SME Challenges to Access to Finance Free Essays

1. SMEs usually have limited financial resources compared to a large company. Often it is hard to finance the standard model for software process improvement (SPI) activities. We will write a custom essay sample on SME Challenges to Access to Finance or any similar topic only for you Order Now They try to avoid excessive overhead for the full custom standard process implementation. 2. The proven best practices for the large companies might be too expensive or time consuming to perform in SMEs because of their limited resources and business model. 3. The majority of small companies are independently financed. That causes a tight financial situation for many small businesses. So they can’t always afford to buy required expertise that possesses the skills required in a particular position. 4. A first step toward process improvement is identifying the strengths and weaknesses of organization software processes. For this, an assessment to examine the processes against a reference model which helps to determine the processes capability to meet the required quality, cost, and schedule goals is required, but small companies have difficulty running those. 5. The small size of a company not only causes for the challenges of networking, marketing and business issues for small software companies. It also creates problems for gaining and leveraging technological know-how. 6. Large companies can improve the work efficiency using all needed toolkits. Small company also need these tools in every step of software process but high licensing costs often put their project cost over expectable levels. 7. SMEs suffer from the lack of literature and publications describing efforts on an improvement initiative. But adoption of internationally accepted software process practices is essential for the success of all software companies to compete in the global software development market. 8. Many SMEs have multiple business operations like service, product, and consultancy. A given employee may have to change the projects more frequently. This leads to additional challenges to improve the required level of competence for different projects with different technologies. 9. A given employee of SMEs may simultaneously play multiple roles. For that, he may ignore tasks or consider many tasks as low priority. Thus many important tasks may be left undone. In some cases, these tasks may be contradictory or mutually exclusive (e. g. A person is responsible for product cost reduction and improvement of customer service simultaneously). 10. In SMEs the average project duration is shorter than in large companies. Manager faces challenges to reallocate employees more frequently to different projects. How to cite SME Challenges to Access to Finance, Papers

Approaches to Workforce Planning

Question: Discuss about theApproaches to Workforce Planning. Answer: Introduction Human resource planning is the process of determining how to move organizational work force to desired position by management (Bhattacharyya 2009). To achieve the right number and the appropriate type of people to do the right thing at the right time and at the right place, the management has to do proper planning to achieve long-term benefit for both the organization and the individual employee. Ctlina (2011) notes that human resource planning has four phases which are; gathering and analysis of data through forecasting and manpower inventories, establishing manpower policies and objectives, designing and implementing plans to achieve manpower objectives for the organization and controlling and evaluating manpower plans for the organization. This process helps an organization to identify its manpower requirements and determine the issues that need immediate solutions. This report will be highlighting on approaches organizations can use to make sure the availability of work force to achieve the companys goals. According to Bhattacharyya (2009) human resource planning aims to ensuring optimum utilization of current employees, assess future skills requirements and establish control measures to enable availability of resources when needed. Human Resource Planning Approaches Work Force Analytics Workforce analytics is driven by the desire by organizations to move past the simple workforce planning to quantitative analysis due to growing interest in the cost of human capital and metrics. This goes examines the variables like employee demographics, job categories, cost and outcomes. This approach is useful in identifying trends and patterns in history of work force data that assist in understanding workforce dynamics. Quantitative approach to human resource planning is driven by management and considers HR planning as a game of numbers that is designed to track the departmental flow of people. It is founded on human resource inventory and information systems, techniques used for demand forecasting and work-study techniques (Momin Mishra, 2015). Benefits of Workforce Analytics Faster and marter decision-making due to improved organizational alignment Workforce analytics picks disconnected data and brings it together in a single view bringing about understanding and a common language among all stakeholders. Thus, stakeholders work from same evidence based views setting conditions for efficient and strategic approach of decision-making and action (Bechet 2008). Organizational alignment is improved by differentiating between facts, beliefs and opinions. The decision makers in an organization can now rely on data and not intuition to make decisions making the process fast, efficient and credible. Easier communication, better relationship, collaborative solutions and influence business outcomes in an organization Solutions derived from workforce analytics are helping HR and talent leaders get connected and grow their voice across the organization as the solutions give credible and powerful views of organizations. Accessible and clear information that relates to recruitment and outcome strengthens relationship between hiring managers and make it easy to address gaps in approaches and processes to hiring and managing new hires jointly. Efforts targeted and focused towards a common goal leading to stronger cohesion of the team Human resource team gain interest in data due to the possibility of seeing data clearly and making important connections. This makes the teams committed and aligned to work towards common goals. Focusing on the right things is brought about by having team members working from a common point of understanding leading to improved teamwork (Vaidya, Et al, 2010.). Empowers managers leading to accountability, ownership and taking action for business When managers are provided with data they can understand and act upon gives very strong results Ward and Tripp (2013) thus the managers and their teams take active roles in creating solutions to business problems and gear up to improving performance and achieving objectives of the business. Strengthening Organizational Values Workforce analytics can give a picture of areas and experiences of related to core values of the organization that are aligned and those not aligned. Workforce analytics solutions can demonstrate an organizations commitment to transparency by sharing insights as well as empowering employees by giving information they can use. Scenario-Modeling and Forecasting This methodology is as a result of the ability to analyze both past and current data to get historical trends, measure results and test relationships (Ward Tripp, 2013). Accurate and precise projections are generated by use of historical workforce data. Using modeling and forecasting the methodology borrows some business planning and risk management methods. It provides critical support to decision making by the executives. Availability of good data makes it possible for organizations to make reliable forecast regarding workforce as well as its environment. According to (Momin Mishra, 2015) external conditions like regional labor supply, political climate, economic trends and the natural disaster like-hood should be considered when making plans for workforce. Therefore these factors should be identified and quantified to enable organizations make reliable forecast. This in turn aids in effective and efficient decision making by the executives of an organization. Segmentation of Workforce Workforce segmentation works under the assumption that big workforce plans are too cumbersome to be useful Ctlina (2011) and are not as accurate as analysis that work using smaller workforce. Momin and Mishra (2015) argue that workforce planning is supposed to be selective. Workforce segmentation classified specific roles into job families depending on strategic importance. It requires intensive research to understand the dynamics of the segments. This research can be conducted inform of exit interviews, focuses groups or telephone interviews to get a in-depth understanding of the target audience. Workforce segmentation gives a reflection of tool and technological evolution. Workforce segmentation helps in customizing adaptable programs that benefit the company, employees as well as the customers therefore should be used to understand comprehensively and address an organizations workforce. In addition, it is important to put into place optimization strategies for workforce segmentation. Workforce segmentation is important for identifying where there are shortages for qualified talents for critical roles, speeds up new talent identification process of potential candidates who upon hire have a potential of making significant business impact. According to Ctlina (2011) when integrated properly, workforce segmentation will improve communication between human resource and business units thus enabling them to identify and retain the best talents. It is also important for identifying skill gaps available in workforce to enable the organization strategize on how to have the gaps filled. This therefore enables identification of critical roles that should be filled to avoid hurting the organizations objectives. The filling of critical roles in turn will give the company greater returns. The workforce segmentation is done for the long-term benefit and takes time and great effort and commitment to put in place. Regardless of the approach a company takes when planning for workforce, segmentation must come in at some point. This is because companies to make a difference of jobs that critical to the mission and those that are not, therefore, the need to identify employees that are most difficult to replace in the organization. Why Organizations Initiate Strategic Human Resource Planning Aging workforce and those near retirement age - The managers of companies with employees who are more than average age need to analyze the impact of retirement and plan on how to replace these employees upon retiring. Projected and current labor shortage requires planning to make sure these deficiencies do not affect the organization achievement of objectives. Globalization - Businesses shifting to the emerging global markets have to consider the pros and cons of shifting workforce to these new locations. Increasing use of contingent, flexible workforce - Due to the employers need for workforce that can swell or shrink on demand and the employees need for flexible work, contract jobs were started to meet this demand. Therefore, workforce planning becomes vital in managing this diversity and analysis the cost benefits of this kind of relationship. Mergers and acquisitions - Because of acquisitions and mergers, companies apply workforce-planning strategies to get to understand the workforce in the new addition, analyze gaps and broaden talent management. Technological and tools evolution - The advancement of technology has heightened the need for workforce planning to avoid redundancy and make sure that the workforce available is relevant to the present time technological and job requirement. Conclusion Human resource management involves making plans on how to move workforce requirements of an organization to the desired place. Human resource planning involves four phases, which are; gathering and analysis of data through forecasting and manpower inventories, establishing manpower policies and objectives, designing and implementing plans to achieve manpower objectives for the organization and controlling and evaluating manpower plans for the organization. Some approaches that organizations can use to ensure they have adequate manpower have been discussed. They include, workforce analytics, which is driven by the desire by organizations to move past the simple workforce planning to quantitative analysis. Scenario modeling and forecasting which is as a result of the ability to analyze both past and current data to get historical trends, measure results and test relationships and workforce segmentation that works under the assumption that big workforce plans are too cumbersome to be useful and are not as accurate as analysis that work using smaller workforce. Human resource planning is done by organization due to any reason like aging population. This report shows that human resource planning is very critical for companies as it ensures adequate staffs are in place for productivity. References Bechet, T.P., 2008. Strategic staffing: A comprehensive system for effective workforce planning. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Bhattacharyya, D.K., 2009. Human resource planning. Excel Books India. Ctlina, L., 2011. Human Resource Planning. Ovidius University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, 11(1), pp.1124-1130. Momin, W.Y.M. and Mishra, K., 2015. HR Analytics as a Strategic Workforce Planning. IJAR, 1(4), pp.258-260. Vaidya, R., Porterfield, R., Moffett, C. and Schuhmann, P., 2010. Strategic Workforce Planning. Annals of the International Masters of Business Administration at UNC Wilmington, 3(2). Ward, D.L. and Tripp, R., 2013. Positioned: Strategic workforce planning that gets the right person in the right job. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.

Prophet hood in Islam free essay sample

Discusses the importance,qualities,rights and duties of prophets in Islam. This paper takes a look at the use of prophets in the Islamic religion. Islamic tradition numbers over two dozen figures sent to particular peoples, including David, Solomon, Noah, and Jonah,as well as the Arabian figures Hud, Salih, and Shuayb. The paper shows that all of them are prophets commissioned to warn their people: some are in addition messengers to whom scriptures are revealed. All prophets and messengers experienced initial rejection at the hands of their people, and some were killed .In every instance, God dealt harshly with the people. The paper also looks at the rights the Prophets were given, such as adherence and submission. The essay frequently quotes the Islamic holy textures. According to Islam when God appoints His prophet, in order to establish his identity and prophethood, the prophet is endowed with power to manifest a miracle and through it convince the people. We will write a custom essay sample on Prophet hood in Islam or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We see that the miracle of each Prophet has been in accordance with the art and sciences of his time.

Walter White matured rapidly Essays

Walter White matured rapidly Essays Walter White matured rapidly Essay Walter White matured rapidly Essay Essay Topic: Bad Boy a Memoir Walter White in his memoir remembered a characteristic calm before the storm on that September night of 1906. White wrote, â€Å"My sister and I had casually commented upon the unusual quietness †¦ But as I remember it, no other sense of impending trouble impinged upon our consciousness. † In his more mature years, Walter White began to explain himself via a fictionalized account of the 1906 riot. And through the voice of Mimi Daquin, the character in his novel, he related the painful experience, â€Å"†¦on September 22, 1906†¦Mimi saw the mob gather steam and beat to death a bootblack near Five Points. She saw a white employer whisk two black employees to safety by rushing them in his cart right through the mob. † When the fury of the white man was fully vented this is what happened according to Dorsey: The riot began in the downtown area and spread to encompass the black neighborhoods of Darktown and Brownsville. Black citizens experienced property destruction, physical terror, and murder at the hands of their white peers. Before the riot ended, at least twelve Atlantans were dead, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property had been destroyed, and seventeen units of the Georgia State militia – among more than six hundred soldiers – had been assigned to the city. I Learn What I Am Puberty is the age where many young boys find themselves in a suspended animation in trying to discover their identity. To some it is a crisis stage and to many it is a turning point in their lives. As in the case of Walter White he did not only learned of his true identity much like a superhero would in a time of great difficulty and anguish. In his case though it came as an eyewitness to a terrible crime committed by a fellow human being to another. And the only excuse for such evil deed is the color of their skin. They have the same design, structure, ability to feel and understand. The only difference is the way nature chose to color their skin and for Walter White this is unacceptable and does not give any reason for white men to abuse black people. In that short three days of mayhem Walter White matured rapidly. His recollection of that period of time was written down: â€Å"I know the night when, in terror and bitterness of soul, I discovered that I was set apart by the pigmentation of my skin (invisible tough it was in my case) and the moment at which I decided that I would infinitely rather be what I was than †¦ be one of the race which had forced the decision upon me. † It is difficult to really know what Walter White was able to fully experience during those bleak times but it could be argued that he saw: 1. The savagery of his fellow white Americans who allowed emotions than reason to override their mental capability in the time of the riot. 2. The lies that were perpetuated just so two white people can satisfy their desire for power. 3. The disenfranchisement of a race that did nothing to deserve such treatment. 4. The insecurity of the white man to integrate with the black man does not show superiority but inferiority in the moral sense of the word. All these put together made Walter White decide that he is not white but in fact he is black. The world became a better place because of that bold decision. Walter White did not behave like the mob in which a person seeks protection from the group. He stood tall alone, in fact he stood in the middle between the black folks and the white folks. In that solitary space his bravery should be marveled upon. Conclusion The Negro race has suffered many injustices from the time that they were captured and sold as slaves many centuries ago. It was such a perplexing tale of man dominating not the beasts of the earth and all the things that contain in it but fellow humans. What is more perplexing though is the slow process of emancipation, from removing them from the fields and into a real liberation where they will be considered as equals among men. W. E. B. du Bois, founder of the NAACP, knew morality was on the Negro’s side, thus he asserted, â€Å"†¦we must strive for the rights which the world accords to men†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Still it was a slow process, a procedure that sometimes get to be expedited by men of will and character. Into the ranks of this few good men is Walter Francis White who crossed the line and joined his Negro brothers although society forbade him to do so. Not minding of the persecution and ridicule that surprisingly came from both sides, Walter White was indefatigable in his fight to achieve racial equality in American society. His baffling behavior and change of affiliation from a White American male in the racially prejudiced South into an African American male was explained by a life changing event that happened when he was in his puberty. Many people in this age experience profound changes but what happened to Walter White was beyond the physical and went deep into the spirit and soul. After the 1906 riots Walter White began the journey into becoming a Negro by choice. As a white man he was able to infiltrate the white world and vice versa. He was able to bring a whole different perspective in the Black’s struggle for inequality. His insight became so valuable because he had the rare opportunity to go where a few can enter. From the highest echelons of U. S. governance into the deepest parts of Black communities Walter White gathered information and interacted with people to become an influential leader of the NAACP. He used the NAACP, as a tool to influence others and make changes that would not have happened if things were left on its own. Walter White died not from a Klu Klux Klan’s bullet, nor from the frenzied swing of a rioter but from a health condition that snuffed his life at a relatively early age. Yet his legacy lives on. The greater degree of freedom experienced by present day African Americans, they owe to men like White who did not consider it a loss to be identified with a persecuted race. There were those who still question the motives of Walter White. There were those who were still unsure up to this day on what to make of him. It is the opinion of the proponent that one should spend less time in analyzing something beyond reach. But instead to focus on the practical ways on which average Americans can emulate the example of this great person, a man called White. Bibliography Dorsey, Allison â€Å"To Build our Lives Together: Community Formation in Black Atlanta†, Atlanta: University of Georgia Press, 2004. Janken Kenneth. â€Å"Walter White: Mr. NAACP†, New York: New Press, 2006. Tuttle, William. â€Å"Race Riot†. IL: University of Illinois Press, 1996. White, Walter, F. â€Å"A Man Called White†, Atlanta: University of Georgia Press, 1995.

An Overview of Early Childhood Education

An Overview of Early Childhood Education Early Childhood Education is a term that refers to educational programs and strategies geared toward children from birth to the age of eight. This time period is widely considered the most vulnerable and crucial stage of a persons life. Early childhood education often focuses on guiding children to learn through play. The term commonly  refers to preschool or infant/child care programs. Early Childhood Education Philosophies Learning through play is a common teaching philosophy for young children. Jean Piaget developed the PILES theme to meet the physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social needs of children. Piagets constructivist theory emphasizes hands-on educational experiences, giving children the chance to explore and manipulate objects. Children in preschool learn both academic and social-based lessons. They prepare for school by learning letters, numbers, and how to write. They also learn sharing, cooperation, taking turns, and operating within a structured environment. Scaffolding in Early Childhood Education The  scaffolding method of teaching  is to offer more structure and support when a child is learning a new concept. The child may be taught something new by employing things they already know how to do. As in a scaffold that supports a building project, these supports can then be removed as the child learns the skill. This method is meant to build confidence while learning. Early Childhood Education Careers Careers in early childhood and education include: Preschool Teacher: These teachers work with children ages three to five who are not yet in kindergarten. The educational requirements vary by state. Some require only a high school diploma and a certification, while others require a four-year degree.Kindergarten Teacher: This position may be with a public or private school and may require a degree and certification, depending on the state.Teacher for First, Second, and Third Grades: These elementary school positions are considered to be part of early childhood education. They teach a full range basic academic subjects to a class rather than specializing. A bachelors degree is required and a certification may be needed, depending on the state.Teacher Assistant or Paraeducator: The assistant works in the classroom under the direction of the lead teacher. Often they work with one or more students at a time. This position often does not require a degree.Childcare Worker: Nannies, babysitters, and workers at childcare centers usually perf orm basic duties such as feeding and bathing in addition to play and activities that may be mentally stimulating. An associates degree in early childhood development or a credential may result in a higher salary. Childcare Center Administrator: The director of a childcare facility may be required by a state to have a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education or a certification in Child Development. This position trains and supervises the staff as well as performing the administrative duties of the facility.Special Education Teacher: This position often requires additional certification beyond that for a teacher. The special education teacher would work with children who have special needs, including mental, physical, and emotional challenges.

Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis - Essay Example Hazard vulnerability analysis is defines as the identification of potential disasters or emergency situations and the effects, both direct and indirect, that these situations may have on operations (Cutter 9). The main purpose of hazard and vulnerability analysis is to help the affected community to make the right choices that will help them address the vulnerabilities that they face. The analysis also helps in mitigating hazards and in the preparation for response and recovery efforts. Every emergency program should have a mechanism for hazard and vulnerability analysis (Wisner, Blaike and Cannon 17). In order to make accurate predictions for future events, it is important that the analysts collect the relevant information from different sources. This information should be relevant to the current situation and it should help in the creation of mitigating measures. The kind of data that should be collected during analysis includes everything about the nature and the causes of previous events. The frequency and/or intensity of previous disasters, as well as their magnitude should be included in the analysis. Information about the effects that the disaster may have had in a given area is also important for the purpose of analysis of the current situation (Turner and Kasperson 37). When the data has been collected, it is easy for the analyst’s to map the location of the potential and past hazards. This way, it easy to get information through the use of satellite images, aerial photography and remote sensing technology (Cutter 52). Predictive information can be derived from hydrology, seismology, meteorology and volcanology data. This kind of information can be found in most government agencies and some private institutions (Wisner, Blaike and Cannon, 47). Other data can be found in core databases to help in decision making (Turner and Kasperson 42). The business sector is most likely to be affected by earthquakes. This is because

Economic Impacts of World Cup Football in South Africa Coursework

Economic Impacts of World Cup Football in South Africa - Coursework Example The South Africa World Cup is one of such world cup football that experienced a massive turnout of people from everywhere. This paper examines the real impacts of the tournament through a well-calculated impact assessment or measurement.In measuring the economic impacts of an event, certain tools or methodologies are applied in order to undertake a relevant and appropriate economic activity. During impact measurement or assessment, it is important to first identify the need for the entire process. Why it is considered necessary to outline the outcome of a particular event? This is done through screening. In screening, the need to understand the influence the event had on a particular sphere is outlined. The analysis of the event should appraise the event and the activities associated with the event and with the whole process. It determines whether there is a need to make improvements or necessary changes. After the screening, there is the need to develop an effective framework of the event relationship with the receptors in the environment of operation.   This is a high-level assessment that establishes the relationship between the two factors (the event itself and the environmental receptors through an interaction medium). Scientific judgment is employed alongside applying the previous event the same as the one in question.An analysis of the existing conditions past the events is undertaken. This helps to relate the current existing conditions and the conditions than before the event. As such, relevant parameters are applied in order to establish whether there is a difference between the two conditions and if there is a difference, is it positive or negative? The affirmatives prove the worth of the event in as far as the sphere on the subject is concerned. After identifying the conditions, it is then important to evaluate the significance of the impact. The impact should be able to relate to certain positives of the sphere concerned or at least create certai n negative situations that affect in any way.