Personal Challenge Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Challenge Experience - Essay Example I was only ten years old in a family of two children when it was evident that their relationship had turned into a sour grape and was beyond repair. At the time, I could hardly tell what was happening with between as I was asked out of the room every time their conversations took a turn. Although I was young, the memories I have are illustrative of a happy family that we were before all went south. Our parents were efficient providers and we never lacked in any way. I remember walks in the park on Sunday afternoons, as my father pushed my sister on the stroller, an indication of a happy model family. At the age of ten, one does not have an abiding opinion on with regard to family relations, and this seemed to be rubbed in my face by the fact that my parents did not consider telling me what was happening. All that happened was arguments followed by the diminishing presence of my father. It was years later that I understood the full effect of divorce and wish that the system protected me better to avoid the hurt I went through. A shared parenting plan was implemented, but I spent most of my time with mother due to my tender age until she filed and was granted sole custody. It is for this reason that I lacked a father figure to help me deal with my teenage issues and did not know anyone to turn to for the problems I had. As a result, I kept to myself and avoided all confrontation however necessary they should be. I grew dejected and weary by the day, pulling away from society as my emotions raged within me. I was angry that my parents placed a burden on me to choose who I interacted with among them. I was not ready for the sudden change of lifestyle and I resulted to hating them for the choices they made. Violent outbursts initiated by the existence of happy families existed around me became norm since I failed to understand how this came to be. I lost friend following tantrums and to make matters worse, boys picked on me, calling names and teasing me at every opp ortunity. Feelings of rejection, loneliness, and dejection characterised the period following my parents’ divorce. My grades flopped and not a week passed with a visit to the principal’s office. I recall cutting classes, hiding in empty halls and wishing that the nightmare would end. Ignorance seemed to have saved me from the harm I craved as revenge over society. I remember contemplating the death of all smiling faces around me and I all that lacked was the means to implement. Great emotional turmoil ruled my social life and sought refuge in activities that I deemed to relief my condition. Great emotional turmoil ruled my social life and sought refuge in activities that I deemed to relief my condition, which saw locked doors to avoid mother. In my view, my parents showed no compassion in their decision to part ways and thus she had no right to ‘pretend’ she cared. However, she extended her concerns to my school where after a full report on my performance and behaviour, it was recommended that I attend counselling sessions. Following sessions with the school’s counsellor and a contracted therapist, all evidence pointed to back to the divorce. I had trouble coping with the effects of the separation, which explains my behaviour. The healing process proved long, but effective although I held nothing except remorse for the events

Intercultural comm of Japanese Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Intercultural comm of Japanese - Essay Example However, despite the oddity in his questions, I understood most of them because we belonged to the same class. The aura around the interview room was casual since he is my longtime friend, the interview was therefore not formal and we could not make any more organized than it already was. Additionally, the friendship made it possible for me to ask any type of question without appearing patronizing. Kanemoto is friendly and highly likable, this explains our long friendship and my freedom to ask him any type of question. He is also funny and tries to make everyone around him feel comfortable and relaxed. Throughout the interview, he kept distracting me without some of his hilarious outburst. On more occasions, he could sing in his native Japanese language, which sounded funny enough. He translated the wording of his songs and I could not help laughing since they sounded funny but meant much to him. Besides the interview with my friend, I have also taken part in a number of other Japane se’s cultural activities such as the dance with my other Japanese friend Soran Bushi. Despite the fact that they had practiced for more than a month, I played a role in the dance thereby earning myself relative exposure on the culture. From the interactions with the Japanese, I learned a lot about their culture that differs with other cultures as elaborated in the discussion below. Introduction Culture refers to the way of life of a particular society or group of people. Culture therefore encompasses such pertinent issues as the way, in which people eat, dress and worship among other important social practices. For a long-time, global regions were secluded which therefore resulted in the development of definitive cultural practices. It was therefore easy to distinguish a group from their cultural practices, which would differ greatly with those of others. However, through such concepts as urbanization and globalization, the world successfully became a global village one in wh ich people easily interact with others. This resulted in faster communication and exchange of ideas through the modern telecommunication technologies such as the internet and mobile phones (Bradley, 2003). Currently the intense interaction among people has eliminated a number of cultural practices making people behave similarly. However, it is possible to differentiate people in terms of their cultural practices as each community even in the modern society still treasures a number of their indigenous cultural practices. One such community is the Japanese. Through an interview with a Japanese living in the United States of America, it became evident that the Japanese just as any other foreigner in the country exhibits unique cultural behaviors some as primary as the difference in their languages to other more essential personality differences arising from their unique culture. Such validate the claim that culture is an important aspect of life since through culture people determine t heir spiritual belief a key component of humanity from where people learn social values. Additionally, culture determines the food for a society (Berns, 2013). Different societies eat different types of food, which they handle differently in accordance to the dictates of their cultures. Japanese differ greatly with American, even those living in the country exhibit different behavior patterns from the Native Americans and other people from other parts of

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Marketing plan - Essay Example Since the customers go to Pizza Restaurant for quality, changes in prices are not that important to them. Therefore the price elasticity of demand is not important in this case. Demand for the products and services would be influenced to the minimal extent by price. The company is located in a rich city where the customers are richer than the customers in other parts of the country. Therefore the most influential demand factors are lifestyles and cultural considerations (Kotler and Keller, 2006, p. 65). The demand would be more influenced by price if the customers came to the company to get lower prices. However they purchase the products and services because the products and services deliver quality of taste. 60% of the customers are from rich families who will be more concerned about the quality. Therefore demand in this case will not be affected by price to any great extent. Answer to Question 2 The unique selling proposition is the quality of products and services. Therefore the recommended pricing strategy is premium pricing. This will ensure favorable perception among the customers (Armstrong and Kotler, 2005, p. 34). In this case, it is recommended that the management should maintain high prices in order to maintain the brand reputation which is the source of its unique selling proposition.

Victorias Secret and Womens Sexuality In-store Essay

Victorias Secret and Womens Sexuality In-store - Essay Example While essentialism states that men and women are inherently different and that women’s different physical form make them suitable for certain functions, constructivism counters this by claiming that sexuality arises out of the beliefs and attitudes governing religion and culture (Houston). Although the biological differences between the genders are present, social constructivism has a great role to play in how women are ‘perceived’ as sex objects as suggested by Victoria’s Secret’s use of space. This perception is reflected in the company’s store design and layout. The design team’s rejection of the conventional candy box color scheme of pink and gold colors was based on the premise that the company’s dominant color (pink) was being overused. The use of the ‘pink’ theme across its store is dominant which reasserts the stereotypical association of this color with women. Nevertheless, the need to tone down the pink col or is apparent by the use of black and cream colors with the use of flashing pink lighting in-store displays. Therefore, the overwhelming use of the pink color has been made subtle by the use of black and cream colors. This is not because the company attempts to divulge from its primary market of women. The color scheme has been altered to include black and cream to make the already pink merchandise â€Å"pop out†. GENDER SOCIALIZATION suggests how humans learn appropriate behavior with respect to their gender (Shaw and Lee). This follows that women are expected to maintain their physical beauty to remain acceptable in society. Women’s worth in society is often reflected in how ‘beautiful’ they are perceived by society, unlike men whose worth does not depend on their beauty (Shaw and Lee). This is often referred to as DOUBLE STANDARDS. This concept has been used by Victoria’s Secret which uses glamorous images of women throughout its store so that w omen feel they will look like those idealized images after wearing those products. A small fraction of women who are physically attractive are used throughout in-store photography which reflects the stereotypical belief that a woman’s worth is through her body and attractiveness. This is linked to the OBJECTIFICATION of women whereby their bodies are considered separate from the context (Shaw and Lee). This, in turn, is closely tied to the fragmentation of women when their bodies are separated from their personalities and are thought to represent the woman. The way in which specific body parts are highlighted in the photography reflects how the woman as a whole is discarded and how women are considered as objects that can be touched, â€Å"ogled† or even bought. The focus on specific parts such as breasts and other genital organs in these ads is reflective of the SURGERIES including VAGINAL SURGERIES that women undergo in the name of beauty. Only younger models are use d in stores which suggest that as women grow old they lose their sexuality and beauty and can, therefore, be discarded.

Size and Complexity of an Animal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Size and Complexity of an Animal - Essay Example The essay "Size and Complexity of an Animal" talks about the fundamental aspect of animal growth and the relationship between the growth in size and the surface area relative to its volume. The relationship between surface areas to volume ratio is best exemplified by reflection on phylum Porifera. The organism has a smaller surface area in relation to its volume. As a result, it depicts a simple form of exchange with the external environment. For example, nutrients are taken directly from water then enters through pores by cells lining the organism. On the other hand, complex organisms have a larger surface area to volume. As a result, these animals have trouble in acquiring nutrients. Therefore, they have developed a complex mechanism of feeding such as mesoderm in platyhelminths. The development of larger and complex bodies posed a challenge in respiration. The reason is that smaller animals such as sponges could take gasses directly from the surrounding water. As a result, there was no need for a development of the specialized organ. The challenge arises, as organism could not exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide directly with their cells. Moreover, in platyhelminths, the development of flat body enhanced efficient exchange of gasses through diffusion. The flat body help in providing a high surface area to volume ratio and hence easy supply and exchange of gasses. On the other hand, higher animals could not maintain gas exchange through their body surface. As a result, diffusion was not possible on their body surfaces.

Great American Cities Essay Example for Free

Great American Cities Essay Jane Jacobs’ 1961 work The Death and Life of Great American Cities examines the problems with post-World War II urban planning and argue that cities should embrace visual and social diversity, interaction, and mixed uses in neighborhoods. She aims her most pointed criticisms at the disastrous urban renewal projects of the 1950s and ‘60s, which she argues disrupted neighborhood fabrics and worsened urban conditions instead of improving them. QUESTION ONE Jacobs argues that great cities require must look beyond simply neighborhoods and take a more holistic approach, with safe streets, clear delineations between public and private spaces, small blocks, and low-rise buildings from which the sidewalks are easily visible. Great urban environments literally start with the streets and sidewalks, where people interact with both one another throughout the day and the built environment. Vital cities need and should encourage social interactions, have a variety of uses (residential and commercial), should have spaces that allow such interaction (like safe streets and parks), and should embrace a degree of social and visual diversity. She also maintains that cities do not need to be decentralized or redistributed, as planners of the time were doing, and that planners must heed cities’ social and physical realities rather than imposing theories. Urban renewal projects often fail because they are too large in scale, lack diverse amenities (many were mostly commercial projects, for example), and were homogeneous spaces where social interaction did not frequently occur throughout the day. QUESTION TWO Forms of social interaction (other than those created by public spaces) like social organizations and residential classes help because they unite people from different backgrounds and neighborhoods, and ethnic organizations help assimilate and include newcomers, who often find urban life isolating and alienating. They need to transcend neighborhood and ethnic boundaries, as Jacobs says, â€Å"[City] people are mobile . . . [and] are not stuck with the provincialism of a neighborhood, any why should they be? Isn’t wide choice and rich opportunity the point of cities? † (Jacobs 116) Isolation, Jacobs claims, is bad for cities because it contributes more to crime and slum development than low income alone. QUESTION THREE Jacobs believes that post-World War II urban planners had good intentions but used inappropriate methods of dealing with cities, often because they adhered to theories instead of examining cities’ realities, which often contradicted the theories and principles they used. In addition, she claims they had an innate fear and disdain for cities, favoring suburbs (much like the federal government did, with highway construction and the FHA’s suburban bias) and applying methods to cities that overlooked the conditions necessary for social interaction and public safety. Planners often embraced urban renewal projects such as high-rise housing projects and large commercial complexes, which failed because their size discouraged easy monitoring of the sidewalks and streets, did not generate sufficient pedestrian traffic at all times of day, lacked a balance of amenities with residences, and promoted more danger and less use than needed to keep them vital. Jacobs argues that planners need to abandon what she calls their â€Å"superstitions† about cities, especially their dread of high density (which they think promotes slum growth). High density and overcrowding are not synonymous, and planners often struggled to accept visual diversity, considering mixed ages and types of buildings â€Å"disorderly† and thus bad. QUESTION FOUR The phrase â€Å"a most intricate and close-grained diversity of use† means an interconnected urban fabric of social interactions, amenities, and mixed uses (residential, workplaces, retail, etc. ) without rigid separations or compartmentalization. Neighborhoods should not become islands, she claims, because that would promote visual monotony and isolation (which in poorer areas contributes to the creation of slums). She advocates mixed uses that bring safety, public contact, and life to urban areas, and this cannot occur through planners’ adherence to visual homogeneity or large-scale, single-use renewal. Neighborhoods must achieve diversity by serving a variety of functions, thus generating ample uses and encouraging movement of people (particularly pedestrians). Using her own New York street as an example, she writes that her area’s workplaces give local commerce support during the day, and other businesses draw the residents in the evenings; â€Å"Many enterprises, unable to exist on residential trade by itself, would disappear. Or if the industries were to lose us residents, enterprises unable to exist on the working people by themselves would disappear† (Jacobs 153). Such areas also need to mix workplaces with retail and residences so that neighborhoods do not become empty at given times of day (which can allow crime), provide amenities for the people there, and to be close and connected enough to other neighborhoods to become functioning, vital parts of an overall urban fabric. QUESTION FIVE Of city streets, Jacobs writes, â€Å"Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most vital organs. Think of a city and what comes to mind? Its streets† (Jacobs 29). She considers the street and sidewalk the basic units of quality urban life because they are an arena of basic social interactions, whether among neighbors or between consumers and merchants. They become safe when constantly used and watched, so residents’ and workers’ proximity to sidewalks is important; well watched, frequently-used spaces monitor people’s behavior and render them safe. In addition, safe streets depend on three factors: clear demarcation of public and private spaces; streets and sidewalks must be visible from the surrounding buildings; and streets need to be used often throughout the day, not becoming abandoned when workers leave (as happens in solely commercial areas, for example). Little-used areas become bleak and conducive to crime, she says. City planners, she claims, do not understand the street’s importance and in the postwar years built large commercial or public spaces that did not attract people throughout the day and night, lacked amenities or nearby residences, and were often too large to safely monitor. Streets become unsafe, she maintains, when people are not close enough to the streets to see what happens there or to interact with passers-by. This was a severe problem in high-rise housing projects, which were hard to police and encouraged crime, as well as being bleak, monotonous, and isolated from the fabric of city life. QUESTION SIX Jacobs considers social and cultural life more important than physical organization alone, though she believes that the two are related and that physical environment has a considerable influence on social life. Dysfunctional places fail to encourage or facilitate social interaction (which she considers the heart of urban living), and a failed neighborhood â€Å"is overwhelmed by its defects and problems and is progressively more helpless before them† (Jacobs 112). On the other hand, functional cities have active social and cultural life partly because they have amenities that draw people at all times of day, mix uses and include residents, workers, and other visitors, and are well integrated with other parts of the city. Visual order, she claims, should not be an end in itself – aesthetics alone do not promote social or cultural activity. She even deems utopian planners efforts to govern cities’ visual character â€Å"authoritarian† and writes, â€Å"All this is a life-killing (and art-killing) misuse of art† (Jacobs 373). Streets with active, sage social lives are seldom visually well ordered and might even look like â€Å"slums† to an uninformed observer. In addition, visual order does not help when it promotes monotony and imposes itself on diverse places; diversity makes a positive difference and buildings should compliment one another, not all look alike. QUESTION SEVEN Jacobs is skeptical of planning because it often relies on its own theories rather than looking at realities; however, she does not argue unconditionally in favor of letting owners or builders operate with little regulation, adding buildings or complexes piecemeal without government guidance. She maintains that neighborhood and city fabrics must be respected and used as guidelines for building; a new privately funded residential building or commercial facility can easily disrupt a neighborhood if it fails to compliment its surroundings, foster pedestrian usage and social interaction all day, and isolates a neighborhood by failing to connect with other parts of the city. Owners and builders can harm diversity by creating bland housing developments, which she deems â€Å"truly marvels of dullness and regimentation, sealed against any buoyancy or vitality of city life† (Jacobs 4), or else by imposing radical changes too quickly, instead of fostering gradual changes. If they use traditional methods of urban renewal, then builders and private owners will fare no better than the builders of housing projects or large commercial developments will. QUESTION EIGHT Over the past two decades, Americans have rethought their formerly negative attitudes toward cities, especially with concerns over suburban sprawl, and planners have begun heeding Jacobs’ advice. Urban neighborhoods in numerous cities have been gentrified (or â€Å"unslummed,† as Jacobs puts it) with new residential properties (either new condominiums or rehabilitated industrial buildings) and retail and/or workspaces. New York’s formerly squalid Times Square is a good example of a slum â€Å"unslummed† with retail and offices, and Minneapolis’ Uptown and warehouse districts have been transformed from run-down sections to attractive places to live, shop, and be entertained. Urban downtowns have received ample attention from developers and public agencies alike; Baltimore’s downtown has been radically changed in the last twenty years, from a seedy place to an attractive one with ample facilities (like an aquarium and the Camden Yards baseball stadium). In addition, public housing has been transformed from large, impersonal, often crime-ridden high-rise towers (such as Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis, perhaps the worst example of public housing’s failure) to smaller complexes that more closely resemble housing available on the private market. However, urban American has not been completely transformed despite this positive change. Slums still exist throughout American cities, and much of the new development does not help the urban poor, since these new, context-sensitive areas often displace existing residents or businesses and rents in new dwellings are often too high for some. Despite this, American cities have started reviving and planners less antagonistic to urban centers. QUESTION NINE Jacobs was certainly radical when the book appeared in 1961. At that time, urban planners were so focused on urban renewal projects (like public housing, commercial complexes, or sports or cultural facilities) that they paid no attention to the social fabrics that made cities livable. They seemed to operate under the misconception that all urban centers were slums and that large-scale projects would improve them; instead, they uprooted existing neighborhoods and replaced them with facilities that did not encourage pedestrian usage, failed to foster frequent activity throughout the day, were often difficult to police, and did not connect with their own neighborhoods or others within a given city. 1961 also fell during the decades-long exodus of whites from cities to suburbs (which pro-white, pro-suburban federal housing policies assisted), and Americans’ lingering anti-urban attitudes still prevailed. Jacobs offered a different way of envisioning cities, and she seemed to see planners’ errors better than planners of the time would admit; indeed, it took decades before American urban planners and builders approached cities anew. QUESTION TEN This work remains relevant because it presents a set of principles that seem to work well over forty years later. It avoids concentrating on aesthetics, which she dubs â€Å"hair-splitting about fashions in design† (Jacobs 3), and instead discusses social dynamics, for which neighborhoods and cities should facilitate. She shows a clear understanding of cities that avoids the abstract and attests to a more experiential point of view, not a set of theories. However, money plays a much larger role today than it did in 1961; though builders and planners now follow her ideas, this new urbanism is expensive and many less-affluent city dwellers find themselves displaced by new development. Also, while many neighborhoods are reviving with new housing and retail, those areas tend to attract the same stores and building types, so that one revived neighborhood looks like another one nearby, creating a sort of monotony (of which Jacobs is particularly critical). Nonetheless, her ideas are perhaps even more relevant today, now that American cities are reviving along lines she first drew. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage, 1961.

Personal delelopment in Accounting and Finance Personal Development Essay

Personal delelopment in Accounting and Finance Personal Development Essay Introduction Personal Development in Accounting and Finance course overall helps me to understand how did my career goal comes about, where do I stand now, and understand the journey and process which I will have to go through in order to achieve my career goal. 2. What did I learn / achieved in PDAF? In PDAF, Belbin lesson, I understand that a team role is a pattern of behaviour. Different team role have different characteristics and all team roles have both strengths and weaknesses. A person could be having a few team roles at a same time. Through the questionnaire, I manage to identify a few team roles which I will normally adopt at work, which include the specialist, the completer/finisher and the shaper role. I manage to identify what are my strengths and allowable weakness. As I am showing the shapers weakness therefore I hope to improve on this area. (See appendix 1). Through this MTBI personality test, I discovered that the personality type which I belong to is ISTJ (introverted sensing with extraverted thinking), whom is a duty fulfiller. This test also allows me to identify my strengths and weaknesses at work and home. I also realise that possible careers for ISTJ are accountants and financial officers which is what my career goal is. (See appendix 3). It was feedback from my group member that she feels that Im in the right career path as the ISTJs personality described me truly. 3. My Career journey thoughts feelings Looking back at my lifeline during lesson 2, I feel that whoever I am now depend on the decision which I had made when I was 19 years old. To choose between going to a polytechnic for engineering course or a private school for CAT made my career journey changed. It is also because of great interest on figures and influences from family, that why I decided to choose a private accounting school for CAT courses rather the other. (See appendix 2) I also feel that all these while in my career journey, I was consider quite lucky. I am lucky in a sense that, I have a lot opportunity to learn new things and gain experience on accounting field compared to the others. I started my first job as Account Assistant with no relevant working experience. Yet I have the opportunity to learn from scratch. I understand that not much company is willing to teach fresh graduate especially when this so called fresh graduate had not officially graduated at that point of time. My career goal is to be an accountant. After doing some website research on the responsibilities for this role, I realise the main duty for an accountant in Singapore public or private sector is about the same. I believe in term of working experience I should be able to fit in as I have pick up quite a valid experience in this area. But looking at the current market entry requirement, sad to comment, although I have the experience and skills in accounting software, I see myself in a non-favourable position in obtaining this position at the current moment. I will need to upgrade my qualification and that is to take up a degree course so that I can fit into the position. (See appendix 4) After working in accounting line for so many years, sometimes I do feel that my interest on my job had faded quite a lot. Sometimes I do not have the energy to move on. I feel that this might be due to long working period with no proper break or rest. As my career goal is to be an accountant, so I will not give up this goal so easily. If financially allows, I am considering of moving out of my working life temporary to have a good break while pursuing my degree course. I think by doing so, I can rest and replenish my energy level on my job, and I can place full time concentration on my study. My follow-up after PDAF After attending this Belbin lesson, I will like to improve on my weakness by showing more concern on the others. Now I tend to think twice before commenting remarks. Although is hard to do it, I hope I can do in time to be. (See appendix 1). I also hope that I can control my emotion (See appendix 2), by not being so affected when my close colleagues left the company. Im happy to know that I am in the right career path and see myself having more strengths than weaknesses being an ISTJ. Being someone whom honored our commitment, loyal and faithful, I hope I can continue this way especially toward my family. There is one weakness which had been around for quite a while and it had been happening quite often at work. It needs a lot of skill and effort in order for me to strengthen it. This weakness is having too strong sense of duty until I had difficult time to say no to others when I was given more work than what we can reasonable handle. I see the need for me to reduce this strong sense of duty image in front of others. I have to control it well so that my sense of duty still exist but yet I know how to say no to them when too much work is being passed down to me. (See appendix 3) I also realise I do not have a proper written cover letter, the current one which I have now contain only a few lines which does not state any impressive remarks to employers. I also did not amend the cover letter accordingly to fit well to each individual job requirement. Therefore I need to pick up some skills on improving my cover letter. My CV was not updated with my latest experience and skill which I have obtained in my previous company. I need to update it regularly or as and when I have done any special projects or obtain any extra skills. Appendices The Group Presentations Appendix 1 Team Roles (Belbin) Presentation content Through the Belbin questionnaire, the team role which I have normally adopts is the Specialist role. Based on the information located from the website http://changingminds.org/explanations/preferences/belbin.htm, specialists strength is it has expert knowledge and skills in key areas and will solve many problems while its allowable weakness is it can be disinterested in all other areas. I do agree on the questionnaire that most of the time at work I have been adopting the specialist roles strength. Example, in my current position, I am handling GL (general ledger) function. Due to job responsibility, I often have to provide knowledge and assistance to other colleagues especially colleagues whom handle Accounts Receivable and Payables on any un-cleared issues or problems. I do not agree that I have adopted specialist roles weakness as in not much of showing disinterest in other areas. Example, usually at work I am very concern about other areas as I often have to attend other departments queries. I agreed that another role which I have also adopted successfully is the Completer/Finisher role. Example, as my position covered month closing and reporting. I often have to do detail checking on entries for errors and omissions before presenting the data to my superior. Also I tend to worry too much when my colleagues do not finish their areas of work on time. Reflection In the Belbin lesson, I understand that a team role is a pattern of behaviour. Different team role have different characteristics and all team roles have both strengths and weaknesses. A person could be having a few team roles at a same time. Through the Belbin questionnaire, I manage to identify a few team roles which I will normally adopt at work. Beside the contributions side of the specialist and completer/finisher, I realise that sometimes I tend to adopt the Shaper role. This role is full energy and action, challenging others to move forwards. This role can be insensitive. Example, at work I often have to push other colleagues and make sure they meet the closing deadline on time, by doing so, I tend to show the shapers weakness which is being insensitive. I sometimes tend to comment blunt remarks show poor attitude to the others when jobs were not done in time or properly. Appendix 2 Job Motivation Presentation content Reasons why I have decided to have accounting as my career choice are because of my interest and influences from my family member. Since I was young, I always like figures and counting, solving problem sums in school. It is also due to my sisters influences, that why I chose to further my study in accounting and hoping to be an accountant. My sister is the first one who enlightened me. She convinced me to convert my interest into my career since my interest is on figures, and I am always being good at mathematics. A few values which are important to me, one of which is money. I personally feel that money comes in hand in hand with hard work so with the hard work I have put in; I will want a justifiable amount of salary. Next value is happiness at work and good relationship with colleagues. I feel that in order to achieve happiness at work, we must maintain good relationships with colleagues. By having that, it will help to motivate us to go to work. Finally is appreciation from superior and career advancement. I feel the needs to have good opportunity to learn and do more things, follow-by promotion. I also need appreciation from superior by recognizing my hard work. Co-workers are the ones whom will influence me at work. Relationship with them often will affect my mood of working. With close and good relationship with my colleagues, I feel happy and more motivated to go to work. As I am a very emotional person. I will feel affected if a close colleague left the company. I know because, in my current job, my mood was greatly affected when my accountant and a close colleague left the company. It is a sense of loss especially toward my accountant as she had given me very good appreciation and opportunity. When she left the company, I feel I have not only lost a good colleague/superior, I also lost my value. Market requirement will affect my career choice. I always feel that accounting roles are always valuable in the market as all companies have accounts department and therefore accounting staffs will never be jobless. Reflection After working for quite a number of years, I realise my interest on my career had faded. My interest on figures is no longer existed. I value my values especially money at work more than interest. I see the important of these values, when my values are being achieve, I tend to be more motivated to move on but when values are not being achieved, it will influence me by affecting my motivation and emotion. Appendix 3 MBTI Presentation content The personality test located from the website http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm shows that my MBTI type is ISTJ, the duty fulfiller. ISTJ primary mode of living is focused internally, where we take things in via five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Our secondary mode is external where we deal with things logically. Accountants and financial officers are the one of the possible career paths for ISTJ. One of the ISTJs strength is we are people whom honor our commitment. We are loyal and faithful. We are people who can be depended on to do the right things for our families. Another strength which is, we are stable, practical and down-to-earth. We tend to believe in laws and traditions. We often tend to believe that things should be done accordingly to procedures and plans. ISTJs have strongly-felt internal sense of duty which lends them a serious air and motivation to follow through on task. Because of this strong sense of duty, ISTJs may have difficult time saying no when we are given more work. Another weakness which we have is we will resist putting energy into things which dont make sense to us. I agreed the strength about believing that things should be done accordingly to procedures and plan. I usually like to do proper planning before proceeding. Example, I have habit of listing down the works I have to do for month end closing. I will note it as done once complete. Sometimes because of too many pieces of work coming in at the same time, I tend to state the items down and do it based on priority. I dont quite agree to the point that ISTJ tend to resist of putting energy on things which dont make sense, because perhaps I believe that sometimes at work, things might not be within our control so I often just continue to put in energy even if the things dont make any sense to me. Feedback from my group members One of my team-mate comments that I have performed well in the group presentation. While another feel that Im in the right career path as I fit truly well in ISTJ personality. Reflections Based on the personality test, I feel that I have chosen the right career choice. In term of personality at work, it reflected the very true side of me. It best described what kind of person I am at work or home. It highlighted to me what are the strengths and weaknesses I have. ISJT has such a strong sense of duty that we may have a difficult time saying no when we are given more work than what we can reasonably handle. Looking at this point, I realise that this had happened quite often in my working life. I never say no to my superior when I was given too much work to do. I feel that there is a need for me to reduce my strong sense of duty image to the others especially to those who had been taking advantage of me. Appendix 4 Careers Presentation content The job which I have chosen is accountant position. Employers for public sector include local authorities, schools and etc, while employers for private sector range from large multinational organizations to small local businesses. Accountants in both public sectors and private help to prepare examine and analyze financial statements and other financial reports. They check for accuracy in these records and this allows them to provide a clear picture of the companys financial activities. They report to the management regards to all the finances issues. They develop, maintain and analyze budgets. They also check and pay creditors invoices, collect debts and charge customers for goods and services. Although the duties for accountants in both sectors are similar, a public sector accountants main concern is not raising profit but to make best use of public money. They aim to balance the cost of public services against income. They may carry out internal audits if required. Another difference is as all limited companies must be externally audited therefore accountants for private sector are not allow do audit check. The entry requirement for accountant is at least a bachelors degree in accounting or a related field. In term of skills and abilities requirement, both sectors need the accountant to have a good level of numeric. They should be able to use spreadsheets and specialized finance-related software to analyze and interpret figures and explain them to laymen. Both will need good communication skills, in both spoken and written. They should process good problem-solving skills, and have the ability to work well under pressure. Reflections Looking at the market requirement, I feel that my market value had dropped a bit although I do have the relevant experiences. The reason is because entry requirement had changed compare to the past. In the current situation, a degree qualification is a must. Appendix 5 Job Adverts Presentation content My job ideals is to find a job which is of accountant level and its responsibilities should be similar to what I am currently handling, but it should have some extra work which I am able to gain some experience from it. I have chosen 3 jobs which are all accountant level position. They are accountant, finance for AIC (Agency for Integrated Care), accountant for NTUC (National Trades Union Congress) and accountant for Amanresorts International Pte Ltd. And the one which I have finally decided on is the accountant role for AIC. This roles responsibilities match with my current responsibilities. In this role, they are looking for someone whom will ensure timely month end activities as well as submission of financial and management reports. This role also needs to manage cash and banking matters, liaise with audit firms on audit matter and support budgeting and forecasting exercise. In term of skills and abilities, they are looking for someone whom has minimum 2 years experience in full set of account and knowledge of SAP accounting system. I had exposure on full set and SAP in my previous company, and I was there for more than 2 years. I feel that this job is suitable for me the role responsibilities are scopes which I had handle before and I am comfortable with. In term of accounting system, they are using SAP which I rather preferred. AIC is a private limited company under healthcare industry. It was set up by Ministry of Health but was now under National Healthcare group. In term of benefit, I feel that it should be well too. Reflections I feel that in term of experiences, I do have the opportunity to fit into accountant level position once I obtain my degree. Appendix 6 Draft CV How did I choose the format, layout and content of my CV, and what are the specific problems I have had in designing a targeted CV, The CV format which I have been using is the combination CV. I obtained this format from the website many years ago. The layout for combination CV shows both skills and abilities and employment history. The total pages for current CV I had with me now makes up of 5 pages. In term of contents, I state a bit on my skills on accounting software and Microsoft office, and very detailed employment histories. For the employment history wise, information on the work I had been doing was stated in point form with no strong words to attract interviewers attraction. The whole CV also reflected repeated job-scope as I am doing almost the same job-scope for my initial employment. Overall to comment is I find my CV a bit lengthy. The problem I faced in designing a targeted CV is I am not sure of how to make use of strong wording. Also sometimes I find it hard to describe the effort that we have put on a task on paper so that readers can understand. Assignment 2 Application Pack Introduction Job Title I have chosen to apply for the position of Accountant, Finance for Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). 1.2 Requirement of the Job The responsibilities include handle full set of accounts and ensure month end closing activities. This role needs to handle grant administration, manage cash and banking matters. She/He needs to liaise with audit firms and tax consultants on audit and tax matters. She/He needs to support budgeting and forecasting exercise. The entry requirement is a recognised degree in Accountancy or equivalent with minimum 2 years experience in full set of accounts. It will be an added advantage if she/he has knowledge of SAP accounting system. Job Advertisement This is the job advertisement for the position of Accountant, Finance which I am applying for: Advertised:23-7-10 | Closing Date:22-8-10 Accountant, Finance (Singapore) Responsibilities: You will report to Manager, Finance. Handle full set of accounts (GL, AP, AR and Fixed Assets) and ensure timely and accurate month-end closing activities as well as submission of financial, management and statutory reports, implementation and compliance with Internal Controls Handle grant administration, including prompt claims submission, disbursement and tracking Manage cash and banking matters Liaise with audit firms and tax consultants on audit and taxation matters, including preparation of audit and tax schedules Support budgeting and forecasting exercises Requirements: Recognised degree in Accountancy or equivalent with minimum 2 years experience in full set of accounts Knowledge of SAP accounting system will be an added advantage A team player who is meticulous and able to work independently Good communication and interpersonal skills Please do not use the buttons below to apply for the above position. Kindly forward your detailed resume in MS Word format only, stating full details of qualifications, experience, current and expected salary, to . Top of Form Bottom of Form   Ã‚  Company Information   Ã‚  Email to Friends   Ã‚  View Similar Jobs   Ã‚  Location Map   Ã‚  Save This Job   Ã‚  View Salary Report   Ã‚  All Jobs From Company   Ã‚  Report Advertisement Agency for Integrated Care 5 Maxwell Road #10-00 Tower Block MND Complex Singapore 069110 Website: http://www.aic.sg/ Reasons for choice of job Through searching for job advertisements from internet, I have set my focus on job advertisements for Accountant role. Among the advertisement that I have reviewed, I shortlisted 3 which are listed below: Company Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) Job Title Accountant, Finance (b) Company Amanresorts International Pte Ltd Job Title Accountant (c) Company National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Job Title Accountant These 3 were shortlisted because the job responsibilities are similar to the current job responsibilities which I am currently handling which is involve in month end closing activities and year end budgeting and forecasting exercise. I feel comfortable to advance my career in this scope of duties. Of the above 3, I have selected (a) as the one that I will focus on in Assignment 3. The reason for choosing this job is because the responsibilities for this position in AIC is not only something which I am familiar with but it also has some other responsibility which I will like to learn from. This is preparation of statutory reports. I will like to take this opportunity to pick up this skill. This company is using SAP system, which is a well known accounting system. I feel more comfortable using SAP system compare to other software like Accpac (as per stated by Amanresorts International Pte Ltd). Skills Attributes My suitability for the job Skills My current accounting role with Volkswagen Group Singapore Pte Ltd includes handling month end closing activities. My duty also includes preparing month end financial reports. In my previous exposure in Hercules Chemical Solution, I handle full set of accounts for both Singapore and India accounts. In both company, I used SAP system. Personality Based on the MBTI, I realise that my personality type is ISTJ, which the possible career is being accountant or financial officer. I am someone whom has excellent ability to take on any task given by my superior. I will follow through the task till completion by organizing and planning. I am hard worker, who do now allow obstacles to get in my way of performing my duties. Motivation I am currently motivated mainly by values. Value like money is very important to me now. I hope to find a company which not only pay well but also give good staff benefit. Value like appreciation from superior and career advancement is also important to me. I hope to see myself being recognised through my hard work. Weaknesses What may hinder me in applying for this job My limitation for this job opportunity will be I do not have the experience in preparing statutory reports, which I am not sure if the company is willing to train me on this area. I also do not have the experience in working in healthcare industry. Cover Letter Name Tay Siew Ling Address Blk 684B Choa Chu Kang Crescent #11-330 Singapore 682684 Contact 92975400 (Mobile) Email [emailprotected] 09 August 2010 Agency for Integrated Care 5 Maxwell Road #10-00 Tower Block MND Complex Singapore 069110 Dear RE: Application for the position of Accountant, Finance Refer to your job advertisement on the  www.jobstreet.com.sg on 23 July 2010; I will like to express my interest to apply the position of Accountant, Finance. I am a CAT holder and currently pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Accounting with University of Bedfordshire. In my current employment with Volkswagen Group Singapore, my responsibilities include handling month end closing and preparation of financial reports. I am also involved in year end budgeting and forecasting. In my previous employment with Hercules Chemical Solution, I am responsible in handling full set of account for both Singapore and India account independently in Singapore with reporting head in Shanghai. Additionally, I have hands-on experiences on SAP system, financial module for more than four years. With these exposures, I am confident that I will be able to perform well in AIC I greatly appreciate you taking the time to review my credentials and experience. I hope that youll find my experiences  intriguing enough to warrant a face-to-face meeting, as I am confident that I could provide value to you and your  company as a member of your team. Please feel free to contact me if you have any query. Hope to receive a favourable reply from you. . Yours sincerely, Language Proficiency Spoken Language: English and Mandarin Written Language: English and Chinese Skill Proficiency Well versed in Microsoft Office Software: Words and Excel. Proficient with accounting software: SAP system, Accpac Dos Version, Solomon and Incadea. Proficient with internet online banking: Citi-Direct, Bank of America online banking, Deustche online banking and DBS DEALS Education Qualification University of Bedfordshire Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Accounting (July 2010 to Jan 2012) The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) (1998 to 2003) Fairfield Methodist Secondary School Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education-Ordinary Level (O-level) (1996 to 1997) Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education-Normal Level (N-level) (1993 to 1996) Queenstown Primary School Primary school leaving examination certificate-PSLE Employment History Details Volkswagen Group Singapore Pte Ltd Account Executive (14 May 2008 to Current) Handle the full spectrum of General Ledger and Fixed Asset Ensure proper documentation for all fixed assets and depreciation amount was taken up correctly Month end journal preparation and posting. Ensure timely and accurate closing of monthly account Prepare and review monthly profit and loss statement and balance sheet. Analysis monthly expenses and common cost allocation for respective department. Prepare inter-company reconciliation and ensure AP Executive to follow-up on any invoices not received Prepare reconciliation on Receivable and Payable sub-ledger against General Ledger Prepare weekly cash position report Prepare monthly bank reconciliation Prepare monthly audit and closing schedules Responsible for Fixed Deposit placement and coordinate with AP Executive on any fund transfer and huge payments Quarterly GST preparation and submission Involve in bi-weekly COE bidding process Involve in year-end stock take for vehicle and parts inventories Assist in year-end budget and forecast Liaising with external auditors during yearly audit Assist the Finance Manager in all ad-hoc duties as assigned Achievement Back-dated perform bank reconciliation for January to May 2008 Manage to perform reconciliation between Incadea and SAP system, also reconciliation between AP/AR control account against sub-ledger Involvement in change of chart of account and roll-back project on the accounting system Energy Market Company Pte Ltd Account Executive (June 2006 to April 2008) Handle the full spectrum of Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Fixed Asset for EMCs operating account Handle partial spectrum of General Ledger Ensure proper documentation for all fixed assets and depreciation amount was taken up correctly Ensure timely and accurate closing of monthly operating account Ensure timely billings on Industrial Training program fee and seminars Ensure timely posting of all collections received Ensure all supplier invoices matches with purchase orders issued Ensure proper coding of GL code and posting of supplier invoices and staff reimbursement Ensure timely cheque and telegraphic transfer payments to suppliers and staff reimbursement Prepare cash position report Prepare monthly bank reconciliation Quarterly GST preparation Submission on Statistic survey for energy industry Involve in year-end fixed asset checking Liaising with internal and external auditors during quarterly and yearly audit Assist the Finance VP and Accountant in all ad-hoc duties as assigned Achievement Involvement in change of chart of account and update of accounting system Successfully roll-out the E-Fixed Asset module Attended the Microsoft Excel Expert course sponsored by company and was award a Microsoft Office Specialist at the Expert level from Microsoft Hercules Chemical Solutions Pte Ltd Account Executive (June 2004 to June 2006) Handle the full set of account for Singapore and India accounts (up to Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss) Ensure timely and accurate closing of monthly account for Singapore and India Ensure timely billings on services fees and royalty income to inter-company Ensure timely posting of all collections received Ensure all supplier invoices matches with purchase orders issued Ensure proper coding of GL code and posting of supplier invoices and staff reimbursement Ensure timely cheque and telegraphic transfer payments to suppliers and staff reimbursement Prepare and review monthly profit and loss statement and balance sheet including expenses analysis Month end journal preparation and posting. Prepare monthly audit and closing schedules Prepare monthly bank reconciliation Monthly Australia VAT preparation and submission. Quarterly Singapore GST preparation and submission. Quarterly preparation of reconciliation reports for SOX control requirement Liaising with external auditors during quarterly and yearly audit Liaising with tax agent from India on india tax issue Assist the Financial Accountant in all ad-hoc duties as assigned Achievement Involve in moving the manual set of account for India into SAP Involve in change of bank from Citibank to Bank of America SNP Corporation Ltd Accounts Assistant (June 2003 to June 2004) Handle the full spectrum of Accounts Receivable and credit control Ensure timely billings on non-stock related items example rental and advertisement Responsible for proper sort and filing of high volume of tax invoices and credit notes on stock related item Ensure timely posting of all collections received Responsible for customer code creation Prepare month end reports, example sales records and aging reports. Assist the Senior Accountant in all ad-hoc duties as assigned Tee Hai Chem Pte Ltd Accounts Assistant (January to May 2003) Handle the full spectrum of Accounts Receivable Responsib