A Swot Analysis Of Barclays Bank Finance Essay

A Swot Analysis Of Barclays Bank Finance Essay The global landscape of business had always been faced with inevitable and unpredictable circumstances which has always been challenging for them once they are confronted. Financial institutions, for instance, have been rattled by the global economic downturn which has affected businesses in the recent years. To be bale to alleviate the effect of such circumstances, it is a common practice among businesses to execute measures and practices which are directed towards improving their performance amidst the tragedies in the economic status. One of the many ways in which they can do so is through a SWOT analysis which speaks of evaluation of the organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This analysis enables businesses to capitalize on the aspects in which they are strong at and to improve on aspect in which they deem as needing improvement. Barclays Bank is one of the numerous financial or banking institutions in the United Kingdom, which over the years, through their unwavering strategies and efforts, has also conquered the global landscape through its business expansion. In their recent year of operation, the bank is regarded as a global financial services provider, engaging in businesses which deals with retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services which extends its operation not only in the United Kingdom but all over the world as well. This international expansion can be traced as early as after the First World War in which the bank has expanded its operation to cater to the needs of other regions such as Africa, The Caribbean, the Near East, and the Mediterranean. The regions which were originally selected for expansion of the financial institution were countries with political links to the United Kingdom (Coulbeck, 1984). In the present, ho wever, the business has continued its expansion on its quest to serve more markets and to establish a global presence. At present, rattled by the various economic troubles and the unpredictable future, Barclays is in continued operation with much focus and attention dedicated towards better serving the public and towards the sustainability of their business through responsible financing and business operation (Barclays, 2010). In this study the researcher will be formulating a SWOT strategy analysis for Barclays Bank to provide a more intensive analysis and evaluation of the banks operation. The analysis of a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, is the starting point of strategy formulation as it provides a thorough evaluation and analysis of the business strengths and weaknesses which are actually internal to their operation and the opportunities and threats which can be further analyzed by looking at the external environment. The results of this analysis can be used at the maximum by exploiting the strengths and opportunities of the organization while neutralizing the threats and deliberately avoiding the weaknesses (Griffin, 2008). STRENGHTS OF BARCLAYS The strength of a company gives the business it competitive edge over other players in the same industry of even among indirect players which can still be classified as participants in the competition. These strengths could include their special capability, resources, or skills which set them apart of the competition like their market dominance and a pleasant financial performance which is set to make them perform better in the following years of operation (Stapleton Thomas, 1998). One of the strengths which can be attributed to the operation of Barclays Bank is its worldwide presence. The international expansion of this financial institution has enabled the business to tap more market and more territories which gave them the advantages of enjoying the economies of scale and it let them enjoyed the benefit of allowing risks to be spread among its numerous bank locations. Their presence in different locations among different countries increases the potential of the business as they become more known in the field of finance and banking industry. The bank has a huge global presence across regions like Europe, South America, North America, Africa and Asia serving almost 50 million clients (BankAdvisor, n.d.) 2007 2008 2009 2007 2008 2009 The two charts which were presented above show another strengths reaped by the bank in the past year. The first chart shows a comparative three year analysis of economic profit which is deemed as one essential key performance indicator of the business. This refers to the firms profit after tax and other non-controlling interests less capital charges. The higher economic profit of Barclays this year as compared to the previous year is indicative of its good performance as such reflects a growth in the banks profit and reflects their efficient use of capital. This strength of Barclays necessitates that the company is doing good in terms of being able to generate economic revenue which is also reflective of good financial performance in the previous year. This goes to show that the company is performing well amidst economic difficulties. Furthermore, the second graph shows the profit before tax of the bank. The chart shows that their profit this year is significantly higher compared to the previous year, another indicator if the companys strength despite the major challenges in the global economic situation particularly affecting international financial institutions. The total profit before tax is one of the most essential profitability measures which can be used to assess and evaluate the performance of a particular company in a given year. It is used as a key indicator of the financial performance which most investors gauge in order to determine how successful a business performed in the past year. The financial data of Barclays, based on their Annual Company Report, reflects an almost doubled profit before tax compared to the previous year. This is another strength which can be considered for the company and such can be able to attract more investments because of the relatively good business in the past year. WEAKNESSES OF BARCLAYS Aside from the strengths of Barclays Bank which were enumerated above, it is also important that we take a look at its corresponding weaknesses. The weaknesses of a business the weaknesses of a business illustrates the areas in which they have not shown exemplary performance and the areas in which they did not show desired or anticipated results. These weaknesses can refere to the traits in which they need improvement. Once carefully identified and stipulated, their weaknesses can help them formulate better strategies and practices so that they can be assured of a better performance. One of the weaknesses of Barclays is its control systems. Because of their deemed defective and inefficient control systems, they were fined in September of last year. This can be classified as their weakness because this tarnished the name in the industry of financial institutions and caused them to have a bad reputation in the eyes of the public. They were fined because of their failure to provide daily data regarding bank transactions which will be used by the government to be able to track and investigate suspected abuse in the trading and also cases of manipulation in the market. This tougher banking regulation has also affected some of the major banks in Europe. Unfortunately, it costs Barclays a lot as they paid a fine amounting to 2.45 million pounds because of this violation on the government laws. The fine would have been bigger if in case they did not cooperate earlier to be able to settle the case (Olson, 2009). 2008 2009 The chart which was illustrated above shows another weakness of the performance of Barclays based on its performance in the previous year. The chart shows the comparative analysis on the number of Barclayard users or customers for the past two years. Barclayard is an international credit card that is multi branded. It is one of the leading credit card businesses in Europe with a relatively growing market in America and other parts of the world as well. The number of customers handling the aforementioned credit card was brought to an entire almost two million customers low this year. This can be attributed to the fact that because of the financial and global economic crisis which hit the world in the previous years, fewer customers are interested on credit purchases because of the uncertainty of their respective financial situations. This can be regarded as a weakness for Barclays because this only illustrates that although other parts of the business is earning, this particular secto r of the business is beginning to lose its customer base which might actually worsen in the next years and can inevitably result into decreased profits. Aside from what has been mentioned, another factor which can be regarded as the weakness of Barclays is that it gives out large amount of bonuses to the members of the Board of Directors. Such practice has gained numerous comments and criticisms from different groups in the past. If such practice will continue, it will haunt them in their operation and will cause more eyes to be focused on them and can even reveal further problems and weaknesses which are inherent in the operation of the business. OPPORTUNITIES FOR BARCLAYS The opportunities which confront the operation of international businesses is another factor which should be evaluated when analyzing the performance of a specific company. These opportunities can open new door for the business, can be basis for expansion or extension of operation, and can give way to opening of new businesses and catering to more markets which were not served before. One of the opportunities for Barclays is the increasing importance of the role which is played by the banks in the society nowadays (Varley, 2009). Despite the numerous disadvantages which were brought about by the financial and global economic crisis, the role of the banks in the society did not weaken; rather it experienced increased importance especially in its ability to provide reliable and efficient payment systems, safe storage for savings and deposit, maturity transformation, management of asset and other investments. This increasing importance of banks amidst financial turmoil provides the indu stry greater opportunities to open its doors into new businesses and ventures which can bring them generous amount of profit and will let them enjoy sustainable competitive advantage in the long run. 2007 2008 2009 2007 2008 2009 The two charts which were presented above also shows areas of opportunity for Barclays Bank. The first one shows the levels of customer satisfaction. in the past years, the level of satisfaction was only 67% versus this years 72%. It is shown that there is a significant increase which means that there is a relatively larger number of customers this year who felt that there is an improvement in the quality of service provided by the bank. This can be classified as an opportunity because this can lead to more strategies focused on the customers and services which could better satisfy their needs. This can also serve as an indicator of more expansion in the line of services they provide since more people are happier with the output and quality of their service provision. The heightened percentage in the level of customer satisfaction can help the business realize more opportunities which are people-related and it can also provide them with the opportunity to develop only better services to be assured of higher satisfaction ratings in the years to come. Furthermore, the second chart shows the amount of income generated internationally. This reflects revenue which was generated from their banks and other forms of businesses outside the United Kingdom. For the year 2008, their international income reached a percentage of 47, and it increased to 57% this year, this goes to show that there is more profit this year generated from international operation as compared to the previous year. This international diversification of the organizations income will provide them with an opportunity to lower the occurrence of risk as they are displaced on a number of locations. The increase in the percentage of income generated from international operation can also provide them with the opportunity to put up more locations in other countries and opportunity to improve service in other countries since these branches are bringing them more revenue year after year. THREATS FOR BARCLAYS The threats which confront any business are as timeless and inevitable as what have been previously discussed. These threats can extend from internal to external and from mild to complex. Companies must be ready once they are confronted with these threats to be bale to sustain and survive in the ever competitive world of business. Threat should be managed carefully to be able to outplay the competition and overcome the struggles which were brought about by such challenges. 2007 2008 2009 The chart which was presented above shows one of the threats confronting the operation of Barclays. It must be noted that in the opportunities section, the rseracher included the increase in income generated from international expansion as a remarkable opportunity because there is a significant increase in the income from the said section of the business. However, needles to say, the increase in income does not always equate to satisfactory international performance. The chart above shows that almost 100 branches outside the United Kingdom closed as compared to the number of branches in the previous year. The closure of these branches is attributed to the fact that they can be bypassed in terms pof performance of some banking transactions which does not need an actual banking operation to take effect. However, the closure of such branches also poses a serious threat to the business because it only means that there is a reduction in the number of locations in which people can transact actual and physically. Because they have reduced the number of their merchant locations, clients may then be prompted to explore the options they are confronted and might actually opt for other banking service provider. Another threat to the operation of Barclays bank would be the increased competition among financial institutions not only in the United Kingdom, but in the international market as well. Although the world has been confronted with financial and economic crunches, the role of banks in the society and in the lives of the people has continued to increase overtime as its function also increased significantly. With that, if there is a relatively low rate of new entrants, it cannot be denied that those who jhave already been in the top are perpetually increasing their efforts to tap more markets globally. Their efforts and strategies are unwavering towards provision of better public service which in turn can give the customers a sense of satisfaction. Because of these efforts and strategies, competition has been more stringent as they utilize more marketing tools which are helping them in their operations. This increased and tightened competition can prove to be unhealthy especially if the efforts of Barclays are not directed towards strategies to survive the competitive playground. Another threat to the operation of Barclays could be the fact that the company has been reputed for closing too many branches in the past, specifically in the year 2000. Such act can lower their competitive position and can create and imagery without credibility and assurance in terms of their operation. The closure of these branches could actually mean weak financial performance thereby threatening both the investors and its array of potential clients. CONCLUSION The global financial and banking industry is not exempted from the economic and financial turmoil which confronts international businesses. In fact, these financial institutions can even feel the greater effect of the predicament as they are concerned with how the world turns around financially. However, a careful analysis of the financial institutions strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats can be of help to be able to formulate better strategies and in order to eliminate practices which are not showing efficiency in their global operations. A careful analysis of such could be able to help them determine and improve their position with regards to competition. The analysis on Barclays shows that they are still in a stable competitive position despite the predicaments which confront their operation. They have a stable financial and management base which enables them to manage the adversaries which are perpetually striking the global businesses.

Ronald Reagan – Psychological Eval

He has been called the most significant President of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan’s devotion to the American people and his unwavering commitment to managing both domestic and foreign affairs with sincerity, composure and efficiency provided a beacon of hope in an era that was marked by economic turmoil on the homefront and an impending threat of nuclear war. An analysis of Reagan’s life history, from a psychological standpoint, seeks to reveal the significant factors and influential events that may shed light on how he acquired the distinctive characteristics and how the interplay of how these factors subsequently shaped the extraordinary person he became. It is necessary to consider the influence of heredity, certain family issues, social systems and environment on psychological development. Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in the small midwestern town of Tampico, Illinois to Nell (mother) and Jack (father) and older brother Neil. Jack Reagan was a salesman, a staunch Irish- Catholic, a Democrat, despised bigotry and racial discrimination, supported blue collar workers and instilled in his sons the same values. Possibly more influential to Ronald’s psychological development was that his father was also an alcoholic (Gilbert, 2007). This was very difficult aspect of Reagan’s childhood and he struggled to cope with his reality and make sense of his father’s behavior. Ronald's mother, Nelle was a very patient and nurturing woman who doted on her sons. She can be credited for familiarizing Ronald to theater and the stage by sharing with him her love of acting, as she was an actress herself. Being on stage and performing proved to be enjoyable for Ronald, so much so that he went on to star in various Hollywood movies. He even confessed that, â€Å"for a kid suffering childhood pangs of insecurity, the applause was music† (Will, 1990). She made a concerted effort to help them recognize that their fathers alcoholism, while upsetting and hard to understand, was a disease. Nelle was sympathetic in helping her sons deal with their father’s affliction and urged them not to blame their father for succumbing to the disease. She functioned as the constant source of unconditional loving care that seemed to lessen, though not completely diminish, the impact of Jack’s disease (Gilbert, 2007). She reminded her sons how evident their father’s love was when he was not drinking and helped them to maintain love and respect for their father in spite of his weakness. Nelle was a faithfully eligious woman and frequently made visits to families in need, the sick and went out of her way to lend a helping hand to anyone she was able help. Her generosity, kindness and unconditional love had a profound impact on her sons and masked some of the pain and disillusionment associated with their fathers’ alcoholism (Gilbert, 2007). For Reagan, growing up in an environment marked by the staggering paradox of his parents left an indelible impact on his life. His mother was the dependable parent who provided consistent love and guidance. In contrast, Jack Reagan’s alcoholism caused his sons considerable grief and confusion as to why he was unable to conquer his disease. Nelle Reagan wanted to protect her sons by rationalizing Jack’s behavior hoping they would not develop resentment towards their father. These efforts by Nelle, while well intentioned, served to create the illusion that the Reagan home environment was less dysfunctional than it truly was. According to Psychodynamic Theory, her behavior could be interpreted as reflective of an unconscious need to protect her children. Making a consistent effort to assure her sons that their father was the victim of a disease and powerless against his alcoholism could be classified as an illustration of both denial and rationalization. Denial is defined as, â€Å"the persons refusal to acknowledge external realities or emotions† (Kowalski and Westen, 2009). Rationalization can be identified as, â€Å"explaining away actions in a seemingly logical way to avoid uncomfortable feelings† (Kowalski and Westen, 2009). The Reagan family moved many times as a result of Jack’s inability to maintain work. This made it difficult for Ronald to build friendships which inevitably took a toll on his social skills as a boy and his ability to have meaningful relationships as an adult. As a child, Ronald Reagan was an introverted child with low self esteem (Gilbert, 2007). This is highly characteristic of children with alcoholic parents. Many individuals in Reagan’s close knit inner circle observed his reluctance, even inability, to sustain intimate and meaningful relationships with very many individuals. This is consistent to what research suggests about children who grow up in families in which at least one of the parents is an alcoholic. According to an article in the International Journal of Social Sciences and General Studies, â€Å"since the family is the context in which children usually learn to express their feelings, to love and express affection and to trust and share intimate aspects of their lives; it is understandable that many adult children of alcoholics have significant problems with psychosocial adjustment. They show extreme difficulty in sharing themselves in intimate ways with other people† (2010). It seems unlikely that Ronald Reagan, or any child who endures such unfortunate experiences, would ultimately be an actor or the president of the United States! However, the attention that Reagan sought was passive attention. He did not necessarily have to interact with audience members or constituents on a level that forced him to create any intimate, personal bond with these persons. Rather, he was able to operate from a secluded platform where he was able to control people’s perceptions of him. While he proved to be an effective leader and loved President, his childhood and subsequent development were certainly noticeable and undoubtedly affected how he operated as the leader of the free world.

Ten Blessed Companions

10 BLESSED COMPANIONS-ALI(RA) ALI (RA) [J-04] Q Write an account of the following figures during the life of the Prophet (saw): Hamza (ra), Abu Bakr (ra) and Ali (ra). [10-J-11] Q Explain why one of these figures was important in the development of Islamic community. [4-J-11] the son of Ibu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet (saw). from Hashimi family of Quresh and the first cousin of the Prophet (saw). married the youngest daughter of the Prophet (saw), Fatima (ra). father of Hasan (ra) and Hussain (ra). rought up by the Prophet (saw) and Khadija (ra) since he was very young. first child (10 years) who became Muslim. known for his knowledge and bravery. lay on the bed of the Prophet (saw) without any hesitation when the Prophet (saw) migrated to Madina. In the expedition of Khaiber, he was honored by the Prophet (saw) when he fought with the sword of the Prophet (saw) and conquered difficult fortresses. He was titled, Asad Ullah, the lion of Allah. Another title of Ali (ra) is Abu Tura b. In all battles he fought bravely for Islam. n intelligent and a very learned person. Prophet (sw) says: â€Å"I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its door†. He was appointed governor of Yemen in 631. has the honour of giving bath to the dead body of the Prophet (saw) and lay him in the grave. The Prophet (saw) declared him his brother when the brotherhood took place in Madina. He took oath on the caliphates of the first three caliphs an important advisor to all caliphs. 4th Caliph He was assassinated in Kufa in 660 AD, 60 AH among the ten blessed companions

Do We Really Have Bugs Living Our Your Eyelashes

You probably dont think of your face as a homestead for bugs, but its true. Human skin is literally crawling with microscopic insects called mites and these critters have a fondness for hair follicles, especially the ones that belong to eyelashes and nostril hair. Normally, these super-tiny critters dont cause problems for their human hosts but in rare cases, they can cause eye infections.   Mite History We’ve known about face mites since the early 1840s, thanks to their near-simultaneous discovery by two German scientists. In 1841, Frederick Henle found tiny parasites living in earwax but he wasn’t sure how to classify them within the animal kingdom. He said as much in a letter to German physician Gustav Simon, who discovered the same parasites year later while studying facial pimples.  Demodex folliculorum had arrived. More than a century later in 1963, a Russian scientist named L. Kh. Akbulatova noticed that some face mites were a bit smaller than the others. He considered the shorter mites a subspecies and referred to them as Demodex brevis. Subsequent study determined that the mite was actually a distinct species, with a unique morphology that differentiated it from the larger Demodex folliculorum. All About Mites There are more than 60 species of parasitic mite, but only two,  Demodex folliculorum  and  Demodex brevis, like to  live on human beings. Both can be found on the face, as well as the chest, back, groin, and buttocks. The  Demodex brevis, sometimes called the face mite, prefers to live near  sebaceous glands, which produce oil the keep the skin and hair moist. (These glands also cause pimples and acne when they become clogged or infected.) The eyelash mite,  Demodex folliculorum, prefers living on the hair follicle itself.   Research shows that the older you are, the more face mites you have tucked away in your facial follicles. Newborn babies are mite-free, but by age 60, virtually all humans are infested with face mites.  Face mites are believed to spread from person to person via close contact and a healthy human adult is colonized by 1,000 to 2,000 follicle mites at any given time, without ill effects. Facial mites have eight stubby legs and  long, thin heads and bodies that allow them to move in and out of narrow hair follicles with ease. Face mites are tiny, measuring a mere fraction of a millimeter long. They spend their lives head-down in the follicle, gripping onto the hair or lash tightly with their feet.   Follicle mites (Demodex folliculorum) typically live in groups, with a few mites sharing a follicle. The smaller face mites (Demodex brevis) seem to be loners and generally only one will occupy a given follicle. Both species feed on the secretions of oil glands and  Demodex folliculorum  is thought to feed on dead skin cells as well. Occasionally, a face mite may need a change of scenery. Face mites are photophobic, so they wait until the sun goes down and the lights are off before backing slowly out of their follicle and  making the arduous journey  (moving at a rate of about one centimeter per hour) to a new follicle.   There are still some things that researchers dont know about facial mites, especially when it comes to their reproductive lives. Scientists believe that facial mites may only lay one egg at a time because each egg can be up to half the size of its parent. The female deposits her eggs inside the hair follicle and they hatch in about three days. Within the span of a week, the mite progresses through its nymphal stages and reaches adulthood. Mites live about 14 days. Health Issues The link between facial mites and health problems is not well understood, however, scientists say they do not normally pose any issues for people. The most common disorder, called demodicosis, is caused by an overabundance of mites on the skin and hair follicles. Symptoms include itchy, red, or burning eyes; inflammation around the eyelid; and crusty discharge around the eye. Seek medical treatment if you have any of these symptoms, which can also indicate other health issues besides mites. In some instances, your doctor may recommend a prescription or over-the-counter antibiotic treatment. Some people also recommend cleaning the eyelashes with tea tree or lavender oil and washing the face with baby shampoo to remove mites. You may also want to consider discontinuing the use of cosmetics—especially mascara and eyeliner—until your skin is clear.   People suffering from rosacea and dermatitis tend to have a much higher number of face mites on their skin than persons with clear skin. However, scientists say theres no clear correlation. The mites may cause the skin to break out, or the infection may attract abnormally large mite populations. Large face mite populations have also been found on people suffering from other  dermatological disorders, such as alopecia (hair loss),  madarosis (loss of eyebrows), and infections of hair and oil glands on the head and face. These are fairly uncommon, and the link between them and mites is still being studied. Sources: Hassan, Iffat, and Rather, Parvaiz Anwar. Human  . Indian Journal of Dermatology. January-February, 2014.  Demodex  Mite: The Versatile Mite of Dermatological ImportanceJones, Lucy. These Microscopic Mites Live on Your Face. BBC.com. May 8, 2015.Knutson, Roger M. Furtive Fauna: A Field Guide to the Creatures Who Live on You. Viking Penguin, 1992.Berenbaum, May R. Bugs in the System: Insects and Their Impact on Human Lives. Addison-Wesley, 1995.Rajan, T.V. Textbook of Medical Parasitology. BI Publications Pvt Ltd, 2008.Gutià ©rrez, Yezid. Diagnostic Pathology of Parasitic Infections: With Clinical Correlations. Oxford University Press, 2000.