Dell Supply Chain Management Essay

1. Introduction Companies, nowadays have to face global competition in order to stay in the market. To be competitive, they have to employ new strategies based on new technologies. Supply chain management plays an important role in the success and growth of an organization. Efficient capitalization of supply chain management enables an organization not to bother about competitors in same line. Customer’s needs and demands play a vital role in making and implementing new strategies and reviewing the made ones time and again in order to stay in a market. Innovational steps in carrying out supply chain Management of an organization will help a lot to be competitive and leading in a same type of activities like enabling the organizations to transact online by improving transactions on traditional supply chain management arena to a technologically improved supply chain management. Web equipped supply chain management is an improved shape of technology these days. Dell a renowned follower of web equipped supply chain management technology is becoming famous among customers due to its real time dealing. Dell since 1984 is proving itself a hot cake for the customers all over the world. Disintermediation, just in time and technologically web based supply chain management made this product a real time choice of professionals. This results in competitivity growth, higher profits and more satisfied customers. 2. Literature Review First supply chain management will be viewed in the terms of already made studies and then Dell’s whole online operational process will be discussed including its founder, history, background, online process, supply chain management, benefits from online processing like just in time technique and its benefits towards human beings. A supply chain is a mixture of all participants involved, directly or indirectly, for providing convenience to customer request (Chopra and Meindl, 2003). We can say that a supply chain involves all organizational components that merge themselves to extract and furnished a complete package for the final customer. Supply chains can manage their structure differently in size, complexity and comprehension of relations between the participants of their carriage mean the operators and the location. In this sense supply chain has two main shapes: spontaneous or direct, in which only one supplier and one member of a party involved. Extendedly it works beyon d a supplier and a customer involving supplier’s supplier and a customer’s customer. Second the normal or general the supply chains have different appearances responding to the demand and thus involve systematically flowed information, gadgets i.e. products and resources between different stages (Lee, 2000). Supply chain management continues its journey with a motive to handle the appropriate needs and demands in the appropriate volume at the appropriate competitive cost (Cutting-Decelle et al., 2006), a situation that would respond highest level of services for the customer and highest reputed performance for the organizations. This proclaims that supply chain management considers the optimal appropriate management of operations between and among participants of the supply chain for the purpose of optimal profitability through the supply chain management’s operations.(Chopra and Meindl, 2003). Mentzer et al. (2001) suggested that Some researchers view supply chain management as a management interaction with structure approach, strategically oriented and custo mer oriented as its key focus, others used it in a sense to elaborate the group the systematic steps to disciplinal implementation of management concepts with integrated tendencies, commonly information sharing, risks and rewards, mutual understanding and collaboration of hardcore activities. Then the third step is a group of management activities (Chopra and Meindl, 2003). In this activity the researcher will follow the third term because it coordinates the others. Fugate and Mentzer (2004) described that the Dell’s phenomenal agenda related its supply chain is â€Å"the right mergence of activities and people elements† (Refer Table 2.1). This is clear from Michael Dell’s sense that â€Å"our research and development (R&D) keenly interested in activities and quality betterment in manufacturing† and that â€Å"one of our biggest challenges is finding managers who can share and respond to rapid changes† (Magretta, 1998). Michael Dell became the father of Dell in 1984, in spite that he was a student at the University of Texas in Austin. Initially the Michael Dell adopted the direct sales model. During this era the computers were sold over the phone and parts were joined according to the customer’s demands and specifications (Kramer et al., 2000). Retail channel was also introduced during the 1990 to 1994 and Dell again returned to direct model and furnished the Dell rapidly in the mid 1990s, In 1999 this made him the number one PC seller in the US and number two in the whole world (Kramer et al., 2000). Dell’s success was incredible because he made the Dell conceit. It became a big company of approximately 35,000 employees and over 25.000 million dollars’ sales in 2000 (Koehn, 2001), thus competing big rivals such as IBM and HP. By 2008, Dell had attained annual revenues of $61 billion and net income of $2.9 billion (Dell, 2009). Dell has decided to enter into new regions and to expand its product line i.e. Servers, workstations, printers, flat-screen TVs and digital cameras. Due to these certain reasons Dell changed its name in 2003 from â€Å"Dell Computer Corporation† into â€Å"Dell Inc.†, to â€Å"reflect the evolution and growth of the company from a computer manufacturer to a company that operates a wide variety of technology-related services† (Rivkin and Giorgi, 2004). The core ingredients of Dell’s business structure are its direct sales model, usually named as â€Å"direct model†, and the build-to-order mean just in time str ategy. Dell has operational facilities in Austin, Limerick, Ireland, and Penang, Malaysia. To make sure the uninterrupted flow of production supplies into these facilities, Dell has developed a two-ended strategy that follows different sourcing arrangements and supply schedules for custom and system parts. According to a recently published report by research firm IDC (Appendix 1), Dell’s hard competitors in its vital corporate PC market are IBM and HP. It faces competition from fellow direct vendor Gateway HP and Apple in the consumer and small business market. In the portable PC business, the key competitors are Toshiba, Lenovo, and HP. In the critical server and Internet infrastructure markets, Dell competes with Sun Microsystems, HP, and IBM. In Internet hosting, it faces competitors like Exodus and Corio, some of whom may also be Dell customers. Outside the United States of America (USA), Dell competes with regional and local vendors in many markets, such as NEC, Fujitsu, and Toshiba in Japan, Fujitsu-Siemens and Acer in European, and Lenovo in China. It also faces hard competition from HP and Acer in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. Dell now has 13.7 percent of the world market, down from 14.6 percent for the same period a year ago. Kraemer and Dedrick (2001) claimed that the superior supply chain is driven by Information Technology (IT), e-commerce and virtual corporation. Online selling strategies are backed by online support and Infrastructure. According to Kraemer and Dedrick (2001), the mandatory principles for Dell’s business process are Build-to-order i.e. just in time, direct sales, customization, quality, quantity and periodical made changes. 3. Supply Chain Management Supply chain management is the systematic, strategic collaboration and coordination of the business functions that requires flow of materials, final goods and interrelated information among suppliers, company, retailers and ultimate consumers. The supply chain system must be rejoinder of customer specifications. Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) defines the supply chain management as it comprises the planning and management of all jointly held activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management. It also shows respect for the core elements and components of coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which are suppliers, intermediaries, service providers i.e. third party, and customers. Managing a supply chain is ‘supply chain management. A supply chain is a set of organizations directly linked by one or more of the upstream and downstream flows of products, processes, services, finances, information and operational model from a specific source to a customer. 4. Components of Supply Chain Management The under explained are five basic components of supply chain management. * Plan— This is strategically oriented phase of supply chain management. Organizations require a strategy for managing all the resources which are needed toward satisfying customer need and demand for their product or service. A big piece of supply chain management planning is developing a set of techniques to monitor the supply chain so that it is efficient, costs less and delivers high quality and value to customers. * Source— secondly companies have to choose suppliers after an in-depth evaluation to deliver the goods and services they need to manufacture their product. So, supply chain managers must develop a set of pricing, delivery and payment integrations with suppliers. * Make— This is the manufacturing and operational phase. Supply chain managers schedule the activities compulsory for production, assembly, testing, packaging and preparation for delivery. * Deliver— This is the part that many supply chain management examiners see it as logistics in which companies make sure to coordinate the receipt of orders from customers, develop a network of warehouses, and intelligently considers carriers to get products to customers and to set up an invoicing system to receive payments. * Return— This can be a head aching part of the supply chain for many companies. Supply chain planners have to create a responsive and flexible enough network for receiving defective and excess products back into their hunt from their customers. 5. Process approach in Business through SCM According to Lambert and Cooper (2000), in many companies management has reached the conclusion that optimal product flows cannot be managed completely without implementing a process approach to the business. The core supply chain processes stated by Lambert and Cooper (2004) are: * Customer service management * Procurement * Product development and commercialization * Manufacturing flow management/support * Physical distribution * Outsourcing/partnerships * Performance measurement * Warehousing management * Customer service management process The Customer Relationship Management totally explains the coordination and the relationship between the organization and its customers. Customer service is the only authentic source of customer information. It also provides the customer with real-time information on scheduling and product availability with the company’s production and distribution operations. Successful organizations follow the following steps to determine customer relationships: * Mutually backed goals for organization and customers * establish and maintain customer rapport * produce and prevail positive satisfactory feelings in the organization and the customers * b) Procurement process Strategic plans are planned in accordance with suppliers to support the manufacturing phase and the development of new products. The desired outcome is a mutual win-win relationship where both sides benefit, and a reduction in time span for the design circle and product development. The purchasing advancements developed a truly rapid communication system, such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and Internet linkage to transmit possible requirements. Obtaining products and materials from outside suppliers involve a number of activities like resource planning, supply sourcing, negotiation, order placement, inbound transportation, storage, handling and quality assurance, many of which include the responsibility to coordinate with suppliers on matters of scheduling, supply continuity and research into new sources or programs. * c) Product development and commercialization In recent days as product life cycles shorten, the quality products must be developed and successfully launched with ever shorter time-schedules to remain competitive. According to Lambert and Cooper (2000), managers of the product development and commercialization process must have to: * interrelate with customer relationship management to identify the actual customization * Arrange materials and suppliers appropriately with procurement. * d) Manufacturing flow management process Manufacturing processes have to be responsive to daily based occurring market changes and must address mass customization. Orders are processes operating on a just-in-time (JIT) basis. Activities like planning the essentionals, scheduling and supporting manufacturing operations which controls an array of activities like work-in-process storage, handling, transportation, and time phasing of components, inventory at manufacturing sites and maximum flexibility in the coordination of geographic and final assemblies of physical distribution operations are carried out in this process. * e) Physical distribution The customer is the final destination of a marketing channel in this phase. This phase requires the availability of the product/service of each channel stakeholder’s marketing tiredness. Due to the physical distribution process the time and space of customer service become a vital part of marketing, so it coordinates a marketing channel with its customers (e.g. manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers). * f) Outsourcing This is not just about outsourcing the strategic planning of materials and components, but also outsourcing of services. The reason behind this tendency is that the company will surely shift its focus on those activities in the value chain where it has a distinctive competitive advantage i.e. expertise, and will outsource everything else. This movement has been particularly evident in logistics where the provision of transport, warehousing and inventory control is increasingly subcontracted to specialists which are named as logistics partners. * g) Performance measurement Competences taken from supplier capabilities and diagnosing a long-term supply chain commitment with a tacklance of customer relationships can both be interrelated with organizational performance. A.T. Kearney Consultants (1985) noted that firms engaging in comprehensive performance measurement realized improvements in overall productivity. Internal measures are generally collected and analyzed by the firm itself including; * Cost * Customer Service * Productivity measures * Asset measurement * Quality. External performance measurement is examined through customer shifts and benchmarking. * h) Warehousing management Warehousing management as an important source of reducing company cost & expenses is carrying the valuable role in company’s success. Storing and office with all facilities, reducing manpower cost, dispatching authority with on time delivery, loading & unloading facilities with proper area, area for service station, stock management system etc. 6. Dell Computers Dell Computer Corporation founded in 1984, headquartered in Austin, Texas. Dell is now reputed as one of the world’s most preferred computer system icons and a provider of products and services that customers globally need to set up their information-technology and Internet infrastructures conveniently as Dell always favors the customization. Dell is only the owner of the market leadership ladder because it has a strong and persistent focus on delivering the best possible customer requirements. Direct online selling from manufacturer to consumer is a vital element of its strategy. The company was incorporated on a basic idea that Dell is at its best to efficiently understand consumer needs and to provide the most effective and suitable customized computing solutions. This online business model eliminated retailers because all the computer related dealing is totally made through internet and phones. This activity saved time and cost because each and every system was made regarding the made order, offering customers powerful, richly configured systems at competitive prices. With the passage of time Dell introduced the latest technology much more quickly than competitors with slow-moving and turning over inventory an average of every four days. Now Dell has become the number-one retailer of personal computers, outselling IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Compaq. 7. Direct to Customer Model Dell Computer’s strength is its unique direct to customer model. Through the implementation of model, the company outsourced all the components but it still performs the assembly. In this process the Dell eliminated retailers and directly delivered the computers from its assembly to end customers. This activity enabled Dell Cost leadership holder among the players in the arena. By eliminating the retailers, consumers were buying from Dell without the extra payment to retailers. Another Dell’s strength is its better access to technology compared to its competitors. Dell introduces the latest technology much more quickly than companies with slow-moving indirect distribution channels. Currently Dell’s initiatives include moving even greater volumes of product sales, service and support to the Internet, using the Internet to improve the efficiency of Dell’s procurement, manufacturing and distribution process and further expanding an already broad range of valu e-added services. 8. Dell’s value chain The value chain of a company is its entire product flow from the suppliers to the customers and managing the information flow in such a way that the customer receives maximum satisfaction while the company maximizes its profits. Dell Computer’s value chain is quite different because company sources all its components from vendors across the world and it undertakes the final assembly and sells it directly to the consumer. Dell’s direct model of selling and build-to-order supply chain i.e. just in time strategy have been the core at its policies and practical that have enabled it to gain competitive advantage in the computer industry. The value chain makes sure that all aspects are coordinated into attaining the firm’s stated goals. Dell makes sure that it monitors the value of its initiatives. Dell makes use of online value chain system. Such system helps the company control and coordinate business processes. It provides the company with a system with faster capabilities and lower cost and it eliminates the unnecessary steps which do not contribute the value chain and this also helps the Dell to make a decision regarding its employs’ promotion or demotion. 9. Dell’s Supply Chain Management Supply chain is an integral part of any business because through it raw material is systematically transformed into finished goods; these products are then sold to consumers for the company to have profit. In Supply chain management having a record of supplies is a valuable activity. Having a secured record of supplies gives a company benefits such as efficient list of supplies. Here products are received from a company’s suppliers and they are stored until they are needed on the assembly line of Dell then goods are moved around the organization. Dell relies mostly on its highly reliable supplier, where Dell formulates its operation and relies on its computer monitor supplier to ship directly to the customer. As long as its supplier retains its leadership position, Dell would collaboratively work with it to achieve mutual success. Dell’s Process This process starts when Dell receives an order for a PC, it faxes or phones its requirements to suppliers who pick the ordered parts and pack them in reusable bins with cards attached. Trucks on a continuous connection between suppliers and Dell, known as a â€Å"milk run† deliver the sorted parts to the computer maker’s plant for final assembly. This process frees Dell from having to manage inventories and the costs associated with stock. Dell has made efforts to ensure that suppliers don’t get stuck with much inventory. The computer maker allows suppliers to participate in a â€Å"revolver program,† where they can sell parts stored at the warehouse to other customers than Dell. Dell’s supply chain competency comprises of four qualities which includes demand management, internal collaboration, leveraging partners, and financial fundamentals. Dell’s direct model enables the company to fully hold at demand management. The process of selling d irectly to customers and building product to order creates opportunities for true real-time collaboration between manufacturing and sales. Being in direct contact with the market, Dell can quickly see changes in customer demand. This allows Dell to respond more quickly to customer demand than its competitors can and this true demand management allows for highly accurate forecasts. Second integral aspect of Dell’s success is its ability to collaborate internally. This competency flourishes in a culture which values information sharing and empowers all employees. At Dell, â€Å"direct† refers not only to how the company sells but also to how team members communicate and attack issues to solve. Dell leverages its partners by linking suppliers’ planning and execution activities with Dell’s systems. The company uses information technology to gather and share a constant stream of data on supply and demand trends. Finally and lastly Dell’s entire supply chain is focused on fundamental business performance. Operating margin and not just profits or growth rate is the number that Dell cares about most to ensure long-term profitability. Dell thought differently because when Dell introduced the direct model at the same time its competitors were selling computers to end consumers via distributors. Dell sells directly to consumers and is continuously communicating with them and benefiting. Dell capitalizes the opportunities whenever they arise like seeing sales trends and learning about unmet customer needs. The company also relies on customers’ knowledge of what they want to purchase and when they want to complete the transaction to drive the direct business model i.e. totally customized. The Dell supply chain management system handles a number of transactions and pieces of information, and includes multiple core components necessary to keep operations running smoothly. Some very important components are as follow: †¢ Configuration management; This component manages approximately over 1 million Dell part numbers every year with tackling approximately 200 product families, and over 2 million bills of materials (BOMs) every year. BOMs listing component part numbers are created for manufacturing facilities to build assemblies and subassemblies for Dell products. †¢ Procurement; The procurement component manages approximately 1.8 million purchase order lines every year from more than 5,000 suppliers worldwide. To smoothly process the procurement phase, Dell uses an automated application activity that includes workflow approvals and vendor communication and also enables services such as defective part replacement. †¢ Cost; This element runs smoothly to calculate the costs to Dell for all BOMs. The specific activity runs weekly, monthly, and quarterly, with each job aggregating total material costs. †¢ Inventory; The inventory component manages more than 3 million inventory movements daily from stock rooms to factory floors across all Dell sites. Dell also manages corresponding over 3 million messages transmitted to different systems for reporting, analysis, and factory scheduling. †¢ Accounts payable; this specific measure handles approximately 15,000 items per day which includes payments to Dell suppliers, invoices, and receipts. This component contains some important information under certain categories like vendor information section includes vendor ID number, location, negotiated terms, and contact 9. Significance and Advantages of supply chain management with a glance on disintermediation and Just in Time Explanation Dell’s supply chain consists of only three stages and these stages are the suppliers, the manufacturer (Dell), and the end users. The company’s direct contact with customers allows them to properly identify target markets demands, analyze the target requirements and profitability of each assignment and develop more accurate demand forecasts. Dell matches supply and demand because its customers order computer configurations over the phone or online. These computer systems are built from components that are available in suppliers’ jacket. Dell’s strategy is to provide customized, low cost, and quality computers that are delivered as on ordered time. Dell managed and implemented this strategy through its efficient manufacturing operations, better supply chain management and direct sales model. Dell reduces the cost of intermediaries of distribution channels that would otherwise add up to the total cost of PC for the customer by taking orders directly from the customers. This strategy also saves time on processing orders that other companies normally suffer in their sales and distribution syste m. By directly dealing with the customers Dell gets a clearer indication of market trends and relishes. This helps Dell to plan for the future and forecast properly besides better managing its supply chain. Another integral advantage Dell holds by directly dealing with the customer is that it enables itself to get the customer’s requirements regarding the software to be loaded. The elimination of a PC support engineer to load software, the customers gain both in time and cost. Dell computers have perceived 100% performance in performing a number of important activities which includes on-time delivery, and fill rate. Dell’s supply chain management most efficient trends include increasingly powerful private trading networks, increased transparency in measuring and monitoring the value chain performance, and outsourcing of non-core activities. Cost management techniques with taking practical performance improvement initiatives Dell have revolutionized the entire supply chain management process. Dell uses different software to follow and track its entire activities like Dell uses i2 Technologies software to track its supply chain activities. Dell monitors its supply chain time and again and this activity enables the Dell to make immediate changes (within hours) to respond the fluctuations in consumer demand. The software also alerts Dell to any supply shortages and Dell rapidly communicates order information including automatic replenishment requests to its suppliers through the internet. The company also uses the Web to interact with suppliers this interaction enables the suppliers to be up to date with its volume expectations and long-term planning data. Master production schedule updated after every two hours. Dell’s mass customization program enables 100,000 different computer configurations, 455 annual work-in-process turns, 52 annual inventory turns and a zero finished goods inventory. Dell Computer Corporation successfully uses a build-to-order(just in time) manufacturing program to hold down its inventory to only a five-day supply while shipping 95 percent of customer orders within eight hours. This strategy gives Dell an important competitive advantage as a low-cost producer. Dell can reap the benefits of lower material costs almost immediately and reflect that benefit in its consumer product prices. The Just-In-Time organization has a distinctive culture that gives it a competitive advantage which clarifies its standings among competitors. When big things change in its environment, Dell adapts successfully. People in the Just-In-Time organization are typically motivated more by values and pride in their company. The Coherence Index specifically measures the coherence or consistency of your organization’s strategy. Most Just-In-Time organizations will score moderately high in this area. Coherent companies have a clear set of capabilities that are in line with their strategy and that they use over and over again in their operations. The following are common patterns of behavior in just-in-time organizations. Just-in-time organizations often are often headed by a strong sense of mission. They want to chart new territory, inspire change, and make a big difference. Just-in-time organizations follow two different strategies. first the adventure-seeking and the more cautious professional managers. Adventure-seekers regard the unstructured environment and strained resources of the organization with a certain fondness. Second managers keep the joint running. What they lack in pure passion, they make up for in discipline and managerial skills. They are the more stable and reliable sorts. A great sense of urgency exists in the just-in-time organization. Everything is â€Å"life or death,† and the immediate emergency inevitably takes higher priority over so-called road building for the future. Every day brings fresh fires that need to be put out, and that’s where everyone directs their attention, even though yesterday’s still-smoldering ashes are not yet extinguished. 1 0. Cost effective and consumer friendly SCM of Dell A time when Dell was an infant its IT group ran its supply chain management database applications on large, expensive, proprietary servers based on the UNIX ® OS. As the company grew, servers lacking the necessary capacity had to be replaced with even larger, more powerful servers. The increased performance of industry-standard Dell PowerEdge servers has enabled Dell IT to create cost-effective, highly scalable systems using Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) 10g. By sharing a large database across multiple PowerEdge servers, Dell IT can easily deploy additional low-cost servers when necessary to handle increased workloads rather than buying additional large, expensive, proprietary UNIX-based servers. Supply chain management is essential to Dell operations around the world, with both factory operations and internal systems dependent on supply chain management systems to provide real-time information about key business functions. Running these systems on Oracle RAC 10g clusters of industry standard Dell PowerEdge servers enables Dell IT to scale them efficiently and cost-effectively to handle increased workloads. By moving the systems to Dell servers when it did, Dell IT avoided significant additional expenditures for proprietary UNIX-based servers, enhanced performance, and provided a clear path for future growth. 11. Conclusion and recommendation The rapid development of Worldwide Web (WWW) technologies, Internet, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have generated the evolutionary online business solution and electronic-commerce (ecommerce) both of which are to provide support for both information and workflow control, and process management as well as enhance the communication. E-commerce technologies are perceived as a mainstream to improve productivity and information flow and communications which all have to process through a systematic phase of supply chain management. Technology based SCM allows the creation of extra value for the customer and have the goal to satisfy the client requirements in the best possible way and in real time. Migration to a technological based approach for SCM applications is required for streamlining Supply Chain activities, maintaining a consistent quality of service and controlled distribution of the data which otherwise cannot be achieved. A technological based supply chain management must have the components like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system which forms groups of business software functions like production, purchasing, CRM. These applications have to be interconnected so that to provide complete reports on customers, demand, suppliers, supply, finance, manufacturing, delivery, etc. 12. Reference Fugate, B.S. and Mentzer, J.T. (2004) ‘Dell’s supply chain DNA.’ Supply Chain Management Review, Vol.8, No.7, p.20-24 Chopra, S. and Meindl, P. (2003) Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning and Operation. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Maney, K. (2003) ‘Dell Business Model Turns to Muscle as Rivals Struggle’. Online. USA Today. Available: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2003-01-19-dell-cover_x.htm [18 Jan 2009] Maguire, J. (2003) ‘Case Study: Dell.com’. Online. Ecommerce-Guide.com. Available: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/news/news/article.php/2013731 [18 Jan 2009] Magretta, J. (1998) ‘The power of virtual integration: An interview with Dell computer’s Michael Dell.’ Harvard Business Review, Vol.76, No.2, pp.73-84 Lee, H.L. (2000) ‘Creating value through supply chain integration.’ Supply Chain Management Review, Vol.4, No.4, pp.47-54 Kraemer, K.L. and Dedrick, J. (2002) â₠¬ËœDell computer: Organization of a global production network’. Irvine, California: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations. Online. Available: http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi Aitken J.M. (1999). Supplier Associations, A Methodological Opportunity in Supply Chain Research, Belfast and Dublin, United Kingdom and Ireland, 13-22. Ghiassi, M., Spera, C., 2003. Defining the Internet-based supply chain system for mass customized markets. Computers and Industrial Engineering 45, 17–41. McKnight, H.D. and Chervany, N.L. 2002. What trust means in e-commerce customer relationships: an interdisciplinary conceptual typology. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Forthcoming. Saab S.S., W. Mhanna, and S.Saliba, â€Å"Conceptualisation Study for Using RFID as a Stand-alone Vehicle Positioning System,† Intl. Journal of Radio Frequency Identification Technology and Applications, vol. 2, issue. 1/2, pp. 27-45, 2009. Ross, F. (200 3), Introduction to e-Supply Chain Management, engaging

Illusion vs. Reality A Streetcar Named Desire Essay

Tennessee Williams uses the constant battle between illusion and reality as a theme throughout his play A Streetcar Named Desire. Many use illusion to escape the reality they are living in. This theme is present in all of his characters in different ways. Each character is shown to live their life in either the way of illusion or reality. Harold Mitchell, also known as Mitch buys into Blanches illusions. He is overtaken by her charm, but in the end finally faces reality. Stella who is Blanches sister is always wishing for everything to be perfect with her and Stanley even though he abuses her. She overlooks Stanley’s downfalls to escape her reality. Blanche is the center of all illusion. She fishes for complements and believes she is a step up from all people. Lying to herself and to others allows her to make it seem as if her life appears as it should be rather than how it is. To Blanche the loss of Bell Reve was as dramatic as if she lost her castle. Because of this she pretends that her life in Laurel didn’t occur. She cannot stand the light because she is living in fear that people will notice that she is older and is in denial about it. Each of these characters show how powerful illusion can be. Williams includes specific situations where illusion is portrayed. Such as, in Blanche and Mitch’s relationship. Blanche wants Mitch to want her and creates illusion of what she should be. From this she wants to seem more appealing and lies about her age to him and hides in the darkness she he will not see her clearly. Blanche owns a costume trunk filled with things that are dear to her. Meanwhile, they have no true value. She wears the crown she owns with the costume jewelry and goes through moments where she can pretend she lives the life of a princess to escape reality. Shep Huntleigh is a rich character who works in the oil business whom we never truly find out exists. To Blanche he is a man who she made an escape plan for him to take her and Stella away to Miami. Stella doesn’t want to leave because she thinks Stanley her husband is true to her. In all of these instances illusion plays a key role in a way for the characters to do away with the lives they do not want to be living. Although, not all characters are living in illusion Tennessee Williams does include some who face reality. Stanley Kowalski, Stella’s husband, is strictly a reality based character. He is constantly looking into Blanches real past. He sees through all of her illusions and wants the truth to things. This is proved in the rape scene when Stanley turns Blanche into the victim as she had made herself out to be throughout the play. Eunice the character who lives in the upstairs of the house with the Kowalski’s. She knows how untrue Stanley is to Stella and is always telling her to face reality and not put up with how she is treated like garbage from him. Towards the end of the play Mitch finally overlooks Blanches illusions and begins to question her by telling her how he has never seen her in the light and asks her age. Mitch’s sick mother helps to keep him focused in the real things in his life by having him put aside all other things to take care of the one who cared for him. Escaping your reality and living in an illusion world will leave you blind to the things around you. In some cases, if you are strong enough to withhold from the illusions around you, you may end up in the reality, like Mitch. Both Stella and Blanche found it best in their minds to live in a fantasy but if you live in it too long it can take over your reality.

Case Study About Trust Report Essay

Trust is the ability to rely confidently, either on an individual or in this scenario the company’s product. It is judged on three dimensions; namely, the ability to be technically competent, its benevolence, that is, the interests and motives, and, finally, the integrity. Positive judgment is a good reflect on the customers’ will to take part in the organization’s dealings. This act may involve buying the company’s products, investing in its stocks, or being an employee. In case any of the attributes become questionable, it may make the customers wary and reluctant in risk taking (Kourdi & Bibb, 2007). Distrust in the organization may increase inefficiencies of innovation and damage relationships. Causes leading to the loss of trust Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japan based motor manufacturer. Its headquarters are in Aichi, Japan. This corporation was founded in 1937 and had been since among the best performing motor manufacturers and dealers in the world. With more than 3 billion yen as profit in a fiscal year, as per the financial report of 2013, Toyota could be said to be among what Forbes magazine would name the top 100 best corporations (Kourdi & Bibb, 2007). Since the year 2004 to 2010, there had been several complains on Toyota Motors concerning engines and accelerators. On 28 August 2009, a tragic accident occurred in San Diego involving a family travelling in a Toyota Lexus. The car lost control and all the passengers died. Toyota, known for its impeccable repute for reliability and quality products suddenly had to deal with trust crisis. A deficiency in attributes that lead to trust of the company’s products and services in form of a scandal can lead to instant lack of trust (Blackshaw, 2008). An effective response to a trust scandal or failure needs interventions that are aimed at curbing distrust and  rebuilding trustworthiness. Distrust regulation can be done through enforcing controls, conditions, and constraints to employees in order to rectify the failure. Intervening may require the removal of guilty parties, the change of the cultural norms of the organization, and introduction of new or the revision of incentives (Blackshaw, 2008). This is not sufficient. Statements and actions too are needed to demonstrate trustworthiness. Statements that show the company’s compelling ability, integrity, and benevolence are required. Apologies, transparency, and ethical practice are required as well. How effective do you consider the taken mitigation actions? Effective repair of trust should undergo simple steps. The first is immediate response to Toyota Corporation belated communications; belated recalls and public apologies damaged its reputation more than the original accident (Liker, 2004). The company ended up losing its sales, investors, and market share. They also lost customer confidence. Toyota Company expressed concern by realizing a statement where they apologized to the family of the victims. It also pledged to carry out investigations. However, the company, regrettably, did not point out the possible causes. This seems like an effective immediate response but it is required for a company to point out to possible causes. Later, the floor mats were suspected to be the likely cause of two accidents that had occurred earlier, but this did not prompt the company into issuing a customer warning (Liker, 2004). They acted upon the suspicions five days after the analysis of the cause was confirmed. This was nineteen days after the fatal accidents. In order to rebuild customer, employee, and investor trust, Toyota Motors released a statement assuring their customers that the floor mats were in good conditions and safe. They praised them as being among the safest mats. This statement was later challenged by NHTSA who accused the company of releasing misleading and inaccurate reports. In a bid to save itself from further downfall, Toyota Motors reacted by giving a remedy to the sticky floor mats. This action caused discretion among investors who thought of the company to have had unclear motives when they released the first statement (Liker, Hoseus, & Center for Quality People and Organizations, 2008). This further dented the trust of the shareholders. The mitigation process of the Toyota Company took  a long time, hence more damage to be controlled. It was ineffective at the beginning, which was a blow to the shareholders. Although the company founder Akio Toyoda later sent out apologies and through the wall street journal expressed his commitment to reforming the company towards better and safe products with the aim of repairing the damage that had been done (Liker, Hoseus, & Center for Quality People and Organizations, 2008). The company through the court compensated the family that had lost their relatives through the accident. This was a step to convey the company’s acceptance of the guilt. Consequences of not addressing trust issues Failure to respond to issues and address the remedies publicly can lead to severe disciplinary actions on a company. These actions may include its termination and payment of fine; Toyota Company due to its sluggish manner of responding to the claims against its products was fined $16.4million (Pelletier, 2005). This is because the company failed to warn its customers thereafter. Toyota accepted its penance. Do you believe that the company’s reputation can be re-build, or will they suffer the consequences also in the years to come? Despite the tarnishing of Toyota Corporation’s reputation, the customers’ and investors’ trust will be rebuilt. The actions that the company undertook such as restricting the company’s management team and procuring a new safety system have seen the company rise to becoming once again among the most profitable companies in the world (Pelletier, 2005). The company is rebuilding itself since the 2009 failure. It has had numerous innovations and recently announced mass hiring of employees. References Bibb, S., Kourdi, J., & Bibb, S. (2007). A question of trust: The crucial nature of trust – and how to build it in your work and life. London: Cyan. Blackshaw, P. (2008). Satisfied customers tell three friends, angry customers tell 3,000: Running a business in today’s consumer driven world. New York: Doubleday. Liker, J. K. (2004). The Toyota way: 14 management principles from the world’s greatest manufacturer. New York: McGraw-Hill.Top of Form Top of FormLiker, J. K., Hoseus, M., & Center for Quality People and Organizations. (2008). Toyota culture: The heart and soul of the Toyota way. New York: McGraw-Hill. Pelletier, R. (2005). It’s all about service: How to lead your people to care for your customers. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons Bottom of Form Bottom of Form

Japan's Soft Power in Australia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Japan's Soft Power in Australia - Research Paper Example Significant points will be highlighted all through the research proposal. Several research questions will further help in enlightening the concept of Soft Power and how useful it can be for a country. The concept of Soft Power has been recently coined and it can change the fortune of a country within literally no time, Japan has benefitted a lot from their Soft Power in Australia. The healthy cooperation between the two countries is a very healthy and mutually dependent partnership. Japan is also competing with the likes of Korea and China for Asian supremacy and it is high time for them to grow by leaps and bounds in order to beat the competition presented by their rivals. This research is very significant because outlines the fact that hard power no longer works effectively and in order to maximize the gain this concept of Soft Power has been introduced. This proposal will mainly deal with intriguing questions that will throw light upon this delicate concept and how this is being made use of by several countries in order to establish themselves globally. The bonding between Japan and Australia is very evident and the two countries share a great relationship be it in business or for that matter any other field. These two nations have brought in a real revolution and the chemistry that they share has been named as a "Core" relationship by people who have taken a conspicuous notice of the relationship between the two countries. This core relationship is very enticing because it guarantees safety; the level of safety is much higher when compared to any other Asian nation. This paper will expansively present Japan's soft power in Australia; in addition to this the paper will also throw light upon Japanese cultural, economic and political influence to Australia and ideology especially after World War Two. There is a very healthy interdependence between Australia and Japan, Australia plays a pivotal role in equipping Japan with necessary resources and energy security. 22 % of Japan's energy needs are taken care of by Australia. This interdependence is extremely important for both countries in order to maintain a healthy relationship with all the other countries located in and around the vicinity. "Former Western Australian premier Geoff Gallop, now an academic at Murdoch University, made exactly this point: "Our growing links to China and India [should be] put into the context of our long-term and still developing partnerships with Japan. In all of our thinking about Asian engagement we cannot ignore the strength of our links to Japan. We share democratic values, face similar demographic and social challenges, and have many interests in common in respect of regional and international issues." (Beyond the Mainstream) Methodology This research will employ the methodology of research; main focus will be on the statistics and facts. How Japan and Australia have benefitted out of this relationship will be proved by the help of several examples and most importantly focus will also be on what it takes to establish Soft Power in another country and what problems the same is capable of creating. Japan's economic political and other important aspects are pivotal and they will be taken into account in this research. The resurgence of Japan

Midterm paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Midterm - Term Paper Example Complicating this issue even further is the request that the manager makes based upon reflecting the fireworks as the award-winning. Naturally, as no such award exists, the employee is faced with a situation in which either they will make up an award or they will fail if the assignment. Finally, complicating matters even further is the fact that one of the colleague is attempting to take personal gain of the situation by creating the award in exchange for a symposium sexual favor. As a means of understanding this dynamic, the ethical challenges, and the options that are available to the employee, the following analysis will focus specifically on these three segments. Firstly, it should be understood that leveraging any type of favor from a fellow colleagues, whether in exchange for sexual service or any other good or commodity, is tantamount with making up the information and lying about the veracity behind the award. The underlying ethical reason behind this has to do with the fact that it is clear and apparent that the fellow colleague does not have such an award and it has never existed. Thus, by merely passing the buck and claiming a level of ignorance concerning where the support came from or when it was earned and why, the employee in question is not any better of a position as compared to that they had generated this false award on their own. From the case that has been presented thus far there are ultimately three options. Accordingly, the remainder of this analysis will revolve around discussing these options, from the least desirable to the most desirable, and promoting a likely course of action that the employee might consider taking. As such, the first and least desirable option is to refuse to make up any award and directly confront the manager with this refusal. Not only will this most likely result in an immediate termination, it will also leave a very negative relationship and interpretation of the employee’s time at the

Game Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Game Theory - Essay Example 2 threatens to play q if the player 1 gives 2 the move; this may be bad for the player 1 so he decides to play W, but also would be bad for player 2. Now, given the opportunity to move, player 2 will prefer to play 1 since it is the remaining Nash equilibrium. One has to bear in mind the tree diagram of probability when handling game perfect equilibrium theory. In game 1, the correct sub-game starts at player2’s decision join; the condition that 2’s choices are Nash equilibrium strategy lowers or reduces the prerequisite that 2 takes the action that yields in the highest induce, thus, player 2 must play 1; these deductions are only possible because there exist a finite extensive form of the game, therefore exists a sub-game perfect Nash equilibrium. In addition, the Nash sub perfect game equilibrium can be jointed to for the tree diagram of probabilities (McCain 55). A different problem with sub-game excellence is that of the concept is not in an alternative unnecessary changing of the game tree. For instance, a tree diagram that has the same form as that of normal form as game 2 but has sub-game completeness (McCain 56). When manipulating for equilibrium in zero, some game will not take into account of the challenger playoff; this is because the opponents are implicit known, they are ever diametric. On the other hand, in non-zero games, one has to put in mind opponents playoff. These will always yield different outcomes. A relevant example is that of innovation of Blu-ray by Toshiba and Sony companies, if both companies goes for the same innovation, the results may be more convenient for only than Toshiba, but if the two companies don’t involve in the same kind of coordination (if only has a greater probability or chance of winning in the innovation ). The game in comparison is Blu-ray for Sony to that of Toshiba, now, if the two companies happen to pick option, then Sony will have a big pay off compared to Toshiba. Consequently, if Toshib a Company reconsiders to the option of HD DVD will leave the Sony Company with a play of o. this will be considered as that playoff 1 for selection of Blu-ray. However, (HD DVD, HD DVD) is another strategic equilibrium. The game theories will term these as pure strategy equilibrium in non-zero game of Nash equilibrium (McCain 78). The co-ordination between the companies will bear some common problems in the scope of business and innovations. Although it is better to understand that solutions reached is as a result of Nash equilibrium; solutions obtained are of the beneficiary to the companies; Sony and Toshiba. Therefore, it important to understand the mixed strategy of Nash equilibrium; this case will put the guiding principle to base on any of the player or company this means that the mixed equilibrium must yield some payoff outcomes (McCain 123). For instance, if we take the mixed strategy for Sony company to be y for choosing Blu-ray and (1-y) for Toshiba company for choosing HD DVD, we can use Toshiba’s payoff to manipulate the values for HD DVD and Blu-ray, these will yield two outcomes as follows; If Toshiba company chooses Blu-ray if Toshiba company goes for HD DVD (1-y)*(y+0)*1 =0*(1-y)*(y+4) y =4-4*y y*5 =4 y =4D5 In this example, Sony’s strategy is to an unsystematic choosing of Blu-ray is (4/5) and the same time (1/5) to that of HD DVD. Now, there will be a mixed strategy of (x, 1-x) of

The contribution of the construction industry to economic development Essay

The contribution of the construction industry to economic development in Libya - Essay Example Such estimates signifying the role of construction industry in the national economies, especially in the context of developing economies, could rise further as these figures do not include the informal sectors. In developing economies informal sectors generates significant casual employment in both rural and urban areas (Ganesan 2000). The construction outputs are considered as a major constituent of investment and part of fixed capital which are essential for continuous and sustainable economic growth. In the normal course the outcomes of construction activities produce results that benefits on the whole for a larger period of time. Construction industry is also very important since infrastructure development is very crucial and a pre condition for potential economic growth (Ive and Gruneberg, 2000; Hillebrandt 2000). The importance of the construction industry is due to the role it has in the economy, but that role varies between nations. In developing countries, the construction industry has a pivotal role in providing a significant infrastructure in the form of roads, railways, hospitals, schools, airports, housing and other buildings. In developed countries the emphasis is on professional services, maintenance and repair constructions (Ruddock, 2009; Bon, 1999).The main purpose of this study is to draw attention to the importance of the construction industry in Libya through investigating its relationship with other sectors via linkages which are defined as â€Å"backward and forward linkages† (Raza, 2008- p no?). The construction industry stimulates the growth of other sectors through a complex system of linkages which are defined as backward and forward – directions from an input and output model of the economy. Changes in construction industry usually affect other sectors through its linkages. Therefore, its highest linkages with other sectors provide a more rapid growth in the economy (Song, Liu, 2006). As a matter of fact the backward

The UK public sector Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The UK public sector - Case Study Example In doing so, there was a definite movement towards policies that would influence the industrial relations and the trade union movement. (Driver et al, 1998) This was followed by changing political ideals and approaches towards the public sectors in the following decades. In recent times however, it has been seen that there is significant unrest and discontent within the trade union regarding perspectives on the public sector in terms of pay and industrial relations. This paper will discuss the causes and extent of such discontent through the context of theories, events and various facts related to the civil services in general. It is imperative to first define the public sector in UK. A country's public sector generally defines the horizon on which the various developments towards progression and growth of infrastructure take place. It is also the regulating force that underscores the activities within the market and that of the private sector as well. It is no different for UK's public sector which consists of basic amenity providing bodies like the postal service, the fire department, education, health and prison service, to name a few. Any country or organisation's basic and most important resource lies with its human element. The working force behind the industrial sector is in fact the work force, popularly known as the human resources. In giving the trade unions a large and important role to play as far as industrial relations were concerned, the UK government was trying to achieve the following results: Make optimum utilisation of its workforce. Create enough scope though accelerated production for economic growth which would in turn compensate the ravages of the two world wars Keep maximum resources and service provision bodies in the public sector through a demonstration of high capacity and capability. (Driver et al, 1998) With the identification of such goals, came the emergence of the trade unions which realised that it could exploit the public sector to a greater advantage. To make use of human resources for the achievement of such goals, the UK government gave into the demands of the employees. Thus, it can be seen that the public sector was governed closely by a set of standards set forth by the trade unions in context of pay and conditions of work. The trade union was thus a body that regulated the operational sphere of the public sector as it had important roles to play in various processes like decision making and centralisation of collective bargaining methods. This was not to last though. With the advent of the Thatcher government, there was a steady change in the equation enjoyed by the trade union within the public sector. (Driver et al, 1

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

Geriatrics - Research Paper Example Any serious attempt at mitigating the detrimental effects of heart disease on cost and health of the population has to ensure certain interventions (Meng, Wamsley, Eggert, & Van Nostrand, 2007, p. 322). These are the systematic application of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies to individuals who are at risk of developing heart disease. Tertiary prevention strategies relate to the provision of adequate treatment for heart disease, and this also comprises of reducing the severity of the ailment and occurrence of complications (Meng, Wamsley, Eggert, & Van Nostrand, 2007, p. 322). Furthermore, it has been projected that there could be a substantial increase in the number of people with heart disease in the coming decades, and in this backdrop, it becomes indispensable to adopt these prevention strategies, without any delay. Although, there has been a reduction in the prevalence of disability, the absolute size of the disabled groups has been projected to surpass the 12 million mark, by the year 2030 (Meng, Wamsley, Eggert, & Van Nostrand, 2007, p. 322). The excessive consumption of alcohol has been seen to increase the risk of medical, functional, and psychological disorders to which the older adults are significantly more susceptible. Quite frequently, the excessive consumption of alcohol is a component of other undesirable traits, such as an inadequate diet, smoking, and obesity (Satre, Gordon, & Weisner, 2007, p. 238). This tends to enhance the cumulative risk, with regard to the development of medical problems. Nevertheless, moderate drinking was seen to provide health benefits. With regard to heart disease, moderate drinking had reduced mortality, in comparison to heavy drinking or abstinence. Thus, alcohol can be beneficial to health if consumed in moderate quantities (Satre, Gordon, & Weisner, 2007, p. 238). As shown by the research of Grant and Harford and other scholars, the abuse of alcohol or its consumption in large quantities, and symptoms of depression or major depressive disorder frequently arise in the later stages of life. In addition, a correlation between the abuse of alcohol and depressive symptoms or major depression has also been reported by some research studies (Choi & Dinitto, 2011, p. 860). This relationship has been seen to affect males, as well as females. However, as shown by Blazer, older females develop depressive symptoms to a greater extent than their male counterparts. At this juncture, it has to be emphasized that the older females, have a much greater proclivity to refrain from drinking. On the few occasions that the older females indulge in drink, they have been seen to imbibe much less than the older males. These findings stress the necessity for further examination, in determining the correlation between alcohol use and depressive symptoms (Choi & Dinitto, 2011, p. 860). In addition, smoking enhances the risk of cancer among the elderly people. Abstinence from smoking, proper nutriti on, and exercise on regular basis promote good health. These elements are considered as good health behaviors, and have the capacity to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization and the risk of death. Moreover, these habits promote the functional and behavioral performance of people of all ages (Fillenbaum, Burchett, Kuchibhatla, Cohen, & Blazer, 2007, p. 73). As such, these habits pro

CRJS350(4) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CRJS350(4) - Research Paper Example The investigator may also need an expert with analytical skills during post-scene investigation, for examination of documents, financial data or other reports, to identify, confirm or analyze theories or conclusions. Law enforcers may also be needed to keep the public away from the scene, as well as medical experts for first aid and counseling of victims and family members. The fire investigators should also get training to enable them evaluate fire spread, ignition dynamics, as well as fire detection. As a Metropolitan Arson Squad training and logistics officer, I articulate the training and equipment needed for arson scene investigations. There are several tools and equipment needed during and after an arson investigation. The most essential include a barricade tape to keep the public away from the scene, camera and spare batteries for photography of the scene to preserve evidence as well as a tape recorder (IAAI, 2011). Communications equipment is also important to get in touch wi th other agencies, for instance, the police or medical experts. Catalytic combustion detectors that speed oxidation reactions from certain chemicals and fuels are also important for the investigators. Photo-ionization detectors are also important for detecting the presence of hydrocarbon vapors. ... Training is important for the unit to carry out satisfactory investigation of the scene. For instance, training on several accelerants such as gasoline and kerosene and others is important to educate on their effect of speeding up the growth and spread of fires (IAAI, 2011). Most accelerant liquids have unique characteristics as seen in fire development and after the fire is out. The same also goes for chemicals, fuels and other ignitable materials. The investigator should know what to collect in terms of importance. Photography training for the investigators is important, as evidence inside and outside will be needed before excavation can be done. Pieces of evidence recovered should also be photographed. Training should also be done on how to collect trace evidence which will be used in the investigation. This includes skin, blood and hair, from which DNA can be identified. Fingerprints can also be taken from accelerant containers and devices. There are personal items that the inves tigator should carry. These include identification cards, uniform and badges for identification and their own protection (IAAI, 2011). Flash lights would be used to light the scene so as to facilitate the investigative process. A good dependable flashlight can be used by individual investigators but it cannot light up the whole scene. Thus a larger lighting device is needed. Electrical generators can be used if the main power supply has been interrupted. If a gasoline generator is used, it must be kept away from the origin of the fire and all cords must be examined to ensure the scene is not contaminated with hydrocarbons (Schottke, 2013). Inverters, though not as strong as generators, can

Quantitative Social Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Quantitative Social Research Methods - Essay Example n that was posed to the respondents was if the current conditions in their chosen field of specialisation were favourable for their current career path. Twenty five percent of the respondents (5) felt that the conditions were not favourable while 30% (6) felt that the conditions were only moderately favourable. At 45% (9) the majority of the respondents felt that the conditions were favourable. A question on the significance of age in the respondents chosen fields of specialisation was posed. 5% (1) of the respondents responded that age was not significant in their chosen fields of specialisation. 20% (4) were of the opinion that age was only minimally significant while 30 percent (6) felt that age had moderate significance in their chosen fields of specialisation. Forty five percent (9) considered age strongly significant in their chosen fields. The significance of flexible hours in various respondents’ chosen fields of specialisation was the last question posed to the respondents. Five percent of the respondents (1) was of the opinion that they were not significant. Twenty five percent (5) were of the view that the hours were minimally significant while 35% felt that the hours were moderately significant. A similar number responded that the hour were strongly significant. It is important to note the trends in regard to the conditions at work place and the significance of age and flexible hours at the work place do not follow the normal curve but rather increase

Hiring and Firing Essay Example for Free

Hiring and Firing Essay This essay will identify and discuss the different recruitment and selection practices of organizations in the UK and these practices will be compared to the counterparts in the rest of European Countries. The essay will also comment on the pitfalls in the UK organizations which have led to tied hands of the managers in these corporations. The terminating practices in the organizations of UK will also be discussed and the pitfalls will be compared to the companies based in the European Countries. This is the reason why fewer students are choosing IT related fields in their graduate degrees as there are no jobs available for the locals in these companies. This is a pitfall that has been dug by these IT companies themselves as they will not receive any talent from the local market if there is a restriction of off-shoring in the future (MarketWatch 2006). Poor Recruitment Practice in UK A people assessment company, Talent Q that helps employers in managing and recruiting talent, has found many companies and managers to be taking poor decisions routinely when hiring employees. There are many bad consequences of this poor hiring practice as the fall in productivity is equal to GBP 2,400 per annum for each worker who finds himself misplaced in a job which he does not want to do or is not capable of performing. Effectively, the aggregate amount goes up to GBP 5million per annum for the economy of UK (M2PressWIRE 2007). According to an official survey of Talent Q, 24 percent of the employees who were recruited were not asked to give an aptitude test and another 44 percent of the personnel who were hired were not short-listed using any personality test. Based on 25 years of academic research across many companies of large scale, these findings were processed through a model which is universally accepted. This model demonstrates the cast iron effectiveness of the assessment. The true extent of the issues for the employers became clear when these results were combined with salary data from Office for National Statistics. The CEO of Talent Q commented that the organizations often fail to employ people on the basis of aptitude test and personality test. However, employing people on the basis of gut feeling is by far the worst employment technique known, whereas many studies have shown that when employers use assessment techniques to find out the personaliy and aptitude of a person, they get much better results (M2PressWIRE 2007). Word of Mouth Recruiting The applicants who apply through word-of-mouth are found to be more suitable than the recruits obtained by advertising and are more likely to stay longer in the job. However, it is not always the case that the best candidate for a job is selected through word-of-mouth applications. This practice for recruitment is being practiced in the UK at higher rates among the senior levels and is known as headhunting. The objective of these seniors is to fill the higher paying jobs with the people whom they know or are there relatives (HRM Guide Network 2007). Promise of Bonuses The promise of bonuses while recruiting the employees has been the worst pitfall of the recruitment practices in the UK. Mercer Consulting has found through research that the overall pay of CEOs in the UK from bonuses has grown from 13 percent to 19 percent in 2004 (Mercer Human Resource Consulting 2004). There has been a major effect on the earnings growth rates in the UK because of the large number of bonuses that were paid in the recent years (Freeman 2002). This practice of attracting talent through offering bonuses does not guarantee a motivated employee. This ensures only that decisions are made by the employees that get him the bonuses and these decisions may harm the company in the long-run. The companies in the UK are also using bonuses as a tool for employee retention and this practice is becoming quite common in the UK economy. However, the new plan to attract new talent and to lay off the existing employees is not in the hands of the managers at middle or lower level. The senior management is most of the companies makes such decisions (Nisar 2007). Off-shoring in the UK Many companies in the UK, especially those related to IT and innovation, are hiring skilled but relatively cheap labor from overseas. This hiring has been allowed by the government because of which work permits and visas have also been allotted to thousands of workers from abroad. Although these cost effective options cannot be ignored by the managers but they find their hands tied when they find cheap labor which can help the company reduce cost (MarketWatch 2006). The Responsibility of the Managers The managers and personal secretaries are getting increasingly responsible for the recruitment of unfilled vacancies. However, these managers cannot be so sure about hiring the right person or deciding a testing system for the vacancy. Where these managers are asked to cut costs, they are also asked to hire the best person. However, tests such as aptitude test, personality test, skill test or psychometric tests can be very expensive. This is in contradiction to cheap hiring and many managers find themselves in a position of hiring a person not fit for job because of fixed or limited budget allocated for hiring (Renshaw 2003). According to the head of a psychometric company, most of the employees are hired within the first five minutes of an interview which is done with the help of instincts. Although in these five minutes, the conversation does not go beyond smiles and introductions but many think that this is the best practice. Hiring through taking tests has been proved to be the best technique which many managers in the UK do not follow. Those employees who are hired without these tests, they are more likely to immerse the company in losses (Renshaw 2003). Lowering Hiring Requirements The companies with vacancies in the Europe mostly respond with lowering the hiring requirements so as to lower the cost associated with hiring. These chances although increase the chances of filling the vacancy but it also results in a match that resists or terminates when he is hit by a requirement that he cannot address to because of lower level of skills or experience. When searching costs are high, the European employers are more likely to hire under qualified employees for temporary positions. One of the consequences of hiring an under qualified person is high firing costs if the employee is able to get a permanent contract (Brencic 2009). Temporary Employment Practices in the Europe Many countries in Europe ban or restrict the use of temporary workers. However, there has been a growing acceptance for the temporary employment in the region. Many companies which do not want to rush in hiring and then make a wrong choice are hiring temporary employees. The UK, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Denmark are the countries among those which have temporary labor markets, but the countries like Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Portugal still have stringent policies over temporary hiring (Messmer 1994). Firing Practices in Europe The economies of Europe have been awfully trailing US and other developed countries because of forests of red tape, vast welfare, overregulation and restrictive hiring and firing practices. Firing Limitations in UK Due to the implementation of several equal employment opportunity acts and laws in the United Kingdom, the employers are restricted to fire or layoff employees. This literally throws a manager at his seat with his hands tied as he cannot fire any employee who is not performing. According to the laws, based on the personal status of the worker, an employer may not establish hiring or recruiting criteria. Employers are not allowed to retaliate against, lay-off or fire their employees citing reasons based on the personal status outlined in the federal legislation of anti-discrimination. The labor is protected with the act of penalties and recourse which says that if an employee is discriminated in the areas of firing and hiring, he may collect all the monetary damages that are done by the employer (Pearson 2010). Firing Practices in Germany In December 2000, the Vauxhall Motors Luton announced the closure of a facility with firing of approximately 2000 people. No details were announced publicly about the firing of employees and what benefits would they get. The employees being affected were not told about the decision that the management was about to take about the closure of a facility. The employees were not even told why the facility was closed or why were they being fired (Butler, Sweeney and Crundwell 2009). This shows that the firing practices in Germany are very different as compared to UK, where a company has very limited power to fire permanent employees. In Germany, however, the companies have power to lay-off the employees whenever they want without presenting any reason. Similarities of Firing Practices in UK and other European Countries In this time of economic downturn, when many large corporations are engaging in downsizing practices, the countries like UK, Italy, France and Germany are targeting the older employees for lay-offs. The reason behind is quite logical as the employees grow older, they become less productive and the company find more talented young people to replace them (Cattaneo et al.  2010). The organizations in most of the economies of Europe view older employees as more disposable and give little value to them (Barth et al. , 1993; Eastman, 1993; Loretto and White, 2006). Conclusion There are certain similarities in the UK and Europe companies when it comes to laying-off or recruitment of the employees. However, the differences are more as the UK companies are bound by laws and strict regulations for firing employees which literally ties the hands of the managers when it comes to firing and hiring of the employees.

Reflective Practice And The Effect Education Essay

Reflective Practice And The Effect Education Essay This essay aims to examine the extent that secondary school teachers understand and involve themselves in reflective practice and the effect of this for their professional development. I will discuss the term Professional Development in order to demonstrate that a change in practice is an important part of development. In the Literature Review I propose to explore a) teachers understanding of professional development, b) how they partake of reflective practice, c) the changes that can be brought about in their reflective practice and d) the issues that are associated with these changes. I believe that the knowledge that secondary teachers acquire is not sufficient in itself and that they should continually strive for professional development so that they can also encourage effective learning by their pupils. I then propose to look at the methods and questions that teachers should ask themselves so that they can identify any discrepancies between espoused theories and theories in use. This ensures that change and development can be addressed, as this identification plays an important element for professional development in which teachers can monitor any changes in practice. Espoused theories have restrictions in not being able to assess the thinking processes that teachers use to revise and change practice. This is due to the processes which are reinforced in the unconscious (theories in use). A teacher may not be aware of these processes (theories in use), and what we espouse when investigating practice, may not be similar with any actions. Espoused theories provide a structure to engage in professional exchange in order to identify discrepancies between espoused beliefs and theories in use. This applies to a large extent on the expertise in which the teacher can reflect on his or her own abilities and also helps another to reflect, question, understand and analyse classroom behaviour which concerns teaching. Beauchamp and Thomas (2009:178) have found the following statement a useful starting point in the overall perception of teacher development: Developing an identity as a teacher is an important part of securing teachers commitment to their work and adherence to professional normsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the identities teachers develop shape their dispositions, where they place their effort, whether and how they seek out professional development opportunities, and what obligations they see as intrinsic to their role. (Hammerness, Darling-Hammond, Bransford, 2005, pp. 383-384) Professional Development has been defined by Evans (2002:132) as the process whereby teachers professionality and/or professionalism may be considered to be enhanced. She defines professionality as an ideological based stance on the part of an individual in relation to the practice to which she/he belongs, and which influences her/his professional practice(2002:131). Professional Development is about becoming more expert. Stenberg(2010:331) refers to the process as extending self- knowledge. It is about questioning and changing habits that were developed in order to cope in certain situations. Mason (2002:1)notes it is a form of personal enquiry in order to broaden and deepen professional sensitivities to notice and to act. We need to understand, therefore, what constitutes the developmental process what must happen in order for teachers to develop. Evans (2002) further identifies within the term professionality, two elements which can be identified, namely Attitudinal Development and Functional Development. Attitudinal Development is the process where teachers attitudes to their work are modified ( p.132). This features an ability for the professional teacher to be reflective/analytical , and also to show elements of motivation e.g. towards a variety of aspects of their work. Clearly, reflection is at the heart of what it means to be a professional(Goodson, 2007:129) and at its best, I believe, that any outcome of reflection is always at the heart of valid self-reflection. Pollard (2005:15) states that reflective teaching implies an active concern with aims and consequences as well as means and technical competence. It is therefore clear that there are particular skills and dispositions associated with being a reflective practitioner. Reflection is widely regarded as a meaningful way for teachers to achieve a deeper sense of self (Beauchamp Thomas, 2009) Functional Development is where teachers professional performance may be improved (p132). This combines changes in the methods that teachers apply to their teaching and also the changes that teachers make in the process of improving their professional performance and as a result a change in their practice. I would argue that these two developmental features are interconnected with teachers not being able to develop one component in relation to one and not the other. Evans'(2002)definition, nonetheless, refers to both of the processes outlined above for promoting professional development( intellectual features) and to the outcomes which come out of this development (changes in processes and productivity). Days (1999)definition of professional development has considerable breadth and depth and: is the process by which, alone and others, teachers review, renew and extend their commitment as change agents to the moral purposes of teaching; and by which they acquire and develop critically the knowledge, skills and emotional intelligence essential to good professional thinking planning and practice with children young people and colleagues through each phase of their teaching lives.(p.4). All learning experiences, according to Day (1999), contribute to educational quality in the classroom and are part of the professional development of teachers. They are critically reflective professionals in their on-going development throughout their teaching careers. According to Bolam (2002), former Professor of Education at Cardiff Universitys School of Social Sciences, professional development is an on-going process in education, training and support activities which is aimed mainly at promoting learning and development of teachers professional knowledge, skills and values and also to help decide and implement valued changes in their teaching and learning behaviour so that they can educate their students more effectively (p.4). For Bolam, professional development is a process that is on-going whose aim is to encourage professional knowledge, values and skills. Professional development will, therefore, result in valued changes in teaching and pupils being educated more effectively. Clearly, reflection is at the heart of what it means to be a professional, (Goodson, 2007:129) and at its best, I believe, that any outcome of reflection is always at the heart of valid self-reflection. Pollard (2005:15) states that reflective teaching implies an active concern with aims and consequences as well as means and technical competence. It is therefore clear that there are particular skills and dispositions associated with being a reflective practitioner. Reflection is widely regarded as a meaningful way for teachers to achieve a deeper sense of self (Beauchamp Thomas, 2009) Reflective practice is fundamental to teacher professional development as it is a core activity within the profession. Teachers who engage in reflective practice need not only to have competencies but also attitudes. When Dewey defined reflective action as behaviour which involves active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or practice in light of the grounds that support it and the further consequences to which it leads (1910:9), he believed that the attitudes of a) open-mindedness, b) responsibility and c) wholeheartedness were necessary for suitable reflective action (1910:29,34). These then were adapted by Pollard (2003:17), and accepted as a major component of professional commitment. Wholeheartedness. Aspiring to develop professional development thereby enabling engaging in reflection and aspiration towards reflection in order to progress in our professional capacity. Open-mindedness. This attitude makes us consider different ways of reflective teaching by investigating other practices rather than relying on their own. I would suggest that, however open-minded we are, we should examine critically whether another practice would suit our own educational goal in our teaching. Responsibility. Professionals who accept responsibility of their action also accept accountability for their enhanced performance which produces better outcomes. Together, these three attitudes need to be demonstrated by teachers whose objectives are to be reflective teachers. In the work of Zeichner and Liston(1996:6)this responsibility for professional commitment is clearly linked to reflective practice: When embracing the concepts of reflective teaching, there is often a commitment by teachersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.to take responsibility for their own professional development. This assumption of responsibility is a central feature of the idea of the reflective teacher. Day (1999) constitutes change as part of planning and professional thinking which contribute to changes in practice because teachers planning and thinking will certainly lead to reflection in what they will do in their classrooms. For Calderhead(2012:11) , planning is not a rational or linear process but a much more creative, interactive, problem finding and problem solving process where a teacher might start with an idea and through various multi-faceted strategies of reflexivity, eventually come to form a classroom activity or activities. Consequently, the major outcome of professional developmental planning is change in practice and, I believe, is a direct function of the adeptness of teachers. Any change is founded upon personal ethical values. We are what we do rather than what we say we are (Bolton 2005.) It is difficult to gain clarification regarding ethical issues expressed in practice, its much easier to say what we believe. Argyris and Schà ¶n(1974:6-7) developed theories of action which demonstrate how changes in behaviour could be achieved. They note that there are two types of theories of action, namely espoused theories and theories in use. Espoused theories represent what we say we believe, we mean to do or actually do. In contrast, theories in use describe what we actually do and the beliefs and theories which have determined what we do. Another contribution by Argyris and Schà ¶n(1974:19) is the difference between single loop learning and double loop learning. Single-loop learning involves enabling people to develop knowledge and skills appropriate to and defined by present circumstances while, in contrast double- loop learning involves redefining the nature of problems faced by an individual and learning how to cope with the new understanding. In single loop learning, the teacher will strive to learn more skills to further increase class control but will not address the fundamental problem that his theory in use is not working. He may consider that maintaining such strict control is disadvantageous to his own effectiveness as a teacher. If he does so, he may now strive to acquire skills that allow for the development for more inclusive teaching styles, greater pupil involvement and a deepening of the learning experience. Such a response can be seen as double loop learning learning that the original theory in use was ineffective and then acquiring skills to modify the theory in use to bring it more in line with the espoused theory with a focus that is deeper and broader than they had previously attempted. Tomlinson(1995:72), nonetheless, recommends us to be alert to the possibility of deskilling ourselves when we try to perform consciously and deliberately actions and skill that are intuitive through experience. For Er aut(2004: 51)its reflecting critically upon that evidence, without necessarily having to explain tacit knowledge that is functioning well. However, if that knowledge is ineffective, the situation has to be reviewed and tacit knowledge subjected to scrutiny. Differentiating between the two theories is central to the work of Argyris and Schà ¶n. One of the main factors which moves the individual from single-loop to double-loop is feedback. The teacher who continues to increase classroom control is unlikely to seek feedback but the teacher who changes his theory-in-use is far more likely to seek feedback from colleagues and pupils when he runs into problems. Tomlinson (1995:26) notes that Schà ¶n and Dreyfus and Dreyfus assume that the acquisition of systematic capabilities like teaching must be seen as requiring assistance from others. One outcome of theory in use is that practitioners are not aware of what their experience has taught them about their practice. They may perform their practice with great expertise but not be able to explicitly describe their actions. The reason being is that actions are supported by theories which are in-built in the unconscious and that cannot be expressed. Teachers may not be aware of all that has taken place while in action or the knowledge about how to perform their practice. According to Osterman and Kottkamp(1993:7) a professional colleague can identify behavioural regularities and also the assumptions that lie beneath them. These behavioural regularities refer to our patterns of behaviour which become second nature to us despite perhaps being ineffective. This, I would argue, are the inconsitencies between espoused theories and theories-in-use that we, as reflective educators, are unaware of. Schà ¶n(1987) uses the term knowing in action in order to show that people know what to do while in action and stresses that knowing in action is implicit. The knowing is in the action (1987:25). However, what this model neglects, according to Thompson and Pascal (2012), is what they refer to as reflection-for-action. This is an aspect of reflective practice that Schà ¶n did not discuss. It refers to the process of planning, thinking ahead about what is to come, so that one can draw on experience (and the professional knowledge base implicit within it) in order to make the best use of the time resources available. While discussing reflective practice in Higher Education, Brockbank and McGill (1998:72) have also noted that even if they are clear as regards the process they follow in order to enable students to learn, there may be an entire range of unintended actions on their part as well as their students. Its only when this application of their practice is brought to their attention, that they are aware of it. One outcome of the unconscious existence of theories in use is inconsistencies between theories in use and espoused theories or between actions and outcomes. Many educators have theories in their head (espoused theories) and yet they behave in ways which are quite dissimilar (theories in use). Is this because they are unaware of the theories- in- use in our unconscious? Teachers may have an idea in their conscious about their actions which may differ from their theories-in-use and even though the outcomes of their actions are inadequate, they may keep applying the same approach with the hope that this approach will, at some time in the future, produce desirable outcomes. These theories-in-use are so deep-rooted within peoples unconscious, that they take them for granted and therefore cannot measure them and cannot see the relationship between their actions and the unacceptable outcomes. Awareness of theories-in-use can be realized when people describe their own actions. Osterman and Kottkamp (1993) define reflective practice as a means by which practitioners can develop à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a greater level of self-awareness about the nature and impact of their performance, an awareness that creates opportunities for professional growth and development (1993:19). Personal reflection may not lead to any significant change and as a result theories-in-use run the risk of remaining implicit. Dadds(1993:287) perceives that we are more likely to remain open to further learning and professional development if we have the support of acquaintances that can help us through the potentially dangerous processes of self-evaluation. However, Eraut(2004:49) notes that the purpose of a reflection episode is not always clear, and may differ among the participants. Sometimes an individual can reflect rather vaguely or if other members of the group have very different agendas. Any positive outcome will depend on having sufficient time, the quality of the relationships within the group and the expertise of any facilitators. Educators can also espouse a broad range of beliefs. Teachers beliefs or conceptions about teaching and learning influence strongly how they teach and what pupils achieve. Belief must be inferred and because it can be problematic to uncover teachers beliefs, most of the research in this area has been case studies as quantitative methods would not be able to compare without difficulty. Pajares ( 1992) proposed that beliefs can be defined as : An individuals judgement of the truth or falsity of a proposition, a judgement that can only be inferred from a collective understanding of what human beings, say, intend and do (1992: 316) According to Calderhead (1996:719) there are five main areas in which teachers have significant beliefs. These are : i) Learners and learning. This belief looks at how pupils learn and how likely they are to influence how teachers approach teaching tasks and their interaction with their pupils. ii) Teaching. This belief refers to the learning environment and the purpose of teaching. iii) Subjects or curriculum. This belief refers at the content of the curriculum, the effect of knowledge within these subjects and the aptitude by teachers in carrying out tasks within their subject. iv) Learning to teach. This belief refers to professional development and how educators learn to teach. v) About the self and the nature of teaching. These are the beliefs that teachers have about themselves and their roles in teaching. Calderhead implied,also, that : à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦such areas, however, could well be interconnected, so that beliefs about teaching, for instance, may be closely related to beliefs about learning and the subject(1996:719). There seems to be a recurring theme that what teachers believe in one area of instruction impacts on practices and conceptions in the other domains. My belief of assessment, for example, is shaped by my conceptualisation of learning and teaching and therefore, affect the way that I teach and assess. In order to produce as many espoused beliefs as possible, questions must be asked about beliefs in all of Calderheads five domains. As educators we need to ask questions of a more extensive nature which refer to our beliefs, goals and values. By reflecting on these questions, espoused theories can be elicited. Our responsibilities, therefore, as teachers, is to make the tacit explicit. Shulman (1988:22) also points out that teachers will become better educators when they begin to have explicit answers to certain questions. Osterman and Kottkamp (2004) suggest: Why did events take place as they did? What ideas and feelings prompted my actions? Did my actions correspond with my intentions? Did my actions lead to the outcomes I intended? (2004:49) Shulman(1993:34) says that answering such questions not only makes a teacher become skilled but it also requires a combination of reflection on practical experience as well as theoretical understanding. Ghaye (2011) suggest the use of value statements where information is collected about espoused beliefs and which can begin with the words I believeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ followed by the word becauseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The first half of the statement is concerned with the what, while the second half focuses on why, or the rationale for the what . (2011:102) Convery (2001:139) maintains that reflection can only be developed in social and emotional circumstances. This is in contrast with Schà ¶ns lack of attention to the role of dialogue in teachers learning as reflection is also a social process requiring, what I would emphasise as collaborative discussion, to allow the development of a critical perspective and also that cognitive skills are developed as a means of improving practice. Cognitive skills refer to espoused theories and beliefs, values, actions and attitudes. Emotional aspects denote feelings. Osterman and Kottkamp (1993:20) note that feelings are essential because actions are influenced by feelings as well as actions. Teachers could be asked to describe feelings that encouraged certain action, in order to further explore the theories-in-use where people can become aware of how unconsciously expectations reinforce their actions when they are forced to reflect on their feelings and deliberate how certain feelings make them think and behave. Osterman and Kottkamp (1993) note that only by understanding the personal reaction of ourselves and others can we come to a full understanding of the problem and develop appropriate solutions. (1993:24). This is also endorsed by Brockbank and McGill (1998:85) who maintain that part of the skill in facilitating reflective learning though reflective dialogue is to grapple with that tendency for inter-personal collusion. Any self-reflection needs to be supported and supplemented by dialogue by a professional colleague which will add to the potentiality for reflecting over and above that which one would undertake on his own. Brockbank and McGill suggest that this form of questioning can encourage teachers to look at traits of behaviour that they might be oblivious to. Indeed, asking professionals to explore aspects of their teaching processes, which could have been easily overlooked, can be helpful in their professional development. This is because teachers would be required to express areas of their practice which they would never have reflected on without inspiration from their co-workers or critical friendships'(Day, 1995:123), which increases the possibilities of moving though stages of reflection to confrontation of thinking and practice within professional development to reinforce a sense of responsibility by affirming confidence in teachers professionalism ( Day, 1995: 124) As a result, discrepancies are easily identified between actions and outcomes. Another way of noticing discrepancies between espoused theories and theories-in-use is to question or compare expectations and perceptions held by the person who is describing the practice and those who listen. Loughran (2006:57) notes that working with colleaguesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦provides the opportunity of gaining advice and feedbackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and of continuing to push to make the tacit explicit. Livingston and Schiach (2010:85-86) note that a collaborative approach will result in better outcomes by bringing together different perspectives and having the opportunity to develop mutual understanding to create new knowledge and meaning. Listening to assumptions of other teachers about what strengthens a particular teachers practice can improve the identification of discrepancies of behaviour. As a result, the teacher can reflect whether what he espouses about practice is similar with others thinking of what is happening in action. As a result of this, any discrepancies between actions and outcomes are revealed and one can ask whether these assumptions are appropriate for what we aim to achieve in our practice or whether we should discuss other alternative interpretations for a different outcome and improvements. Once these improvements in our practice are put in place , once can reflect further on the nature of these improvements(Ghaye and Ghaye, 1998). One can examine whether the method to achieve these improvements has taken place as espoused where there is a discrepancy between beliefs and action, or whether the level of these improvements is the expected where there is a discrepancy between actions and outcome s. Consequently, personal growth and development is possible when an awareness of the nature and influence of an action is developed. As a result, does a teachers action lead to preferred outcomes, or are those actions associated with espoused theories? These discrepancies can be identified either between espoused theories and theories-in use or between actions and outcomes. Academics agree that engaging in reflective practice is neither a direct process nor a process with a predetermined conclusion. It is a process that is recurring (Argyris and Shà ¶n, 1974; Day, 1999; Osterman and Kottkamp, 1993; Pollard, 2002). When educators involve themselves in reflective practice they aim to bring about substantial changes in practice in which they will achieve their long-term goals and their aim of developing professionally. This can only be achieved if they become aware of their underlying theories-in-use and being able to recognize the discrepancies between espoused theories and theories-in-use. This process gives them the opportunity to move between different stages of reflection. They may have taken on board a colleagues recommendations, for example and begun to identify discrepancies of behaviour. This would make them aware of other aspects of their practice before reflection on new ways of action. As a result, the cycle of reflection begins again. To conclude, this essay has attempted to take an overview of professional development through reflective practice in terms of the literature, what is meant by reflection, the key Theorists associated with Reflection, and its practical use in professional practice. Change in practice plays an important part in professional development and, while I believe that self-reflection is important, it can only be achieved by reflecting with other colleagues where espoused theories and theories in use can be identified and developed to further professional development where the objective is to identify discrepancies between espoused theories and theories in use.