Produce a report analysing past 3years financial performance of Essay

Produce a report analysing past 3years financial performance of Stanley Leisure plc - Essay Example hows the ability of the firm to meet its short term obligations from the most liquid assets, the trend is the same except in 2006 where there is a slight improvement. Reasons: The reason for the decline of the liquidity position is due to a poor working capital management policy embraces by the firm. Implications The firm's ability to meet its short - term inducing financial obligations is declining over time. 2. Profitability Profitability of the firm can be measured using the gross profit margin ratio, operating profit margin ratio and the net profit margin ratio. Observation Profitability of the firm declined in 2005 compared to the 2004 results before shooting up again in 2006. This is shown by the gross profit/ margin ratio declining from 4% in 2004 to 3.2% in 2005 before shooting to 10.4%. And lastly, the net profit margin ratio has also followed the same trend - 1.34% - 1.29% - 5.25% Implications The implications of the above observations can be adequately analysed on a ratio by ratio basis. (a) Gross Profit Margin Ratio This ratio shows the ability of the firm to control the cost of goods sold expenses. It means that for every 100% of sales 9Turnover) the gross profit was 4%, 3.2% and 17.3% for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively. The cost of sales comprised of 96% (100% - 4%), 86.8% (100% - 3.2%) and 82.7% (100% - 17.3%) for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006 respectively. This shows that the firm is not able to control its cost of goods sold expenses. (b) Operating Profit Margin Ratio This ratio shows/ indicates the ability of the firm to control its operating expenses such as telephone insurance premiums, salaries & wages distribution expenses etc. It shows that 95.77% (100% - 4.23%); 96.6% (100% - 3.4%) and 89.6% (100% - 10.4%) of sales revenue was... This ratio shows the ability of the firm to control the cost of goods sold expenses. It means that for every 100% of sales 9Turnover) the gross profit was 4%, 3.2% and 17.3% for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively. The cost of sales comprised of 96% (100% - 4%), 86.8% (100% - 3.2%) and 82.7% (100% - 17.3%) for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006 respectively. This shows that the firm is not able to control its cost of goods sold expenses. This ratio shows/ indicates the ability of the firm to control its operating expenses such as telephone insurance premiums, salaries & wages distribution expenses etc. It shows that 95.77% (100% - 4.23%); 96.6% (100% - 3.4%) and 89.6% (100% - 10.4%) of sales revenue was incurred to meet a) Cost of goods sold expenses and b) Operating expenses. Even though there was an improvement in 2006, the rates are still low and the firm must look for means and ways of further curbing the operating expenses. This ratio shows how the firm is able to control its financing expenses (interest charges), operating expenses and cost of goods sold expenses. For XXXX co, it means that for ever 100 of sales revenue only 1.34, 1.29 and 5.25 remained as profit after tax and 98.66; 98.71 and 94.75 relate to the amount incurred in paying off expenses including tax and interest charges. Investments are simply total assets.

Cell Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cell Theory - Assignment Example The paper describes all the peculiarities of the cell theory. A cell organelle is the part of a cell that has a specific function. Organelles are usually located inside the cytoplasm of a living cell, and are typically enclosed in a membrane called plasma membrane. They are called "organelles" because their importance to a cell is analogous to the importance of organs of to a body. Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes have cell organelles; however, there are some important differences between the two. The organelles in prokaryotic cells are not organized or enclosed in plasma membranes. Major cell organelles include chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, mitochondria, nucleus and vacuoles. Chloroplasts have double membranes as well as their own DNA, and perform photosynthesis. They are present in plants and some algae. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has a single membrane and is responsible for transport as well as synthesis of proteins. It is of two types – rough ER, who se surface appears to be rough because of the presence of ribosomes, and smooth ER, whose surface appears to be smooth. Golgi apparatus is also singe-membraned and is responsible for protein sorting and modification.... Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes have cell organelles; however, there are some important differences between the two. The organelles in prokaryotic cells are not organized or enclosed in plasma membranes. Major cell organelles include chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, mitochondria, nucleus and vacuoles. Chloroplasts have double membranes as well as their own DNA, and perform photosynthesis. They are present in plants and some algae. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has a single membrane and is responsible for transport as well as synthesis of proteins. It is of two types – rough ER, whose surface appears to be rough because of the presence of ribosomes, and smooth ER, whose surface appears to be smooth. Golgi apparatus is also singe-membraned and is responsible for protein sorting and modification. The mitochondrion is also called as the powerhouse of the cell because it is responsible for energy production, and like chloroplasts, it also has a double membrane and its own DNA. The nucleus has both Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) and is responsible for maintenance and proper distribution of DNA during cell division. Vacuoles function as storage reservoirs of the cell. Minor organelles of the cell include autophagosomes that collect material from the cytoplasm for degradation, centrioles that enable cell division, ribosomes that help in the production of proteins, lysosomes that are responsible for processing or breakdown of large molecules into simpler ones, nucleolus that produces ribosomes, and vesicles that function as material transporters in the cell. Many other organelles exist based on the type of organism.

Decision-Making Process Essay Example for Free

Decision-Making Process Essay Decision-making is a part of everyday life. One must decide on a daily basis; which route to take to work, which has less traffic, coffee or breakfast, or if the morning routine is altered by unexpected situations, which way to continue with the day ahead? According to Bateman and Snell (2011), the ideal decision-making process includes six stages; (1) identify and diagnose the problem, (2) generate alternative solutions, (3) evaluate alternatives, (4) make the choice, (5) implement the decision, and (6) evaluate the decision (p. 89). The process does not have to be thoroughly explained to realize many of the decisions one takes goes through these stages or some of them. One of the types of decisions one must carefully think and analyze before irrationally taking the plunge would have to be the purchase of one’s home. This type of decision is a very long-term commitment and a bit expensive. However, if properly acquire the decision; it is very worth-while. Buying a house or home starts at stage 1; one starts with identifying the problem or in this case the â€Å"wanting† to buy something to call home. It then follows to stage 2: generating alternative decisions. Stage 2 one is able to question if the house is really necessary. There are many suitable apartments and housing options as well. In this stage one also gets to question and calculate if it is within budget or if not, what one will have to do to be able to purchase the house. Once the financial side of the situation is evaluated and one still would like to continue it rolls into stage 3. Stage 3 consists of evaluating alternatives. In this stage one can go through the process of seeking locations, areas and house plans to choose what best fits with the ideal perfect home. This stage also allows to pick and choose what is best suitable for your home and knowing if there will be an upgrade made and changing the original price of the house. Staying with two suitable options and deciding from them will glide one to the next stage. Yes or No, Stage 4 is the decision-making part of the process. Once it has been decided to buy the house, the decision is implemented, Stage 5. Starting the necessary contracts and paper work to make this house one’s new home. The last step of the decision-making process is to evaluate the decision. In Stage 6 consists of one finalizing the process and setting down the last signature on the paper work and/or putting the down payment out on the table. In this type of choice all the steps in the decision-making process were followed. Nothing could have made it easier. As one can see the purchase of a new home, car, changing jobs and/or even choosing what school to send children to takes a decision-making process. Not all the steps are needed in some cases but some steps are automatically done like choosing alternatives.

Usage Of Newspaper In English Teaching English Language Essay

Usage Of Newspaper In English Teaching English Language Essay Over the last three decades, major changes have taken place in the English language teaching methods, especially in second and foreign language learning scenario. This paper aims at analyzing the importance of usage of newspaper and magazines in the classroom and finding the ways on how to use print media. The classroom becomes a multidimensional environment. It is difficult for the teachers to manage this multidimensional environment. It is essential for them to make the students able to use the news paper and at the same time deal with other activities such as researching for information from books and magazines. The following issues are open for discussion: the importance of media in general and education in particular; media are persuasive and pervasive, example newspapers and magazines. The possibilities of interactive or student-centered approaches to teach writing skills in English through newspaper and I review basic procedures common in English Language Teaching to design ta sks for literary study will be discussed. Such tasks I suggest, newspapers can definitely supplement the traditional lectures. Keywords: Teaching English, use of print media, newspapers, language acquisition. 1. Newspapers in the classroom Newspapers are easy to be brought in the class in different subjects and courses, especially in geography, history, literature, language classes, etc. Some of them have valuable information for these subjects, but we should know how to find this information. Many libraries have systems of classification according to the topics and issues and we can easily find our way in searching this information. If not we would spend a lot of time to find something. It is often said that academic success starts at the library. There are different purposes and ways for using newspapers in language classroom. They may be used for the culture they transmit. The more widely students read, the greater their understanding of this cultural meaning will be. They may also be used for reflecting changes in the language as well, and in doing so, helping students and teachers keep up pace with such changes. Most newspapers are linguistically up-to-date and provide valuable linguistic data. They may be used fo r the wide variety of text types and language styles, not often found in textbooks. At the same time, newspapers provide a natural source of many of the varieties of Written English that become very important to students, and valuable for language study as the students progress. So, they may be used as supplementary material and examples in Text Analysis, Academic Writing, Stylistics, Semantics, etc. while analyzing different types of texts. The variety of subjects and topics makes newspapers interesting and motivating for the students to work with. Newspapers report real-life events, and this arouses students curiosity. Newspaper-based activities in the classroom may engage students in enjoyable activities and encourage their further reading. Newspapers are an invaluable source of authentic materials. The more students read, the more they want to explore. People learn through reading, and reading about interesting new things in ones interest subject, undoubtedly helps motivation. (Paul Sanderson, 2002) Newspapers are also a great source for ESP teachers. They can be used as teaching materials to develop students language skills. They can be used effectively with a wide range of levels from Elementary to Advanced, either interpreting them or using them as they are. Some newspapers are easy to read, easy to use. The committed teachers can design exercises to develop reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, writing skills, grammar skills, vocabulary, map/chart reading skills, geography skills, social study skills and more. Having a lot of newspapers and information the teachers should be careful with the way how to organize a certain activity using them. So, they are particularly suitable for mixed-ability classes, depending on the activity, questions, etc. In planning a lesson using a newspaper, the teacher should take into consideration the length of the article, paragraph, the complexity of the language, the density of information, the subject-matter and content, the time a vailable and the level of the students. Nowadays, we are living in a period of rapid technological changes in mass communications. Through Internet, we are now able to access thousands of newspapers and magazines worldwide. Internet has increasingly become a major source of newspapers and magazines for language teachers; just find the web site and click. But we should be very careful in choosing suitable newspaper materials to use with our students. It is helpful to bear in mind these questions: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Will my students find the materials interesting? If yes, they will raise students motivation. If no, the students will be frustrated. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Are the materials appropriate for their level of knowledge? If they are too difficult to be understood, students will be discouraged. Otherwise their level of understanding would be O.K. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Are the materials appropriate for the students in terms of language level? Choose more challenging materials, choose materials where the language level is suited to the level of students, and choose tasks that can be done by the students at a certain level. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Should I use only materials from todays newspapers? The answer is yes and no. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lessons take time to prepare. The schedules of the teachers are periodically busy. Once we find an interesting material, we may use it over and over again, avoiding articles or news mentioning dates or topical events, data for well-known personalities, etc. Another very important issue about newspaper use is materials collection. It is an on-going process and worth doing it. Choosing and collecting short articles, weather forecast, advertisements, headlines, etc. is a hard task, but we may use them at a later time and more than once for different students. So, it is necessary to be very careful in organizing newspaper materials. Once we start collecting them we should begin thinking to organize them, put under certain categories, systematize them, etc. Everyone has experienced many times the frustration when he/she knows that he/she has that piece of information but does not remember where he/she has put it. It is good to categorize the materials under certain titles, headlines, advertisements, etc. or under topic titles, sport, cinema, relationship, according to language level of students, etc. Of great importance are the use of the photographs and illustrations. We should be careful to prepare these materials in good quality to use them again and again, and with every passing year we create folios and enrich them, then photocopy what we want for students use. We should not avoid using newspapers in the classroom only thinking that they are difficult for our students. It is true that the language there is difficult, but after all it is authentic. There are several ways of making newspaper materials usable for the various levels of students, by selecting interesting newspapers and the students will be interested in reading them and would skip some difficult expressions. A very important thing that enhances success in using newspapers in the classroom is the careful design of tasks. Grade the task not the material is a well-known maxim in langua ge teaching. In spite of the difficulty of the texts, the task should suit the level of students, this is more important than the difficulty of the text. The involvement of students in pre-activity, while-activity preparation techniques, in the selection of materials and in carefully designing the tasks are the key to success. Here are some pre-activity and while-activity preparation techniques that can be used in combination with one another: (Paul Sanderson, 2002) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Give the students the materials before the lesson, ask them to look for vocabulary at home à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Explain any key vocabulary in the materials à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Summarize the newspaper item à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ask the students to brainstorm what they know about the newspaper item à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Tell the students the headline and show any accompanying photograph à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Before reading, write on the board and explain key vocabulary à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ask the students to predict the story-line à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Allow your students to use a dictionary during the activity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Encourage your students to go for the overall meaning of a text, rather than to understand every word à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Encourage your students to bring to their reading their own world knowledge à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Try to help the students in understanding the grammatical complexity of the text, facilitate to assimilate the density of information, guess the low-frequency vocabulary, etc. The newspaper activities might be a lot, interesting and multidimensional. They might be about the headlines, headline combinations, articles, categorizing articles, news flash, putting it back together, exchanging the news, ranking articles, press conference, filling in the gaps, news in brief, photographs, predicting photographs, famous faces, photo stories, moving pictures, putting the picture in the story, advertisements, classifying adds, role-plays ads, job interviews, horoscopes, problem page letters, TV guides, cartoons and strip cartoons, acting out cartoons, strip cartoon stories, weather forecast, predicting the weather, matching weather forecasts, newspaper reading corner, find someone whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ special interest groups, newspaper puzzles, crosswords, and many others. 2. Magazines in the Classroom There are different kinds of magazines. According to a questionnaire done with high school and university students most of them mentioned that they liked to read mostly political, scientific, fashion, cultural, entertaining and sport magazines. This interest of the university and high school students should be exploited by the teachers to up-date their teaching materials and break the monotony of the lesson by using always the textbooks. As with newspapers, magazines are resources for different subjects, cutting out pictures and passages associated with particular topics. Magazines are also sources in language development in providing pictures to stimulate verbal or written stories. For example, they may be used for introducing colors and clothes, means of transport, short stories, stimulating picture discussions and for other supplementary materials as well, which cover a topic that may be under discussion in a language class. As for the ways how to use magazines in the classroom we can refer to the ideas and clues given for the newspapers. Both newspapers and magazines have a lot of things in common.

field biology projects :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I intend on doing a regular project and an extra credit project. For my first project I will start a recycling process in my home. I don’t want to make it too hard on my family so it will consist of aluminum objects and plastics. I will run this and accumulate materials for two weeks. After I will take pictures to illustrate what I have accomplished with my family and write a general knowledge paper on how it affected my home and the environment. It is my assumption that in order to have sex once you have finished. You in other words ahavr the obligation to hit the ball wherever pitched. In doing so you can then have sex with whom you want. If you are a complete ass the you need to have your eyes checked out. Oh say can tou see by the dawns early light. What so proudly we hail at the twilights last gleaming. Who's brought bed sheets to the calm winter morning is oner hwo have indused the same semtiment. Some body has fo to do to to to tot oos be a and get a bagel to eat or som e shit you nkow what I mena. I mean tou if I get 100 people to testify that I have not committed a crime then by god i will now not ever dro the time for what I fold so dearly to life. That is getting boty from anyone I can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Corwin Belfield Student Extra Credit Project Spring 2002 Field Biology Dr. Hanks For my second project will consist of two Saturday afternoons when my high school baseball team practices at Eastside park in Paterson, New Jersey. With that it will be appropriately called ‘OPERATION CLEANUP’. With this I will not only be educated on the importance of a healthy environment also the kids will learn of the importance to the atmosphere and the many reasons it will be thankful for any help we can give it.

Exploring the Digital Age Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Exploring the Digital Age On January 10, 2000, the largest merger in history was conducted between Time Warner and American Online. On a surface level, this merger could be seen in light of its combined resources, or even its large market value. However, the merger between these two companies has repercussions in the life of every person who uses the Internet. Undoubtedly, the Internet has emerged as a leading technology poised to change the way the world will revolve. The Internet has ushered in the Digital Age where information is king and mass customization is possible. Even the current economy, investors have recognized this and are heavily investing in companies that are a part of this Information Technology Industry. The logic of any merger is that with its combined resources, the new company would be able to exploit opportunities that by itself it would not be able to. Many companies in history have missed these opportunities and have paid dearly for it. IBM, for instance, lost its position as a market leader when it failed to understand the potential of the personal computer. Xerox did not recognize the potential of a graphical user interface. Both these companies are examples of successful firms that missed the imminent arrival of a technology, and the prospect of taking advantage of the opportunities created by it. However, AOL made significant steps to acquire Time Warner, and through its strategic moves, it has shown clearly that it understands the significance of the emerging Internet technology. The merger of AOL Time Warner is still currently in the process of being fulfilled. Through the analysis done of the merger, and of the individual organization and their past mergers, it is lik ely that the AOL Time Warner merger will, in time, prove to be a successful move by both companies. America Online—Context, Structure, Performance In order to predict the outcome of the merger, it is important to look at each organization separately. America Online incorporated under its original founding name, Quantum Computer Services, in May of 1985. After its first online service, "Q-Link" was launched on Commodore business machines, AOL went on to launch America Online for DOS, Macintosh, Apple II, and Windows. Over the next decade, it went on to acquire many Internet-related companies, from developers of Internet applications to Interne... ...ong cultural element, and an aggressive management team will have great opportunities. Bibliography: America Online, Inc. Cha, Ariana Eunjung and Walsh, Sharon. (January 12, 2000) "Merged Firm To Have New Look Restructuring Called ‘Significant’." The Washington Post (E1). Davis, Stan and Meyer, Christopher. (January 24, 2000) "Inventing the digital future." U.S. News and World Report Pg. 34-40. Henry, Shannon. (March 25, 2000) "AOL to Lay Off 700 to 1,000, Reorganize Into 4 Units." The Washington Post (E1). Hofmeister, Sallie. (September 26,1995) "Better the 2nd Time Around? Will Time Warner’s rocky Marriage Affect New Spouse?" Los Angeles Times (D1) Holstein, William J. and Vogelstein, Fred. (January 24, 2000) "You’ve Got a Deal!" U.S. News and World Report Pg. 34-40. Maney, Kevin. (November 30, 1995) "Is Time Warner impossible to manage? CEO Levin grapples with a house divided?" USA Today (1B) Okren, Daniel (January 24, 2000) "Happily Ever After?" Time Pg.38-43 Time Warner. Time Warner 2000. Zaret, Elliot. (March 8, 2000). "The Rise and Fall of Netscape." MSNBC.com. Retrieved April 19, 2000 from http://www.msnbc.com/news/379409.asp

Leadership Reflection Essay

1. Background Floods of memories flashed through my mind as I recall the problems I faced when I stepped up to lead the team during the second meeting. Problem 1 The objective of the meeting was to come up with the programme outline, so that we can draft the proposal and show our execution plans to our beneficiary. As the leader, I facilitated the discussion to allow my team mates to partake and contribute ideas, but most of them appeared reserved. Despite my utmost effort to encourage them to express their views, I found myself doing the talking most of the time. When I asked for their opinions on my suggestions, the common answers elicited from them were ‘All right’ or ‘Sounds good’. Upon dividing the programme into different sub-events (such as games station, ice-breakers, teaching of jingle, etc), I allocated a portion to each member, so that each of us can research on our individual activity and provide more in-depth details for the proposal. Besides that, I offered to collate everyone’s work and come up with the framework of the proposal. The stipulated deadline was the subsequent week (the third meeting). During the week, I sent out some emails that constituted some of my humble opinions and suggestions on the different sub-events in the light of cultivating a team environment whereby ideas are expressed and exchanged freely. However, most of my team mates did not reciprocate, notwithstanding my reminder to request them to read the emails. Problem 2 Furthermore, as I was collating everyone’s work, I realized that some of them submitted work that was slipshod in my perspective. Some work exhibited direct copying attempt from the internet without any paraphrasing or analysis, while others lacked structure, thoroughness and forethoughts. For instance, John prepared the ‘logistics’ document, but he merely listed the logistics in scatter of words with the absence of a table or structure and excluded many essential details like quantity and deadlines to purchase them. With all the aforementioned occurrences I faced, I bottled all my feelings and took everything in my stride. After assembling everyone’s work, I edited the proposal myself by injecting my ideas, rephrasing the words and researching on my other team mates’ parts. 2. Self-reflection I found myself thrown into a pool of mixed emotions – disappointment, anger, confusion and discontentment. To describe all these emotions in one word, it would be ‘disheartened’. Disappointment I believed that creativity is an imperative quality that is necessary in the making of an effective team, and to foster creativity, we should be straightforward with our ideas so that we can combine and refine them to create the best outcome. Thus, when I was the leader, I placed a significant proportion of emphasis on establishing a climate of discussions and interactions. I also hold the conviction that if I have any interesting insights or plausible ideas, even if the work is designated to my other team mate, I should still share with the rest instead of keeping them to myself. This is my understanding on the essence of ‘team work’. All the sub-parts tasked to the individual team member will ultimately be organised together and the final product will be submitted as a team effort. Hence, I was very disappointed by the low frequency of team mates voicing out their ideas to support one another. The lack of response painted an impression that everyone was focusing solely on their parts independently instead of considering the overall picture. Anger Secondly, I was furious when some of my team mates submitted work without meeting the basic requirements. In my point of view, it is the responsibility of every member that whenever tasks are allocated to them, they should demonstrate some professionalism in their work by performing extensive research or analysis to achieve its basic objectives. When a member performs the task poorly, it impedes the team’s efficacy, especially if it inconveniences another member to stand in and complete the remaining work. In the midst of experiencing such array of emotions, I kept my cool and tried my best not to show it, because my nature is not prone to expressing feelings. To be frank, I was also afraid of igniting unnecessary conflicts or shaking the team spirit. Hence, I did not raise these issues with my team mates. Confusion and Discontentment Coupled with exhaustion and stress, I became increasingly baffled and displeased with myself. As a leader, I felt that I am not doing enough to understand and solve the problem. If I tolerated everything, pretended that the team was progressing smoothly and not ameliorate the obstacles, how can I call myself a responsible leader? Being responsible does not only entail the fulfillment of obligations. There are two parts to this empowering word. The first half is ‘respons’ which means ‘response’. The second half, ‘ibility’, is a variant of the word â€Å"ability†. Therefore, ‘responsibility’ broken down to its roots literally means respond with ability. It means accepting the situation for what it is and choosing to respond rather than react to it. To me, the members in a team are paralleled to different instruments in a symphony. Each instrument produces a different sound and plays a different melody line. A symphony always sets out to provide a flawless work of art, displaying the harmony achieved by its many intricate melodies from different instruments. For my team to be that ‘symphony’ I envisioned, I told myself that I need to be responsible by responding to the situation. ‘How can I inspire them to join in the bandwagon towards achieving a cohesive and efficient team?’ With this question, I was determined to find the root of the problems and remedy them. 3. Application of leadership concepts Identifying the problems Through the leadership concepts learnt during lesson, I identified that the main problem of my team was called ‘groupthink’. Most of the team members were reluctant to express their opinions to question the viewpoint made by others. Dissenting views were often suppressed or absent in favour of consensus. Understanding the causes was next in line after identifying the problem. I realized that there were 2 main reasons that led to the ‘groupthink’ problem in my team. Causes of the problems Firstly, according to the Big 5 model personality test that we did in class, the trait of ‘agreeableness’ appeared predominantly under the top 2 traits that my team mates possess, including myself. Perhaps we concentrate so much on our relations and that deterred most of us from expressing opposing views, leading to us accommodating to each other’s decisions and conform to unanimity instead of objectivity. This stifles creativity as a team. Secondly, from the Ten characteristics of Effective Teams, I reckoned that my team lacked the ‘vision’. Aligning to a team vision means all members having a clear comprehension of achieving the shared goals through individual commitment and common standards. The existence of ‘groupthink’ could possibly be due to some members’ lack of regard for the importance of the project, giving less attention to the contribution of ideas or smaller priority in achieving quality work. The lack of understanding on the team’s common expectations also gave rise to differences in perspectives on the standards of work values and attitude. The last problem lies in me. From the Leadership Grid of ‘Concern for Production’ against ‘Concern for People’ covered under the Contingency Theories In Leadership, I rated myself as a low structure high consideration country club leader. It explains the suppression of my emotions to maintain an easy-going image and my lack of courage to pin-point the issues I faced as a leader. I needed to work on building my ‘authority- compliance’ aspect and not let my concern for people override my concern for productivity. Solving the problem After recognizing the causes of the problem, I picked up my courage. With sensitivity and tact, I told my team the predicament I faced as the leader, and how we could address the problems by applying the leadership concepts we have learnt. To build an open communication, I infused more humour in discussions and constantly make positive affirmations to other members, allowing meetings to be conducted in a friendlier and less-solemn setting. I also attempted to elaborate on a participant’s contribution with examples and suggest new angles to view problems. These helped to prompt them to speak up more frequently. Next, every team member took turns to articulate the objectives we wished to achieve individually and as a team. After understanding each other’s’ needs and establishing a common vision which everyone could connect with, we took some time to come up with a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in the Team Charter, whereby we determined the criterion on acceptable standards and behaviour. At this time, I took the opportunity to let my team understand my stance regarding individual commitment and quality of work. I was pleased to see all of them acknowledge where I was coming from and promised to strive for better performance. Furthermore, I initiated a fortnight peer evaluation (see appendix 3.1) to recognize the terrific efforts from my team mates, and learn to work on our weaknesses. This will also help the team to keep our efficiency balance in check. After all the efforts into effecting changes in my team, I am delighted to see everyone making consistent progress. The ‘groupthink’ problem is resolved and views are exchanged more openly and regularly. With the strengthening of team’s camaraderie and competency, conflicts are minimized and communication is much more open than before. As for myself, I feel that I became more vocal and candid with my views too. Whenever I foresee or identified any problem, I will discuss the solutions with my team mates instead of avoiding them. In conclusion, there is definitely room for improvement for myself and the team. However, I am gratified that I have discovered more about myself and be part of the experience grown from a group of once-seemed ‘independent individuals’ to a unified team of comrades.