is currently available using the template system and some academic departments expect this functionality. Whether it is in scope for Phase II is dependent upon analysis of complexities involved. Fully redundant off-site disaster recovery of editing and publishing functionality may prove too complex and costly. Out of Scope: Other deliverables that are out of scope for the WCMS Project include: Creation of strategic and implementation plans for corporate response to web security and policy/regulatory compliance beyond Design Review Board process. Web standards work for development and integration (with the exception of standards and release policy for code passed via system to web layer.) Full or extensive evaluation and mitigation for compliance and accessibility issues Extensive service definition of the new web services to be deployed Retirement/repurpose of existing web content delivery infrastructures Design/revision of new campus template Look and Feel Resolution of funding source for hiring of operational staff. Project Dependencies: The dependencies below introduce risk that must be mitigated and, therefore, are included in the Risk Management Plan. Other Web Program Components Web Function and Design Project: template design and information architecture deliverables have many functional and schedule-related interdependencies. Web Service Definition Project will derive information from WCMS as a result of practical migration experience and the WCMS project will require the Service Definition project to provide direction. Web Governance: The WCMS project will rely upon Web Governance to develop policy where needed for implementation or operations. Description of Joomla, Drupal SharePoint: Drupal: Drupal is a free software package that allows an individual or a community of users to easily publish, manage and organize a wide variety of content on a website. Tens of thousands of people and organizations are using Drupal to power scores of different web sites, including Community web portals Discussion sites Corporate web sites Intranet applications Personal web sites or blogs Aficionado sites E-commerce applications Resource directories Social Networking sites The built-in functionality, combined with dozens of freely available add-on modules, will enable features such as: Electronic commerce Blogs Collaborative authoring environments Forums Peer-to-peer networking Newsletters Podcasting Picture galleries File uploads and downloads General features Collaborative Book- collaborative book feature lets one setup a book and then authorize other individuals to contribute content. Friendly URLs- Drupal uses Apaches mod_rewrite to enable customizable URLs that are both user and search engine friendly. Modules- The Drupal community hascontributed many moduleswhich provide functionality that extend Drupal core. Online help- Have built a robust online help system built into the core help text. Open source- The source code of Drupal is freely available under the terms of the GNU General Public License 2 (GPL). Unlike proprietary blogging or content management systems, Drupals feature set is fully available to extend or customize as needed. Personalization- A robust personalization environment is at the core of Drupal. Both the content and the presentation can be individualized based on user-defined preferences. Role based permission system- Drupal administrators dont have to tediously setup permissions for each user. Instead, they assign permissions to roles and then group like users into a role group. Searching- All content in Drupal is fully indexed and searchable at all times if one take advantage of the built in search module. Content management Polls- Drupal comes with a poll module which enables admins and/or users to create polls and show them on various pages. Templating- Drupals theme system separates content from presentation allowing you to control the look and feel of your Drupal site. Templates are created from standard HTML and PHP coding meaning that you dont have to learn a proprietary templating language. Threaded comments- Drupal provides a powerful threaded comment model for enabling discussion on published content. Comments are hierarchical as in a newsgroup or forum. Version control- Drupals version control system tracks the details of content updates including who changed it, what was changed, the date and time of changes made to your content and more. Version control features provide an option to keep a comment log and enables you to roll-back content to an earlier version. Joomla: Joomla is an award-winning content management system (CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications. Many aspects, including its ease-of-use and extensibility, have made Joomla the most popular Web site software available. Best of all, Joomla is an open source solution that is freely available to everyone. Joomla is used all over the world to power Web sites of all shapes and sizes. For example: Corporate Web sites or portals Corporate intranets and extranets Online magazines, newspapers, and publications E-commerce and online reservations Government applications Small business Web sites Non-profit and organizational Web sites Community-based portals School and church Web sites Personal or family homepages Joomla is designed to be easy to install and set up. Many Web hosting services offer a single-click install, getting your new site up and running in just a few minutes. Since Joomla is so easy to use, as a Web designer or developer, we can quickly build sites for your clients. Then, with a minimal amount of instruction, we can empower our clients to easily manage their sites themselves. SharePoint: SharePoint is a collection of products and software elements that includes, among a growing selection of components, web browser based collaboration functions, process management modules, search modules and a SharePoint can be used to host web sites that access shared workspaces, information stores and documents, as well as host defined applications such as wikis and blogs. All users can manipulate proprietary controls called web parts or interact with pieces of content such as lists and document libraries. Some Features of SharePoint: Team Collaboration, Review Workflows, Premium Web, Slide Library (splits a PPT presentation into individually viewable slides on the site without breaking the PPT file open), Premium Web Application, Premium Root Site, Management Library, Global Web Parts, Enhanced Search, Base Web Application, Spell Checking, Signatures Workflow ,Reporting, Premium Site, Publishing Web, Base Web, Base Site, Basic Search, Translation Workflow workflow for sending a document through rounds of translation into multiple languages, Expiration Workflow, Excel Server, Search Web Parts, Publishing Site Issue Tracking Workflow . EVALUATION ON DRUPAL, JOOMLA SHAREPOINT Joomla: Joomla is designed in a way that it can work perfectly in a shared hosting environment. It is a package that is least expensive and most common to all users. Its installation feature is simple and just like any other descktop software. It can support several extensions, add-on and plug in. Joomla is written in PHP with general purpose scripting language and best suitable for web development. Joomla is integrated with CiviCRM and other common packages like GetActive or DemocracyInAction. Drupal Drupal can work just like Joomla in shared hosting environments. It has powerful content editing tools for common users and for web developers for creating websites without bothering about codes. Drupal is a bit diffuclt in installation procedure than that of Joomla. Drupal is also developed in PHP and offers common functionalies of Joomla or perhaps more sophisticated ones, which would be difficult for non technical persons to master it than that of Joomla. It contains non-profit centric add-ons like event registration, online donation, email newsletter etc. Eventhough drupal has plugins they are less powerful than that of Joomla. SharePoint: Sharepoint uses application server as IIS.Net where as Joomla and Drupal uses , CGI and Apache. Applicatin cost is $4000 compared to the other two which are free to use. Security feature is more of a plus point in SharePoint than that of Joomla! And Drupal. Ease of use, performance and management are more easy and manageable compared to both Drupal and Joomla. But SharePoint supports ASP.net programming language, if the site which was built using PHP then it will be difficult to use SharePoint to establish the same site online. KEY FUNCTIONALITIES OF A WCMS Content management systems manage content creation, review and approval processes for web site content. Content management system provides content version control, collaboration utilities, and user or document level security. Some of the functions of CMS are: Content Authoring: it is the ability to create content through a content editor, import of content, capability to deploy, present the content and aggregation of items. Content acquisition: it is the ability to gather content through import or metadata. Content aggregation: process of gathering information from different sources into one overall structure. Output and content presentation: Presenting content through different ways such as HTML or XML Workflow management: the process of managing to create flows of sequential and parallel tasks that must be accomplished. Version control and management: lets multiple users make simultaneous changes to content and keep track of them. Security management: Access to the content are controlled through authentication, role and directory management, access control settings and passwords. Product technology and support: defines the technical architecture of the product, the technological environment in which the product can successfully run. Such as product and application architecture, software usability and administration, platform and database support, application standards support, communications and protocol support and integration capabilities. Project Goals and Objectives: The objectives of WCMS with the original scope: Procure and install the selected web content management system Plan, test and deploy initial information architecture framework and update, document or leverage from existing Templates Workflows for known sites Roles and responsibilities Content guidelines Support and training materials Services to be provided System schematic logical and physical design Plan, test and execute WSM criteria of WCMS: Criteria to which alternative to choose for Web Content Management System (WCMS): Corefunctionality When most people think of content management, they are thinking of the creation, deletion, editing and organizing of pages. They assume all content management systems do this and so take the functionality for granted. However that is not necessarily the case. There is also no guarantee that it is done in an intuitive fashion. Not all blogging platforms for example allow the owner to manage and organize pages into a tree hierarchy. Instead the individual posts are automatically organized by criteria such as date or category. In some situations this is perfectly adequate. In fact this limitation in functionality keeps the interface simple and easy to understand. However, in other circumstances the absence of this functionality can be frustrating. Theeditor The majority of content management systems have a WYSIWYG editor. Strangely this editor is often ill considered, despite the fact that it is the most used feature within the system. The editor is the interface through which content is added and amended. Traditionally, it has also allowed the content provider to apply basic formatting such as the selection of fonts and color. However more recently there has been a move away from this type of editor to something that reflects the principles of best practice. The danger of traditional WYSIWYG editors is twofold. First, they give the content provider too much design control. They are able to customize the appearance of a page to such an extent that it could undermine the consistence of design and branding. Second, in order to achieve this level of design control the CMS mixes design and content. The new generation of editors takes a different approach. The content provider uses the editor to markup headings, lists, links and other elements without dictating how they should appear. Ensure your list of requirements includes an editor that uses this approach and does not give content providers control over appearance. At the very least look for content management systems that allow the editor to be replaced with a more appropriate solution. The editor should also be able to handle external assets including images and downloads. That brings us on to the management of these assets. Managingassets Managing images and files are badly handled by some CMS packages. Issues of accessibility and ease of use can cause frustration with badly designed systems. Images in particular can cause problems. Ensure that the content management system you select forces content provider to add alt attributes to imagery. You may also want a CMS that provides basic image editing tools such as crop resize and rotate. However, finding such a CMS can be a challenge. Also consider how the content management system deals with uploading and attaching PDFs, Word documents and other similar files. How are they then displayed to users? What descriptions can be attached to the files and is the search capable of indexing them. Search is an important aspect of any site. Approximately half of users will start with search when looking for content. However, often the search functionality available in content management systems is inadequate. Userinteraction If you intend to gather user feedback, your CMS must provide that functionality or allow third party plug-in to do so. Equally, if you want a community on your site then you will require functionality such as chat, forums, comments and ratings. As a minimum you will require the ability to post forms and collect the responses. How easy does the CMS make this process? Can you customize the fields or does that require technical expertise? What about the results? Can you specify who they are emailed to? Can they be written to a database or outputted as an excel document? Consider the type of functionality that you will require and look for a CMS that supports that. Rolesandpermissions As the number of content providers increase, you will want more control over who can edit what. For example, personnel should be able to post job advertisements but not add content to the homepage. This requires a content management system that supports permissions. Although implementation can vary, permissions normally allow you to specify whether users to edit specific pages or even entire sections of the site. As the number of contributors grows still further you may require one individual to review the content being posted to ensure accuracy and consistent tone. Alternatively content might be inputted by a junior member of staff who requires the approval of somebody more senior before making that content live. In both cases this requires a cms that supports multiple roles. This can be as simple as editors and approver, or complex allowing customized roles with different permissions. Finally, enterprise level content management systems support entire workflows where a page update has to go through a series of checkpoints before being allowed to go live. These complex scenarios require the ability to roll back pages to a pervious version. Being able to revert to a previous version of a page allows you to quickly recover if something is posted by accident. Some content management systems have complex versioning that allow you to rollback to a specific date. However, in most cases this is overkill. The most common use of versioning is simply to return to the last saved state. Although this sounds like an indispensable feature, in my experience it is rarely used expect in complex workflow situations. That said, although versioning was once a enterprise level tool it is increasingly becoming available in most content management systems. This is also true of multi-site support. Multiplesitesupport With more content management systems allowing you to run multiple websites from the same installation, I would recommend that this is a must-have feature. Although you may not currently need to manage more than a single site, that could change. You may decide to launch a new site targeting a different audience. Alternatively with the growth of the mobile web, you may create a separate site designed for mobile devices. Whatever the reason, having the flexibility to run multiple websites is important. Multilingualsupport It is easy to dismiss the need to support multiple languages. Your site may be targeted specifically at the domestic market or you may sell a language specific product. However think twice before dismissing this requirement. Even if your product is language specific, that could change. It is important that your cms can grow with your business and changing requirements. Also just because you are targeting the domestic market does not mean you can ignore language. We live in a multicultural society where numerous languages are spoken. Being able to accommodate these differences provides a significant edge on your competition. That said; do think through the ramifications of this requirement. Just because you have the ability to add multiple languages doesnt mean you have the content. Too many of my clients have insisted on multilingual support and yet have never used it. They have failed to consider where they are going to get the content translated and how they intend to pay for it. Success Criteria: A central WCMS is implemented and accepted by primary stakeholders including academic and academic support web site Clear roles and responsibilities are established for content creation, maintenance, and the support of the technology In-scope web sites are to the content management system Stakeholders are kept informed of developments and are provided with opportunities to comment and participate After Evaluation of WSM criteria I have created this WSM model which can help me to choose best CMS system for WCMS. Work Breakdown Structure: Project Name: Web Content Management System Project planning/feasibility study (requirements stage) Study on the project issues Develop the project plan System analysis Analysis of its requirements pre analysis selecting a supplier How many servers will be required, procuring hardware etc. Procuring hardware and software System design Develop system design Context diagram/ system boundary DFD ERD Final database The final solution map Develop content management activities. Develop content management activities CMS objects CMS emails Find relevant contents Moving contents from old website to the new one. Archiving mechanisms Operating environment made ready implementation/coding Creating basic pages with different logged areas Implement menu structure Implement site authentication Implement site modules web editors trained for use of CMS integration and testing Developed module for testing Test modules Test full site Test in the working environment Acceptance Check developed module and suggests changes Client testing Acceptance by the sponsors for the launch of new system installation Move site from developers server to live server Changes made System installed in the real environment. Deployment (training) Train IT support staff Construct training schedule Give training for use of the CMS system Verify user readiness Give editor course after 6 months of deployment. Implementation Plan: The high-level timeline follows for implementation. [A key weakness in estimating dates is the current unknown availability date of the vendor. Here we assume availability to develop SOW as soon as the contract is finalized.] Assumptions for the following timeline include: Contract negotiations are successful Actual award is not delayed after successful negotiations Vendor can engage as soon as contract negotiations are complete Two weeks off over winter break and one week over Thanksgiving break Availability of other team resources as specified below Twenty percent reduction in capacity due to furloughs and staff loss Implementation Strategy: The strategy to implement the new centrally supported WCMS site process includes the following work elements. Procurement negotiate a contract with the vendor and complete the purchase of the application. System Design and Installation design and installation of hardware, software, and process components supporting the application environment Requirements, Configuration, and Development requirements elicitation, configuration and development of the application to meet user requirements Deployment Management create a deployment plan for release of infrastructure, configurations, development projects, and assure release readiness. Documentation and Communication collect and organize documentation and project communication. Implementation Work Package Description: Procurement: Procurement and Business Contracts will procure software, consultation time, and three-year support contract from the selected vendor. System design and installation: The technical aspects of the system implementation will be conducted by a core technical team including two ITS team leads, PM, and rotating technical experts depending upon work products (programming, security, server admin, network, architects, IDM manager, etc.) Disaster recovery is a deliverable of this workgroup. Requirements will be gathered, options reviewed, and feasible option implemented. Because no precedent at UCSC for off-site disaster recovery is available, the options will be researched and analyzed for feasibility. The lack of precedent will be verified. Specific deliverables are listed in section 4.2. Functional Requirements, Configurations Development: Logical configuration of the application to meet business needs will include developing knowledge of the application function as well as the partner business requirements. Also key will be engagement with the vendor to understand best practices. Unlike technical configuration, functional configuration includes definition of business requirements related elements such as users/roles/groups, workflows, and user interface configurations. Hannon Hill Cascade Server has components that combine templates, configuration settings, and user groups together. A logical analysis of the best configuration is critical to maintaining scalability and functionality. This configuration team will engage and include technical team members and migration team members in developing requirements and specifications for configuration and development. To the extent required to meet project deliverables, the team will gather business requirements, create specifications, and develop scripts, API interfaces, and external application integration. Specific deliverables are listed in section 4.2. Deployment Management: A core team including team leads will be responsible for deployment planning, will develop a checklist of activities and tests that must be performed prior to deployment, and will be accountable for their successful completion prior to deployment. Documentation and Communication: This team will be responsible for assuring that documentation to be handed off to the service team is created by the appropriate sub-teams and is stored/ organized in the appropriate place prior to project close. This includes: Technical documentation Technical training materials Application configuration User training materials Requirements

Parkson Corporation Analysis

Parkson Corporation Analysis The objectives of this report is to present the findings of the strategic analysis conducted for Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd and recommend the key strategies that the organization should implement in order to against with their competitor. So, the report begins by examining the general environment that affect the growth of organization, industry condition by using Porters Five Forces Analysis. The discussion part will describe the three stakeholders that affect the decision making of company and organization direction. Next, review the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats which can call SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis determines and specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective for company. Lastly, discuss about the key selection criteria and recommendations for Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd. to identify their strategies to against their main competitiv e and maintain its market share, market value and also their company reputation. 1.3  Scope of the report This report had covered the operations of Parkson Company in China, Vietnam and Malaysia. For information, the report had analyzed the internal and external environment and also its industrial conditions and competitors which are the factors of operation growth for Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd. Moreover, the online research such as online article, online magazine, online newspaper that related to Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd is the major information sources for the analysis. 1.4 Limitations Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd has their limitation too. Firstly, not all customers know the strategy of Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd. It causes them to lose their confidence towards the company. For example, from the operations of Parkson Company in China, it was showed that the market shares drop significantly. It highly depend on China causes customers to lose confidence because of their lack of the information about the company. Besides, the company sometimes showed some uncertain of their real performance and problems. The reason behind is sometimes the actions do not reflect what the report have mentioned so called transparency issues. Furthermore, Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd cannot purchase their products through online. It show the inconvenient to the customers when they are not free or busy. In addition, it has their limited target market. They only focus more on the high income ladies. Therefore, it shows that it has no obvious competitive advantage compare with other competito rs. Thus, without the important information, the company will face lots of difficult problem. In order to solve their problems for their company, they must try to improve their operation management. 2.0 Background Of The Organization Parkson was one of the well known shopping malls. There was a lot of Parkson outlet can be found around the world. In other country such as China and Vietnam, there was a lot of Parkson outlet were available to be shop. Parkson was one of the largest department store company in China and Parkson currently has 35 outlets in Malaysia.Parkson branded department stores was divided into 36 brand and 2 Xtra branded. Parkson was established in the year of 1987. In Malaysia, the founder of Parkson was the retailing arm of the Lion Group and it is rapidly became one of the largest shopping malls in Malaysia. As an example, we can find Parkson outlet in Kuala Lumpur such as Subang Parade, Pavilion and other stated as well in Malaysia. Inside the Parkson, it has divided into few departments. The departments were strategically divided into different market segments and locations. The main purpose of the segmentations was preventing the customer to be confusing as the stores are categorized into 3 tiers depending on suitability of market and location. Since the Parkson was one of the successful shopping mall, it has been given a lot of achievements as their growing from strength to strength. Parkson always strive to do away with the conventions and to bring a fresh perspective to the retail industry. As an example, Parkson has been given a title of Malaysia Most Valuable Brands in 2009 or known as MMVB. MMVB is a part of a national brand valuation study commissioned by an Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia and conducted by Interbrand. Other achievement such as Certificate of Excellence Awarded to Parkson Pavilion being the Overall Best Retail Outlet in 2009/2010 and achievements that had achieved by Parkson. Parkson has its own moving forward target or mission. Parkson will constantly stays true to the needs and aspirations of the consumers. It has promises to continue to improve themselves in order to stay relevant. Parkson has emergence of younger age c onsumers who are well travelled, brand or image conscious and lifestyle-oriented will be the key of Parkson considerations which will lead Parkson lead the Parkson brand strategy. 4.0 Strategic Options Based on the situation analysis conducted, several strategic options or alternatives are proposed for the organisation. These strategic options include: 1. Set target customer higher We suggest Parkson Holdings upgrade their operation system and relocation their business direction by set their target customer among medium class income and upper class income customer. Parkson Holdings also can invite more branded company such as Gucci, LV and other come set their shop lot. There are few shopping center that sell luxury goods in Malaysia and previously Parkson Holdings image in public already is a high cost expenses shopping center. So now, we suggest Parkson Holdings try to upgrade their image and specific their customer segment, which medium and high classes income customers. 2. Refurbishing and Construct a new building For example, Parkson renovate the whole buildings by upgrade its store image and profile. Parkson can refine all the merchandise to higher income products and brand mix. This indirectly can enhance the productivity of retail space. Besides revamp the whole buildings, we would suggest that Parkson re-construct the building for instance let Mahkota Parade to be the Parkson Holdings shopping complex. Parkson will do all their business activities inside the shopping complex. Besides that, they also can rent their shop lots to other suppliers or clients to earn profits. 3. Preserving cash for potential MA opportunities and retail property acquisition Table 1. Major MAs Announced During 2006 MA Value (RM Billion) Parkson Retail Group, Lion Diversified Holdings Bhd, and Amalgamated Containers Bhd 4.3 Source: PWC Research As we can see from the Table 1 above, when Parkson Retail Group merged with Lion Diversified Holdings Bhd, and Amalgamated Containers Bhd, it can create the value of RM4.3 billion. Thus, we suggest that Parkson can choose to preserve some cash for potential mergers and acquisition opportunities and retail property acquisition. As mentioned in the first strategy, we suggest Parkson target medium and high classes income customers. Therefore, Parkson can choose to merge with Cold storage producers that sell high quality products like organic foods and used organic production method. We select organic foods as green products and services are now becoming the center attention of consumers. 4. Diversified product line to other industry and Retail space We suggest Parkson to invest in hotel industry other than just Parkson shopping centre complex. For example: we can refer to Hatten square which have their own buildings for retail shopping complex and also hospitality service suites in addition come out the ideas of Information Technology (IT) in their buildings. In addition, according to Parkson, it will target to expand its retail space by 15% 20% each year or 9-12 new stores in the countries where it operates. Hence, we suggest that Parkson can target country like India as India now is a fast growing country. If globalization success, this indirectly can helps in the formation of international financial system. 5. Go green projects For example, we can convey to Parkson Subang Parade, Parkson Corporation Sdn. Bhd. by implemented the No Plastic Bag Day Every Saturday green campaign  to reduce plastic bags in response of Environmental Social Responsibility (ESR). However, this strategy only covers in Selangor State. Thus, we suggest that this strategy can be further implemented to all parts of Malaysia. Furthermore, we also could follow the step of 1 Utama shopping mall in Petaling Jaya by come out a secret garden which has the system that reduces its usage of treated pipe water by 30%, and a building automation system with sensors that automatically adjust lighting and temperature. Moreover, we also can could followed the step of Tesco Greener Living by come out green gifts which using recycle material to handmade products. 6. Involve in Charity Apart from that, money that we earn from the Green projects will donate to the society for charity work. Parkson can also join charities and support groups that concentrate on eco-friendly lifestyles and choices. Parkson can donate items to schools, churches, city clubs and organizations. Parkson can promote themselves at eco-friendly events and give away items like free gifts or sample at school fairs, carnivals, or local cities farmers market. Involved in such events and can help people can become aware of contributing to the health of our planet and indirectly to help Parkson build a superior images in market. Key selection criteria According to Brundtland Commission (1987), sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is a worthy goal for small and big businesses everywhere, especially for globalization organization. As members of various communities, we know that society, the environment, and the economy are interconnected. In order to maintain sustainable image and revenue, Parkson will appear few strategies that try to create and more focus on awareness, reputation, make profit and efficiency when making strategies. Profit maximisation is the aim of the owners and shareholders. Company will try to make the most profit as possible. One of the essential factors for Parkson needs to focus its sales growth. Parkson need make as many sales as possible. This may be because we believe that the survival of the business depends on being large. Large businesses can also benefit from economies of scale. In order to this cases, Parkson will attempt to upgrade its store image and profile, diversified product line to other industry and also can merger or joint-venture with other sector industry. When Parkson struggle to merger with other sector industry or use differentiation strategy, it can help Parkson establish good reputation by thrust business into the limelight and open doors for Parkson. Besides, it also can assist Parkson to partner with a larger company such as Lion Diversified Holdings Bhd  [1]  , and Amalgamated Containers Bhd to access their large list of customers and it will frankly improve   Parkson profitability and EPS. Parkson can share the risks with partner and help to gain higher competitiveness; nevertheless it can be rigid Parkson to enter the new market and it will become barrier to entry for Parkson. Pay attention to the environmental impact of our economic practices, and try to ensure that our communities are healthy, pleasant places to live. Nowadays, organizations started to paying attention and actively producing greener products and services to create a center of attention consumers. Parkson Corporation Sdn. Bhd. actively involved in sustainable development and follows the pace to adopt environmentally sound business principles and translate these into action. Parkson Corporation CEO raises awareness and reputation at this time, and he believes that the positive impact for the environment is immense for 2011 and well into the future. He adopt this approach because he believe and aware that operating a green business is not only good for the environment but good for their businesss bottom line because conserving resources and cutting down on waste saves money However, Parkson Corporation Sdn. Bhd. promotes No Plastic Bag Day only covers in Selangor State initially, it haven i mplement in other states. Environmentalism is no enough for certain places; it should engage numerous metropolitan areas and every branch in promoting the use of eco friendly bags in order to get more efficient and successful effects. Even thorough Parkson Corporation Sdn. Bhd. had implement eco-friendly, nevertheless it still no adequate to contributing to a healthy world and healthier place for us and for the future. Parkson should put more improvement and enhancement to implement eco-friendly. For example, we can follow the step of Tesco Greener Living by come out green gifts which using recycle material to handmade products. We also can put more focus of store on the eco-friendly category. Parkson can let customers see that there are practicing what their sell. If customers feel like you have a true passion about the environment, it will help them purchase these items with confidence. If customer is interested in an item, try to offer them a similar item that is eco-friendly. It not merely can make contribution to making the world a better place; it also straightforwardly can enhance and create awareness to customers and build customer loyalty. In order to determine where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determine where it wants to go and how it will get there. Parkson need to carefully establish unique value proposition and strategies compared to competitors, executed through operations that provide different and tailored value to customers and drives continual improvement within the organization and moves it toward its vision in order to become market leaders in market. 6.0 Recommendation Key Questions Option/Hypothesis/ Recommendation Decision Criteria Pros Cons (i)Parkson had started to pay attention to the environmental impact of our economic practices, and try to ensure that our communities are healthy, pleasant places to live. (i)Parkson should propose the shop outlet to have a zero plastic bag day in order to archive a green environment target. (ii)Zero plastic on Saturday was not enough to influence the customer to be more green environmental minded but should apply to other day as well. (i)No plastic bag was given to the customer whenever the customers purchase their stuff in Parkson during Saturday period. (ii)The customers who really or ask for the plastics bag will be charge for 20 cent each. (i) A green business able to provide a better environment and also a good for their businesss bottom line because conserving resources and cutting down on waste saves money. (ii) Able to prevent damaging the environment from the chemicals in cleaning products that are sprayed out into the air. (i)There will be some of the customer dislike the strategy of the Parkson (ii)The customer might be dislike to shop on Saturday. (iii)The non given plastic bag strategy might cause the sales of the Parkson drops. (iv)Other competitors might gains advantages on Parkson strategy and increase their sales. Since everyone of the shopping mall had started to pay attention on the green environment activities, the Parkson also had started the move on it. Most of the shopping complex had their own strategy like no plastic bag will be provide to the customer who purchase stuff or item on Saturday. We believe that it is not enough for Parkson to active on this program. As a result, Parkson can improve it by having more zero plastic bag days for the week. Nevertheless, it is important for the shop outlet in Parkson to be corporate with them as well. The shop outlet also can propose not to provide plastic bag to the customer. In directly, it can help our environment to be a better place and also can help them to save their cost. (ii) How Parkson time to times change improve their Parkson images and environment of the shopping complex? (i) Parkson can create their own super market and no need other super market or hyper market such as Cold Storage. With this, Parkson can have a better environment and gain more competitive advantages. (ii) Once Parkson have their own brand name, they can try to sell their product at other shopping mall in order to have a different shopping environment for the customer. (i)Parkson always construct or renovate their building As an example in Malacca( Mahkota Parade had relocate the shop location and paint their building. (i) Parkson able has a better management for the shop. (ii) Parkson able to generate new image, give new shopping feels and attract more customer to shopping. (iii) They also can rent their shop lots to other suppliers or clients to earn profits. (v) Parkson upgrade their operation system and relocation their business direction. (i)It might comsume a lot capital for the renovation and building construction in order to have a new building. (ii)Is hard to find a new place or location to construct a new building (iii)When there is a renovation, it might disturb the businesses which are going on. (iv)When there is a renovation, A lot of space consuming will be required. Such as the place to store the renovation stuffs and parking lots. When time past, the customer might be started to get bored due to the unchangeable environment or shop in the Parkson. As a result, Parkson had started to change their image and the shopping environmental. As we can see, most of the Parkson had reconstructs their building, painting their building and so on. I believe that it is not enough to satisfy the customer needs. Parkson can try to create their own super market or hyper market instead of renting their space to the Cold Storage or Giant. It can help them to gain more competitive advantage and have a better shopping environment for the customers. It might include a lot of capital but we believe that Parkson able to generate more profit in the future. By that time, Parkson no longer depend to other super market or hyper market but it has it own brand or name of the super market. (iii)What capability should Parkson develop to ensure the success? (i)High diversification to increase the profit. (ii) Since Parkson have their own member card or member day, Parkson should have more attractive reward which can redeem by the customer with the bonus link point. (iii) Parkson should attract more investor to invest in to their share as well. With a huge capital provide from the investor, Parkson can develop more their shopping more or maybe have a better management. (i)High diversification. (ii)Differentiation strategy. (iii)Focusing on their product line. (i)Less risk with the premium pricing and increase retail consumer market. (ii) Parkson able to gain more competitive advantages. (iii) With a interesting or attractive reward, it can indirectly influence the customer to spend more on their products. (i)Economic downturn. (ii)Competitor strategy to counter the Parkson strategy. (iii) If investment by the Parkson fail will cause the investor occurs loss. (iv) The cost of the reward to member might include a huge capital. Parkson was one of the famous shopping mall. In every department of the Parkson, we can find a lot of product sell by them and it has show Parkson product is highly diversified. It is one of a good strategy to increase the profit. But there is a weakness among them. Most of the product sell by them were more to the female department comparing with department. Parkson should implement differentiation strategy and make the diversification in to more wide area. Focus more on the product line and make it balance well be one of the great solutions for this matter.