Definition and Examples of Inflectional Morphology

Inflectional morphology is  the study of the processes (such as affixation and vowel change) that distinguish the forms of words in certain grammatical categories. In comparison to many other languages, the inflectional system of Modern English is fairly limited.   Inflectional  morphology is customarily distinguished from derivational morphology (or word formation). As A.Y. Aikhenvald points out, Derivational morphology results in the creation of a new word with a new meaning. In contrast, inflectional morphology involves an obligatory grammatical specification characteristic of a word class (Typological Distinctions in Word-Formation in Language Typology and Syntactic Description, 2007). This distinction, however, is not always clear-cut. Examples and Observations Inflectional Categories and Derivational CatgeoriesThe prototypical inflectional categories include number, tense, person, case, gender, and others, all of which usually produce different forms of the same word rather than different words. Thus leaf and leaves, or write and writes, or run and ran are not given separate headwords in dictionaries. Derivational categories, in contrast, do form separate words, so that leaflet, writer, and rerun will figure as separate words in dictionaries. In addition, inflectional categories do not, in general, alter the basic meaning expressed by a word; they merely add specifications to a word or emphasize certain aspects of its meaning. Leaves, for instance, has the same basic meaning as leaf, but adds to this the specification of multiple exemplars of leaves. Derived words, by contrast, generally denote different concepts from their base: leaflet refers to different things from leaf, and the noun writer calls up a somewhat different concept from th e verb to write.That said, finding a watertight cross-linguistic definition of inflectional which will let us classify every morphological category as either inflectional or derivational is not easy. . . . [W]e define inflection as those categories of morphology that are regularly responsive to the grammatical environment in which they are expressed. Inflection differs from derivation in that derivation is a lexical matter in which choices are independent of the grammatical environment.​(Balthasar Bickel and Johanna Nichols, Inflectional Morphology. Language Typology and Syntactic Description: Grammatical Categories and the Lexicon, 2nd ed., edited by Timothy Shopen. Cambridge University Press, 2007)Dictionaries and Inflectional Morphology[I]t is not correct to say that dictionaries never have anything to say about inflectional morphology. This is because there are two reasons why a word form such as pianists does not have to be listed, and these reasons are interdependent. T he first is that, once we know that an English word is a noun denoting a kind of thing that can be counted (if the noun is pianist or cat, perhaps, but not astonishment or rice), then we can be confident that it will mean simply more than one X, whatever X may be. The second reason is that, unless otherwise specified, we can be confident that the plural form of any countable noun will be formed by adding to the singular form the suffix -s (or rather, the appropriate allomorph of this suffix); in other words, suffixing -s is the regular method of forming plurals.That qualification unless otherwise specified is crucial, however. Any native speaker of English, after a moments thought, should be able to think of at least two or three nouns that form their plural in some other way than by adding -s: for example, child has the plural form children, tooth has the plural teeth, and man has the plural men. The complete list of such nouns in English is not long, but it includes some that are extremely common. What this means for the dictionary entries for child, tooth, man and the others is that, although nothing has to be said about either the fact that these nouns possess a plural form or about what it means, something does have to be said about how the plural is formed.(Andrew Carstairs-McCarthy, An Introduction to English Morphology: Words and Their Structure. Edinburgh University Press, 2002)Eight Regular Morphological InflectionsThere are eight regular morphological inflections, or grammatically marked forms, that English words can take: plural, possessive, third-person singular present tense, past tense, present participle, past participle, comparative degree, and superlative degree. Most have phonologically sensitive realizations. . . .Modern English has relatively few morphological inflections in comparison with Old English or with other European languages. The inflections and word-class clues that do remain help the listener process incoming language.(Marianne Celce-Murcia, Donna M. Brinton, and Janet M. Goodwin, Teaching Pronunciation: A Reference for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge University Press, 1996)Irregular Inflectional MorphologyThe so-called irregular inflectional morphology or morphological processes (such as internal vowel change or ablaut (sing, sang, sung)) today represent limited historical remnants of former grammatical inflectional systems which were probably semantically based and are now acquired lexically for frequently used lexical items rather than as grammatical systems (Tobin 1993:Ch. 12).​(Yishai Tobin, Phonology as Human Behavior: Inflectional Systems in English. Advances in Functional Linguistics: Columbia School Beyond Its Origins, ed. by Joseph Davis, Radmila J. Gorup, and Nancy Stern. John Benjamins, 2006)

Crtical thinking in Gerontonlogy, the Field of Aging Essay

The field of Gerontology, which is a study of aging and the aged, is slowing expanding as the overall age of the population increases. Gerontology and the aging field are very important aspects to study as it allows us to challenge ageism and the discriminatory social practices that soon follow after an individual reaches a certain age in life. There are numerous assumptions made about those who are no longer considered young, and society discriminates and take advantage of them, to further its own gain. A large portion of the debate began back in the 1980’s from both the conservatives and the liberals about the challenge of ageism and that the aging population is taking away to many resources that are needed for the younger†¦show more content†¦Losing such control is deemed unacceptable, and thus, they are discriminated against for something that may not be true. With these negative stereotypes, the elderly are being discriminated against and discarded, but thi s not only hurting them, it is detrimental on society as a whole (Andrews, 2012). It affects the interaction they have with people of various ages, and those interactions are what fuel the social discrimination and conflict. However, there are certain organizations that attempt to change the perspective that society hold for its elder by getting rid of the negative stereotypes and replacing them with a more positive outlook and image of aging (Settersten Trauten, 2009). The media has created an anti-aging industry which tells society how to defy aging for as long as possible using anti aging cream or plastic surgery. But this is not what true aging is about, and anyone who is going through the process will agree. Ageing is not about trying to stay young, but rather about the natural transition of life. No one sees it as a natural transition, because of stereotyping, and discrimination. Aging has become a worldwide social problem because it could be looked at from both a beneficia l and detrimental perspective (Phillipson, 2006). Many people in society tend to focus on the negative aspects of aging, but there are many positive

How Can One Connect Anita Roddick and Entrepreneurship free essay sample

Her personal qualities match with the ones that are often said to be the most imported characteristics of an entrepreneur. She is creative and she is really driven. Entrepreneurship is not about what is done but how its done. And she uses her possessed skills to max at all time in her company to make the best of it. I. e. in the start up phase of body shop she lacked money to buy in more bottles, so she began to offer a refill service. Its small measures like that that really makes me like her and her thinking. Entrepreneurship is often associated with innovation. And by again small measurements she innovated an existing product to fulfill 2 purposes instead of just 1. The purpose to make your skin to feel soft and smell good, and the purpose to fulfill human need to be good to the environment. And by innovating her product she made herself a lot different for her competitors. We will write a custom essay sample on How Can One Connect Anita Roddick and Entrepreneurship? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. Analyse the entrepreneurial actions in the case material. How do these connect to the tools from the course? We could apply sarashvaty model on how business start, Anita work through a effectioation model. She did no market research . She turned to herself and found a need. The need, not having to buy a big bottle of soup or an equivalent product if she only needed a small size bottle. This combined with her interest of natural raw materials that could be used as replacements for a equivalent product made by chemicals. A combination which turned out to be an success. She was also right in ansoff matrix. She knew there was a big market and her product wasn’t really knew to the coustmer, just slightly reinvented to make her different. Early she really focused on affordable loss and bootstrapping. She made the most of her pencies and made a thing out 3. Discuss the importance of resources for Anita. She really focus on her products to be â€Å"natural† ?. It sounds good in the ears of customers. Other resources like human capital, she understand that she cant know everything, therefore she hires people who possesses the skills she lacks. 4. To what extent can Anita’s success be connected to her background, personality and ethical beliefs? What can others learn from her success (young people, old people, men, women, immigrants, in different markets etc)? She learned the importence of being flexible to adapt to he market. 5. How important is â€Å"flexibility† for Anita and The Body Shop? Red letters 6. How does Anita try to involve more women in the workplace? 7. What type of ethical and environmental behaviour does The Body Shop engage in? Who does it really benefit? Save the resources of the world. Really all kinds of societal questions, like anti war camping. Them self. 8. Is it really possible to behave â€Å"ethically† in every facet of starting, growing, and managing a business? Or is this just a marketing ploy? Please give examples. No, ethically stuff costs more money.

Streetcar Named Desire Essay Example For Students

Streetcar Named Desire Essay Why Can’t Blanche and Stanley Just Get Along?In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams uses astrology and character names to further define the two main characters, Blanche and Stanley. Blanche is a Virgo, whereas Stanley is a Capricorn. Both have very different characteristics, which cannot blend with one another. It is evident that Blanche and Stanley alienate each other further because of their astrological signs; Virgos are more sensitive while Capricorns are more realistic. Throughout the play, Blanche expresses positive aspects that are described by her astrological sign (Virgo). A Virgo is intellectual, critical, fussy, shrewd, logical, methodical, practical, and has teaching ability. They can lack confidence and need constant reassurance (Signs In Detail: Virgo). This coincides with Blanche because she used to be an English teacher but was fired. Furthermore, when first entering the apartment she acts in a very critical manner; Oh, I’m not going to be hypo critical, I’m going to be honestly critical about it†¦ Only Mr. Edgar Allan Poe! – Could do it justice†¦ Why didn’t you tell me†¦ that you had to live in these conditions (Williams 20). Blanche is also a character that always needs reassurance about her looks. She mentions to her sister, Stella, that she hasn’t put on an ounce in ten years and asks about her appearance. However, then she criticizes her sister by telling her to watch her hips and maybe do something with her hair, not knowing that Stella is pregnant. Blanche can be described as the ‘perfect’ Virgo if compared to its traditional traits. We will write a custom essay on Streetcar Named Desire specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Blanche also conveys some negative aspects of the sign Virgo. She is a character who does not show her age, another Virgo rule. In her living area, the light is made dim and before leaving the house, she applies makeup to hide her age. The Chinese paper lantern may represent her concealment. Another characteristic is that she desires wealth but is not able to acquire it easily (Virgo). An example of this trait is seen when Blanche makes up a story about her rich friend who will support a shop for her and Stella. This can also prove that Blanche lives in a superficial world, her predisposition to gloss over the harsh realities of life by pretending that they are simply not there (Cardullo). She is a perfectionist and loses trust in others and herself if anything occurs, such as when she refuses †¦ to forgive herself for denying Allan the compassion that would have saved and perhaps changed him, or at any rate made his burden easier to bear (Cardullo). Blanche suggests that she is jealous of Stan and Stella; Stan and Stella have what Blanche wants. Their intimacy involves a degree of humility, spirited affection, and overt need, certainly, as well as the working out of a pattern of living generally suitable for them both (Berkman). Blanche’s desire is to feel needed. These flaws may have caused her inability to relate to Stanley. Stanley conveys some of the traditional Capricorn traits. On the positive side, his reasoning ability is outstanding. He is also socially oriented; his poker pals look out for him such as, when he took his anger out on Stella and the guys made him cool off. Stanley is also a character who is willing to work hard for anything that he wants and is very cautious. Capricorns are untrusting and often investigate. When Stella told him that Blanche lost Belle Reve, he wanted to examine all of her belongings and the bank papers. Also, he was the one that found out why Blanche retired during the school year. On the negative aspect of this astrological sign, they experience many mood swings. They can be calm for a while, and then suddenly have an outburst in anger such as during the poker game. They can express concern, which might turn into cruelty, and so they cannot always control their actions. Also, Capricorns do not like to be alone and are very selective in their search for a mate becau se they are capable of falling in love for pleasure. Williams made the rape seem accidental, the result more of Stanley’s sudden and uncontrollable drunken lust than of his calculation and deliberate cruelty. Stanley does not rape Blanche because he knows her nervous breakdown and expulsion from his home will result. Rather, he does so because he has been physically to her from the start and has been encouraged by her on at least one occasion, and is able to fuel his desires with knowledge of her checkered past in Laurel. Too, he has probably not been sexually gratified for some time due to his wife’s growing pregnancy and the concurrent dearth of privacy created by his sister-in-law’s visit to their already cramped quarters (Cardullo). Most of Stanley’s astrological characteristics contradict those of Blanche’s. .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 , .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .postImageUrl , .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 , .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200:hover , .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200:visited , .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200:active { border:0!important; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200:active , .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200 .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u15e83888ed474edd34860aea89218200:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Atheism EssayWilliams also uses character names to further define Blanche and Stanley. The name Blanche comes from a French word meaning white. This concurs with Blanche’s character because she uses the French language to charm Mitch and seem more intelligent. White is also the color of purity. Williams might have used irony there, since Blanche is not at all pure. According to Parent Soup, Stanley’s name means from the rocky meadow. His life may seem rocky because his pregnant wife is not sexually gratifying him. Also, Stanley and Stella’s apartment is not very spacious or luxurious. Stanley’s name might also apply to Blanche, who had a rocky l ife, but denies it all throughout the play. The character’s names and astrological signs may explain why they cannot seem to get along with each other. Blanche is a Virgo who is sensitive, unable to trust anyone, and lives in a superficial world. On the other hand, Stanley is a Capricorn who is more realistic, practical, and untrusting. They estrange one another because, neither will tolerate the other, since each believes that the other a threat to the achievement or maintaining of intimacy in life (Cardullo). Bibliography:Capricorn. http://tenthouse.com/horoscope/features/c-capri.html (20 Dec. 1999)Meanings and Origins. The Parent Soup. http://www2.parentsoup.com/babynames/baby/s.html(23 Dec. 1999)Signs in Detail: Capricorn. http://www.astrologynow.net/caprifr.htm(22 Dec. 1999)Signs in Detail: Virgo. http://www.astrologynow.net/virgofr.htm(22 Dec. 1999)Virgo. http://tenthouse.com/horoscope/features/c-virgo.html (20 Dec. 1999)

Elements Of Its Marketing Mix Tourism Essay Example

Elements Of Its Marketing Mix Tourism Essay Example Elements Of Its Marketing Mix Tourism Essay Elements Of Its Marketing Mix Tourism Essay the park successfully maintains local clients trueness with changeless entrywaies. Hong Kong Disneyland has a competitory advertisement scheme to pull these mark clients. It placed intensive sum of advertizements postings in the train Stationss and major MTR Stationss that visitants and local targeted groups are exposed with new selling runs and promotional events from the company. In add-on, the company besides has developed discounted travel bundles with the taking air hoses in order to maximise attendings during loose seasons. 3.3 Positioning Hong Kong Disneyland is positioning household oriented entertaining subject park with spirit of household and merriment. Ocean Park, which is the major rival, otherwise places itself as edutainment of ocean and grownup adventuresome amusement. Therefore, there is no ferocious competition between these two subject Parkss in Hong Kong. 4. Pull offing Customers In the subject park industry, the subject park experience is the new step of success. With the addition in discretional income and going chances, visitants have become more demanding in their outlooks of subject park public presentation, which requires the subject parks non merely supplying great service but besides being able to arouse visitants positive emotional feelings. ( The subject park experience, Shuk-ting Doris, 2008 ) The subject park experience depends on service quality of its staffs and installations, every bit good as the visitants behaviours. Due to the big figure of visitants flood in during vacations, Hong Kong Disneyland received complains about the hapless service public presentation and improper behaviours of some visitants. The company has started new enlargement undertaking since 2007 to increase capacity to pull more adolescents and young-adults. The replete value of client service is to bring forth long term client relationship and create superior client values with satisfaction that the satisfied clients are more likely to go the loyal visitants. Principles of Selling: an Asiatic Perspective Philip Kotler, 2011 ) Hong Kong Disneyland has a major rival in the part, the Ocean Park. In order to derive more market portions, the company uses client relationship direction plans, such as one-year base on ballss, promoting regular visit footing, gives the visitants 5 % to 15 % price reduction when they shop or dine in the park or the resort hotels. As one of the most popular finishs in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Disneyland has become an icon in back uping Hong Kong s place as one of the universe s top metropoliss for leisure tourers and concern visitants. 5. SWOT ANALYSIS From the following SWOT analysis tabular array, HKDL takes many advantages and chances to spread out more market portion and growing. Strengths Failings Opportunities Menaces Good Location Strong Financial and Network Support by HK Govt Renowned Brand Image A ; Exclusive Brand Characters Comprehensive Staff Training Huge Loss in the past 5 old ages Small visitant capacity Theme Park Expansion More Mainland China Arrivals Multi-Cultural Celebrations Strong direct A ; indirect rivals Worsening birth rate in HK A ; China 5.1 Strengths Strong Financial and Network Support by HK Government Hong Kong Government has invested HKD 22.45 billion in HKDL, and provides the site near Hong Kong airdrome in Penny Bay for 50 old ages rental at sensible footings, and offered a railroad web by the Mass Transit Railway. By this favour, HKDL has less fiscal force per unit area so that it can concentrate on merchandise and service development. Good Location As mentioned, HKDL is located in Benny Bay which near to Hong Kong airdrome, it is convenience to tourers can get to HKDL within 15minutes. Renowned Brand Image A ; Exclusive Character From The Global Attractions Attendance Report 2011 conducted by TEA/AECOM 2011, Walt Disney attractive forces are the top of the top 10 subject park group worldwide [ 1 ] , The positive and cheerful trade name image of Disney addition legion household and kids fans. Comprehensive Staff Training Over 300,000 hours staff preparation maintains good service quality. [ 2 ] and guarantee to allow client hold a relaxing and gratifying experience in subject park. 5.2 Failings Huge Loss HKDL has a immense loss in the past five 5 old ages with over 200 million USD, a batch of remarks and intuition criticized from Hong Kong Government and media, HKDL faces a large challenges from outside, including how to increase attending rate instantly. Small Visitor Capacity HKDL is the smallest Disneyland in the universe, overcrowding job was occurred in Chinese Lunar New Year vacation in 2006, many visitants was refused to come in the subject park because of full capacity, even they present valid ticket. [ 3 ] True, little capacity affects the profitableness, and visitants can walk through the subject park at one time and diminish the chance of repetition coming. 5.3 Opportunities Theme Park Expansion 7 new themed countries will be opened in 2013, it is non merely mostly increase no of visitants, it besides makes merchandise variegation, it is effectual to spread out mark market. More Mainland China Arrivals Increasing single travels from Mainland China becomes the largest group of subject park attendings but local is diminishing from 40 % in 2008 to 31 % in 2011. [ 4 ] HKDL should develop more selling activities to spread out China market such as cross-over Chinese usage and tradition with Disney characters. Multi-Cultural Celebrations Hong Kong is a multi-cultural society and there are many different sorts of jubilations and festivals. HKDL can take this advantage to form several of jubilations, to pull more tourers and local. 5.4 Menaces Strong direct A ; indirect rivals A serious menace comes from its direct and indirect rivals: Ocean Park, Shanghai Disneyland and Singapore Universal Studios, and South Korea Universal Studios, which will be opened in 2014. Ocean Park was awarded to the top subject park by Applause Award 2012 late. [ 5 ] HKDL need focal point on variegation and maintain client trueness. Worsening population size in HK A ; China kid market Birth rate in HK A ; China are worsening in these 10 decennaries due to one kid policy, it is undoubtedly consequence the attractive force of HKDL, it should develop new mark market to immature grownup and adolescents, non merely pull the leg of amp ; household. [ 1 ] TEA/AECOM 2011. Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report.A AECOM. P11-12, 5 June 2012. [ 2 ] Administration s paper on update on Hong Kong Disneyland Legislative Council, HKSAR P1, 17 January 2012 [ 3 ] Disney Culture Shock .A The Standard. Hong Kong. 19 March 2007 [ 4 ] Administration s paper on update on Hong Kong Disneyland Legislative Council, HKSAR P1, 17 January 2012 [ 5 ] Ocean Park functionary imperativeness release, 20 November 2012 6. Selling Analysis Product life Cycle After first few old ages of debut of HKDL, the subject park now enters into a growing phase in merchandise life rhythm. This means the park is in a period of rapid market credence and increasing net income. HKDL should maximise market portion with the advantages of turning figure of visitants. By this, the park should use the distribution range and their publicities should aim a broader subdivision on clients. In BCG matrix, HKDL is in Question Mark phase ; it means high market growing but low market portion. From the above information, increasing attending rate from these 5 old ages indicate HKDL has high growing but low market portion, HKDL need invest much in merchandise and market development, to heighten profitableness and spread out the market portion. In order to step up to the phase of star ( market leader ) , HKDL adopts both merchandise development and market development schemes that it can be measured by the undermentioned execution of HKDL: Merchandise Development To turn market, HKDL concern to gaining control Mainland China clients, HKDL develops new merchandises to turn the market. HKDL is continuously built up new themed-areas ( merchandise ) to the market ; the aim is to capture more clients. To pull more Mainland China clients, HKDL is specially designed Chinese tradition and usage into Disneyland, and organized some particular jubilations such as Mickey Celebrates the twelvemonth of Ox , HKDL has launched some Disney Fai Chun, ruddy pockets and Disney sketch jerseies with Chinese features. Market Development At meanwhile, HKDL understands non merely aim household and childs, it tries to utilize bing merchandise to spread out new market such as immature grownup and adolescents. HKDL established many new exciting games to capture more new mark market. HKDL organized Disney s Haunted Halloween at dark in Halloween season ; it aims to capture immature grownup and adolescents merely. To prosecute new mark group, HKDL resort offers fairy narrative nuptialss services with Disney sketchs. 7. Selling Plan As mentioned in old subdivisions, HKDL s selling scheme is based on placement of household oriented amusement. The primary client mark is mainland China visitants who do non hold much subject park experience and the secondary client mark is local households with childs who can be regular visitants for household assemblage. The tabular array below shows the visitant distribution between 2008 to 2011 among different client groups: Beginning: Themed Entertainment Association ( TEA ) study 2011 From the above figures, the Local visitants remain the same degree of figure of attendings over last old ages. Therefore, HKDL should broaden their clients subdivision in concentrating the Local visitant, seeking to increase the figure of attendings in this group. In the followers, a selling program will be introduced in order to broaden the client group of HKDL. Target client HKDL should set more focal point on local visitant groups. There is greater chance for repeated bargain within this group. Most of visitants from China or other topographic points will see Hong Kong one time or even less a twelvemonth. HKDL could establish different publicities or present several client trueness plans for increasing the attending of local visitants. Product/Service Strategy New themed country, Mystic Point, will be opened in 2013. Together with Grizzly Gulch, which was opened in 2012, it is expected to convey new escapade experience to the immature visitants. Positioning The park should place itself as a top touristry finish for visitants to Hong Kong every bit good as an entertaining local subject park for local Hong Kong peoples. The park should market itself as an built-in portion of Hong Kong society to pull more local visitants. Promotion The park can present new publicities to make consciousness of local Hong Kong people for increasing re-visit rate. These include free tickets for birthday childs, a package of household tickets price reduction or household jazz band set repast in the eating house inside the subject park. Pricing Scheme The park manages its client with one-year base on ballss to raise client royalty. The park should offer price reduction of the one-year base on balls reclamation for the following twelvemonth. This can farther retain clients and increase the client trueness. Besides, the park should present pupil tickets that will besides increase the visitant rate of adolescents and households. Marketing Communication Strategy Sarah Fox, direct of marker, merchandise scheme for HKDL Resort, pointed out that the immature grownups are digesting media in assorted ways utilizing Facebook, the cyberspace and via their nomadic phones, which is why Disneyland has decided to tap on these channels to make out to them. Adaline Lau, Market-interactive.com, 06-Nov-2009. The conventional media channels become less effectual presents. The park should present its message via different new channels that is good adopted by the local Hong Kong people today. These include Facebook, Weixin and the Apps in smartphone. Social Responsibility To place the park as an built-in portion of Hong Kong Society, the Parkss should perpetrate its part to Hong Kong society by different outreach programmes. These include free park drives for selected underprivileged households, making environmental consciousness in Hong Kong and voluntary plants to the community. 8. LIMILATIONS A ; ETHICAL IMPLICATION Ethical Deduction The park continues to use its country and installations to pull more clients. The park enlargement may necessitate building or renewal plants that will damage the wildlife or doing pollutions in the country. Therefore, the company should do every attempt to conserve the environment when a building is required. The park could ask for environmental protection organisation, such as Greenpeace, to measure the impact to the environment foremost before they start the building. This could cut down the impact to the park. Restrictions In this study, the current selling scheme of HKDL is reviewed and a selling program is developed for the park. In this procedure, there are 2 chief restrictions deliberated. Competition environment It is assumed that HKDL competes straight to other subject Parkss merely. However, in existent state of affairs, there are indirect competitions between HKDL with different touristry musca volitanss like, Ngong Pinging 360, the Peak. Tourism industry The touristry industry affects profoundly in the concern of HKDL since over half of HKDL s visitants now are visitants to Hong Kong. The market size of the subject park industry varies to the touristry industry environment. In this study, it is assumed that the market size is fixed and no affected by the touristry nor economic environment of Hong Kong or in South East Asia Region. 9. Decision In decision, HKDL offers subject park A ; resort experience, It chiefly targets visitants from mainland China part and local households with childs. Although HKDL has a batch of advantages such as fiscal support from HKSAR authorities and renowned trade name image, nevertheless Its major rival in the part, Ocean Park did a good occupation and awarded to be the top one subject park. In anterior to serious menaces by rivals, HKDL follow merchandise development and market development scheme to spread out new market and enhance market portion, new themed country is opened to convey new escapade experience to the immature visitants. Besides, HKDL should establish different publicities or present several client trueness plans for increasing the attending of local visitants, for illustration, HKDL can utilize Facebook, Weixin and the Apps in smartphone to offer trueness plan and repetition sing inducements, to pull immature grownup and adolescents. REFERNECE A ; BIBLOGRAPHY [ HK Disneyland Annual game Review2011 ] [ hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Disneyland ] [ hypertext transfer protocol: //park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/home/home? name=HomePage ] [ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/tc/home/ ] [ HK Disneyland Annual game Review2011 ] [ hypertext transfer protocol: //park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/home/home? name=HomePage ] Principles of Selling: an Asiatic Perspective Philip Kotler, 2011 TEA/AECOM 2011. Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report.A AECOM. P11-12, 5 June 2012. hypertext transfer protocol: //hk.apple.nextmedia.com. Apple Daily, 20 January 2010 A Disney Culture Shock .A The Standard. Hong Kong. 19 March 2007 Administration s paper on update on Hong Kong Disneyland Legislative Council, HKSAR P1, 17 January 2012 Ocean Park Hong Kong Recognized as World s Top Theme Park by Prestigious Applause Award A , Ocean Park functionary imperativeness release, 20 November 2012 HONG KONG DISNEYLAND ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW FOR THE FISCAL Year 2011 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.marketing-interactive.com/news/16184

Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Changes

Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Changes The federal and provincial governments started to make changes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) in 2011 to give more options to those who want or need to receive the CPP before the age or 65 and to those who want to postpone taking their pension until after the age of 65. The changes are being phased in gradually from 2011 to 2016. Adjustments have been made to improve the flexibility of the CPP, and to adapt to the different ways that Canadians are approaching retirement these days. For many, retirement is a gradual process, rather than a single event. Personal circumstances, from employment opportunities, or lack of them, health, and other retirement income, affect the timing of retirement, and the gradual adjustments made in the CPP may make it easier for individuals, at the same time keeping the CPP sustainable. What is the Canada Pension Plan? The CPP is a Canadian government pension plan and is a joint federal-provincial responsibility. The CPP is based directly on workers earnings and contributions. Nearly everyone over the age of 18 who works in Canada, outside Quebec, and earns over a basic minimum, currently $3500 a year, contributes to the CPP. Contributions stop at the age of 70, even if you are still working. Employers and employees each make half the required contribution. If you are self-employed, you make the full contribution. CPP benefits can include a retirement pension, a post-retirement pension, disability benefits, and death benefits. In general, the CPP is expected to replace about 25 percent of your pre-retirement earnings from work. The rest of your retirement income can come from the Canada Old Age Security (OAS) pension, employers pension plans, savings and investments (including RRSPs). Changes to the Canada Pension Plan The following changes are in the process of being implemented. CPP monthly retirement pension started after age 65Since 2011, the CPP retirement pension amount has increased by a larger percentage when you start taking it after the age of 65. By 2013, your monthly pension amount has increased by 8.4 percent for every year after 65 up to age 70 that you delay taking your CPP. CPP monthly retirement pension started before age 65From 2012 to 2016, your monthly CPP retirement pension amount will decrease by a larger percentage if you take it before age 65. The monthly reduction for taking your CPP early will be 2013 - 0.54%; 2014 - 0.56%; 2015 - 0.58%; 2016 - 0.60%. Work Cessation Test has been droppedBefore 2012, if you wanted to take your CPP retirement pension early (before the age of 65), you had to either stop working or significantly reduce your earnings for at least two months. That requirement has been dropped. If under 65 and working while receiving a CPP retirement pension, you and your employer must pay CPP contributions.These contributions will go to a new Post-Retirement Benefit (PRB), which will increase your income. If you have an employer, the contributions are split evenly between you and your employer. If you are self-employed, you pay both the employer and employee contributions. If between 65 and 70 and working while receiving a CPP retirement pension, you have a choice about whether you and your employer pay CPP contributions.You do have to complete and submit a CPT30 Form to the Canada Revenue Agency to stop making contributions, however. General Drop-out Provision IncreasesWhen your average earnings over your contributory period are calculated, a percentage of your lowest earnings are automatically dropped. Beginning in 2012, the provision was increased to allow up to 7.5 years of your lowest earnings to be dropped from the calculation. In 2014, the provision allows up to 8 years of lowest earnings to be dropped. Note: These changes do not apply to the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP). If you work or worked in Quebec, see the Rà ©gie des rentes Quà ©bec for information. See Also: Applying for the CPP Retirement PensionCanada Old Age Security (OAS) Pension Changes

Contemporary hospitality managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary hospitality managment - Essay Example Regardless f the size, type or duration f a project, a good plan will you from beginning to end and it will help increase the likelihood that your project will be successfully managed and completed. "Planning is the process f establishing aims and objectives and choosing a course f action to ensure that they are achieved. This process serves to bridge the gap between where an organisation currently is and where it would like to be." (Tiernan, 2001: 117) But, as Firth's model says, planning cannot be seen as independent part f management. Firth likened the relationship between planning and control to a pair f scissors - the scissors cannot work unless there are two blades. "The control process involves measuring progress towards planned performance and, where necessary, applying corrective measures so that performance can be improved. Therefore, control is concerned with making sure that goals and objectives are attained. It is strongly related to planning in that for control to occur objectives and plans have to be available against which to measure performance. Similarly, planning cannot function effectively if there are no control mechanisms to correct deviations from plans." (Tiernan, 2001: 289) In Hallam Hotel case, as planning is a basic element involved in getting the proper output f an operation, it needs to be discussed and explained in depth. Here I will observe a brief structural analysis f planning as regards the hotel management aspect. There are three main types f planning: 1. Strategic planning involves issues f strategic direction and normally takes place at the top level f organisation. Strategic planning is usually used for a long - term orientation s basic mission establishing organisational, standards and objectives. For the Hilton Group, where I am currently employed, the main strategic direction would be spreading, increasing and multiplying the number f hotels over a specific timeframe e.g. Hilton Airport under construction on Malahide road. As an example f planning organisational standards and objectives I would call the decision f top management f Hilton Group to divide the Hilton hotels into two categories: "premium" and "select" where each f them is getting its own standards. 2. Tactical planning focuses on the current operations f the various parts f the organisation and has a medium - term orientation. This type f planning takes place at middle - management level. It serves for formulating tactical plans (which are strongly related to strategic plans) to achieve strategic objectives and outlining roles and responsibilities to meet specific targets. An example f tactical planning would be interpreting a plan to divide Hilton hotels into two categories taken by top management f Hilton Group that I can observe in Hilton Dublin. When Hilton Dublin was awarded with "premium" category our General Manager was given a list f specific standards to be achieved. As a result f outlining roles and responsibilities each department got its own tasks to be done by certain

Chrysler Electrical Cars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chrysler Electrical Cars - Essay Example It uses a 268 horsepower electric motor and has a gas tank that can hold 10 gallons of gasoline for providing an extended range. The Chrysler town is powered by a 255 horsepower electric motor and a two-cylinder gasoline engine. It has a gas tank that can hold up to nine gallons of gasoline. The fiat 500 E which was launched in Los Angeles Auto show in the year 2012 has an electric battery propulsion control system, High voltage battery plus in charging system, an advanced thermal management system and air bags. It was designed so as to improve the performance of the electric cars and competition to the General Motors Volt and Spark and the Ford Focus electric. Several changes were made including changing the 500 ICE powering unit, fitting a new chassis and suspension for the improvement of the driving dynamics and enhancing the aerodynamics. The aerodynamics of the Fiat 500 E was improved by re-sculpturing the front and the rear fascias. The quarter panels feature concave dimples and the rear fascia includes several round holes. The rear spoiler was tested for over 140 hours in a wind tunnel so as to cut the drag and add five additional miles of the mile per gallon range. The Fiat 500 E features a Smartphone application that is available for both android and apple oper ating systems. The Smartphone application is aimed for managing the charging, tracking energy usage, locating the vehicle and charging stations that are nearby. The Smartphone application also provides real time status of the vehicle and text message notifications, tracks the use of power and the user or driver can plan and send routes to vehicle (Journal of the ATA electric vehicle interest groups Geelong and Melbourne, issue 45 December 2012) The Iconic Italian design of the Fiat is driven by an 83-Kilowatt electric motor and a Lithium-ion battery (24kw) that is mounted to the floor of the car. The electric motor delivers 147

The Story of My Love Essay Example for Free

The Story of My Love Essay Love is a crazy, strange, yet enticing game. Many think that they will never fall into its captivating lure; I am one of these people. If someone had told me back in April, when Aingeal and I were officially introduced that he would later become my Fiancà ©e, I would have laughed at the mere thought. It’s quite funny how life works. We have had our share of problems but I never would have thought I would lose him so soon. Shortly before finishing the last of my college classes, the only thing keeping me from being a free woman was my Externship and graduation. It was happily a time once in my life where things finally seemed to go the way I planned. My very close circle of friends consisted of four people, my childhood friend Jen, my unofficial sister Tracy (who stayed at my house during senior year), and Aingeal who was a dear friend of Jen who also happened to be Tracy’s good friend. Every Thursday, from that first day back in April, when Aingeal and I were first introduced, till the end of the year, the four of us (Jen, Tracy, Aingeal, and I) would meet at Old Country Buffet after classes to sit and talk about all aspects of our lives. We became so close that the four of us could not part. We adopted the funny name â€Å"The Pretty Eyes Club† simply because we all had pretty eyes; it was fun how we acted so exclusive. We also had a special place that even in the cold dark of winter we would could run to just to relax in this beautiful gazebo overlooking the town. I managed to obtain a job for him with me later in the year. Working together and having the same classes allowed the perfect opportunity for a very close and intimate friendship. As life continued on, Aingeal and I became much closer. Eternship and graduation were rapidly approaching and up until this point, I never looked at Aingeal as anything much more than just a friend. We were invited to a party for Graduation. He and I arrived at the party with different friends, however that night changed things completely. After the party, both of our dates scampered home. There was an after-hours party being thrown that we really wanted to go to. The girl throwing the party was Sally. Her family was renting out a hotel room and they were known for throwing the most amazing parties; their room was our destination. There was a shuttle bus driving people from the party to Sally’s house. I recall Aingeal and me quietly sitting near each other taking random pictures of our friends and just talking about how the night was going. I was noticing a bond developing; it was scary but amazing how much we really had in common. Arriving at the party it was obvious that we both wanted absolutely nothing to do with anyone else but ourselves. We sat out on the porch just gazing at the stars. That nice night was the very first night that he kissed me. We acted as if nothing happened and simply considered it to be a one-time thing. There was an entire week gap between externship and graduation, I recall only one time that we talked about that kiss. â€Å"Are you upset with me?† I inquired very timidly, he knew precisely what I was speaking about. â€Å"Not at all.† He responded with such a look that I am sure that I will never forget; a look that said â€Å"are you kidding me?† his eyes said everything, this was just the beginning. Graduation was next up on the list. It was a very exciting day and Aingeal was by my side the whole time. Things were really going well. There was a graduation party the following day. We were sure to bring tents and have them set up in the back yard. I bought a small tent and Aingeal came over a couple of times to get some practice setting it up. I will never forget the time we fell asleep in it behind the house in my backyard; my grandmother thought that we were insane. We had just left work, the tent was laying in my backseat and finally it was time to go to the party. We pulled up to the house and the tantalizing smell of delicious food and the sound of music were coming from the backyard. Somehow, we both knew it was going to be a special night. We got the tent set up and just had a wonderful time. That special night our relationship took yet another turn for the better. Happily by the time morning rolled around we were slowly walking to my car holding hands. It was not until almost mid-month when we finally made the decision to officially go out, it was shortly after I returned back from my job interview. We spent the entire summer working fourteen-hour shifts at work, relaxing in the pools on our days off lying under the stars late at night, and watching movies whenever we wanted. Between you and me, Aingeal and I caused a riot to break out at a concert one time. We accidently knocked over the police, and lead thousands over barricades and through a stadium. We went to Dorney Park whenever we could, no matter how much I begged him he would stil l never go with me on a rollercoaster. Jen and Tracy were with us through it all. It was such a wild time, an amazing warm summer with two of the most important beloved people in the whole world. That gazebo at our secret spot was the very place that Aingeal got the courage to kneel down on one knee and propose to me, the orange and pink sunset and the sweet smell of the flowers on the breeze forever locked this memory in my head where it never will be forgotten. Sadly, we all knew that the summer was going to end soon, and with that, we are all going our own way. I was going off to Atlantic City, Aingeal was thinking of going to upstate New York, Tracy was going to Peru, and Jen was going on vacation to Italy. We all slowly lost touch over that summer. I make it a point to talk to them all now more than ever. Sadly the last day of summer fun came. I picked up my last check from work and in the parking lot, we all said we love each other and then we said our goodbyes. There were a lot of tears; I recall that as being the only time I ever saw Aingeal cry. I knew that there was no way I could comfort him which means, our entire relationship was about to completely change and we both knew it. I sat in the car and all I could do is cry. I cried for all the memories that made my life all the more livable, cried for the expected periods of separation that we would both experience, cried for so many things that day, but I mostly cried because I was leaving the only life that I had worked so hard for years to build. It just felt like it was all shattered to the ground in the course of one day. As I pulled out of that lot and looked in my rearview mirror one last time, I knew that he was indeed the man I loved. From that day forward, I would see him once every three months only if I was lucky to even get that. Eventually our dreams hit hard with the all too painful hand of which we call reality. We realized we were seeing less of each other and living completely separate lives. It was not going to work at that time, and it killed me to admit it. We wound up breaking up after a perfect one-year relationship, with that went all of our dreams and hopes of a life together, and our dreams of raising our own family. We were already picking out names for our child: Isabella Maria Nurena. On the day we separated, I am sure we both lost a tender part of ourselves, something that no amount of time could ever heal. Now all that remains are the memories and dreams, dreams of the future and memories I wished for from my ideal past.

Strong Versus Weak Characters in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness :: Conrad Heart Darkness

Strong Versus Weak Characters in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness One of the central tragedies of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is the insanity of Mr. Kurtz. How could a man who seemed so good, so stable, suddenly become so mentally lacking? Through the deterioration of Kurtz’s personality and Marlow’s response to his breakdown, Conrad explores the elements of strong versus weak characters. Conrad introduces Kurtz as the archetypal European. French mother, English father, educated all over the continent- he’s strikingly average. By making him so normal Kurtz can serve as a model for all mankind- if it happened to this guy, who’s to say it couldn’t happen to anyone? At first Kurtz runs the inner station with common sense and justice (or what was considered justice during colonization), but before too long his character begins to spiral inward. Because of his over bearing personality, the Africans begin to look to Kurtz as a sort of god, and he begins to work with the idea. Had this occurred in society, he would have been checked: â€Å"Kurtz, stop being so silly.† But! In the jungle no one is there to keep him within societal boundaries- and the immense power he has begins to take hold of him. Kurtz is folding further and further into himself. The perfect example of this is the pamphlet Kurtz wrote. It seems that, though his actions say differently, when he is in the act of writing- something he learned in the civilized world- he can still function. He can still perform the, what is considered a solely human, trait of consciously thinking about and considering his own actions. Even when he talks about the pamphlet- he knows he wrote something and that it was good and important. Finally however, he writes at the bottom, â€Å"exterminate the brutes,† and the old Kurtz is gone. The once normal Kurtz has become a megalomaniac. Consider the shrunken heads put up around his house. It is feasible to think that perhaps a savage would do something like that as a warning to anyone who might stop by. Even in the horror- there is logic to it. But- Kurtz has them facing toward his house. This has no reasonable explanation, except that Kurtz has lost his mind. Conrad describes the scene almost as though Kurtz has them set up out there to look at, to talk to from time to time. His unchecked power of the natives takes away his human ability to reason and leaves an empty Kurtz-shaped hull.

Establishing an Audit Quality Management System

[pic] THEME 1: ESTABLISHING AN AUDIT QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITHIN A SUPREME AUDIT INSTITUTION PRINCIPAL PAPER Prepared by: State Audit Office, Hungary (chair) European Court of Auditors National Audit Office, Malta National Audit Office, Denmark Accounts Chamber, Russian Federation February 2007 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION5 Achieving excellence in audit activity5 Glossary7 Chapter I: Leadership9 Leadership and Supreme Audit Institutions9 Leadership's main factors for ensuring audit quality10 Chapter II: Strategy and Planning13 Strategic planning13 Operational planning14Chapter III: Human Resource Management17 Human resource planning18 HRM policies and procedures18 Job descriptions18 Employee recruitment and selection18 Staff training and development19 Performance appraisals and recognition19 Employee remuneration and benefits20 Chapter IV: Building Quality into the Audit Process21 Audit standards21 Guidelines, procedures and methods21 Supervision and review22 Support22 Chapter V: External Relations25 Audited organisations25 Parliament and its committees26 Media and the general public27 International organisations and other SAIs27 Chapter VI: Continuous Development and Improvement29Continuous review and monitoring29 Post-audit quality review30 Self-assessment of the organisation30 Other ways of continuous development and improvement within the organisation31 External opinions31 Concluding Remarks33 Reference Documents35 Collection of Questions37 Introduction 1. THE EUROSAI GOVERNING BOARD DECIDED TO DISCUSS AUDIT QUALITY DURING THE VII EUROSAI CONGRESS IN KRAKOW DUE TO BE HELD BETWEEN 2 AND 5 JUNE 2008. IT WAS ALSO AGREED UPON THAT THE SUBJECT OF THEME  I OF THE CONGRESS WOULD BE ‘ESTABLISHING AN AUDIT QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITHIN A SUPREME AUDIT INSTITUTION’.DISCUSSIONS ON THEME I WILL PROVIDE EUROSAI MEMBER INSTITUTIONS WITH INSIGHTS ON THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF AN EFFECTIVE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. IN LINE WITH THIS OBJECTIVE , A GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE WILL BE DEVELOPED AND SUBMITTED TO THE VII EUROSAI CONGRESS FOR APPROVAL. 2. The purpose of this Principal Paper is to give an overview to EUROSAI members in the preparation of their respective country papers. EUROSAI member institutions should describe, in these papers, their individual audit quality management systems, including the key elements presented in thisPrincipal Paper. Achieving excellence in audit activity 3. The Lima Declaration of Guidelines on Auditing Precepts lists the following specific objectives of auditing as being necessary for the stability and the development of states: †¢ the proper and effective use of public funds; †¢ the development of sound financial management; †¢ the proper execution of administrative activities; and †¢ the communication of information to public authorities and the general public through the publication of objective reports.From the point of view of stakeholders, the acceptance of the audit conclusions and recommendations depends on the trust in the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) itself and the audit activities undertaken. Therefore, the SAI should seek to develop systems and methods to assure excellence in their work and outcomes. 4. The process of establishing, implementing and continuously developing a quality management system within an SAI can contribute to ensuring trust with stakeholders. The fundamental goal of setting up such a system is to guarantee consistent good quality of audit work and outcomes.An effective quality management system also leads to the development and maintenance of a comprehensive framework that regulates those factors and conditions that have a direct impact on audit activity. 5. An SAI is in a better position to deliver quality results if it has a properly managed quality management system in place. For a quality management system to function effectively, it is of utmost importance that standards, procedures and guidelines are appropri ately defined at all control levels of an SAI.Furthermore, the characteristics that ensure excellence in audit work (namely significance, reliability, objectivity, relevance, timeliness, clarity, efficiency and effectiveness) must also be determined, monitored and ensured. Elements of the quality management system 6. The quality management system associated with the audit activity is composed of the following elements: †¢ Leadership is the key factor in developing the mission, vision, values, ethics and culture of the organisation and acting as role models of excellence. Strategy and Planning define how the organisation implements its vision and mission. This is achieved through the SAI’s strategies, policies, plans, objectives, targets and processes. †¢ Human resource management is one of the core components in the establishment of an integrated quality management system and is essential in the development of an internal culture based on quality, excellence and con tinuous improvement. †¢ Building quality into the audit process is vital to improve the credibility and performance of the SAI. It comprises elements (e. g. tandards, guidelines, procedures, methods, support) that ensure effective implementation, supervision and review in all phases of the audit work. †¢ External relations with stakeholders provide independent sources of information on audit quality, and form an objective basis for quality assessment of the audit activity of an SAI. †¢ Continuous development and improvement is a management approach that consistently ensures the high quality of audit results and the satisfaction of stakeholders through appropriate measures, established procedures and methods.Glossary |EXCELLENCE |OUTSTANDING PRACTICES IN MANAGING THE ORGANISATION AND ACHIEVING RESULTS BASED ON A SET OF FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS. | | |THESE INCLUDE: A RESULTS-ORIENTED APPROACH, STAKEHOLDER FOCUS, LEADERSHIP AND CONSTANCY OF PURPOSE, MANAGEMENT BY | | |PROCES SES AND FACTS, INVOLVEMENT OF PEOPLE, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION, MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL | | |PARTNERSHIPS, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. |LEADERSHIP |THE APPROACH ADOPTED BY LEADERS TO DEVELOP AND FACILITATE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE MISSION AND VISION; AS WELL AS | | |DEVELOP VALUES REQUIRED FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS AND IMPLEMENT THESE THROUGH APPROPRIATE ACTIONS AND BEHAVIOURS. | | |LEADERS ARE PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN ENSURING THAT THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED. | |MANAGEMENT SYSTEM |THE FRAMEWORK OF PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES USED TO ENSURE THAT THE ORGANISATION CAN FULFIL ALL TASKS REQUIRED TO | | |ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES. |MISSION |A STATEMENT THAT DESCRIBES THE PURPOSE OR â€Å"RAISON D’ETRE† OF AN ORGANISATION. IT DESCRIBES WHY THE BUSINESS OR | | |FUNCTION EXISTS. | |PROCESS |A SET OF ACTIVITIES THAT TRANSFORMS INPUTS INTO OUTPUTS OR OUTCOMES, THEREBY ADDING VALUE. | |QUALITY |THE DEGREE TO WHICH A SET OF INHERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF AN AU DIT FULFILS REQUIREMENTS. THESE CHARACTERISTICS | | |INCLUDE: | | |Significance: The audit subject should be important and adequately significant.The audit subject can be | | |significant from various aspects. For instance, the impact of the performance of the audited area, organisation, | | |activity or project can be considerable on the society or on major policy issues. | | |Reliability: Audit findings and conclusions should accurately reflect actual conditions of the audit being carried| | |out and are in compliance with established standards and procedures.All assertions included in the audit report | | |should be adequately supported by sufficient and appropriate audit evidence. | | |Objectivity: An audit should be performed in an impartial and fair manner without favour or prejudice. The | | |assessment and opinion of auditors should be based exclusively on facts and on sound analysis of, or comparison | | |with, requirements and criteria stipulated by legal regulations or de fined in any other ways. | |Relevance: The audit plan  /  programme should properly address – in accordance with the audit objectives – all | | |elements needed for the successful completion of an audit. In the course of the execution of an audit, all | | |provisions of the audit plan  /  programme should be appropriately and completely implemented. | | |Timeliness: Audit results (audit reports and qualifying opinions) should be delivered at an appropriate time.This| | |may involve meeting the deadline stipulated by legal regulations or – in a wider sense – it may mean that audit | | |results are delivered when they are needed for a policy decision or when they are the most useful in correcting | | |management weaknesses. | | |Clarity: Audit observations, findings, and conclusions included in the audit report should be presented in a clear| | |and concise manner. It also means that an audit report should be well arranged and logically structured.A udit | | |findings, conclusions, and recommendations should be introduced in a way that is brief and easily understandable | | |for the users of the audit results, such as members of Parliament and other executives who may not be experts of | | |the audited subject but may need to act taking the content of the audit report into account. | | |Efficiency and effectiveness: Resources utilised during the audit should be proportional to the achieved results. | |Audit results should have appropriate impact in order to prevent and correct discrepancies and material errors, | | |enhance performance, and to improve management and regulation systems. | |Quality assurance |Policies, systems and procedures established by SAIs to maintain a high standard of audit activity. Quality | | |assurance is process-centric aiming at the future development of the quality of audit and at the elimination of | | |shortcomings.It deals with all steps and techniques that auditors must follow to assure high aud it quality and to| | |provide potential ways of strengthening or improving quality in the audit activity. | |Quality control |Requirements applicable to the day-to-day management of audit assignments. Quality control is product-centric in | | |the course of which an SAI intends to fulfil quality requirements. It attempts to make sure that the results of | | |audit are what were expected. |Quality Management |All activities of the overall management function that determine the quality policy, objectives and | | |responsibilities, as well as their implementation (through e. g. quality planning, quality control, quality | | |assurance and quality improvement) within the quality system of the SAI. | |Quality management |The planned activities of an organisation that are carried out in order to regulate and improve its processes for | |system |the better fulfilment of the needs of its stakeholders and to improve the efficiency of operations. |Quality policy |The overall intentions and di rection of an organisation related to quality as formally expressed and documented by| | |the SAI. | |Review |There are two types of reviews: | | |Cold (ex post) reviews are the essence of the posteriori quality assurance function and are undertaken on a test | | |basis once audits have been closed. | | |Hot (real time) reviews are those procedures (e. g. upervision, working paper review) that are required by SAIs | | |for the implementation of the quality control process during the course of the audit. Responsibility for the | | |quality control starts with the individual auditor and then passes through the hierarchy. | |Stakeholders |Those who have an interest, whether financial or other, in the activities and decisions of the organisation, for | | |example, citizens, clients, employees, the general public, inspection agencies, the media, suppliers, etc.The | | |Government represented by elected (or appointed) leaders and public organisations are also stakeholders. | |Vision |A st atement that describes how the organisation expects to be in the future. This includes what an organisation | | |wants to do and where it wants to go. | Chapter I: Leadership 1. MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS IDENTIFY LEADERSHIP AS ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS FOR ENSURING QUALITY, IN PARTICULAR FOR ORIENTING THE ORGANISATION TOWARDS RESULTS AND FOR ACHIEVING COST-EFFECTIVENESS. . Leadership styles are well conceptualised and studied in the private sector domain. In the public sector, there is an increased interest in leadership and how it could contribute to increasing efficiency and accountability. Current prospects in public management models (e-government, PPP, etc. ) continue to stress the role of leadership in driving the modernisation of the public organisations. 3. Various internationally accepted documents highlight the importance of leadership: Principle 2 (Leadership) of ISO 9000:2000 Quality Management Principles states that: â€Å"Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of the organisation. They should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organisation's objectives†. †¢ The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, considers that â€Å"Excellence is visionary and inspirational leadership, completed with consistency of purpose. Excellent organisations have leaders who set and communicate a clear direction for their organisation†. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) places leadership as one of the five ‘Enablers’ criteria which determine how an organisation performs. 4. The aim of this Chapter is to present how leadership has been considered in the context of SAIs, and to identify the main features of leadership that contribute to enhance audit quality. Leadership and Supreme Audit Institutions 5. SAIs have followed the general trend of reform of the public sector, although with some delays and with different degrees in the introduct ion of innovative measures.This is due, in particular, to the constitutional position of such institutions and to the inherent characteristics of the audit function in the public sector. During this reform process within SAIs, they should have taken into account essential leadership features such as: independence, relationships with Parliament and government, ethics, communication, etc. These are already considered in the Lima Declaration of Guidelines on Auditing Precepts, as well as the INTOSAI Code of Ethics and Auditing Standards.Some SAIs have recently undertaken self-assessment and peer-review exercises, within this context, in the course of which leadership has been the subject of detailed evaluation and concrete proposals for improvement. 6. According to the International Standards on Quality Control (ISQC-1) issued by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) in the Handbook of International Auditing, Assurance, and Ethics Pronouncements the quality control system of the SAI should include policies and procedures addressing (among other elements) leadership responsibilities for quality.These policies and procedures should be designed to promote an internal culture based on the recognition that quality is essential in performing engagements; and to require the Head of the SAI or, if appropriate, the decision-making board of the SAI, to assume ultimate responsibility for the quality control system. The internal culture is promoted by setting example, communication, recognition and rewards of quality and by ensuring that responsibility is assigned to persons who have an appropriate experience, ability and authority. . A document on Audit Quality issued by the Audit and Assurance Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, identifies leadership as one of the major factors driving audit quality. Leaders need to support audit quality and promote a quality culture throughout the organisation. They have to ensure that they c ommunicate the importance they attach to the issue to their staff and their stakeholders.The key aspects of good leadership are setting the strategies and objectives; recognising the commonality of commercial and professional approaches; ensuring the organisation will deliver the required quality; setting the right tone at the top; and ensuring that quality is consistently communicated. 8. The Guidelines on Audit Quality, adopted in December 2004 by the EU Contact Committee, refer to the need to develop leadership and management skills and proficiencies in connection to human resources.Leadership's main factors for ensuring audit quality 9. Although there are different types of SAIs, it is possible to identify some common factors determining how leadership within an SAI is designed and exerted for ensuring audit quality and excellence. These factors are as follows: †¢ Give a direction to the organisation: develop and communicate vision, mission and values.This involves, among o thers, translating the SAIs' mandate into vision and mission statements; establishing a value framework and codes of conduct; setting strategic and operational objectives and actions; involving stakeholders in these processes; adjusting to changes in the external environment; and communicate to employees and stakeholders. †¢ Develop and implement a system for managing the organisation.This embraces developing organisational structures and processes in accordance with the institutional status of the SAI, with the tasks of the organisation and with the expectations of the stakeholders; defining appropriate management levels, functions, responsibilities and autonomy; developing and agreeing on measurable objectives and goals for all levels of the organisation; giving direction on output and outcome targets; developing a system of operational targeting or performance measuring in the organisation. †¢ Motivate and support the people in the organisation and act as a role model.T his factor includes: leading by example; demonstrating personal willingness to change by accepting constructive feedback and suggestions; acting in accordance with established objectives and values; keeping employees informed about significant issues; supporting employees to help them attain their plans and objectives in support of organisational objectives; stimulating and encouraging the delegation of responsibilities; encouraging and supporting employees to make suggestions for innovation and improvement and to be proactive in their daily work; encouraging mutual trust and respect; stimulating training and improvement activities; recognizing and rewarding the efforts. †¢ Manage the relations with politicians and other stakeholders with due regard to the SAI`s independence.This will involve: maintaining proactive and regular relations with the political authorities of the executive and legislative areas; developing partnerships and networks with important stakeholders; seekin g public awareness, reputation and recognition of the SAI; developing the concept of marketing (product and service targeted); taking part in the activities of professional associations and representative organisations and interest groups. 10. Good leadership must be exerted by every person in the organisation who has assumed responsibilities and has a manager position. Enduring characteristics of leaders include honesty, integrity, enthusiasm, confidence, tolerance, professional competence. They should also be forward-looking, proactive to change, and committed to excellence.They should integrate these characteristics into the day-by-day practice of the organisation: from setting strategy plans and work programmes to reporting results; from directing and supervising to reviewing. 11. How leadership is defined and exerted is a determinant for assuring the benefits, and thus for ensuring audit quality in SAIs. Benefits of good leadership are: †¢ clarity of purpose and direction within the organisation; †¢ clear identity for and within, the organisation; †¢ a shared set of values and ethics; †¢ consistent and role model behaviour throughout the organisation; †¢ a committed, motivated and efficient workforce; and †¢ confidence in, and within, the organisation, even in turbulent and changing times. QUESTIONS 1.Has the activity of leaders been assessed (either internally or externally)? Which are the main difficulties encountered, lessons learned and main benefits identified for the institution? Which are the concrete measures undertaken to improve leadership? Have you identified tangible improvements in the audit quality in this area? 2. Has the activity of the management of the SAI to motivate staff and to encourage mutual trust and respect been satisfactory? Have you identified tangible improvements in the audit quality in this area? Which are the main difficulties encountered, lessons learned and main benefits identified for the in stitution? Chapter II: Strategy and Planning 1.AN SAI SHOULD FOCUS ITS ACTIVITIES ON RESPONDING TO CHALLENGES OF THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT AND ON WEIGHING DUTIES TO BE ABLE TO FULFIL ITS MANDATE IN A RELIABLE AND SUCCESSFUL MANNER BY EFFICIENTLY UTILISING ITS RESOURCES, WHILE MEETING QUALITY REQUIREMENTS. THE STRATEGY OF AN SAI IS AN ACTION PLAN COVERING SEVERAL YEARS TO ACHIEVE THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE ORGANISATION. 2. This Chapter sets out how an SAI should implement its mission and vision, and how it is supported by its strategy, relevant policies, plans, objectives, targets and processes. 3. References are made to the importance of strategy and planning in the international literature on auditing. The INTOSAI Code of Ethics and Auditing Standards provide general guidelines stating that the SAI needs freedom to set priorities and programme its work in accordance with its andate; and the SAI should give priority to any audit tasks which must be undertaken by law and assess prio rities for discretionary areas within the SAI’s mandate. 4. The Guidelines on Audit Quality adopted in December 2004 by the EU Contact Committee give further guidance on the structure of planning. They suggest different levels of planning, such as mission and vision statements, corporate plans, strategic plans and operational plans. 5. According to the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) strategy and planning is one of the main aspects requiring consideration in organisational analysis. Within strategy and planning a list of criteria is provided identifying the main issues that need to be taken into account during the assessment process. Strategic planning 6.An SAI should formally express its overall intention and direction related to quality, i. e. quality policy. The top management of an SAI should ensure that the quality policy of the organisation is in line with the mission and vision of the SAI. The quality policy should also reflect the SAI’s top management commitm ent to quality and how they intend to demonstrate their utmost to ensure the excellence and continual development of the audit work and outcomes. 7. The strategy of the SAI should identify and analyse the main trends, set out objectives of the organisation, define specific areas of particular focus and underlying reasons, as well as provide a framework for the management and allocation of resources.It should address internal culture, structure and operations (in both the short and the long term) taking account of the priorities, direction and needs of the various stakeholders. The strategy should also reflect the SAI’s approach to implementing modernisation and change management processes. 8. The top management of an SAI is responsible for implementing the strategy, ensuring necessary conditions and defining tasks, relevant schedule and competences. It should also monitor and evaluate the implementation of objectives and tasks, and make the necessary decisions. 9. Strategic p lanning also includes risk assessment since there are several factors constituting threat to the excellence of the audit work and outcomes.An SAI should consistently strive to identify and evaluate these factors in order to develop proper tools, procedures, and activities for managing and minimising risks. The credibility of an SAI could be undermined without identifying, assessing and managing risks. 10. The top management of an SAI develops and applies audit standards, approaches and procedures for the management of risks in order to ensure that †¢ audit activity is carried out in compliance with legal regulations; †¢ effective and efficient utilisation of resources are considered; †¢ tasks and competences are clearly defined in all working processes; and †¢ the various needs of stakeholders are taken into account. 11. In order to ensure the high quality of strategic planning a database including information relevant to audit tasks should be established and mai ntained; †¢ criteria to select and prioritise audit tasks should be set and followed; †¢ methods to measure the performance of the organisation at all levels should be developed and applied; and †¢ the strategy should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis by assessing risks associated with changes in the external and internal environment and identifying critical factors for success. Operational planning 12. The relationship between strategic and operational planning should be created by audit directives. Concentrating on essential and timely problems, and the fields bearing the greatest risks, the directives promote the implementation of the strategy. 13.The SAI should ensure through its operational planning activities that †¢ its mandate is fulfilled; †¢ the audit work focuses on high risk and significant areas, institutions, operations or projects; †¢ available resources are effectively utilised; and †¢ the audit work is performed satisfying quality requirements. 14. Priorities set in the strategy, the result of materiality and risk assessments, the expected output and outcome, as well as available resources should be considered during the operational planning process. In the course of assessing risk, emphasis should be put on examining the complexity, costs, contradictory opinions relevant to the individual audit task.Expected impacts of the given audit, experiences of previous audits carried out in this field, and the auditability of the audit subject should be also taken into account during the selection of individual audit tasks. 15. The process of operational planning should be periodically reviewed and evaluated for the purposes ensuring the high quality of the audit work. This activity should be carried out on the basis of uniform approaches and methods. 16. It should be examined whether the planning has been based on valid professional judgements and covers all significant matters. It also should be considered whether the planning activity has been carried out by the competent personnel; deadlines have been met; and the audit work has been appropriately documented. QUESTIONS 1.How is risk assessment undertaken to ensure appropriate strategic decision-making? Are these processes documented? 2. What are the methods, techniques, tools and procedures available within your SAI to ensure the implementation of its strategy? 3. What kind of document(s) does your SAI prepare in the course of the operational planning process? Please, provide a short description of this/these document(s). Chapter III: Human Resource Management 1. KEY TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF AUDITS OF HIGH QUALITY IS THE ABILITY OF AN SAI TO ATTRACT, DEVELOP, UTILISE, REWARD AND RETAIN THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF STAFF AND THE RIGHT ‘MIX’ OF COMPETENCIES, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS.HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM) IS A CORE COMPONENT IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INTEGRATED QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND IS ESSENTIAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT O F AN INTERNAL CULTURE BASED ON QUALITY, EXCELLENCE AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. 2. The purpose of this Chapter is to outline the significance of HRM and to provide a list of related measures that should be in place to achieve high standards of quality and excellence throughout the audit process. 3. The importance of HRM in creating an environment conducive of high quality, the attainment of ethical standards and continuous improvement within the SAI is highlighted in the principal international guidelines and standards applied to government auditing and audit quality: Lima Declaration of Guidelines on Auditing Precepts and INTOSAI Code of Ethics and Auditing Standards; †¢ International Standards on Quality Control (ISQC-1) issued by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) in the Handbook of International Auditing, Assurance, and Ethics Pronouncements; and †¢ Guidelines on Audit Quality adopted in December 2004 by the EU Contact Committee. 4. These documents under score the need for establishing policies and procedures for the recruitment of employees with suitable knowledge and experience, and to define the basis for the advancement staff. They also stress that employees should be trained and developed to perform their tasks effectively. 5.As part of its overall management system, an SAI should therefore have a professional human resource function to ensure a well-trained, motivated and experienced personnel that can support the achievement of the organisation’s vision, core values and strategic goals. 6. Overall, HRM is concerned with the management of human capital, people, and culture within an organisation. The following are some of the major sub-elements of the human resource function: a) The formulation and implementation of human resource strategies and plans that are aligned with the SAI’s overall strategy. These should be integrated into the organisation’s operational framework and the quality management system; b) The establishment of HRM policies and procedures; ) Job descriptions and the determination of the resources and competencies required to match current and future organisational requirements; d) Recruitment and selection of personnel; e) Staff training and continuous development; f) Performance appraisals and recognition; g) Employee remuneration, allowances and benefits; and h) The systematic monitoring and review of all HRM activities to ensure effectiveness, transparency, coherence and consistency in their implementation across the organisation, as well as to continually identify and develop opportunities for improvement. Human resource planning 7. A fundamental role of the HRM function is human resource planning.This is the process by which an SAI attempts to ensure that it has the right number of qualified people in the right place at the right time. This is done by reviewing and comparing the present supply of employees and skills with the organisation’s projected de mand for human resources and competencies. The outcome is the design of appropriate short-term and long-term initiatives and programmes that aim to ensure that the forecasted human resource requirements are met. Effective human resource planning generally also leads to a more effective and efficient use of staff, and more satisfied and better trained employees. HRM policies and procedures 8.HRM policies are general statements which serve to guide decision-making. Normally these policies are put in writing and communicated to all management and staff. Their purpose is to reassure employees that they will be treated fairly and objectively. They also help managers to resolve problems and take quick, defensible and consistent decisions. 9. HRM procedures are written documents that describe, in greater detail, the routine procedures to be followed for a specific operation or activity. Consistent application of an approved HRM procedure ensures conformance to and consistency with the SAIà ¢â‚¬â„¢s established practices and improves credibility and defensibility.Documented procedures also serve as resources for training and for easy reference to established practices. 10. To ensure high standards of quality management, an SAI should create and maintain policies and procedures concerning, e. g. the recruitment and selection of staff, the system for the promotion and the advancement of employees, the maintenance of personnel records, the organisation of training, staff development, as well as performance appraisals. Job descriptions 11. A job description defines a job in terms of specific duties and responsibilities. It also identifies the competencies and qualifications required to perform the role professionally. 12.The carrying out of job analysis, as well as the creation and maintenance of job descriptions is critical for determining which duties and responsibilities should be grouped together, as well as for matching staffing requirements. Ultimately, this ensures the delivery of high quality audits. Employee recruitment and selection 13. The recruitment and selection process is one of the important elements of successful HRM and should be transparent and fair. Effective recruitment and selection practices can have significant positive impacts on the SAI; whereas poorly designed and executed practices will have both short-term and long-term negative impacts. †¢ Recruitment incorporates the various efforts and activities undertaken to seek and attract a sufficient pool of top quality candidates.A job vacancy can be filled from within or from outside the SAI. Methods include internal calls for applications and external advertising in the media. †¢ An effective recruitment process will bring an adequate supply of top quality prospects, an effective selection system involves a systematic chain of activities that lead to a quality selection decision. Key to the selection process is the clear definition of the criteria that identifies tho se candidates that are most likely to perform successfully in the job. Methods that can be used to screen candidates include tests, job simulations, interviews, medical examinations and probationary periods. 14.As audit is a profession that relies on the competencies and personal qualities of employees, candidates should be thoroughly screened and tested for key attributes such as integrity, objectivity, rigour, scepticism, perseverance and robustness. 15. Moreover, if work is outsourced or external experts are engaged, due care should be exercised to ensure of their competencies for the job and that there are no conflicts of interests. Staff training and development 16. The development of a quality management system also requires an organisational culture that is receptive to ongoing learning. Changes, such as those in technology or in audit techniques, mean that an organisation is continually faced with situations that require continuous learning.SAIs should have appropriate train ing plans and staff development systems in place to help employees to substantially enhance their knowledge and skills, as well as learn how to improve their performance. 17. The methods of training programmes are various. These include: induction courses; on-the-job training; continued professional development (CPD), external courses and international seminars. In addition, in-house training in, for example, the technical aspects of audit, the government environment or in the requirements of the audit methodology should also be undertaken. The management of training incorporates training needs assessments, the design of training programmes and learning materials, training budgets, coordination and delivery, as well as the systematic review and evaluation of training. 18.Staff and career development programmes involve matching employees’ interests and career aspirations with the present and future needs of the SAI. These programmes can be used to increase motivation, prepare employees for more senior positions and encourage staff retention. Moreover, employees should have access to counselling and guidance. 19. Apart from being well-trained and technically competent, it is also vital to ensure that employees perform their duties honestly, and that the audits are free from any conflicts of interest or other impediments to a fair and objective appraisal. A code of ethics and measures to ensure conformity should be established by the SAI. Reference to the INTOSAI Code of Ethics should also be considered.Performance appraisals and recognition 20. Besides informal day-to-day monitoring and guidance, management can use a formal and structured performance appraisal system to: †¢ define clear and measurable performance targets for each employee; †¢ systematically document individual employee performance and technical skills; †¢ determine how well individual employees are doing their jobs, including identifying their respective constraints, as wel l as their strengths and opportunities for improvement; †¢ communicate constructive feedback in a timely, accurate and clear manner; and †¢ agree on individual development plans for performance improvement. 21.The information generated by the performance appraisal process can be used for: awarding bonuses; for identifying mentoring and training needs; and for making decisions related to promotions or terminations. 22. A well designed and implemented performance appraisal system is a powerful tool for influencing employee behaviour and can be effectively used to develop a quality-driven culture. For this to occur, the performance appraisal must be a constructive and dynamic process. Employee remuneration and benefits 23. Employee remuneration and benefits refer to the base salary, bonus, incentive payments and allowances. Remuneration can be effectively used to attract and keep the desired quality and mix of employees, as well as to enhance job satisfaction and to motivate employees to improve the quality of their outputs. 24.An SAI should deal with the issue of offering and maintaining a competitive remuneration package that will enable the SAI to attract, retain and motivate a capable staff, as well as with the issue of equality, which means all employees should be remunerated in proportion to their efforts and responsibilities. Both issues should be carefully managed as strong employee motivation is vital to the success of a quality management system. QUESTIONS 1. Has your SAI developed documented HRM policies and procedures, including a Code of Ethics? If yes, list the main areas covered by these documents. 2. Has your SAI developed and maintained an annual training plan? If yes, outline the training methods used by your SAI to develop employees. How do you evaluate completed training events? 3. Do you have a performance appraisal system in place? Describe how the system is used to enhance performance. Chapter IV: Building Quality into the Audit P rocess 1.THE PURPOSE OF AN SAI’S QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS TO PROVIDE REASONABLE ASSURANCE THAT EACH AUDIT EXAMINES SIGNIFICANT MATTERS AND THAT THE RESULTS OF THE AUDIT PROVIDE TRUE AND FAIR PICTURE ON THE MATTERS UNDER CONSIDERATION. ACHIEVING AND MAINTAINING HIGH QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE AUDIT PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL, IF AN SAI WISHES TO IMPROVE ITS CREDIBILITY AND PERFORMANCE. IMPROVING AUDIT QUALITY REQUIRES A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH WITHIN THE SAI. THUS, SAIS NEED TO PROCEED METHODICALLY AND IN AN ORGANISED WAY TO DETERMINE EACH QUALITY ISSUE ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS. 2. Key to the achievements of excellence is the ability of an SAI to establish systematic audit processes that support the auditor in carrying out audits of high quality.In order to ensure high quality, the SAI should develop its own standards in compliance with internationally recognised standards, as well as guidelines, procedures and methods that serve as a basis of reference when carrying out supervision and re view during the audit process. Moreover, the SAI should facilitate that the auditors use these instruments, and provide them with sufficient support. 3. The aim of this Chapter is to outline the significance and describe the key elements of building quality into the audit process. Audit standards 4. The SAI should ensure audit quality by using the INTOSAI or other international standards (e. g. IFAC) in all matters that are deemed material. When applying these standards, the SAI should also take account of the national legal framework and other circumstances given in its own country. 5.The SAI should strive to elaborate its own standards in compliance with international standards. The SAI should ensure that its standards are up-dated on a regular basis taking into consideration the developments in the field of the international audit profession, as well as its own audit experiences. Guidelines, procedures and methods 6. Guidelines, procedures, and methods should be developed to guid e the auditor in carrying out audits of high quality. These will ensure that the audit activity is compliant with standards. The SAI should assure that these instruments are integrated into all phases of the audit process (i. e. planning, execution, reporting and follow-up). 7.In addition, the auditor should plan the audit in a manner which ensures that an audit of high quality is carried out in an economic, efficient and effective way and timely manner. During the execution of the audit, a key challenge is to establish a common understanding among auditors on the methods to be used, as well as the data and information that constitute relevant, sufficient and reliable audit evidence. Criteria should also be set by the SAI for audit reports. These criteria should be complete, accurate, objective, clear, and concise. At follow-up stage, the auditor should take appropriate steps to determine what action, if any, the audited organisation has taken to resolve the problems disclosed in th e audit report, what effect such action(s) may have had and how planning of future audits is effected.In order to fulfil the mentioned objectives, guidelines, procedures and methods should be available to encourage actions leading to high quality and discourage or prevent actions that might impair quality. 8. An important step is the establishment of systems to assure that the appropriate quality controls are actually implemented. 9. The development of reliable guidelines, procedures and methods can be centralised in an independent methodology unit staffed by specialised staff members. Consideration should also be taken to involve auditors in developing and updating guidelines, procedures and methods through e. g. an electronic method toolbox. These toolboxes might contain a list of the various methods, their strengths and weaknesses along with examples of how the methods can be applied in the different types of audit tasks. 10.It can be useful if qualified staff members are designa ted as experts to each of the guidelines, procedures and methods in order to assist auditors in application. This might ensure that the selection of guidelines, procedures and methods is adjusted to the needs of the auditors. Supervision and review 11. To ensure that quality is built in to the audit process, the work of the audit staff at each level and audit phase should be properly supervised. Documented work should also be reviewed by the management or a senior auditor. 12. Supervision is essential to ensure the fulfilment of audit objectives and the maintenance of the quality of the audit work.Supervision is closely related to the management of audit staff to whom work is delegated and is carried out by senior managers or auditors. Supervision should also cover the methodologies used and the outcomes of the audits. Supervision should ensure that: †¢ the audit is carried out in accordance with the auditing standards and practices of the SAI; †¢ the audit plan and action steps specified in this plan are followed; †¢ working papers contain evidence adequately supporting all findings, conclusions and recommendations; and †¢ the auditor achieves the defined audit objectives. 13. Review should be carried out prior to the formulation of conclusions and the completion of the report. Review should ensure that: all evaluations and conclusions are soundly based and supported by competent, relevant and reasonable audit evidence; †¢ all material errors, deficiencies and unusual matters have been properly identified and documented; and †¢ changes and improvements necessary to the conduct of future audits are identified, recorded and taken into account in later audit plans and in staff development activities. Support 14. Audit staff may need different kinds of support to perform their tasks in order to ensure audits of high quality. An SAI may make various support functions available to the staff, e. g. access to internal and external expert s, supplementary training or electronic support systems. 15. The use of internal and external experts is one way of supporting the staff in their work. An auditor may be in a situation where specialist support within a specific area is required, for instance legislation, economy or statistics.To ensure the high quality of work, the SAI may provide the auditor with access to a special department, office or individuals holding the requested expertise. 16. The auditor may also be in a situation where the specialist support required is not available within the SAI. In such cases, the SAI can seek support from external specialists with due care being taken to ensuring the quality of performance. Obtaining advice from an external expert does not relieve the SAI’s responsibility for the quality of audit opinions or conclusions. 17. The SAI may also make use of support concerning specific audit areas provided by auditors employed by other SAIs. 18.Another important way of ensuring hi gh quality in the audit process is to keep the knowledge and skills of staff updated at all times. An SAI should make sure that auditors are offered the opportunity of supplementary training. The supplementary training may consist of introductory programmes, technical and managerial training. 19. Introductory programmes are designed to help newly recruited auditors adapt to the working methods of the SAI. These programmes are typically provided within the organisation. 20. Technical training is intended to equip the auditor with the methodological knowledge and skills needed to plan, execute and report an audit on a high quality level. 21.Managerial training is intended to enable the auditor to manage and supervise an audit team. Technical training and managerial training may either be provided within the organisation or by external professional organisations. 22. Supplementary training can also take the form of job rotation for a limited time period or an opportunity to participate in other types of audit work. 23. A computerised support system has the potential to increase the elements that provide more value to the audit process (e. g. quality, productivity, structure). It should also decrease the elements that provide less value (e. g. electronically filed working papers in replacement of paper files).This is based on the assumption that the computerised support system is designed and customised to the needs of the SAI. The system should enable the auditor to improve audit planning as it facilitates the assessment of risk and materiality. The computerised system should also contribute to ensure that each audit is carried out in accordance with updated standards, guidelines and good practice. This is achieved by making these documents easily available and by enhancing knowledge sharing (e. g. risk analysis, good practice) amongst audit staff. 24. It is also important to stress the fact that a computerised support system is beneficial only if it is tailored to the SAI and the staff is offered appropriate training in the use of the system.In addition to this, the benefit of the system depends on the users’ acceptance and actual use of the system. The acquisition and implementation of an electronic system is likely to be costly at first. In order to lower the cost the SAI is advised to use the experience achieved by other SAIs. QUESTIONS 1. How do you ensure that your own standards comply with INTOSAI or other international standards? ;;; 2. What kind of quality control tools have you integrated in the various stages of the audit process? 3. Does your SAI have written procedures to ensure that adequate support is provided to auditors? Briefly explain the type of support that is provided. Chapter V: External Relations 1.EXTERNAL RELATIONS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE AUDIT QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. AN SAI KEEPS REGULAR CONTACTS WITH STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH THE PUBLICATION OF AUDIT CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. STAKEHOLDERS ALSO E XPRESS THEIR OPINION ON THE SIGNIFICANCE AND QUALITY OF CONDUCTED AUDITS. 2. External relations are an important independent source of information on audit quality. They can also provide an objective basis for quality assessment of SAIs’ audit activity. 3. External relations are an important element of the audit quality management system of an SAI and play a significant role in improving audit activity. The aim of this Chapter is to define the framework and characteristics of these relations. 4.The importance of external relations are underlined in the following international documents: †¢ According to the Common Assessment Framework, public organisations are required to manage complex relationships with other organisations in public and private sectors as well as the general public. The successful management of these relationships may be crucial to success in achieving organisational goals. †¢ Principle 8 (Mutually beneficial supplier relationships) of ISO 9000:200 0 Quality Management Principles refers to the mutually beneficial relationship of an organisation and its suppliers (i. e. stakeholders) that enhance the ability to create value for both parties. The Guidelines on Audit Quality adopted in December 2004 by the EU Contact Committee proposes that SAIs should devote time and attention to strengthening external relations with their stakeholders in order to enhance overall effectiveness. 5. Stakeholders who provide feedback to SAIs are: †¢ audited organisations; †¢ Parliament and its committees; †¢ media and the general public; and †¢ scientific institutions and other professional organisations, institutions of higher education, and private audit companies. 6. The SAI should establish and maintain continuous, positive and constructive relationships with the users of its audit reports and other stakeholders.Relations with the users of audit reports provide SAIs with the opportunity to evaluate the impact on the audited activity and to determine whether the SAI's audit work is efficient and effective. 7. Constructive feedback from stakeholders can also provide strong justification to improve audit quality and promote continuous development of the professional activity of the SAI. Audited organisations 8. The SAI can obtain external feedback on its audits from audited organisations by undertaking surveys on issues such as the quality of conducted audits, their usefulness for the audited organisation and the relevance of the SAI’s recommendations. 9. Surveys can be carried out on completion of particular audits and on approval of the audit reports. These can also be undertaken at regular intervals on a series of audits. 10.It is better to conduct surveys in a standard form, e. g. by using questionnaires. Questionnaire responses provide a beneficial insight of the opinions of stakeholders on the auditors’ performance, as well as on audit quality. In addition, stakeholders’ views s hould be considered an important source of information, together with the data collected from internal units, when assessing audit quality. 11. A good practice is to prepare a report based on the results of the surveys carried out. These reports are summary of external assessments on the quality of the SAI’s work. 12. The SAI should obtain information about the impact that audit results had on the activities of audited organisations.This can be done by checking the measures undertaken in response to the recommendations. 13. Reviews on the implementation of recommendations encourage the mutual feedback between the SAI and the audited organisations on the development of public management. This also enhances the efficient utilisation of public funds. These reviews are particularly useful to assess the efficiency of the SAI's work. 14. Information about the impact of the SAI’s recommendations on the efficiency of the audited organisation’s activity can also serve as a basis for the assessment of the SAI's performance. 15. These assessments can be measured by using qualitative or quantitative indicators. 16.SAI recommendations can have an impact on the auditees’ activities through e. g. : the enhancement of the efficient and cost-effective utilisation of public funds, the improvement of the quality of the audited organisations’ activities, the improvement of the operation of the system of public finances, etc. Parliament and its committees 17. The Head of SAI might communicate with the members of Parliament on a permanent basis, as well as conduct meetings in order to discuss their point of view on different aspects of the SAI's activities. This should be undertaken with due regard to the SAI`s independence. 18. The relationship of the SAI with Parliament can have the following forms: participation of the SAI during sessions of Parliament and its committees; †¢ response to requests or proposals from Parliament to conduct audi ts; †¢ joint meetings with the relevant parliamentary committees to discuss audit reports; †¢ participation in special parliamentary hearings, during which resolutions and recommendations can be adopted to curtail revealed shortcomings; and †¢ provide replies to enquires of members of Parliament on the results of completed audits. Media and the general public 19. Relationship with the media and the general public can be implemented in several ways, e. g. by publishing audit reports or annual activity reports, holding press conferences and posting information on the SAI’s website. 20. The media should also be monitored to obtain external information on the quality of audits and the overall activity of the SAI.Stakeholders use these channels of communication to express their views and opinions. Scientific institutions, and other professional organisations, institutions of higher education, and private audit companies 21. External experts of scientific institution s, other professional organisations, institutions of higher education as well as private audit companies can provide feedback on how SAIs can achieve excellence. 22. The relationship of SAIs with scientific institutions and institutions of higher education should be carried out on the basis of agreements. 23. External quality assessments of audit activities carried out by external experts (i. e. eer reviews) can be conducted periodically or on a regular basis. Such assessments should be agreed upon with the SAI. 24. During audits, SAIs can collaborate with private audit companies. In such cases, it is important to highlight major benefits and shortcomings. International organisations and other SAIs 25. In order to keep abreast with new audit methodology and techniques on a regular basis, an SAI can conduct bilateral and multilateral cooperation with professional international organisations, as well as with SAIs of other countries. 26. Comparative analyses of the activities of variou s SAIs could serve as a good basis for improving the quality of the SAI’s own audit work. 27.A peer review carried out by another SAI can also be a form of assessing the quality of the SAI’s audit activity. The partner institution should analyse the SAI's structure and methods of work. The review should propose measures aimed at increasing the efficiency of the audit activity of the SAI. 28. Active participation in the activities of committees and working groups of INTOSAI and EUROSAI can also help the SAI to develop professionally. 29. Moreover, joint audits with other SAIs can contribute to the development of audit approaches, methods and techniques. Such collaboration can ultimately lead to the improvement of audit quality and the harmonisation of audit methodology. QUESTIONS 1. Who are the direct users of the audit reports of your SAI?Indicate external sources from which you obtain information on audit quality and the overall audit activity of your SAI (with specia l regard to the forms of communication with the Parliament). How do you use these pieces of information in evaluating the quality of your audit activity? 2. Does your SAI perform monitoring of external opinion on audit quality? If yes, what are the methods applied for collecting data? How are the results of data analysis used? 1. Does your SAI use any forms of feedback from the audited organisations with regard to the audit results? If yes, indicate them and give concrete examples of the impact of such feedbacks on the audit quality of your SAI. 2. Chapter VI: Continuous Development and Improvement 1.CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT IS A MANAGEMENT APPROACH THAT INVOLVES CONSTANTLY SEARCHING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE AND ENHANCE PROCESSES, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OF AN ORGANISATION. IT ALSO COMPRISES THE REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE ON A REGULAR BASIS TO ENSURE THE ONGOING SUCCESS OF THE ORGANISATION. 2. The objective of the continuous development and improvement of the quality management sy stem is to consistently ensure the high quality of audit results, as well as the satisfaction of the stakeholders. In order to achieve this, the top management of an SAI should ensure the adoption of international development trends and good practices, and should take appropriate measures for their appropriate implementation. 3.This Chapter aims at introducing various procedures and methods that can be applied to follow up and evaluate the audit work, the quality of the audit results, and the operation of the quality management system. 4. The concept of continuous development and improvement is referred to in internationally recognised literature, such as: †¢ ISO 9000:2000 Quality Management Principles, Principle 6 of which considers that continual improvement of the overall performance of the organisation should be a permanent objective; and †¢ EFQM Excellence Model, according to which excellent organisations continuously learn, and the staff of such organisations constan tly challenge the status quo and seek opportunities for continuous innovation and improvements that add value. Continuous review and monitoring 5.SAIs should set up and operate an effective and efficient monitoring system to ensure the continuous development and improvement of the audit work, the quality of the audit results, and the quality management system. For the proper operation of the monitoring system, factors to be examined, data and information to be collected, as well as evaluation procedures and methods should be defined. 6. SAIs should also follow-up and evaluate whether: †¢ quality controls built in the audit process operate continuously, effectively, and in accordance with standards, guidelines and internal regulations; †¢ quality requirements are consistently met; and †¢ the stakeholders and users of the audit results are satisfied. 7. There should be sufficiently detailed indices and indicators applied for setting up and operating the monitoring syste m (e. g. lanned and actual expenditures, planned and actual working time inputted in each work phase). Furthermore, it should be ensured that complete documentation and precise records regarding the examined and evaluated factors are available. 8. The monitoring system should also be easily manageable and accessible to management. It should also be based on information technology tools and applications related to the key audit functions. Documented and recorded data and information should provide a good basis for carrying out evaluations to make well-founded decisions. They should also be used when carrying out self-assessments at organisational level on a regular basis.Post-audit quality review 9. The quality of the audit work and the outcomes should be evaluated by carrying out post-audit quality reviews. The reviews should focus on whether the audits were compliant with internal procedures, professional standards, and the recommended methodology. The objective is to enhance the e fficiency of auditing and the operation of the quality control system, as well as to support methodological developments. 10. Experienced auditors working in different organisational units that have not participated in a particular audit can carry out the post-audit quality review within the framework of so-called ‘cross-reviews’. 11.An expedient solution can be to delegate the post-audit quality review function to an organisational unit independent from the execution of audits. This unit can be under the direct responsibility of the Head of the SAI or part of a section responsible for the SAI’s methodologies. 12. The post-audit quality review can also be used to ask for the opinion of another SAI or a team of experienced auditors of various SAIs (a form of peer review). 13. The post-audit quality