Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Review of Literature Essay Example for Free

Review of Literature Essay 2.1Introduction This chapter reviewed the available literatures written on this topic and in other related areas in this chapter. This was made possible by the identification, collection and review of these literatures from various sources such as text books, journals, reports and the internet. 2.2The Concept of ATM ATM is typically made up of the CPU for controlling the user interface and transaction devices, magnetic or Chip card reader for identifying the customer, display which is used by the customer for performing the transaction, function buttons usually close to the display or a Touch screen used to select the various aspects of the transaction and a record printer which provides the customer with a record of a transaction (Cronin and Mary, 1997). Most ATMs are connected to inter bank networks, enabling people to withdraw and deposit money from machines not belonging to the bank where they have their account or in the country where their accounts are held thus enabling cash withdrawals in local currency (Maxwell, 1990). They are often identified by signs above them indicating the name of the bank owning them. 2.2.1Evolution of ATM ATM is said to have evolved from early cash dispenser and is said to have first been introduced in the early 1970’s. The dispensers were operated by a token inform of a punch card. This enables a customer to withdraw as sachets of suitable values of bank notes. These sachets processes and then return the card to the customers. Another source has it that ATM concept was started around 1967, and that it was first installed in Endfield town, on the London Borough of Endfield by Barclays Bank. Thomas (1996). This is said to have been accredited to John Shepherded Baron, although George Simon registered patent in New York and Don Wetzel and two other Engineers from Docatel Company also registered patent in June/ April 1973. Brendan (1996). This in the second generation was improved to the extent that made it possible to count proved money. 2.2.2Operation of ATM ATMs typically connect directly to their ATM Controller via either a dial-up modem over a telephone line or directly via a leased line. Leased lines are preferable because they require less time to establish a connection. Musiime and Biyaki, (2010). It is observed that, most modern ATMs, the customer is identified by inserting a plastic ATM card with a magnetic stripe or a plastic smartcard with a chip that contains a unique card number. Security is provided by the customer entering a personal identification number (PIN). For one to access ATM service, he/ she (the card holder) has to insert the card (magnetic strip card) into the machine (ATM), which then reads the strip and makes contact with the central computer to confirm the genuity of the card which is either accepted rejected depending on whether it is valid or not. When accepted, the customer then punches his/ her PIN number which is then verified according to its compatibility with the information stored in the card. After w hich it then perform the service requested of like (issuing cash, accepting cash/ cheque deposit, balance enquiry, mini-statement) etc, and finally ejects the card. 2.3Effectiveness of ATM Without usage of technology the banking sector cannot provide customers with effective services (Patricio et al., 2003). Effective service delivery is a new or significantly improved service concept that is taken into practice (Drake, 2001). Customer expectations concerning service encounter experiences and service delivery mechanisms as well as the entire concept of what constitutes quality service are therefore key issues that need to be considered prior to the implementation of any structural change. Patricio et al. (2003). Effective service delivery is a service product or service process that is based on some technology or systematic method. It can be a new customer interaction channel, a distribution system or a technological concept or a combination of them. (Kelley et al. 1990). Kumbhar (2011). Observed that effectiveness of service provision have a significant relationship with overall customer satisfaction. Effective service delivery is positively related to customer satisf action in that, when a customer perceives that the delivery mode of the transactions that the bank is supposed to offer is quite good, the more the customers will be satisfied with the bank services. The Concept of Customer Satisfaction Cacioppo (2000) defines Customer satisfaction as the state of mind that customers have about a company when their expectations have been met or exceeded over the lifetime of the product or service as quoted by MALCOLM (2008). Increased customer expectations have created a competitive climate whereby the quality of the relationship between the customer and bank has taken on a greater significance in some cases than the product itself. (Musiime and Biyaki, 2010). Krishnan et al (1999). Point out that, the banking industry strives to succeed by putting the topic of rapid and changing customers needs to their agenda. This can be achieved through good customer care and offering attractive services or products that other competitors may not offer. Therefore, customer satisfaction is seen as a key performance indicator within business. The concept of customer satisfaction occupies a central position in marketing and practice (Cardozo, 1965). Customer satisfaction is a person’s feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance or outcome in relation to his or her expectations. (Musiime and Biyaki, 2010). In summary, Customer Satisfaction is the actual meeting of customer’s expectation after he or she has completed consuming a product or service. 2.4.1 Who is a Customer A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. He is not an interruption to our work. He is the purpose for it. He is not an outsider on our business rather he is part of it, we are not doing him favor by serving him rather he is doing us favor by giving us an opportunity to do so. Wasswa, (2003). Pg 35. He further described a customer as one that enables the organization exists. They are the purpose of our business. In my own view, I believe that, customers are the heart, the life and the soul of our businesses, without whom we can’t hold even for a second to exist in business. Hence they should be accorded utmost respect and care when rendering service to them. 2.4.2Importance of Customer satisfaction Khirallah (2005) defines customer satisfaction as; a customers perception that his or her needs, wishes, expectations, or desires with regard to products and service have been fulfilled. Consumer satisfaction in short can therefore be defined as an evaluative process that contrasts pre-purchase expectations with the actual perceptions of performance during and after consumption experience. In summary, Customer Satisfaction is the meeting or even exceeding of a customer’s expectation after the use product. The outcomes of satisfying a customer are:- Customer loyalty- LOYAL customers are those who have the enthusiasm about the brands or products they use. The more enthusiastic a customer is, the higher the profit contributed to the brand. (MALCOLM 2008). Musiime and Biyaki,(2010). Loyalty is a combination of intentional repurchase behavior and psychological attachments of a customer to a particular service provider. The fundamental assumption of all the loyalty models is that ke eping existing customers is less expensive than acquiring new ones. In summary, Loyalty is customer’s demonstration of faithful adherence to an institution despite the occasional errors. Thus satisfying a customer is very paramount to organizations existence. Customer retention- Customer Retention is the ability to hold on to customers over time. Joseph and Stone (2003). Customer retention is the activity that the selling organization undertakes to reduce customer account defections. It can also be described as a series of actions that the selling organization undertakes to reduce defections. Musiime and Biyaki, (2010). Ganesh et al., (2000)., observed that, long-term, customers become less costly to serve due to the bank’s greater knowledge of the existing customer and to decrease serving costs. They also tend to be less sensitive to comparative marketing activities (Czepiel, 1990). Loosing customers not only leads to opportunity costs because the reduced sales, but also to an increased need for attracting new customers which is five to six times more expensive than customer retention (Joseph and Stone, 2003). 2.4.3The relationship between ATM use and Customer satisfaction Earlier research by Brownlie (1989) has recommended that some consumers have positive attitudes towards ATMs based on dominant perceptions of convenience/accessibility/ease of use. As observed by Malcolm (2008). On the other hand, Reichheld and Sasser (1990) have recognized the benefits that customer satisfaction delivers to a bank. For instance, the longer a customer stays with a bank the more utility the customer generates. This is a result of a number of factors relating to the time the customer spends with a bank. Without usage of technology the banking sector cannot provide customers with a satisfactory service (Patricio et al., 2003). Effective service delivery is a new or significantly improved service concept that is taken into practice. Musiime and Biyaki,(2010). According to, Patricio et al. (2003) customers will use different service delivery systems dependent on their assessment of each channel and how it contributes to the overall service offering. Hence service satisfaction will not merely be based on isolated service encounters and experiences but rather on the overall feelings of satisfaction. With automated teller machines networks already in place in most of the urban areas, the drive is now focused towards the rural areas where the use of automated teller machines is still uncommon. Musiime and Biyaki,(2010). 2.5Conclusion From the review of literature, it can be observed that the operation and use of ATM services in the financial sector, has contributed a lot in changing the way in which financial services and products are being delivered to the banks clients. As the say goes that, for every step forward (development), a lot of challenges must have been faced, fought and overcome. Thus the development of ATM saw the emergency of some challenges for the industry as customers keep demanding for better service, while the financial institutions are very busy searching for the most efficient way by which they can improve on their service provision.

Monday, August 5, 2019

The Extent and Causes of Tax Evasion in Pakistan

The Extent and Causes of Tax Evasion in Pakistan Molar and woodland (2004) investigated the efficiency of tax through tax optimality index. In their paper they measured the difference between the current tax structure and an optimal tax structure. They used the methodology was based on a small open economy and they constructed an equation on economys equilibrium to construct their tax optimality index including public goods. The model used to calculate the total optimality index had four variables three private and one public good. The tax optimality index came out to be 0.7972 which showed that the taxes where 79.7% efficient compared to the optimal tax index. The advantages of the tax were that it immediately told how efficient where the current taxes of a country with reference to an optimal model. Kemal (2007) discussed the extent of underground economy and tax evasion in Pakistan. He analyzed the main causes of increase in underground economy citing reasons such as intensity of regulations burden of tax and social transfers etc. The methodology he used was that he collected many micro and macro variables such as total number of bank deposits, interest rates, GDP, GNP, inflation etc in order to construct his equations to measure the extent of increase in underground economy. Years were ranging from 1973 to 2003. The equation developed was a regression equation, first legal money is calculated, and after that velocity of money is calculated by dividing the national income with legal money, lastly multiplying the velocity of money with illegal money gives the underground economy. Multiplying underground economy with total tax to GDP ratio gives tax evasion. Empirical results showed that both the size of underground economy and tax evasion increased significantly during these years. The increase was most predominant in 1990s. He also concluded that raise in underground economy poses many problems for policy makers. He also concluded that had there been no tax evasion budget balance could have been positive. Aslam (1998) measured the size of underground economy and tax evasion in Pakistan. His paper used Tanzis methodology with few changes made to the model. The range of the years was from 1960 to 1998. The modified model was of log to log specification with demand of currency assumed to me the main determinant of tax rate. The paper reinforced the presence of a large underground economy and huge tax evasion in Pakistan. Results showed the variation in underground economy is very sensitive and has significant impact on GDP. Further it showed that the Dollarization of economy is major problem because of significant involvement of underground foreign exchange. The limitation of this paper was that this paper could not be concluded as completely accurate and it does not tell about a remedy plan. Jayasinghe (2007) evaluated the components and sources of tax gap in Pakistan. Presence of significant tax gap forces a country to impose higher marginal tax rates of tax payers in order to collect additional revenue required to overcome a potential budget deficit. The model assumes that tax evasion in the economy is represented by a fully established hidden economy. Tax evasion is estimated through estimating the size of shadow economy through 1984-2004. A regression analysis is conducted in two specifications for comparisons. One specification is run by using total values of GDP while the other using per capita values for GDP. The size of the shadow economy estimated through both specifications, GDP and per capita GDP show an increasing trend. Results showed that size of underground economy has increased from 23% to 84% till 2004. Increasing trend in underground economy is followed by an increasing tax gap. Lastly, the paper argues that the source of declining government, revenue is growing tax gap. Hibbs and Piculescu (2005) proposed a model of how taxation and government regulations affect the productivity of private institution. The model proposed considers private firm with fixed capital (K) and variable labor requirements: Lo, labor in official while Lu labor employed in unofficial production. Wage is identical at (w) but wage cost varies: regarding the public sector, it is demand as potentially corruptible and markets for corruption would arise giving firms opportunity for evading taxes. The model also assumes that incentive to evade taxation depend on statuary tax rates. Regression equation is developed and regression tests are run to arrive at the conclusion. Empirical results in this paper are that markets for corruption arise due to perception of figures taxes as not worth paying. Dependency on how many and to what extent firms within a country have incentive to produce underground economy and evade taxation policies regarding taxation and employment conditions of enforcement bureaucrats may create tradeoffs between containment of tax evasion and overall level of economic activity. Goerke (2003) investigated the relationship between tax progressivity and the tax evasion. In this paper, the consequences of tax evasion upon employment opportunities are investigated. It relates that an increase in tax progressivity has no employment effect in the absence of evasion opportunities. The model has a fixed number of workers whose only source of income are wages (w) and who can evade income taxes a regression test is run and conclusion are drawn. The results are that employment effects more of progressive taxes in an efficiency wage economy has no employment consequences in the absence of tax evasion. The analysis has presumed a constant level of statuary tax payments at the initial wage level. Niepelt (2003) explored the dynamic of tax evasion. He analyzed the dynamics of tax evasion using a model in a continuous time. He developed an equation using the model and his assumptions based on the households in that model. The conclusion drawn in his paper is that risk aversion and endogenous detection probability play a central role in static theories of tax evasion. It concludes that in the presence of tax evasion, the statuary tax rate is an important policy instrument but an unpredictable indicator of the effective stance of fiscal policy. Ahmed and Ahmed (1995) estimated the extent and level of black economy in Pakistan through monetary approach. Researchers have termed the underground economy in various names such as (i) illegal economy (ii) unreported economy (iii) unrecorded economy (iv) informal economy. The method adopted for quantification of the black economy is that of Tanzi, with some modifications. The equation is of double Log specification. Tax GDP ratio sign is positive. Relationship between interest rate on time deposits and currency ratio is said to be negative. After estimation of equations through least square method results are obtained. It has been found that the black economy as a percentage of GDP has shown a fluctuating trend. Black economy and level of tax evasion have increased over the number of years, but black economy as a percentage of GDP has experienced a decline. The sizeable magnitude loss of revenue indicates that substantial revenue can be realized by reducing the extent of tax evasion in the economy. Crane and Nourzad (1985) analyzed the effect of inflation on aggregate tax evasion in the US over the period of 1947- 81. The methodology used is to construct an equation using major determination of evasion. The major determinants are derived with the following implicit evasion function Z= f(O, f, TR, V, P). Z is a measure of tax evasion, D is probability of detection, F is fine rate, TR is tax rate, Y is real true income and P is inflation rate. The equation derived comes out to be a logarithmic equation in Z. the most difficult variables to quantify is dependent variable itself, Z, measuring tax evasion. Probability of detection an independent variable is measure using moving averages over the period of 2 years. Tax rate is calculated using weighted average marginal tax rate. Inflation is calculated using CPI. Empirical results show that aggregate income tax evasion in both absolute and relative taxes is positively related to inflation rate. Aggregate evasion is risen in absolute terms but has fallen in relative terms when real true income has risen.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Ulysses S. Grant Essay -- essays research papers

Ulysses S. Grant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American General and 18th President of the United States of America, Ulysses S. Grant, was a master war strategist who won the first major Union victories during the Civil War; however, political leadership proved to be far different from military leadership for Grant. While in office from 1869-1877 Grant scarcely attempted to control events, made injudicious appointments to public office, and had official corruption taint his administration, although Grant himself was never said to be actually have been involved in this corruption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'The military life had no charms for me,'; Grant said later. After graduating from the Untied States military academy Grant was commissioned as Brevet 2nd Lieutenant, assigned to the 4th U.S. Infantry, and sent to Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, MO. While stationed at Jefferson Barracks Grant met his future wife, Julia Dent, who was the sister of one of Grant's West Point classmates. This romance was temporarily interrupted however, when orders were given that sent Grant's regiment to the Southwest frontier in May of 1844.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the south seceded from the Union Grant had no troubles making up his mind to fight for the Union cause. Grant organized the first group of Union volunteers in Galena and accompanied the men to Springfield. Grant longed for active duty and, on May 24, 1861, offered his services to the U.S. government, suggesting th... Ulysses S. Grant Essay -- essays research papers Ulysses S. Grant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American General and 18th President of the United States of America, Ulysses S. Grant, was a master war strategist who won the first major Union victories during the Civil War; however, political leadership proved to be far different from military leadership for Grant. While in office from 1869-1877 Grant scarcely attempted to control events, made injudicious appointments to public office, and had official corruption taint his administration, although Grant himself was never said to be actually have been involved in this corruption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'The military life had no charms for me,'; Grant said later. After graduating from the Untied States military academy Grant was commissioned as Brevet 2nd Lieutenant, assigned to the 4th U.S. Infantry, and sent to Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, MO. While stationed at Jefferson Barracks Grant met his future wife, Julia Dent, who was the sister of one of Grant's West Point classmates. This romance was temporarily interrupted however, when orders were given that sent Grant's regiment to the Southwest frontier in May of 1844.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the south seceded from the Union Grant had no troubles making up his mind to fight for the Union cause. Grant organized the first group of Union volunteers in Galena and accompanied the men to Springfield. Grant longed for active duty and, on May 24, 1861, offered his services to the U.S. government, suggesting th...

A Comparison of The Matrix and Platos The Allegory of the Cave Essay

A Comparison of The Matrix and Plato's The Allegory of the Cave In the movie The Matrix we find a character by the name of Neo and his struggle adapting to the truth...to reality. This story is closely similar to an ancient Greek text written by Plato called "The Allegory of the Cave." Now both stories are different but the ideas are basically the same. Both Stories have key points that can be analyzed and related to one another almost exactly. There is no doubt that The Matrix was based off Greek philosophy. The idea of freeing your mind or soul as even stated in "The Allegory of the Cave" is a well known idea connecting to Greek philosophy. The Matrix is more futuristic and scientific than "The Cave" but it's the same Idea. Neo is trapped in a false reality created by a computer program that was created by machines that took over the planet. Now the story of course has many themes such as Man vs. Machine, Good vs. Evil, and our favorite Reality vs. Illusion. Neo is unplugged from the matrix and learns the truth and becomes "the one" who is to s ave the humans from their machine oppressors. "The Cave" is similar in that it has humans trapped in a cave and chained up to only face one direction. The "puppeteers" then make shadows against the wall the humans face using the fire from the outside as a light source. One big difference is that "The Cave" is about two philosophers conversing about the cave as one explains what needs to happen and that the prisoners must free their souls to find truth. The Matrix is the actions of what the philosopher describes actually happening. The comparing of the two stories will show how things said in "The Cave" are the same as in The Matrix, of course with the exception that one is futuristic ... ...nplugged and becomes "The One." He is freed so he can bring freedom to the humans in the "visible world" or real world. In conclusion both stories are similar in their ideas. The stories are about people searching for the truth so they can be free. At the end of Neos phone call is something that could have been said to the "puppeteers" in "The Cave." That he's going to show the people what they don't want them to see, A world without rules or control, a world without borders or boundaries and most importantly a world without them. There were many key points that I was able to relate and analyze in this story. I still have no doubt that this movie was based off Greek Philosophy and a great piece to choose. In the end both "The Allegory of the Cave" and The Matrix were both great stories or truth and freedom and what a person will do to find the truth and be free.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

The Trouble with Stereotyping Essay -- Stereotypes

The Trouble with Stereotyping   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The world has hit a brick wall in human development. People have created a giant system that categorizes people and groups into classes. These classes are then broken down into subdivisions for people’s placement in the world, and everyone’s eyes. Stereotyping has become so prevalent in every persons thoughts that we now base everything we do on it. We base business, home, and social life on a stereotypical view that doesn’t need to be present in life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"Don’t Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgments,† Robert Heilbroner states that, â€Å"Stereotyping is one way in which we ‘define’ the world in order to see it.† This statement proposes points that people don’t just see people anymore, but the stereotype class they put them in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stereotypes that appear in the business atmosphere are the most prevalent to see. Some of these typecasts are women in the workplace in certain jobs and the type of job they can accomplish or gain with their level of schooling completed. Women are not stereotypically recognized by men to hold high positions in a company. Women could have the same capabilities and maybe even higher qualifications than a man going for the same position, but men label women to be less qualified and have less of a reputation in order to be head of a company. However, this is not true. We need to eliminate the labeling of women. I believe that people’s education should and have no bearing on what everyone can accomplish in a w...

Friday, August 2, 2019

Performance Management Essay

Q: 1 ————————————————- Be able to identify and agree performance objective 1.1 Explain link between individual team and organizational objective Link between organizational objective and the team is very important for the progress of an organization. Organizational objective are set in order to achieve the goal of an organization. Every organization has an aim to achieve so until every single member of staff not know the objective of the organization it’s difficult to achieve that goal. In an organization there are certain groups and each group has different teams. Every individual team has different task to do but all these different tasks are linked to the main objective of the organization and all the individual team tasks are support the objective of organization to fulfill. If the organizational objective is clear to the every individual team member than it’s easy to achieve team task. Principal behind the link between individual team and organizational objective is that if the individual team knows the organizational objective than they can play better role to achieve objective and can easily complete their individual task which support to achieve organizational objective. 1.2 Identify the selection of and agree individual and team objectives Team is group of people which work together to achieve goal every team member has different task which related to the objective of the team. Agreeing team objective is more difficult to agreeing individual objective because there are more people involved mean more skill, experience and handling problem with different ways. So than one should be more carefully deal when agreeing the team objective. Identifying and selection of and agree individual and team objective has very important for achieving the main objective of organization. If we selected right persons for achieving the individual objectives then it’s easy to achieve the team objective as well as organizational. Every team has its own team leader and he has an objective to achieve to complete that objective he has to complete different task to complete he has to select right person from his team to fulfill that task .for different tasks he has to select different people from his team to achieve that task which support to complete the overall team objective. When  team leader give task (individual objective) to his team member he should give him step by step training to achieve his goal. On other hand each team member should know the team objective as well to achieve their goal. Every individual and team objective should be SMART 1.3 Identify and agree area of individual and team responsibility in achieving objective Every individual and team should to understand his responsibility and try his best to agree with his responsibilities. Successful team can be responsible of different tasks and team objective which support the organizational objective the main responsibility of team is to achieve his team objective. Help each individual to complete his task. Every team should follow the planned the assignment which set by the director of the organization because every team objective is linked to organizational objective. Team should inform the project manager of task status and any problem arisen. Every team should select right person having right skill and knowledge to compete the task. Every individual should also try his best to achieve his goal because it’s important to achieve the team objective as well as organizational objective. Every team member should make real effort to build strong relational ship with each other. Each team member should give support feedback and gaudiness to other team member to achieve goal. Each staff member expresses loyalty and motivates other to work. If team and all individual are fulfil their responsibilities then it’s easy to achieve the organizational goal. 1.4 Identify the need to create an environment of trust and support with other Environment of trust and support in team member and organization is very useful to achieving the organizational goal If the entire individual in team has good relationship then they support each other give them feedback and gaudiness as well by this it’s easy to achieve goal for them. As we know that’s individuals objective supports to achieve team as well as organizational objective. So that as manger one should build following things to make environment pleasant * Increasing relation between staff member * Decreasing clashes to the neutral * Try to convert neutral to good and leading to excellence Advantages of Trusting * Staff member are more willing to share idea and work sincerely * Staff member are more willing to help each other and try their best to achieve the goal. * Saving of recourses (physical and financial) * More motivated for working * Sincere with organization ————————————————- Q2: Be able to assess performance and provide feedback 2.1: Evaluate and assess individual and team performance against objectives Assessing performance of individual and team performance against objective is very important for overall performance of the organization because it’s related to the overall performance of the organization. Best team and individual performance is which support the organization performance. Identifying objective Easy way to assess the performance is to split the objective in different tasks and give each task to the team and further to the individuals. Assessing performance Balanced analysis of performance beside designed objectives, taking all applicable factors into account. After doing that one have to check the results of the each task giving to the team and individuals as well. If they achieve than they can build success to achieving the main objective of the organization and if they cannot achieve the desirable performance then organization should think about the problems which prevent them to achieve desirable performance. Then first thing is to take in account is that the team at least understands the objective of the organization because without understanding the objective no one can achieve goal. There are also many other factor which can be affect the performance of the individual and the team like No enough support and training, Unsuitable environment and Financial problems etc. These are some factor which should be taken in to account to improve the performance to the desirable level. 2.2 Identify the  method to providing feedback to individual and team on performance Feedback can be define as process in which the effect or output of an action is returned to modify the next action Feed back is actually comments about something with which you have any type relation. Feed back is of two types positive or negative Positive feedback is good to improve yourself and identify your weakness and you can improve it if you want. Negative feedback is destructive and base on fact and reality which cause of angry and disturbance Usually feedback is taken from website, monthly or yearly review, survey or customer etc. There are many Methods to provide the feedback Sandwich method7 (expect a negative comment after praise). BOOST Method †¢ Balanced – contain together decent and beneficial points †¢ Observed – only give samples of what you have seen the somebody say or do †¢ Objective – feedback should be truthful and not an spasm on someone’s character †¢ Specific – always use exact patterns †¢ Timely – feedback should be given as near to the occasion as possible. EEC model8 †¢ Example – what performance you have detected †¢ Effect – on the viewers, on you, on your examination †¢ Change – what change in performance do you expect Feedback should be taken from serious personality Feedback should be taken after event soon Find someone private for feedback Give enough time to give feed back Take good care of privacy and honesty while taking feedback After taking feed back its very sensitive mater to provide the feedback so it should be handle very carefully. The purpose of providing feedback to the team and individual should be basis of maintenance, improving performance. While providing feedback to team or the individuals something should be keep in mind Positive points should be first to reduce conflict. It should be like information sharing. It should be not over loaded or in detail. During providing feedback it required ability of patient. Language should be expressive of specific behaviours rather than general remarks representing value judgments. All comments should be based upon visible performance and not assumed motives. 2.3 Identify the cause of conflict and describe strategies to minimize or prevent conflict Business dictionary define conflict as friction or opposition resulting from actual or perceived differences or incompatibilities. 2 Conflict may be positive or negative. There are many cause of conflict Personal factor Lack of information If any staff member is unconscious about information of any event, reformation or any other happening in the organization cause conflict. Skill deficits Lack of skill and knowledge also cause conflict. Personality and style differences Everybody in the organization has different style and personality that’s also cause of conflict in the organization. Substance abuse and Family problems also cause of conflict in the organization. Organizational factor There are some organizational factor are also cause of conflict in the organization like Leadership If the leadership is not leading his organization properly than it’s the big cause of conflict. Management Lack Managing qualities in organizational managing team cause conflict among its members Budget Insufficient budget and improper distribution cause conflict in organization. Poor communication among the leadership, management and the staff member cause of conflict in the organization. Different values of different staff member, personality clashes and poor performance also the cause of conflict  in the organization. Solution Solution of conflict in the organization is hidden in following factors Minimizing authorities By the minimizing authorities conflicts decrease. Improving polices By improving polices of organization to decreasing conflict Communication Communication among staff member is solution of conflict. Due to poor communication they can say nothing to the higher authorities and cause conflict between them. By Providing support to the staff member also reduce conflict. Injustices in rewarding staff member or injustices in any other matter are also cause conflict so that justice in every matter is a solution of conflict as well. If there is conflict between any of the staff member of the organization then one should take following steps Step 1: Intervene Where conflict exist one should involved his self in the problem and let know about people involved in it. Step 2: Listen and discuss By allowing every person to give their views and opinions you will have the opportunity to hear what each person thinks, and they will have the chance to hear what the others involved think, too. Step 3: Make your position clear You have to make your position clear which is acceptable by every involved parties or individual Step 4: Negotiate a win/win outcome One should make his position neutral in the situation and make agree everyone on the same opinion which is acceptable to every one Step 5: Monitor the situation After the you have to arrange some formal and informal meeting to monitor situation A formal follow-up meeting attended by all interested parties and Informal meetings just to check how things are going. 2.4 Explain recording system for performance assessment for individual or team The accomplishment of a given task measured against present  known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed to be the fulfilment of an obligation, in a manner that releases the performer from all liabilities under the contract. 5 The maintenance of a history of one’s activities, as financial dealings, by entering data in ledgers or journals, putting documents in files4, etc. is known as recording system. Recording system for any organization is very necessary to improve itself and to achieve desirable performance. There should be recording system in organization for performance assessment for every team and individual. There should be link between team and individual previous performance with current performance. By this we can check its progress and taking step against poor performance is easy. Recording system of performance of individuals and team are very important for the maintenance and improving performance. If the recording system of performance is exist in the organization then it’s easy to compare the performance of any individual and team and can easily obtain their progress report. Other advantage of the performance recording system is that all the individual and teams try to improve their performance to keep their record good for good reputation in the organization. So there should be a proper system in the organization for keep record of performance of the team and the individuals. All monthly and the annuals performance reports should keep in record. If some individual or team perform well or make a big mistake should also keep in record for basics of appreciation and maintenance. Q3 Be able to understand performance support for improvement. 3.1 Explain performance improvement cycle Performance improvement cycle is a cycle of development. If someone has poor performance then one should has to be pass through the improvement cycle to develop his abilities to show better performance. There are following steps of improvement cycle Identify In this step you have to identify his weakness and reason of his weakness. This is very important step of the improvement cycle because without correct identification diagnose of problem is not possible. After identify problem  you have to identify its reason also. Opportunities After identify the problem and its reason than you have to look at all the opportunities available to improve its weakness. Agree plan of action After look at all opportunities you have to decided that which one are more opportunities suit you to improve his weakness and then you have to act upon his plan. Review After that you have monitor to monitor performance. If everything is going as you want and agreed then you will be able to encourage the team member. If the things are not going well then you have to sit again to argue the trouble and find the key. 3.2 Discuss the indicator of poor performance Poor performance is define as when member of your team performing less than your hope. There are many reasons behind the poor performance that’s why it’s not an easy job to find out the reason of poor performance. But to find out the reason of the poor performance is very important because without indicating any problem cure of problem is difficult. There is some common reason of the poor performance. * Targets and goals are out of reach. * Team member of staff is insincere * Quantity of work * Team members’ ability is not appropriate * Team member is slow in taking decisions * Team member is not experiences and skilled. * Lack of knowledge * Lack of motivation These are main factor which are main cause of the poor performance by improve these you can easily improve performance. You can set the stander of performance By written job description By clearing Objective of organization and out come to member Competence of statement EVALUATING METHODS THAT SUPPORT PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT To improve the poor performance of the organization is very important to  achieve the goal .there are few steps which are use to improve poor performance of the organization. Counseling If individual staff member is not performing well that you have to look at his life out of work may be he cannot performing well due to some family or personal problems. You should try to solve problem if possible. Training or coaching If the staff member or not performing well then maybe they need training and coaching to doing that job. After giving them proper training about their job and then monitor them if you got desirable result then they can support to achieve objective of organization. Performance improvement plan Performance improvement plan is a written formal plan to improve the poor performance. There are following steps in it * Identify the problem and its reason * Opportunities * Agree plan of action * Review By this plan one can easily improve his self. Disciplinary That is last step to improving poor performance. Some time employees improve their self when they get last warring. After that if one never improves his self than one dismiss from job. ————————————————- Q4 BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ORGANIZATION’S DISCIPLINARY AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. 4.1 Discus the organization’s disciplinary and grievance procedures Every organization has its own rule and regulation but some of the rules linked with the citizen rights and human rights. Especially in United Kingdom any organization cannot dismiss any employee for job without any reason or sold proof so that if any organization does this then the organization has to answer in court. To dismiss any employee the following thing should take in to account * You have to give approx. three warnings 1. Informal warning 2. Formal warning 3. Written last warning * The contract with employee and organization should expired * Organization should have sold proof of his poor performance After that you can dismiss any employee without this if you dismiss any employee due to some personal or family problem than you have to answer in court and may be you have to pay plenty. Grievance allows the individual to compliant to their management. Due to the grievance individual never do uninformed action. Due to this the communication between the employee and management increase and reduce conflict between them as well. Due to complain of employee you can identify many problems to improving performance. Role of manager in disciplinary and grievance procedure Role of manger in the disciplinary procedure a manger should have good relationship between employees. So that he can reach to the real situation of the problem. He should know about that problem seriousness. If problem is serious. Than in this case employee has to dismiss. That’s dark point of management. Following thing a manger should take in to account? The problem should genuine There should not personal problem or family problem There should be witness There should be documentary proof After this a manger can dismissing the employee Grievance is problems or complains that employee lift up against their employers. The role of manager in this situation is very important. He should arrange meeting with the employer and employees. Responsibility of the manager is in this situation is to listen all complains and problem very carefully and attentively with non-judgment condition. So that employees can speak freely. If some think is not clear then manger should ask it again. Manger should understand all complains and his understanding should be same as employer. In this entire situation the manger should be fair. 4.3 Summaries the key aspect of legislation that applies to an  organization’s disciplinary and grievance procedure The act or process of making laws; enactment is known as legislation5 All the employees should be aware of the organizational disciplinary and grievance procedure. When the employee entre to organization. He/she should know about disciplinary and grievance procedure. If organization wants change in procedure they should call meeting. Key aspect of the disciplinary and grievance procedure is below Disciplinary * Keys to handling disciplinary issues in the workplace * Establish the facts of each case * Inform the employee of the problem * Hold a meeting with the employee to discuss the problem * Allow the employee to be accompanied at the meeting * Decide on appropriate action * Provide employees with an opportunity to appeal * Special cases Grievance There is an Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures . It sets out principles that you and your employer should follow to achieve a reasonable standard of behaviour in handling grievances.9 * Let the employer know the nature of the grievance * Hold a meeting with the employee to discuss the grievance * Allow the employee to be accompanied at the meeting * Decide on appropriate action * Allow the employee to take the grievance further if not resolved * Overlapping grievance and disciplinary case * Collective grievances Legislation is define as a law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official 4 Key aspect of legislation of organization’s disciplinary and grievance procedures are above mention if theses key aspect use to solve the disciplinary and grievance scenario in the organization then it’s good for both employer and employee and they will not be not face and legislation act. But if employee or employer not follows the proper way as describe to  solve grievance and disciplinary then they have to face the court. 1. Business dictionary.www.bussinessdictionary.com (accessed date 02/01/2012) 2. BusinessdictionaryAvailablehttp://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/conflict.html (accessed date 04/01/2012) 3. CambridgedictionaryAvailable:dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/legislation (Accessed date 08/01/2012 ) 4. DictionaryreferenceAvailable:dictionary.reference.com/browse/recordkeeping( Accessed date 09/12/2011 ) 5. Dictionary referenceDictionary.reference.com (Accessed date 07/01/2012) 6. Business dictionary www.bussinessdictionary.com {Accessed date 06/01/2012} 7. LondonDeaneryAvailablewww.faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk (Accessed date 08/02/2012) . 9. DirectGov.Available:http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/ResolvingWorkplaceDisputes/Grievanceprocedures/DG_10027992 (accessed date 01/01/2012)

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Developing a Product

The business I am studying is called ‘Rocco's Pizza'. Rocco's Pizza was established in 1980 and is a franchise whose stores are located in Bristol, Southampton, Surrey and Camberley. The store I am studying is Located in Greenford – London. Rocco's Pizza mainly sells low – medium quality pizza. As well as pizza, they sell other appetisers such as garlic bread, chips, chicken wings, ice cream and soft drinks. Rocco's pizza has their own online store (http://www.roccospizza.co.uk) in which customers can place there order and get it delivered, or have it collected in stores. The main product the shop sells is a pizza. Before the pizza is made, the employee has to make the dough which is made from flour mixed into water. The size of the dough depends on the size the customer order. They come is a variety of sizes from 7 inches (small) to 15 inches (extra large). Once the dough is made, they flatten it out into a circular shape and add the basic cheese and tomato sauce. They then add a variety of topping which is decided by the customer such as Pepperoni, Chicken, Mushrooms, Sweetcorn, Bacon etc. They come with a choice of crust: deep pan – a thick crust that goes around the edges of the pizza or no crust. Once the raw pizza is made, it is put into the oven. While it is in the oven, the pizza rises, the cheese melts and the toppings are cooked. After it is cooked, it is immediately put into a box so it is kept freshed and is either delivered to the customer or given to them in store. The shop I am studying is located next to a school. This is a very good location as the students are likely to go out for their lunch and having a fast food restaurant next to a school would mean the student are more likely to go there. However they face competitors with other fast food restaurants nearby such as 2in1 Pizza, Lahore Spice and Harry's Fish Bar. Their competitors are a major concern as they're located closer to the school which make the students more likely to go there them rather than their shop. Form and Function: Form is the appearance of an item – what it looks like. For example the form of a football is a sphere. Aesthetic is the beauty of a product – people buy the product based on its look for example a piece of art. The form the dough of the pizza before it is cooked is a pale colour and has a circular shape once it's flattened out. After the pizza has been baked in the oven, it rises and the colour of the crust turns from a pale colour to a brown colour. The toppings, along with the cheese, on the pizza become cooked and the colours become darker. The form of the box is a cuboid. It is made from cardboard with information on it written from ink. The lid of the box tucks inside so it is easy to open and it leaves minimum opened space so it is kept fresh for longer. It is small and compact so the pizza doesn't move around inside. The function of a product is what it does. For example the function of USB flash drive is to store and back up files. The main function of the pizza is to be eaten by customers. It also has to look and smell good so it would attract to the customer. The main reason why people eat is to satisfy their need to eat. Another reason why they eat it is for its taste. The function of the box of the pizza is to keep the box fresh. It also advertises the business i.e. through its logo and it gives instructions on how to reheat the pizza. Another thing the box does is it informs the customers of the business such as contact details. The box has flaps on the inside to support the lid. The dough on the pizza is rough when it's made but once it's rolled out, it has a smooth feel. Flour is put on it so it doesn't stick to the surface when it's being rolled out and can be easily removed after it has been baked. Once it has been baked, it has a softer texture which mainly due to the pizza being raised. The cheese also has a softer texture because it has been melted. The toppings on the pizza and the base turn darker as it has been cooked. Quality of Materials: Rocco's Pizza buys their materials from JJ Food. They buy it from here as they provide a range of different materials such as packaging and ingredients. They chose to buy from their as they're relatively cheap and also provide to other fast food retails such as ‘Ali's Fast Food' and ‘Chicken Ranch'. However, not all of their products are bought from JJ Food. For example, they buy their sweetcorn from retailers such as Tescos as it is more convenient for them Rocco's Pizza uses medium quality materials. They use this as they want to provide their customers with a good service whilst making as much profit as possible at the same time. If they used high quality materials, they would have to charge a higher price for the pizza which may lose customers. If they used low quality materials the customers won't be satisfied and my never go there again. The ingredients involved in making a basic pizza are: flour, cheese, tomato sauce and the extra topping decided by the customer. These again are all medium as they can't afford to purchase high quality materials. The basic ingredients: Flour – This is used to make the base of the pizza. The base is use to hold the rest of the toppings. Pizza- Normally small fast food restaurant would buy their pizza sauce from JJ food or from a supermarket; but according to the questionnaire Rocco's Pizza filled out, they use their own special sauce which they make themselves Cheese- The cheese is poured on top of the pizza and is grated so it can be scattered around the pizza. Selection of topping in which the customers can choose from: The toppings they have are: Pepperoni, Ham, Mushrooms, Onions, Green Peppers, Tomato Beef, Pork, Smoky Bacon, BBQ Sauce, Chicken Chunks, Prawns, Tuna, Anchovies, Pineapple, Jalapenos, sweetcorn, and Mexican Beans. Rocco's Pizza allows their customers to choose from a selection of topping as they don't want them restricted the choices of pizza they provide. Also, because different people like a different combinations of toppings. Customer Service: Customer service is the services the business provides for its customers. Different business offer different services as they have different budgets. For example Tesco can offer more services such as delivery unlike a local retailer. Rocco's Pizza offers these types of services to its customers to enhance their reputation as there a competitors nearby i.e. 2in1 Pizza. They also want their customers to be satisfied so they will want to shop there again Rocco's Pizza's offers a variety of services to its customers. One of these is free delivery however to be eligible for this, the order must be à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8.99 or more. Delivery is only available around limited areas as it would cost them a lot if they were to deliver to wider areas. Delivery can be done over the phone or at the counter at the customer's convenience. It can even be done online. This is useful as they customer can change what they're purchasing before they've ordered it. If they did this over the phone, they could cause annoyance to the staff. It also allows them to view the menu so they can see any special offers available Delivery is offers so they can get a wider audience. If they didn't offer it, their only customers will be the local people however, since they do offer delivery, customers who don't live so close can order from them at the convenience of their own homes and get it delivered to them for free. Rocco's Pizza allows their customer to pay via debit or credit card. This is convenient for their customers as they don't have to carry around money with them when buying from the shop. They can also control the amount they spend as is they pay with cash; the customers may have some change left over and spend it on other stuff. Paying via credit/debit card can be done in stores through the credit card reader. Rocco's Pizza can't offer return on purchases because it is food. It can only be returned if there is something faulty with the pizza for example if a hair is found in there; however this is a very rare occurrence. If there is something faulty with the pizza such as if the wrong toppings are put on, then they can either offer the customer with a refund or a freshly baked new pizza. Rocco's Pizza gives their customers offers to attract them. They have 4 deals in which they provide to their customers: 1. Buy any medium pizza and you can get the 2nd, up to the same value, for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.00 2. Buy any Large Pizza and get the 2nd, up to the same value, for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.00 3. Buy a medium Margherita with up to 5 toppings, with Garlic Sticks or Garlic Bread, a portion of Potato Wedges and 2 cans of soft drink for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12.49 4. Buy A Large Margherita with up to 5 toppings, with Garlic Sticks or Garlic Bread, Hot Wings or BBQ Wings and a 1.5 litre soft drink for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½15.99 The waiting time at Rocco's Pizza is average. The delivery time is roughly 30 minutes as they have to make the pizza and deliver it to the customer's house. If there are delays, the customers may get frustrated and may never shop their again. They may even refuse to take it a demand for a refund. If people aren't satisfied with their customer service they're providing for example the waiting time is long, then they could complain to the manager. However it is not always bad as they can take the complaints as feedback and improve from it. Resources: Physical: Like every other business, Rocco's Pizza needs a building in order to start selling. This is put on land. They use a lot of resources in the day-to-day running. One example of a resource they use is an oven. They use this to bake the pizza. They have around three to four of these as it speeds up if there are a few people ordering a pizza at the same time. They also need a kitchen in the building to make the pizza. The kitchen is also used to wash any dishes such as pizza trays and cups. The shop front is separate from the kitchen and is used to serve the customers. Rocco's Pizza has their own delivery vehicle. It is used to deliver pizza to the customers' house. The delivery vehicle has to have enough fuel to last enough deliveries otherwise the customers will get frustrated. Rocco's Pizza use a car over a motorbike as it is less likely to get spoilt. However unlike a car, a motorbike can get through traffic more easily and get to the customers house quicker. The tools required to make pizza: Pizza cutter – This is used to cut the pizza into even slices. It goes from one edge of the pizza to the opposite. The number of times it is done depends on the size of the pizza for example, if it is a 7 inch pizza, it would be cut 2 times making 4 even slices whereas if it was a large 12 inch pizza, it would be cut 6 times making 12 even slices. A separate cutter is used for vegetarian pizzas and non-vegetarian pizzas so no trace of meat gets passed. Oven – This appliance is used to bake the pizza in. The person who operates it, sets the temperature and waits till the pizza has finished baking. The over would have a see-through glass on it so the staff can see whether it's cooked or not. Rocco's Pizza would have around 3 – 4 of these in their shop as they can make more pizzas if there are a few people ordering at the same time. Pizza tray- The pizza tray has 2 purposes. One of these purposes is a mould. The staff can place the pizza base inside the try so they can get the exact size of it. For example, if a customer ordered a small 7 inch pizza, the staff would get the 7 inch tray and place the pizza base on it so they can get a perfect 7 inch pizza. This is useful as they don't have to waste time measuring in out themselves. The other purpose of the pizza tray is to hold everything together whilst it is being baked in the oven. Rolling pin – This is used to flatten out the dough into the pizza base before it is placed on the pizza tray. Human: Human resources and the people used to make an item. The main person who works at Rocco's Pizza is the manager. He is the person in charge of the business and chooses who to employ. He also makes major decision such as what the money is going to be spent on. Rocco's Pizza tries to minimise the amount of employees they have in order to make a bigger profit. There a different types of staffs who work at Rocco's Pizza. One example is the person who works at the shop front operating the till. They take the customer's order, take their money and give them their change and receipt. Another employee who works at Rocco's Pizza is the kitchen staff/chef. This staffs makes the pizza based on the customer's order. The final staff that work there are the delivery people. These people take the order and deliver it to the customer's house The staffs are given training in order to perform their role better. For example the staff that operates at the till will be given training on how to work the till faster making waiting queues shorter. The kitchen staff would be given training on hygiene and the delivery people would be given training on taking different (shorter) routes so they can get to the customers houses quicker. Financial: Financial resources are the fund which is available to the business which is used to run and make a product. According to the questionnaire, Rocco's Pizza needed à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100,000 to start up. The used two sources of finance – internal and external to gather the money: The internal sources of finance they use, is retained profit. This is the profit made the business in which the owner invested back in. This source of finance is useful for Rocco's Pizza as they don't have to pay back interest on it and they have the cash immediately there however the money could be used for other reason such for the owners own personal use. One external sources of finance they use, is a loan. This is when they borrow money from the bank and pay it back with regular instalment with interest added on. The advantage of using this is that they can borrow how much they need whenever they want but they must pay back interest and it could take some time to get the loan approved. The finance used by Rocco's Pizza is used for many purposes. The main reasons they use it is to buy the materials from JJ Food. They buy it in bulks as they get it at a discounted price. This is good for Rocco's Pizza as they get it cheaper and it is good for JJ Foods as they're getting a large order. Another way in which they use the finance is to pay the employee's wages. This is their major expenditure so they have to only get the right number of employees as they're not a very large business. Rocco's Pizza Also uses the finance available to expand on their business. For example they can buy more hi-tech equipment like a better oven. They can also use it to expand on the building itself as it is relatively small. Rocco's Pizza has the tough challenge of paying bills. They have to pay bills for water, electricity, heating, lighting and the worse of them all, business tax. They have to try and minimise any wasted resources in order to reduce bills. A way in which they could do this is by turning of the lights and radiators when they're not in use. A computer is an important financial resource to Rocco's Pizza. It is important to them as it is used to draw up financial data such as cash flow forecasts, budgets, profit & loss accounts and balance sheets. They can use this data to see how well their business if doings convince bank manager to take out a loan should they require one. Materials: The material resources are the equipments needed to make an item. For hygienic reasons, the staffs at Rocco's Pizza have to wear equipment while they are making the pizza. An example of an equipment wear is hairnets. This goes over the head and is used to prevent any hair pieces from falling on to the pizza. They also wear rubber gloves when preparing the pizza to stop and dirt or bacteria from spreading. This is used as a precaution when though the employees wash their hand before they are making pizza. Rocco's pizza has a computer located in their store which has many purposes. One of which is to order stock from JJ Food. They use the computer to select the amount of quantity they want and to enter their shipping and contact details. Another reason they use a computer is to design and print out their leaflets. They would use a software like Microsoft Word as it has a variety of features such as word art and a wide selection of fonts. They also have a till which is used to calculate the customer's order and is also used to print out their receipts. The till also contains change in which the cashier has to give to the customer if they don't have any change.