Article Analysis: Business Skill - Essay Example

Article Analysis: Business Skill A common misconception that many people have in the world today is that libraries are only ideal for those in rural areas and more so the elderly and poor in society. However, this misconception has led the country to lose a lot in meeting the needs of society, as well as deny the younger generation a chance to make use of what is available. In many instances, the focal point of having a library in a locality has been replaced with the various Smartphone applications that provide access to books and search engines for research purposes. Book lovers understand that the ability to secure the relevant book requires a careful understanding of the topic of concern, allowing one to seek assistance at the slightest possible time. The goal of the library is to provide people with new means of dealing with society issues while making changes as a way of attaining the required level of learning. Libraries are essential, and the modernisation of access to information has made them almost obsolete, but their role should not be overlooked. Jackson’s article on the issue of libraries in today’s society is valid and should be a major concern for society as a whole. The article is an informative one on this issue that meets the immediate demands of the inquisitive mind (Jackson 2011). It looks at the emergence of the internet and the growing notions that the internet is the major provider of knowledge and information required for everyday research as noted amongst the young generation (Vrana & Barbaric 2007: 437). It is for this reason that many are misguided to believe that the library is for the older generation and the isolated people, yet libraries are enriching facilities where people can study and gather critical and enlightening information (Herrera-Viedma & Lopez-Gijon 2013: 1382). Learning has changed to clicking a few links without having any means of discounting the information attained from such sources. The studies conducted on a myriad of websites have been misleading; something that continues to bother many people owing to the misconception that the internet is generally accurate (Jackson 2011). The speed of getting access to an article or information on an issue has tricked many into believing that the library is not sufficient to gather information (Rowlands et al. 2008: 292). However, Jackson notes that the society needs to change this mentality as the façade is not helping the young generation in information gathering. The library has a wealth of information that can fill in the gaps that the mobile applications and web searches will not offer (CILIP 2010: 125). In a majority of cases, librarians are not consulted, yet they are expected to continue working. The impact this has on the society is to establish a new means of getting the management of such attributes present for the sake of managing the knowledge within for the sake of creating better citizens (Rowlands et al. 2008: 295). The article touches on the issue of a learning environment, something that lacks in the current world of applications and the internet (Jackson 2011). When working on a research problem, a hyperlink can lead to something irrelevant and it may take time to recover from such a derailment. The information from the books and the librarians is invaluable and people should take advantage of such avenues (CILIP 2010: 129). The e-books present through the library websites provide a good way of accessing a wide range of books to generate the kind of research and information desired. Libraries have many advantages over the internet, yet receive little attention because people think of them as outdated (Vrana & Barbaric 2007: 439). In many cases, people will overlook them thinking that they are irrelevant, yet their closure will lead to more losses in terms of knowledge acquisition. The important goal is to establish new ways of working on the different connections that will be important for the realisation of a better and more knowledgeable society (Snowball 2008: 29). It is true, as the article notes, that the free internet access is invaluable, but its penetration still leaves many people unaware of what is taking place in the society. If everything was to happen over the internet, those without such connections will not have the laxity of participating in national development (Peterson 2010: 326). Libraries have realised the importance of the internet, and gone to the extent of documenting their resources to ease access to both students and scholars, and also gain some external clients from members of the public. This issue has made many libraries gain prominence in the offering of books and learning materials to anyone wishing to gain access (Jaeger, Bertot & Gorham 2013: 65). This shows that the innovative attributes have not been ignored, but the use of the internet should not be neglected in the name of using the intent either. The libraries should not sit down and wait for society to come to ask them to innovate (Jackson 2011). Instead, it should be at the heart of their growth programmes. Libraries should be the sources of growth in society, encouraging people to make good use of the available standards to encourage the growth of the society for the sake of making better choices, and encouraging better policies in all sectors (Rowlands, et al. 2008: 299). With research being one of the greatest attributes towards maintaining a healthy public opinion platform, libraries should on the forefront of encouraging people to follow the right steps towards attaining the expected level of proficiency. In conclusion, and as Jackson notes, the only reason these libraries are still present is to present society with something that can make them understand the value of education. The internet provides a false sense of learning yet the only thing most people are getting from these websites cannot be considered as learning. Instead, people are unaware of the great impact that the libraries have yet the society does not have a chance to continue meeting the research and education demands that libraries provide. The presence of libraries should be a critical addition in any learning environment, with the government looking for ways of maintains such institutions. The internet should be allowed to limit the learning experiences in the society. Reflective Essay on My First Year of Higher Education When seeking to join any institution of higher learning, people have different expectations. The main goal is to get into school and learn something that will be helpful in the dynamic job market out there. Students join higher learning institutions with so many expectations and want to get the right information that will boost their chances of meeting the growth statistics in the career they choose. In so many cases, these students have high expectations and most of them get disappointed when these expectations are not met with the first year. When I joined the university, I had similar expectations. The goal was to reach my education heights by being the best at whatever I did, as well as capitalise on the different attributes that would prepare me for the world outside school. Engaging co-curricular activities was part of the agenda, and I knew that I would also acquire the right skills to boost my chances of being a better person in life. Life was bound to be an interesting one since I was getting into one of the best schools in the country. It was going to be a good chance to meet the tutors acclaimed for their prowess in the education curriculum as well as create a good rapport with the rest of the school community. This is because the world was becoming a place that all communications would have to be integrated and coordinated for the sake of making the best out of every situation. I knew that everybody had a chance to teach me something I did not know, and I was not willing to shut any of the out. It was going to be a long while, and I was willing to make everything worthwhile. After getting to school, I was introduced to so many people who would be critical in assisting me with activities within the university. It was an opportunity to earmark the most essential group that would see me through during this journey. I also took time to learn of the different societies and associations that were linked my course because they would be instrumental in learning much more about my careers as well as the school. It was an opportunity to create a support base that would remain active all the way. I knew that I was on my way to getting the future I desires, and the essential part was to maintain the connections. I was elated that I was a step away from making my dreams come too. My expatiations were quite high and I expected that I would meet my goals while in this institution. However, the very first days were quite disappointing because I learned that the number of people graduating from institutions of higher education was reducing at a higher rate especially due to the lack of resources. I knew that I had to make good use of my opportunity, though I also found out that things were not easy. Knowing people was one thing, but excelling in academics was going to be harder. Sporting activities were so many and each had its fans. Every sport wanted to excel more than the other, therefore, creating a healthy rivalry across the school. Students were getting used to such things and each season was more interesting than the other was. This also meant that the number of lessons the students were missing was high and recovering them was tedious for all. The training was also taking a toll on a majority of them, yet the school days were similar for all students. It was an important period for the sporting activities but no one was willing to stop. It was a time that everyone waited for eagerly due to the impact this had on the school’s heritage as well as popularity. It was a chance for some to gain entry to national wide leagues by displaying their skills and impressing scouts looking for new signings. Nonetheless, this time was good for me to learn more about the school and gain an understanding of people from all quarters. The sporting sessions were always ideal in identifying what values a school upheld, and formulate a means of dealing with the conflicting issues of whether to join a sport or not. I was a good time to also learn about my character and strengths, something that would assist in meeting y major academic goals if I was going to make it to the career I envisioned in my life. I however chose to concentrate on my academics because I needed to come up with the grades required to meet the minimum qualification for my career. I also wanted to make a good use of my first year so that I could set a pace that I would easily follow and go through with. I had to make the best of my opportunities in school and so I joined a few associations and societies to help in furthering my knowledge about the school and my career. It was an opportunity I still relish to date because of the growth and information I have garnered over the years. I have managed to meet so many career development gurus who have made it easier for me to understand what I need to do and the best way of achieving better grades as well as capitalise on the school resources to achieve the required career goals. I was willing to spend my time with these people because they knew so much that I did not know, and it was information that was going to help me a lot in life. Analysis and Evaluation When I got into school, I knew that I had to be focused to attain the goals I had in mind at the end of the schooling period. This was only going to be possible if I chose the right company and made good use of my time. I had to create an atmosphere that would boost my learning and create a situation that allowed me to attain the best in life. From the first day I got into this institution, I knew I would get many temptations but I was ready to make the best out what I had. This was only going to be a short time, but I had to plan for everything. Sporting activities were good, but I also had to concentrate on my studies because they were the main reason I was here. I had to compromise and join the gym on a part-time basis so as to keep fit and give maximum attention to my studies. Some of the sacrifices that people make so that their future can be brighter and as expected. I knew that I wanted more, but I had to make a tough decision and take the lesser decision that seemed to be quite unpopular. Even at home, I knew I had to keep my focus on high alert as a way of avoiding advices that could easily sway my decision. I was decisive and I could rely on that attributes over the years. I learnt that emotional intelligence is an attribute that people can maximise on because of the impact it has on an individual. In many cases, students miss opportunities because they do not understand that they need to maintain good emotional levels due to the stress levels in schools as a result of many issues such as peer pressure and school curriculums. Students do not know that they are getting into depression and some end up doing drugs without knowing the real reason for their addiction. I was able to learn this from the societies and organisations I got into, helping me realise that there was a probability that I would go into the same if I did not watch out. I had to be careful and look for different ways of relieving stress as a way of reducing the piling academic pressure. It was also a chance to look for people to interact with at all times, learn more about the level of indulgence students were in and work on making our lives better by the day. The decisions I made from my entry in the first year have been helpful to me over the time have been in school. It is always important to create an understanding of what is happening in any institution by making decisions that will always help in shaping the way one lives. I do not regret the way I have spent my years since that day, and I appreciate everything I have gone through all this time to achieve the best I can in my life. I appreciate for the lessons from the organisations I joined early on because they have been quite educative. The choices I made from the start have also been critical in making my grades be better every day. It has been a chance that I relish because of the social ramifications as well as academic qualifications and implications on my career. I have interacted well with my fellow students as well s made good use of my time to meet my goals. I have created a trend that I will not abandon as a result of learning early on the benefits of being disciplined in one of the difficult scenarios. I have established a criterion that I can share with others and assist them in avoiding the pleasures and pressures that come with getting into institutions of higher learning. The best way of making use of what one possesses is being able to utilise the skills presented from the first day in school. Task 3 From the revenues and costs calculated, it is clear that the company needs to work on increasing its trading profits. The past three years have had mixed reactions from all the relevant trading outfits, something that has been critical in achieving a better outlook on the company’s revenue and trade. If Tesco does not work on improving its efficacy in meeting its goals, it will not capitalize fully on its business units across the three continents. The revenue in the UK has had a considerable reduction in trading profits, dropping from 2.191 billion pounds in 2014 to 467 million pounds in 2015. That was a huge drop, and the projections show that the revenue accrued from the UK will still be higher than the rest, but that does not mean it will have a good trading year. On the contrary, more needs to done in Asia to continue exploiting the available chances and capitalize on the revenue for the sake of maintaining a better revenue projection. As the charts show, the revenue and profits collected will continue moving in a see-saw direction for a while, while trying to make as much trend as possible towards making the right decisions for the sake of maintaining a healthy balance sheet. The goal is to generate as much revenue so that the trading profits can also increase. The company needs to take up a new means of handling its prospective businesses in all its business segments. Revenue Bar chart Trading profits column chart Revenue forecast for the year 2016 References CILIP. (2010) An introduction to information literacy, London, CILIP. Herrera-Viedma, E. & Lopez-Gijon, J. (2013) "Libraries Social Role in the Information Age", Science, vol. 339, no. 6126, pp. 1382. Jackson, P. (Feb 4, 2011) Are libraries finished? Five arguments for and against, viewed June 27, 2015 from . Jaeger, P.T., Bertot, J.C. & Gorham, U. (2013) "Wake Up the Nation: Public Libraries, Policy Making, and Political Discourse", The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, vol. 83, no. 1, pp. 61–72. Peterson, H.A. (2010) "The genesis of monastic libraries," Libraries & the Cultural Record, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 320-332. Rowlands, I., Nicholas, D., Williams, P., Huntington, P., Fieldhouse, M., Gunter, B., et al. (2008) "The Google generation: the information behaviour of the researcher of the future", Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 290–310. Snowball, C. (2008) "Enticing Teenagers into the Library", Library Review, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 25–35. Vrana, R. & Barbaric, A. (2007) "Improving visibility of public libraries in the local community: a study of five public libraries in Zagreb, Croatia", New Library World, vol. 108, no. 9/10, pp. 435–444. Read More