Derivatives and Alternatives Investment Written Assignment Coursework

Derivatives and Alternatives Investment Written Coursework - Assignment Example The mechanism of interest rate swap is explained below with the help of a small example. Let consider to party A & be involved in the interest swap for a period of 5 years. The payment made by A will be calculated at 6% fixed interest rate where as for B the rate is calculated at 6 months floating. The principal let us consider as $10 million. Cash flows for the above case are described in the diagram below: Payment at the end of half year Period Fixed Rate Payments Floating rate Payment 8 months Libor Net cash from A to B 1 300000 337500 -37500 2 300000 337500 -37500 3 300000 337500 -37500 4 300000 325000 -25000 5 300000 325000 -25000 6 300000 325000 -25000 7 300000 312500 -12500 8 300000 312500 -12500 9 300000 312500 -12500 10 300000 325000 -25000 -2500000 b. Is hedging this portfolio necessary?   Hedging can be defined as a process which control or reduce the risk associated with any kind of trade. Hedging can be done taking into consideration of the market potion which may arri ve in the future, which is exactly opposite to that of the present physical market condition in terms of price. Hedging the portfolio is a better option for the asset manager in view of long run profit making. At present there are a fixed rate SWAP in case of EURO market, and floating interest rate with bank of Ericaca for tenure of 1 year. However, If the central bank withdraws the support behind the asset price then there will be a chance of a decrease in the asset price. So to hedge to invest for a 1 year term will help the investor to get the profit. We can consider two different scenarios: if the asset price goes down in next one year or if the asset price goes up in next one year. In the first instance, if the asset price goes down the value of the contract will decrease, so the asset management company will incur loss in future transaction, but the purchase that he has to make will gain profit for him. On the other hand if the value of the asset increases over the year then a t the end of the term, the asset manager will gain profit for his future transaction, but on the other hand to purchase the new asset he has to pay more hence there is a possibility of loss. So in both the cases there is a chance of loss which can be overruled by the profit of long term contract or hedge that the asset management company have take as a precaution. c. Is hedging this portfolio necessary without IRS? The portfolio would require hedging even without the IRS because of the German equities which belongs to the Euro region and needs hedging. The USD LIBOR lending is hedgined by the futures contract but the equities require further hedging with the help of long term futures. Reference Corb, H. (2013), Interest rates Swaps and other Derivatives, Columbia University Press. a) Credit default Swap or CDS can be defined as an agreement between seller and the buyer, in case of loan default. It is a financial swap agreement, where the buyer makes a series of payment to the seller and gets the payoff if the loan gets default. The concept was first invented by Blythe Masters of JP Morgan in the year 1994. According to Schutz (2012), it is an essential insurance contract to hedge the credit risk associated with any kind of loans. It is a kind of derivatives, the value of which depends on the possibility of a company defaulting. Schutz in his writing mentioned about the existence of two different kinds of

History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

History - Assignment Example Preparation of United States was scornfully insufficient for the warfare. Disasters occurred at the part of America as the force leaded by General William Hull had to surrender to the Canadian force headed by Isaac Brock. Then again the American Army showed good performance on the seas. Constitution achieved victory over Guerrià ¨re and Macedonian was taken over by America and these two are considered the most glorious achievements of the warfare although in 1813 the British supremacy was established on the sea war. In 1813, September, America got the victory at Lake Erie and it paved the path of advancements of United States against the rivals. During the initial months of the year 1814 the economical condition and the supply of resources suffered decline which made the prospects gloomy for America. New England took a hostile approach and Napoleon came back to Europe which helped Britain to invest more power in the ongoing war. In 1814, September, the British fleet was conquered ne ar Plattsburgh. In the month of August the British army made an expedition to the Chesapeake Bay and won at Bladensburg. They burnt the White house and the capitol city Washington. But the victory of Britain was stopped at Fort McHenry near Baltimore. The force of Jackson moved towards New Orleans in Louisiana in the month of November, 1814. Within the period of December 1814 to January 1815, the city was defended from the huge British force headed by â€Å"Major-General Sir Edward Pakenham†. After the â€Å"Treaty of Ghent† the british army stopped further attacks on New orleans. According to Madison US was very much capable of defending themselves and also to capture a large share of Canada at the time of Napoleon’s defeat. Canadian colonies did not have much force from the British. The problems of the Northwestern Frontier were resolved temporarily by the â€Å"Jay Treaty†

Dream meant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dream meant - Essay Example It disappears into the distance and I am very sad because I was not able to catch up with it. Question 2. I think the dream meant that I am missing my grandmother, and it shows me that I have not forgotten her, and still have positive feelings about her. She was a very kind and wise person, and perhaps the dream is a kind of wish fulfilment, showing me a scene that I wish I could encounter in real life. The scene of the busy road may be a depiction of the way that life moves along, sometimes too fast for us, and we want to hold on to things in the past rather than reach out for what is coming in the future. Freud notes that this kind of grieving dream is typical after a certain period: â€Å"Thus, after the death of someone dear to them, people do not as a rule dream of him to begin with, while they are overwhelmed by grief.† (Freud: 1998, p. 52) It is only later, when the strong feelings have grown weaker, that a person remembers the lost loved one, often noticing small detai ls and remembering incidents from the past. In Freud’s view dreams are triggered by events, sometimes very minor ones, that occur in the hours before sleeping, and they grow out of the power of association that exists between objects, people, moods etc that we encounter in our lives. Question 3.

How do western media cover China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

How do western media cover China - Essay Example Historically, western nations of the world have risen and developed much earlier than those from the far east, especially South East Asia. Such developments in the west from the fifteenth century have radically shaped the image of Europe being a forerunner in progress. It has set the standard for the rest of the world to emulate (Cao, 2012). This has developed an arrogance which claims the western portrayal of the ‘orient’ as incapable of ‘modernization’ (Said, 1978). From nineteenth century scholars such as Marx and Hegel, to modern authors such as Fukuyama (1989), non-Western nations have been portrayed as technologically and socio-politically inferior to western countries. Three Events Meriting Media Coverage for the World Guo (2012) identified three major events in Chinese history in 2008 that have been portrayed by western media in several ways. These are the Tibetan riots in March, The Wenchuan Earthquake in May and the Olympic Games in August. With th ese three events happening in a span of a few months, China has received a wide variety of impressions from all over the world thanks to the subjectivity/ objectivity of news delivery of western media. The Tibetan riots were impelled by political causes and were highlighted with the conflicts and disputes on religion, freedom of speech and politics between Chinese society and western media. These riots attracting much attention from media and may have conveyed to the world that political instability can result from such a spectacle. The overall perception created by the western media was allegedly â€Å"inaccurate, ideologically biased against and unfair towards China† (Guo, 2012, p. 78). Chinese scholars thought that western media coverage of the Tibetan riots portrayed it as a government crackdown instead of a mere act of riot or unrest from a minority of the population of civilians (Guo, 2012). They felt that the foreign correspondents sided with the Tibetan rioters who we re described as suppressed in their fight for freedom and equal human rights. On the other hand, these correspondents were critical and suspicious of the Chinese government. Further, such reporting of the news on the riots was not constrained to the event itself but was linked and analyzed with other protest actions such as the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and a possible boycott of the forthcoming Beijing Olympics a few months after the riots (Zhao, 2008). The negative impression created by this western media coverage affected people’s anticipation of negative outcomes in the holding of the Olympics in China in the same year. What was expected to be an exciting and momentous sports event was marred by an anti-Chinese torch relay during the Olympics because of the earlier Tibetan riots (Zhang & Yu, 2008). Such display of rebellion has turned world opinion against China, and this was highlighted by western media (Guo 2012). Hosting the Olympics meant a big deal to China si nce it represented an achievement of a long-held ambition to show the world that sport is taken quite seriously in this country, not merely for fun or physical competition. For China, it is about national honor, pride or shame. The Olympic spirit is tightly intertwined with the Chinese nationalist sentiment (Guo 2012). The great anticipation in planning this grand event was disappointed by the natural disaster of an earthquake and the human intervention of a rambunctious riot meant to divert attention from the grandeur of the Olympics. In contrast, the Wenchuan

Fix the report of HR strategy of BWM in china Essay

Fix the report of HR strategy of BWM in china - Essay Example There are different laws, rules and regulations of different countries which will affect the global business activities. Cultures will be different, environmental factors will also be different. So the business may face some constraints, challenges and conflicts which may be raised from different laws, culture and societies. To operate business outside the national borders a company should think about their planning and taking decisions and it will take initiative to incorporate international business related considerations. The management of the company have to decide at first that what will be the goods and services or ideas that will be fitted in the international market, how the company will deliver goods to that market. Is the company delivering from domestic production unit or it will make production centre in the international market and goods will be supplied from there. The company should enter in the international market through trade or through investment this will be anot her point of decision. Customer’s behaviour also can be changed in different country’s market according to the time changes. The company should maintain the features of the product or the way to offer its services in accordance with the customer’s behaviour. If customers wants to get fast and quick services on time in case of logistics and transportation then the related companies in this field should be updated and change their speed of services. They will take some operational strategy to provide fast and quick services on time to meet the requirement of customers. If they will unable to take such initiatives then they will not survive in the international market. Recession is another big point in case of international business. Revenue, profit and sales will be declined. Company will stop to hire employees or cut down some manpower. Generally it will reduce the income of people and at a time reduce the purchasing power. Market change also helps to reduce the

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study Essay Example for Free

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study Essay Joe’s employees need to understand how people form perceptions and make attributions for several reasons. As they are in a selling business, employees need to know how they can best be perceived as to earn the trust of their customers. It is important to know how to be ethical in selling as well as trustworthy so that customers feel confident in choosing their services time and again. Aside from how their customers may perceive them, they must also be aware of how their employer sees them. It is important to employers to find capable, confident and hardworking potential employees. In 2011 CBS news did a story on how others see us and how we see ourselves. This report asserts that it is more important to know how others see us as it is by their reactions to who we perceive them to think we are that our own actions come from. They give a couple of examples right off about how a first date can leave you feeling defeated or conversely very confident. Just because you walk away feeling one way or another is not necessarily an indicator of how the date actually went or what the other party thought of you. Another example is given in that it not necessarily important for a company’s top executives to have a positive opinion of their product or service, it is more important that the consumer have an idea of their offering that generates more and more business. This usually comes from a positive perception of what they have to offer. These principals easily align with the idea that it is important in general to do what you can to have others form a positive impression of you. So, what makes a good first impression? Forbes magazine proposes theses 5 traits. First, â€Å"set an intention. † This means to visualize what you want out of whatever you are undertaking. For example, if it is a job interview, see yourself in the position with the traits you deem necessary for success at that position. You will be much more likely to pull off an air of those attributes if you have first taken the time to role play in your mind a successful turnaround of the event. Second, â€Å"think about your ornaments. † In other words, pay attention to the details of your outward appearance. For men this may mean choosing the right watch to portray the success they see themselves having, for women it may mean jewelry or makeup that puts them in that same space. For both genders hair, shoes, and clothing are important factors in building the perception you are seeking. For instance, someone who is running for congress would want to choose more conservative and sophisticated looking â€Å"ornaments† whereas someone seeking a job with Vogue magazine may want to dress very current and â€Å"edgy† for their interview to show they are relevant for the position they seek. We can easily apply this to Joes employees as they will want to know what type of companies they anticipate receiving business from. If they know that they are dealing with a very â€Å"traditional† client they may want to dress for success that day by choosing clothing that portrays a traditional and trustworthy image. Conversely, if they are meeting with a client who takes big risks and hopes for their partners in business to as well, they may want to choose a look that portrays confidence and a spunky, no holds barred attitude. At Verizon Wireless we have a very relaxed work culture that more often than not is fun and youthful. However, when interviewing for a new position within the company it is no different than most traditional settings. Candidates seem to do better when they are dressed professionally and are well polished overall. Going back to the Forbes article, the third tip is to â€Å"be conscious of your body language. † Pay particular attention to your posture, handshake, eye contact and what you are doing with your hands. A confident person is not going to be slumped over, slouching and have their arms crossed. A confident person is going to sit or stand up straight, give their attention to the person with whom they are seeking attention by offering polite eye contact and also by using their hands to emphasize they are open to the others input. Fourth on the list of must do’s for a good impression is â€Å"avoid bad days. † Often in the business world networking is a key part of building strong business relationships. Forbes suggests that if you are having a terrible day at work then it is likely you are not going to be up for dealing with people. Your courtesy and smile are going to appear in genuine if you are not really in the mood to be there and people will pick up on that. If you can skip that mixer you had planned to attend go for it. If not, do something that will lighten your mood and hopefully get your head in a more light-hearted place. Lastly, â€Å"be interested and interesting. † Who wants to spend their time on the dud of the group? Be interested in those you are serving. No one wants to only hear about you, and no one wants to feel like you certainly have more important things to be doing than helping them. Learning Theory Joe has several theories of learning to choose from in how he prefers to teach his employees. The two main theories in discussion today are Social and Operant learning theory. For general understanding let’s look further into the specifics of each. Mosby’s medical dictionary defines Operant conditioning as â€Å"a form of learning used in behavior therapy in which the person undergoing therapy is rewarded for the correct response and punished for the incorrect response. †(2009) In other words, a leader demonstrates desired behaviors and rewards others when the same behaviors are demonstrated. Second is Social theory. Mosby’s states, â€Å"A concept that the impulse to behave aggressively is subject to the influence of learning, socialization, and experience. Social learning theorists believe aggression is learned under voluntary control, by observation of aggressive behavior in others, and by direct experience. †(2009) In short, people will not engage in reproduction of a behavior without motivation. The best way for Joe to motivate and empower his employees in this situation is with Operant conditioning. This affords Joe the chance not only to demonstrate the correct behavior he desires, but also gives him a platform to modify negative traits as well. Joe is looking for people to showcase his business and put forth the same united front of loyalty and customer respect that he has put in place at Great Northern American. Improving Employee Performance Operant conditioning is best in the work environment as it gives a more level playing field for all to succeed. Some people are born naturally more talented than others, but this does not in any way make them less important in the workforce. Some people may never be number 1 overall in a company (and some don’t desire to be as it requires a lot of commitment) but that does not mean that they are incapable of modeling successful behaviors and attaining top notch ratings. Operant behavior allows for these individuals to succeed where as Social learning theory only really rewards one person overall rather than celebrating the victories along the way for each individual. I personally find it more rewarding to have encouragement along the way. Too often I’ve come in second place and have nothing to show for all my hard work. When this happens I’ve had nothing in the way of reward though I put in significant amounts of work in hopes that I could be the best. Verizon Wireless rewards us along the way and I have certainly been motivated to do better and try harder because of that. I appreciate that Operant conditioning is consistent throughout the entire work year whereas Social learning builds up to one pinnacle moment. Verizon sets attainable yet challenging goals for each individual and once you have met or exceeded those goals, you are pushed to reach for the next rung of the ladder (I. . going from Representative to Sr. Representative) and with that next step you are rewarded with a pay increase and more opportunities for further career development within the company that will help you in future upward mobility opportunities. Likewise, if you are not meeting the minimum expectation you will not be afforded the opportunity to move into the next level of your position, and you may possibly be put on a â€Å"corrective action plan. † Joe could apply this in practical ways as Verizon does with rewards and consequences along the way of career progression. Value of Self Efficacy Joe can best use his evaluation of potential employees’ self-esteem to hire the best by taking stock in his own first impression of a potential employee. He will have a gut instinct reaction to this first impression and he should feel confident in the portrayal each candidate puts forth. Verizon does a good job of asking employees how they would like to be â€Å"coached. † Joe could put something like this in place with potential employees to see if their learning style matches that of the culture of Great Northern American. Self-Efficacy is something that a potential employer (Joe in this case) can look at and determine how driven someone appears. Psychology Today states, â€Å"For instance, people high in self-efficacy take better care of themselves, see tasks as something to be mastered, and they feel more empowered. They’re not controlled by circumstances. They see setbacks as challenges to be overcome and can cope with hardship better than those with low self-efficacy. They learn from failure and channel it into success, like Thomas Jefferson, Walt Disney and J. K Rowling. People higher in self-efficacy also have a greater sense of motivation and persistence. † (LaVan, 2010) With this in mind a correct assessment of self-efficacy can ensure Joe his is hiring someone who will seek to succeed at whatever task he or she is given. To compliment this assessment, Joe must also be willing to â€Å"pump up† his employees. He should offer compliments to good work and publicly praise achievements. This will keep his employees motivated to continue putting their best foot forward for him long after the interview process is completed and the candidate is settled into their job function.

Motivated You To Study Social Work Education Essay

Motivated You To Study Social Work Education Essay My motivation to study social work comes from my passion about helping people who are less advantaged. Having spent the last five years working in a social care environment helped me to realise that my passion lies in helping the most vulnerable members of our society. I found working as a Care Assistant extremely challenging but also rewarding.   Attending a multi-disciplinary care reviews gave me a great insight  Ã‚   into a social worker role. I found out that social work can help service users maintain their dignity and independence, give wider choices of support, protect from abuse as well as reduce admissions to hospital. I hope that studying social work will give me a valuable skills and knowledge needed for effective professional practice as a social worker. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚   What type of learner are you? Last year on the Access course through the exercise on the class I have identified my learning style [Appendix 1].   Knowing and understanding my learning style helped me to learn more effectively and identify opportunities to improve my learning. According to Honey and Mumford (1982) Learning Style Model I perform strongly as a Reflector.   As a Reflector I learn by observing and thinking about what happened. I like to stand back and observe experiences from many different perspectives. I like to collect information (the more that better), and prefer to think about it thoroughly before coming to any conclusions. I prefer to take a back seat in meetings and discussions. I always listen to others before making my own point. I learn less well when being thrown in at the deep end with no time to prepare and when acting as leader or role-playing in front of others. Having identified my learning style, I now understand that as a reflector I am a slow learner and require more time to study, that is why it is important to plan my study effectively. I also need to try to get involved more in meeting and discussions instead of sitting back and listen. My preferred style of learning was also determined by completing the Learning Styles Questionnaire on C_Space [Appendix 2]. According to the questionnaire I learn best by visual way. Information presented in pictures, diagrams or charts is easily remembered.   I like to watch the lecturer closely and be able to see the teacher body language to fully understand the content of a lesson. I also like to use colours in my studies such as coloured markers to highlight information.   As a visual learner it is important to make sure that I sit always in a position in the classroom where I can see things clearly. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do others perceive your values and abilities? Recently I asked my best friend how they perceive my values and abilities. The feedback I have been given was as follow: You are sensible, cautious, careful practical. I see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone whos extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expects the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken. My fellow students see me as confident, open minded and positive person. So far, the feedback form my tutors was always positive, however I am prepared to can take negative feedback. Receiving feedback is great opportunity to gain useful information and insight into what we need to develop or improve in order to grow professionally. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do you approach learning? How have you improved your skills for study (including IT)? Having developed a number of strategies and techniques on last year course enabled me to make the most efficient use of my time, resources, and potential. I approach my studies strategically and systematically by working out where to invest my time and energies. Choosing the right place to study is important as I work most effectively in a well organised study area. I like to work in a comfortable and free from distractions place with a good lighting and a room to spread my book and papers. Time management is a vehicle that can carry you from wherever you are to wherever you want to be (Tracy 2007:2) Time management in the key skill to handle my coursework and to get it done on time. Good time management skills enable me to utilise my time in a more effective way and allow me to accomplish more tasks in a shortest possible way. A study time table is an essential ingredient in effective time management. I have created a weekly time table [Appendix 3 ]   to help me organise my day-today tasks, which keeps me positive and focused on my studying, and helps me achieve my targets. I have also learned to prioritise my work by doing the small and easy tasks first and taking them out of the way, before trying to tackle larger pieces of work. I have created things to do list [Appendix 4]. I use it to set daily priorities and to reduce decision making and worry. The ability to make clear and concise notes is another important skill that I have developed through my study. Taking notes helps me to gain a deeper understanding of the subject and capture the essential points of the topic. It also helps to make sense of what is to be learned and to remember it later. Having identified my preferred learning style I know now that I work well with patterned notes, such as nuclear, spider grams, diagrammatic and mind maps. This method was described by Buzan (1992) in his book Use your head. He calls the technique Mind Mapping. Mind maps allow for greater activity when recording ideas and information, as well as allowing the note-taker to associate words with visual representations (Buzan, 1992). Patterned notes involve writing the main topic in the centre of the page, and then write related ideas around it and link them up to show their relationship to the main idea. Pattern notes are more visual, and are very active form of learning. For example of m y note taking please see [Appendix 5]. I have also learned how to read effectively by being selective, scanning, skimming and questioning as I read. Computer helps me to study in many different ways. It helps me to research online for information, make structured notes, creating charts, graphs and tables and to organise and keep track of my studies. Although I have used computer in the past there was areas that I still had to improve. Last year on the access course I have learned how to work with spread sheets, databases, and create a power point presentation, which helped me to improve my IT skills. [Appendix 6] 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚   What factors affect your learning? Having many responsibilities as an adult learner I must balance against the demands of learning. Personally, the factor affecting my learning is English as a second language I do find it hard at the times to express myself in the way that I wish to. It also lower my confidence and self esteem. Being subject to jokes about my funny accent in the past made me feel nervous when speaking in front of others. However, my confidence in that area improved dramatically since starting the course. Distractions while studying could be another area that affects my learning. I need a quiet and organised place to study without any interruption. I have learned to minimise distractions while I work by encouraging others to respect my rights to work without interruption. I keep my phone off when I am studying to avoid phone calls that could disturb my learning. Self esteem and lack of confidence.   Before I took an Access Course my self esteem as well as confidence were very low. I did not believe in my abilities and felt very anxious about going back to education after a long break. Having a positive feedback from the tutors as well as fellow students helped me to build up my self- esteem and become a confident student. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do you become an effective problem solver in your life? Problem solving is one of the key skills in social work practice. Social workers use a problem solving approach in working with individuals, families, groups and communities. As a social work student, it is very important to me to become an effective problem solver. In my personal life I have learned confronting rather than avoiding problems. I tend to solve my problems using a simple technique. The first stage is to define the problem. To understand why the problem exist and looking at the root cause of the problem. Secondly I explore the problem by looking at how does the problem affect me or others? The next step is looking for possible solutions and selecting a realistic solution that is most relevant to me. Finally I put my solution into action. It is however important to evaluate the effectiveness of my solution. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do you become more effective, independent and confident self- directed learner? Self-directed learning is a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes(Knowles, 1975:14). According to Malcolm Knowles (1984) adults learn differently than young people. In his theory of adult learning Knowles pointed that adults are self- directed in their learning.   As a person matures his self-concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directed human being   (Knowles, 1984:12). As an adult student I take responsibility for my learning processes, such as goal-setting, instructional design and evaluation of my learning process. Being organised helps me to manage my studies effectively. In order to become more independent learner I need to be motivated to learn, able to manage my time effectively, and reflect upon my learning. Effectiveness of learning depend on having your state of mind, space, time, and materials organised in the ways that best suit your learning (Cottrell, 2008:67). 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How did you work cooperatively with others I am a part of a Care team working in a care home for people with dementia. Being a part of the team I have learned how to work co- operatively with my work colleagues. As a team member I have learn contribute to achieving the goal of meeting the needs of clients. Apart from work I also work co operatively with others in group work tasks on classes. We were put to groups to complete specific task. I worked cooperatively by sharing my ideas, being and active listener, respect other people views, work together with the members of group to complete the task successfully. Working in groups gave me a great opportunity to gain confidence and develop interpersonal skills, such as active listening and questioning and communication skills. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do you relate your learning to the contemporary context of social work practice? Working in a Social Care as a Carer my role involves providing practical support, and enabling service users to maintain their independence to lead fuller and secure life. I also build partnerships with people I work with, trying to win them trust and encouraging them to cope and get most out of life. I relate my learning to the contemporary context of social work by implementing my current skills and knowledge to my work settings. Skills such as interpersonal skills help me to understand the importance of actively listening and empathising with service users in order to enter the world from their point of view.   I am also more aware about the group dynamics in my work place and importance of effective team working in order to achieve the desire outcomes.   Since doing the degree I also developed an anti discriminatory practice. I started to relate the theories to practice to understand the causes of discrimination and ways to challenge it effectively.