Effecting communication and information Essay Example for Free

Effecting communication and information Essay Recruitment and Retention Process and Documentation WHSmith was established in 1792 by a man named Henry Walton Smith, and his wife Anna, but was established under the name H W Smith. After their deaths, the business was passed on to their two sons; Henry Edward, and William Henry Smith. The business was renamed to WHSmith as William was the older of the two and he was the more able businessman. WHSmith today, as one of the biggest retail groups in the UK, it is made up of two core businesses; high street retail, and travel retail. They have approximately 17,000 employees working in either of the 543 High Street stores or the 129 Travel stores in the UK. The manner in which a person is employed within WHSmith would obviously have to start with a job opening. This opening can be due to one of many reasons. For example: If a new store is opened or if someone has left his or her job. From there on, the steps taken would start off with WHSmiths Human Resources Department making a job specification, which consists of the job details. Here is an example of a job specification for an opening at WHSmith as an assistant manager: Job Specification Vacancy Role Title: Assistant Manager London (North/South/East/West) Role Level: Assistant Manager Region: London Location: London Salary: i 17,000 i 23,000 Details: You will be required to work six days a week. In your role as assistant manager, it will be your duty to assist the retail manager in his day-to-day work. This job is very demanding and you never know, it may be the just the job for you. In a position as assistant manager, you will be given two weeks paid holiday a year. Person Specification: Role: We are looking for a good team player, with proven retail management experience, good communication, a target driven approach plus the ambition and potential to succeed. The Assistant Manager is responsible for achieving store sales targets by leading, motivating and developing the store team to achieve sales targets and customer service standards and to support the Store Manager. The next step would be for them to produce a person specification, which outlines the type of person they are looking for (for example: qualifications, previous experience etc. ). WHSmith would then plan on advertising the job in a number of different places so as to attract attention towards the job opening. Advertisement is very costly and it would be in the best interests of WHSmith to get the job details and specifications absolutely spot on. Once all of this information has been gathered, it is then advertised in a number of places (i. e. the internet, job centre etc. ). WHSmith have recently started to recruit online with an Internet based job recruiting process. The next step involves people applying for that specific job by providing their relevant documents, which will then be analysed by WHSmiths Human Resources department. Applicants are then short-listed and a number of the applicants are selected. I have provided a WHSmith job application form with my assignment. The selected applicants will then be asked to provide references from two or more reliable sources. These would be from people like previous employers and former educational teachers. Those who are selected as people who seem like suitable candidates for the job will then be invited for a formal interview at a WHSmith. A senior member of staff would usually carry out this interview. The data that is derived from the interview is then analysed and compared to the prepared person specification. After a long, time-consuming process, and a lot of money being spent, the successful candidate is then offered the job. In the case of WHSmith and the job specification I have given, this candidate would have to have previous experience in a retail management position, and would basically be the person that they see as the best man/woman for the job. P2 Employability, Personal and Communication Skills Assistant Manager Role The Assistant Manager is responsible for achieving store sales targets by leading, motivating and developing the store team to achieve sales targets and customer service standards and to support the Store Manager. The job role is related to the Person Specification. Person Specification The person specification asks for someone with the following traits: We are looking for a good team player, with proven retail management experience, good communication, a target driven approach plus the ambition and potential to succeed. These skills are all placed on the person specification for a reason. The Personal Skills outlined here are: Â  Someone who is a team player An assistant manager will be required to work with the manager as part of a team. They also have to be a team leader, as outlined in the job role. Â  Someone with a target driven approach In a high position like this, it is necessary that an assistant manager knows how to tackle set targets and that they approach these targets whole-heartedly. Â  Someone with the ambition and potential to succeed If an assistant manager does not wish to progress, then they will not give the job their full attention. It is better that they want to, and are able to succeed so that they can have a positive impact on the business. It is also their job to motivate the store team and it would be hard to do so if he/she wasnt motivated him/herself. The Employability skills outlined here are: Â  Someone with proven retail management experience It is absolutely vital that someone who wants to work as an assistant manager, has some previous experience managing a store or people, and was good at doing so. The Communication skills outlined here are:Â  Someone with good communication It is essential that, as an assistant manager, you are able to communicate well. This is due to the fact that an assistant manager is required to communicate messages to both the manager, and the store team. P3 Electronic and Non-Electronic methods for communicating business information There are many different methods of communication. These can be divided into two different categories: Electronic (non-written), and Non-Electronic (written). Methods of communication that would come under Written Communication would be things like: Â  SMS (Text Message) Methods of communications that would come under Electronic Communication would be things along the lines of: Meetings Both Written Communication and Electronic Communication have their advantages. These advantages differ depending on the audience which is being addressed. The recipient is very important when it comes to the type of communication that is being used. Within The Organisation Within the organisation the methods of communication that I would use would be things like: Meetings In an organisation, it is inevitable that there will be meetings held. These are usually used to discuss improvement, the current status of the organisation, and to get staff to contribute their ideas. Customers These are the methods of communication that I would use to communicate with the customers: Publicity Materials To tell the truth, this is an obvious one really. The way to get customers is through publicity. If your organisation is a well known one, it is more likely to prosper. Â  Advertisements In my opinion, advertisements should be used by all major and even small organisations. These should outline things like services provided and special offers to attract more customers. Suppliers Here are some of the methods of communications I would use to communicate with suppliers of goods etc. : Â  Letters These are a great way of communicating and people have been using them for centuries. I would use letters to communicate with suppliers because it is not a long time consuming method of communicating. You just write what you need to say, put it in an envelope, post it, and the recipient gets it the next day! Easy Peasy! * Telephone This is one of the simplest, most direct ways of communicating with people today. Talking with suppliers on the telephone would mean that all of the business involving matters like deliveries, times, amounts, and other things can all be sorted out in a matter of minutes. P4 Sources of Information External Source. This information is external (outside of the business) information that I have taken from the BBC website. Here is the link, as evidence of information: http://newsvote. bbc. co. uk/1/shared/fds/hi/business/market_data/shares/3/23473/twelve_month. stm I have provided information on WHSmiths share prices. From this graph we can see the rise and fall in WHSmiths share price value in the year 2007. The current (exact) value of their shares on the 13th of December 2007 at 14:22 is i 324. 75. We can see that the peak of their share value this year was in March. The lowest point was in late November. Internal Source This information is internal (within the business) information that I have taken from WHSmiths Annual report. Here is the link, as evidence of information: http://www. whsmithplc. com/grp/WHSPLC-IR-AR07. pdf I have provided information on WHSmiths Profits for the years 2006 and 2007. From this information we can see the increase in profits and the percentage increase. Year 2006 2007 Increase in Profit Percentage Increase Profit i m (Before Tax) i 51 i 66 i 15 29. 41% We can see that their profit for the year 2006 was i 51million, the profit for the year 2007 was i 66million, the increase in profit was i 15million, and the percentage increase is 29. 41%. Here is a column graph showing the information. Secondary Source Secondary information is information that I will be using. This information is already in existence, but has been gathered by other people, and not myself. I will be using information from WHSmiths annual report. This information was gathered by WHSmith, within the corporation. Here is the link as evidence of information: http://www. whsmithplc.com/grp/WHSPLC-IR-AR07. pdf I have provided information on WHSmiths Carbon Emissions for the last five years. From this we can see the increases and decreases in Carbon Emissions. Year 2002/3 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 Carbon Dioxide Emissions (kg) 0. 9 0. 76 0. 82 0. 79 0. 71 We can see that, in the period 2002/3, their Emissions were very high. In the period 2003/4, these Emissions are reduced significantly. In the period 2004/5, these Emissions are increased, and in 2005/6 they are again decreased. In the period 2006/7, these Emissions are decreased furthermore. We can see that WHSmith have successfully reduced their Carbon Emissions. P5 Presentation of information I have been asked to present the data aquired in three different methods. Here is the Share Price information presented in a line graph: Profit i million (before tax) I will be using a column graph and a line graph to present this information. Column Graph Line Graph Carbon Dioxide Emissions I will be using a column graph and a line graph to present this information. Column Graph Line Graph I will now be using a power point presentation to present all of this information.

Teachers Need to Feel Empowered and in Control of their Career Essay

What does 2.0 look like? I became a teacher when spiders spun webs and a library teacher when the Internet was accessed through the telephone. I was an early adopter and adapter of everything 1.0. I embraced the magic of the CD-Rom, remember Encyclopedia Encarta. What a revelation. I became a librarian the same year that the card catalogue was replaced by lookup stations. I have no idea about creating a title, subject or author card but boy can I come up with the perfect key words for a Boolean search. During the days of Web 1.0 I taught students who were just as awed by computers and astounded with the Internet as I was. Together we explored this new digital world. Today the digital natives look upon computers and the Internet as a ubiquitous component of school and education. I understand. That’s all they have known. I know that I need to continue to embrace the new technologies. I need to continue to be on the cutting edge, be aware of the newest and coolest, what is the n ext Twitter, Facebook or YouTube and, most importantly, how can this technology be used to impact student learning. To that end I am a teacher leader in the area of technology. If a volunteer is needed for a presentation I’m the one. This year I have used Prezi to present copyright law to my staff at school. I have also coordinated building-wide training for district wide tech competencies assessment. I have been on the school’s technology leadership team since the school opened. I see myself as a leader in the field of technology integration. In order to help students and staff keep current with the software and now apps, that are available. I have embraced LibGuides a data management program that has revolutionized the old library pathfinders and web quest... ...ally policy, but also best teaching practices. These conferences have empowered me to take on these leadership roles in my school district and local NEA association. My primary objective after any of these professional growth experiences is to share them with my colleagues. And to that end I make it a practice to mentor new educators. I am also guide the students to think of the field of education as a valid career choice. I am concerned that with the negative image of education and educators, the poor economic climate that our smartest and gifted students and new teachers will not consider a career as a teacher, or continue in that career. I believe that if teachers feel empowered and in control of their career they will not only remain in education they will make a difference in the life of a child. And they will continue in this worthwhile and important career.

Angels in America Essay Essay

Tony Kushner’s play, Angels In America, explores the trials of the journey of human life through the development of his characters throughout the play. When Rabbi Chemelwitz says â€Å"Great Voyages is this world do not any more exist. † (Millennium 16) he speaks only the partial truth. It is true that none of the characters at the funeral can make the same kind of trip Sarah Ironson made, the pilgrimage from her home to a foreign land across the Atlantic. However, the voyage to America Sarah took and the various struggles the characters face have many parallels. Instead of the physical trials of Sarah’s great voyage, they are faced with equally as difficult emotional problems that cause them to make certain choices in the great voyage of their lives. Every character faces some psychological journey throughout the play that takes them to new places emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The best example of all three of these journeys is Prior’s development through the play. Prior’s great voyage is the most obvious and widely explained of any of the characters in the play. We first meet Prior at what he knows is a turning point in his life: telling Louis he has AIDS. He says â€Å"K. S. baby. Lesion number one. † (27) telling Louis he is going to die. This is clearly an immensely difficult decision or Prior because he then goes on to say how afraid he is that Louis will leave him. This is the first real step in Prior’s â€Å"great voyage. † Everything else that happens to Prior is a result of this one act. The most immediate and drastic change brought about by this decision is that Louis confirms Prior’s fears and leaves him. After Louis leaves, Prior is thrown into a deep state of depression. His emotional struggle at this point is a perfect parallel for the initial hardships suffered by immigrants immediately after they leave home. In both cases, their lives are drastically changed by some decision which leads to some form of hardship. For the immigrant, it is the physical hardship of adjusting to life at sea and the emotional hardship of losing their home. For Prior, it is the physical hardship of his own body betraying him due to his AIDS and the emotional shock of needing to live without having Louis as a part of his life. The point where we truly see Prior’s voyage is in Perestroika when he climbs the ladder to heaven. The voyage to heaven and back is Prior’s physical great voyage in the play. Everything else has lead up to this culmination of his journey. Prior: But still. Still. Bless me anyway. I want more life. I can’t help myself. I do. I’ve lived through such terrible times, and there are people who live through much worse, but†¦ You see them living anyway. When they’re more spirit than body, more sores than skin, when they’re burned and in agony, when flies lay eggs in the corners of the eyes f their children, they live. (Perestroika 267) When Prior says this, it shows that even though he recognizes that his life is awful, and life in general can be awful, he wants to go on living. While it may seem contradictory, it ends up working out for him in the end when he and Louis make up in the epilogue, or final chapter of Prior’s great voyage. Prior manages to reverse all of the bad about him, except for the AIDS, and even that he is able to beat with his wish for more life. Harper’s great voyage is also another voyage in which the character taking it changes completely. She starts the play as a hopeless drug addled housewife, unable to even truly take care of herself. This is shown in her introduction to the play. She is portrayed as a semi-mad woman who talks to her hallucinations more than actual people. Harper even realizes this is wrong when she says â€Å"Weird stuff happens†¦ like you, for instance. † (Millennium 23) She realizes something is clearly wrong yet does nothing about it. As the play progresses though, she gains more confidence in herself and eventually confronts Joe about his homosexuality. She comes out and directly asks him, â€Å"Are you a homo? † (43) after her hallucination with Prior. This is a huge step for her because she has always had her suspicions about Joe but has never confronted him about it before. Now however, she begins to change. She gains confidence and winds up leaving Joe. It is at this point when she takes a journey with Mr. Lies to try to get away from her life in New York. Unfortunately, the hallucinations are only a temporary distraction as first, Joe finds his way into them and second, she eventually comes back to her senses and is arrested for burning a tree in Central Park. Finally, at the end of her great voyage, she gains enough self-confidence and assurance to make a physical voyage all the way out to San Francisco. A third character who goes on a great voyage through the play is Louis. He originally starts out unable to deal with the reality of Prior having AIDS so he leaves him. However, although he left Prior, he feels truly guilty and awful about it so tries to cover it up. He first tries to bury it by not focusing on it. This is shown by his entire speech at Belize. He doesn’t really want to talk about politics and racism in America, it is his way of coping with the soul-eating guilt that is killing him. He later tries to bury it through sex, â€Å"Keep going. Infect me. I don’t care. I don’t care. †(63) He says this to a random stranger indicating that he feels so guilty, he would rather catch AIDS and die than live with his guilt. He doesn’t stop after this though. He says â€Å"I have to find a way to save myself. † (85) indicating that although Prior is the one with AIDS, he is still only worried about himself. Finally, he continues his downward spiral with Joe. He says â€Å"Let’s stop talking. Or if you have to talk, talk dirty. † This show that he is really not worried in the slightest about Prior at this point and is still only worried about himself. Eventually though, he start to miss Prior, shown when he tells Joe â€Å"I just†¦ need to see him again. † He has the realization that he has greatly wronged Prior and goes back to try and make amends. However, Prior refuses to take him back and although they are no longer lovers, he and Prior are at least back to friends in the epilogue. Louis’ great voyage is an emotional roller coaster in which he eventually does the right thing and makes up with Prior. All of these characters go through great voyages over the course of the play. They change emotionally, physically and psychologically due to them. While Rabbi Chemelwitz may have been technically right when he said they could not go on a great voyage because they are already in America, he is speaking the literal truth. However, the play does not truly bear this out as every character undergoes some fundamental change after going through what can only be described as a great voyage.

Washington College Admissions and Acceptance Rate

Only around half of those who apply to Washington College are accepted. Learn more about the admissions requirements and what it takes to go to this college. About Washington College Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, Washington College has a long and rich history. The college was recently awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its many strengths in the liberal arts and sciences. The Center for Environment Society, the C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, and the Rose O’Neill Literary House are all valuable resources for supporting undergraduate education. Popular majors include Business Administration, Economics, English, Biology, and Psychology. Washington Colleges location in scenic Chestertown, Maryland, provides students with opportunities to explore the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Chester River. On the athletic front, the Washington College Shoremen and Shorewomen compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. The college fields seven mens and nine womens varsity sports. Popular sports include basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis, and rowing. The college also has a co-ed sailing team. Admissions Data (2016) Washington College Acceptance Rate: 49  percentWashington College has test-optional admissionsGPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Washington CollegeWhat these SAT numbers meanTop Maryland colleges SAT comparisonWhat these ACT numbers meanTop Maryland colleges ACT comparison Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 1,479  (all undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 44 percent Male / 56 percent Female99  percent Full-time Costs (2016-17) Tuition and Fees: $43,842Books: $850 (why so much?)Room and Board: $10,824Other Expenses: $2,990Total Cost: $58,506 Washington College Financial Aid (2015-16) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 98  percentPercentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 98 percentLoans: 62 percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $25,533Loans: $7,671 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Biology, Business Administration, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, History, Political Science, Psychology, Environmental Studies Transfer, Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 86  percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 70 percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 73  percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports:  Lacrosse, Soccer, Rowing, Baseball, Basketball, Swimming, TennisWomens Sports:  Volleyball, Swimming, Soccer, Tennis, Softball, Rowing, Basketball, Lacrosse, Field Hockey Washington College and the Common Application Washington College uses the  Common Application. These articles can help guide you: Common Application essay tips and samplesShort answer tips and samplesSupplemental essay tips and samples If You Like Washington College, You May Also Like These Schools University of Delaware: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTowson University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphGoucher College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphAmerican University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphDrexel University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTemple University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphHood College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphBoston University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphJohns Hopkins University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphStevenson University: Profile  Georgetown University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUrsinus College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Washington College Mission Statement mission statement from http://www.washcoll.edu/about/our-mission.php Washington College challenges and inspires emerging citizen leaders to discover lives of purpose and passion. Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics