Human Resources in Probank Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Human Resources in Probank - Case Study Example Granted this is conducted in a fashion that suits the conventional research methodology, it becomes relatively easier to assign a research method that generates evidence for the research findings (Sato, 2000). At this juncture the findings and outcomes triggers the development of an obvious logic essential to make my hypothesis worth the expected consideration. Probank, a medium-sized Greek bank which started operations in 2001, has been growing at a remarkably fast pace, and is on track to get listed on the Athens Stock Exchange within 2008. The bank's Human Resources strategy is notable by its absence, but this could be viewed as not very surprising, insofar as the rise of the bank has been meteoric, the whole sector has been growing and operational issues were higher up on the agenda. As the organisation is maturing, this report will attempt to understand the mechanics of HR within Probank, including the obligatory devolution of personnel activities to line/branch managers, and evaluate the bank's performance in a number of key HR areas, namely knowledge management, performance management, employee satisfaction/retention, and the recruitment and development of managers/executives. Even though Probank do have a personnel department, it is very small (3 employees) and distinctively non-strategic, almost confining itself to purely administ rative matters. While there has been a lot of discussion about the devolution of HR to line management, there remains a very clearly identifiable gap in the published academic literature in that only Thornhill and Saunders (1998) have attempted to analyse a sizable organisation lacking a human resources department. On the strength of the (relatively) tiny size of the department and the impression conveyed by Probank managers during our conversations at the start of this project, it is felt that the "absentee specialist" paradigm effectively holds true for Probank, and, where applicable, parallels will be attempted with the Thornhill and Saunders (1998) study, in an attempt to evaluate the personnel situation at the bank, identify strong points in the current policy as well as its weaknesses, highlight areas for improvement and suggest ways for it to take place, considering both the "absentee specialist" scenario as well as one of more formal HR involvement. Cardinal to this report is the desire to identify a reconciling gap that will fill the existent void between academic literature and direct policy inclusions that have an intricate bearing on the justification, either covertly or overtly on the backseat role assigned to conventional human resource practice. It should be noted that, the depth of research carried out on this topic is very limited and where it is available is very scanty and vague. In this report, the practicality of the policy is explored from all angles using Probank as the main case in point. Suffice to explicitly state at this point that my report seeks to highlight and answer a number of pertinent questions that are directly related to the research goal. Measured by the overall performance of the bank since its inception, it should be asked

Risk management Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Risk management Failure - Essay Example The overall discharge of the spill was estimated at 4.9 million barrels, which covered an area of 780,000 cubic metres (Jervis and Levin 2010). The disaster was followed by major attempts to protect the estuaries and wetlands of the region, from the spreading oil. The impacts of the spill included the destruction of wildlife and marine habitats in the area; the stagnation of the tourism and the fishing industry of the region, as well as the human health issues that continued to be felt until year 2012 (Robertson and Krauss 2010). Following investigations, the causes of the disaster included the use of defective cement; the ineffectiveness of the operations of Halliburton and Transocean, as well as the lack of effective risk assessment by BP (NOAA 2011). This paper will explore the impact of BP’s failure to manage risks, which resulted in the BP disaster. The risk management failures of BP that led to the disaster Risk management failures were among the core factors that led to the 2010 BP disaster at the Gulf of Mexico (Zolkos and Bradford 2011). ... However, the contributory roles of the two secondary companies blamed for the disaster could have been mitigated through an effective investigation and the management of the risks facing the project. For example, the report from the investigation showed that the cement used during the construction was defective. Through effective risk assessment and management, BP would have discovered that the cement supplied was defective, therefore would outsource good cement for the project (Ingersoll, Richard and Reavis 2013). The Macondo blowout of 20th April 2010 was caused by a string of company decisions by BP, which increased the risk levels of the project. The company, also failed to assess different areas that would help it mitigate the risks of the project. These risk management failings include that BP did not carry out an official risk assessment of the critical operational choices made during the days prior to the disaster. For example, through administering an effective risk assessme nt process, the company would have discovered the risky operations planned during the execution of the project. Through the assessment, the BP Company would have exposed any organizational issues that were likely to affect the credibility of the decision-making process. Through exposing the different areas of risk – whether in the areas of planning or implementation – the company would have averted the incidence of the disaster. Therefore, the company’s failure to assess the risks that contributed to the disaster was a contributing factor. Through effective risk management prior to the disaster, the company would have detected the engineering weaknesses in the plant, therefore would have recommended some precautions to the issue (Zolkos and

Cost Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cost Accounting - Essay Example The stainless steel is manufactured in five main processes. These processes are melting, hot rolling, annealing and pickling, cold rolling and finishing. All the processes are done in different departments. The process of steel manufacturing starts with melting in the melt shop. In this department the scrap is melted. The scrap acts as the raw material of the stainless steel. Once the scrap is melted in the melting the output is transferred to the hot rolling mill for further processing. In this rolling department the meted scrap is rolled two meter wide. Once the hot rolling department is done with its work then the output is transferred to the annealing and pickling department for further processing. In this department fine coil of thickness varying from 1.2 mm to 13 mm is produced. The mechanical properties of the stainless steel are regained in this process. Some of these coils are sold to the industries the remaining ones are transferred to the fourth process of cold rolling. He nce the cost is allocated after considering the products which is sold to the industries. In cold rolling and annealing department the thickness of the coil is again reduced to 0.3mm in order to meet up the customers’ needs. In this process the coil is rolled into a flat surface to give the stainless steel flatness. Once this is done the output from this department is transferred to the metal finishing department. In this department the flat stainless steel is cut into different shapes and sizes which will be ultimately sold to the market (ArcelorMittal-c, n.d). As the manufacturing is done in a series of processes therefore the costing of the outputs must be done as per the process costing. While manufacturing any product many costs are incurred. Some of these costs can be identified form the products and some cannot. The costs which can be traced form the product are directly

Domestic Violence and Ethical Dilemma Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Domestic Violence and Ethical Dilemma Worksheet Essay 1.What is the ethical issue or problem? Identify the issue succinctly. The ethical issue that the police officers did not visibly see the husband drive his car they only suspect that he did so therefor they cannot arrest him on a DUI 2.What are the most important facts? Which facts have the most bearing on the ethical decision presented? Include any important potential economic, social, or political pressures, and exclude inconsequential facts. The most important facts would be what the police officers observed. The husband staggering up to the door him also is fumbling with his keys the hood of the car being warm. In addition to the husband being visible intoxicated with slurred speech and failing a sobriety test. However the most important factor is officer Nixon’s experience and him being able to provide probable cause for an arrest. 3.Identify each claimant (key actor) who has an interest in the outcome of this ethical issue. From the perspective of the moral agent—the individual contemplating an ethical course of action—what obligation is owed to the claimant? Why? Claimant (key actor)Obligation (owed to the claimant)Perspective (What does the claimant hope will happen?) HusbandJusticesThe husband will try to avoid being arrested and possible prosecuted for domestic violence and driving under the influence. Wife Fidelity May not want her husband being arrested however she would like to feel safe in her own home. In addition, she does not want her husband to hurt someone or kill them while he is driving drunk. Officer NixonFidelity Wants to be able to protect the wife from her abusive husband and the citizens. However in his oath he took he needs to follow the law. Officer RookBeneficenceWould be the same as officer Nixon however with him being new on the job his decision in this situation could affect his future decisions. Citizens of the communityFidelityCitizens want to feel safe in their community.

Peer Grading Does Not Violate the Privacy Law in Schools Essay

Peer Grading Does Not Violate the Privacy Law in Schools In 1998 in Owasso, Oklahoma, mother Kristja Falvo sued the Owasso Independent School District because she claimed that her children were ridiculed when their grades were read out loud in class by classmates. Falvo says that when teachers have students grade each other's papers, the 1974 federal law protecting the privacy of educational records is violated. This is such a controversial subject that it has not been resolved as of today. This paper argues that peer grading does not violate the privacy law. One argument in favor of peer grading is that it offers a student feedback on minor lessons, and it allows teachers to focus on curriculum, creativity, and grading major tests and papers (Grading). However, some psychologists view the practice of grading work in class as potentially damaging to students' self-esteem. Some students may be teased for getting good grades, or those who struggle in class work may also be ridiculed (Grading). Regardless of the grading practice, students are going to be teased by their peers. ...

Networking sites boon to the youth

Face book is social networking site from which we can get a plenty of knowledge. We can say that it s a treasure of knowledge. One can get a plenty ot information from it. One can enhance his or her knowledge by coming in contact with Intellectual around the world. One can clear the doubts and queries about any subject from the scholars that are available on the Social networking sites. He can get the best tips for any subject from the people who re present around the world.Some social networking sites are also useful in the job opportunities. One can easily get the job of their requirement. Social networking is particularly vital for entrepreneurs. Selfemployed can find contacts via professional groups on LinkedIn and Twitter. while business owners can use Face book and Twitter to market their products and services. Face book has a range of services designed for businesses marketing themselves more effectively, Social networking sites are the best means of entertainment, We can also watch videos of our interest n social networking sites.Social networking sites are the best means to propagate our religion and culture. We can share our views on our religion. We can get the knowledge from religious scholars present around the world, We can also make people aware Of environmental issues that are happening around the world which iS very important in todays life and We can protect Our environment by increasing awareness among the people. At last would like to say that social Sites are a boon to the young generations and can add morals to their life if used in a proper manner _

Airbus Case Study

Airbus A3XX case study Group E10, MBA 2011 Airbus A3XX case study, Group E10 Airbus objectives Both Airbus and Boeing, as well as industry experts expected worldwide passenger traffic to grow at an average annual growth rate of 4. 8-4. 9% for the next 20 years (up until 2019). Given that the traffic was expected to almost triple in volume, both manufacturers expected a significant increase in aircraft sales, although their views on the market structure were different. Airbus expected hub-to-hub routes to become the dominant type of transportation in key regions (transatlantic and transpacific), opposing Boeing’s preference for point-topoint routes. Therefore, Airbus forecasted high growth rates in very large aircraft (VLA) segment, that was expected to reach 1,235 aircraft by 2019. Although Airbus had considerably increased its market share by 1999, it still did not have a product to compete with Boeing’s 747 in the highly-promising VLA market segment. Introduction of A3XX could help Airbus capture more than a half of this segment, and given the segment’s very positive prospects, it could position Airbus as the commercial aviation industry leader. FCF model The model estimates Airbus free cash flows associated with the potential implementation of A3XX project in 2001-2020. All calculations are performed in US dollars, net present value is calculated as of December 31, 2000. Given the uncertainty of model assumptions and the long-term nature of the model itself, additional sensitivity analysis was performed in respect of (a) operating margins, (b) discount rate, (c) inflation rate, (d) aircraft sales, (e) investment expenditure, and (f) sale price. Key assumptions Sales & production †¢ Sale price: $216m as of 2006, rising afterwards at the inflation rate. Although some of the first contracts are expected to be executed with a significant discount, this is not factored into the model due to low data availability. Operating margin: 15%, learning curve effect was ignored due to insufficient data (assuming lower margin in early years and higher margin at later stages — averaging at 15% over the forecasted period). †¢ Sales ramp-up: based on the assumptions used in Lehman Brothers equity research reports (25% of ‘steady state’ capacity in 1st year, 75% in the second year). †¢ Production capacity: 53 aircraft annually in â₠¬Ëœsteady state’ (based on a total sales estimate of 730-750 aircraft in 2001-2020). Pre-payments: although a fraction of the sale price is usually paid in advance, this factor was ignored due to insufficient data (all costs and payments are assumed to occur in the year when aircraft is delivered). -1- Airbus A3XX case study, Group E10 Funding & investments †¢ Funding: $11. 9b of quasi-equity, debt is not used in the project. †¢ Launch costs: $11. 0b for research & development, $1. 0 for capital expenditures, $1. 0b for additional working capital (as per Dresdner Kleinwort report). †¢ Additional capital expenditures: assumed at zero after the investment stage (20012008) is over †¢ Discount rate: 11. % as cost of equity (CAPM = 6. 0% risk-free rate + 0. 84 commercial aviation beta * 6% market risk premium). †¢ Depreciation: straight line over 10 years, starts immediately after corresponding capital expenditures are performed. †¢ R&D expenses are n ot capitalised. Other †¢ Inflation: constant at 2. 0%. †¢ Tax rate: 38. 0% (standard French rate). †¢ Terminal value: growing perpetuity where growth is set at the rate of inflation. †¢ Boeing’s response to A3XX launch is not explicitly modelled (assuming this factor is already taken into account through unit sales and margins). Although the market demonstrates considerable cyclicality, this factor was ignored for the sake of simplicity. Modelling results Net present value of the A3XX project is estimated at $528m, consisting of ($1,447m) NPV of 2001-2020 cash flows and $1,975m of terminal value. The break-even number of planes after the investment stage (in 2009 and beyond) is estimated at 48 per year. In this case the NPV of growing perpetuity is expected at $4,702m (annual inflows of $1,061 growing at 2% with 11% discount rate), while the NPV of cash flows in 2001-2009 is estimated at ($4,552). Sensitivity analysis The following tables present bi-dimensional sensitivity analysis of the resulting NPV for model variables that have significant predictability issues and / or likely to cause huge changes in the resulting NPV: -2- Airbus A3XX case study, Group E10 Project launch considerations Implementation of the A3XX project definitely has a very high risk profile. Although the resulting NPV figure is positive under the base scenario, sensitivity analysis indicates that returns on this project are extremely sensitive to the underlying model assumptions (e. g. a drop in operating margin by just 2 percentage points results in negative NPV). Therefore, there is a high risk of negative returns on this project. The project’s profitability may also be undermined by external market factors. The most crucial ones being (a) the response of Boeing to A3XX project launch, (b) growth rate of the VLA market. However, this project is strategically important for Airbus. Over the last several decades, since the introduction of Boeing 747 the share of VLA segment has expanded significantly. Additionally, analysts estimate VLA manufacturing has the highest operating margins — that is commonly used to subsidise production of smaller aircraft. However Airbus is not present in this segment at this time. Therefore, despite a very high-risk profile of the project, Airbus has good reasons to proceed with this industrial launch. It it difficult to estimate the number of firm orders Airbus needs to have before committing to the project. The financial model suggests it needs to sell 300+ aircraft before cumulative non-discounted project cash flow becomes positive. However, taking into account the fact that airlines do not place orders with delivery time exceeding 5-6 years, it is highly unlikely that Airbus secures orders for 300+ planes before project launch. A significant amount of orders (e. g. 50+) is likely to be enough to test Airbus demand forecasts. Potential Boeing response Although Boeing’s estimations of the VLA market are not so optimistic as Airbus’, it should definitely take some actions to defend its dominant position on this market. Boeing is unlikely to undertake a similar development project (i. e. develop a new plane for the VLA segment), since it would be a lose-lose strategy for both companies given limited size of this market segment. Therefore, the most obvious decision for Boeing would be to invest in the ‘stretch’ version of its 747 model. This is likely to take significant amount of orders away from Airbus while keeping the investment costs low. In case Airbus decides not to go ahead with its A3XX project, Boeing has no incentive to incur any investment costs whatsoever, since it already has established presence in the VLA segment with its 747 aircraft. -3- Airbus A3XX case study, Group E10 Financial projections (in US$ mln) 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Revenue Operating pro? t R&D expenses Depreciation EBIT Taxes EBIAT – – – – – 2,808 421 -880 -100 -559 212 -771 8,813 11,910 12,149 12,392 12,640 12,892 13,150 13,413 13,681 13,955 14,234 14,519 14,809 15,105 1,322 -660 -100 562 -214 775 1,787 -440 -100 1,247 -474 1,720 1,822 -100 1,722 -654 2,377 1,859 -100 1,759 -668 2,427 1,896 -100 1,796 -682 2,478 1,934 -75 1,859 -706 2,565 1,973 -40 1,933 -734 2,667 2,012 -5 2,007 -763 2,770 2,052 2,052 -780 2,832 2,093 2,093 -795 2,889 2,135 2,135 -811 2,946 2,178 2,178 -828 3,005 2,221 2,221 -844 3,066 2,266 2,266 -861 3,127 1,100 -2,200 -2,200 -2,200 -1,320 -25 -60 -95 -100 -1,100 -2,225 -2,260 -2,295 -1,420 418 846 859 872 540 -1,518 -3,071 -3,119 -3,167 -1,960 R&D expenses Capital expenditure Net working capital Operating pro? t Taxes Free cash ? ow Discounted FCF -1,100 -2,200 -2,200 -2,200 -1,320 418 -250 -150 846 -350 -300 859 -350 -300 872 -50 -200 540 -880 -50 421 212 -296 -158 -660 1,322 -214 448 21 6 -440 1,787 -474 873 379 1,822 -654 1,168 457 ,859 -668 1,190 419 1,896 -682 1,213 385 1,934 -706 1,227 351 1,973 -734 1,238 319 2,012 -763 1,249 290 2,052 -780 1,272 266 2,093 -795 1,298 244 2,135 -811 1,324 225 2,178 -828 1,350 206 2,221 -844 1,377 190 2,266 -861 1,405 174 -682 -1,755 -1,991 -1,978 -1,030 -614 -1,424 -1,456 -1,303 -611 Aircraft sale price Aircraft sold 216 13 220 40 225 53 229 53 234 53 238 53 243 53 248 53 253 53 258 53 263 53 269 53 274 53 279 53 285 53 -4-