Assignment 480 ch.6 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

480 ch.6 - Assignment Example This is therefore, a crucial process that will help match the goals and values of the hospital with the needs and expectations of the new employee. The essay will outline the process that will be used in hiring a nurse and develop a job description for this position. As earlier stated, the hospital does not have both the job description, and the hiring procedure. As a human resource specialist, my first objective will to develop the description and specifications of the job, and in our case is nursing. Job analysis is the first step when developing a job description. This will include gathering data on the nature, and position of the job vacancy at the hospital (Arthur, 2012). This will help determine the personal characteristic, knowledge, skills, and other characteristics, (KSAOs), that the job demands. The data gathered will be recorded in a document entailing the specifications and descriptions of the job. The two documents will aid the recruiters and applicants on learning the objectives and requirements of the job vacancy. The second step will involve developing a hiring procedure/process for the hospital. The role of the hiring procedure is to ensure that the hiring is in accordance the values, capacities, and need of the hospital. Additionally, it helps in identification of the system and tools that will aid the hiring process (Arthur, 2012). For the hospital to hire the best candidate there is need for the presence of a large number of applicants. The applicants are informed through employee referral, advertisements, walk-ins, and school recruiters, depending on the cost, time, and resources available. Selection techniques are then employed to ensure the candidate who is best qualified is selected for the job. Scientific selection methods are also employed when selecting the employee. In our case, the hiring procedure will be simple but effective since it is only meant to address one

Moral Dilemma of the Death of a Young Boy in Panama City Essay

Moral Dilemma of the Death of a Young Boy in Panama City - Essay Example We don't want to be compelled to believe that our choices are bad. This is then that we are caught in a moral dilemma. Moral dilemmas are considered dilemmas because of a certain kind of conflict between the rightness or wrongness of the actions and the goodness or badness of the consequences of the actions. If doing what is morally right results in something bad or if doing what is morally wrong results in something good, the force of moral obligation may seem balanced by the reality of the good end. We can have the satisfaction of being right, regardless of the damage done, or we can aim for what seems to be the best outcome, regardless of what wrongs must be committed (Ross, 2005). An unthinkable dilemma could be observed in William Styron's novel Sophie's Choice wherein Sophie had to make a choice which among her two children should she give up the o the Nazi doctor. She had to make a choice in order to save one of them, other else both will be killed. This is such an impossible dilemma for a mother who loves her children so much. Whichever child she chooses, she would end up with a negative consequence, that is losing one of her precious children. Sophie did make a choice because she wanted to keep at least one of them, only to find out that in the end, none would be left to her. Like Sophie, we may be faced with similar situations, though not as worse. Just like practicing the so-called white lies, a person thinks that if he uses that for good, the end would also be good because human tends to go for the positive results no matter what the means may be. But there are cases when we should accept the bad consequences because we ought to do something right. It's either we choose to do what is right and suffer the consequence or do wrong to achieve our desired outcome. Life situations, though, sometimes leave us with no choice. The crucial features of a moral dilemma are these: the person is required to do each of the two (or more) actions, the person can do each of the actions, but the person cannot do both (or all) of the actions.

Five Forces Analyses Of Fulham Football Club Marketing Essay

Five Forces Analyses Of Fulham Football Club Marketing Essay If existing competition is interpreted as simply emanating from other Premiership football clubs, then it is unlikely that customers will shift their support en masse to a competitor, such as London neighbours Chelsea FC. Despite the fact that some fans do attend both grounds, football is one of those products, where, what Brassington and Pettit term competitive marketing, in which promotion deliberately compares products (i.e. a BMW with a Mercedes) is inapplicable. (Brassington and Pettit 2005: p.306) Threat of New Market Entrants Similar considerations as above apply in this respect. There have been instances of new entrants competing for local market share, such as the case of MK Dons and Wimbledon AFC. However, that situation arose out of a particular set of circumstances, (i.e. control of business premises) rather than a straightforward competitive proposition. Power of Suppliers In common with all other UK businesses, Fulham FC will enter a new and more hostile environment in January 2011, when the VAT rate rises to 20 per cent. Fulham will also have to contend with inflation in its business-to-business transactions, i.e. those with building contractors, caterers, transport and hospitality service providers, insurers, utilities providers, communications and administrative contractors, security providers, and the police service. However, the Clubs principle suppliers are its contracted players and there is little to suggest that they are prepared to reduce their fees, rather player wages increase year on year. Bargaining Power of Buyers This could be a major threat to Fulham FC, in the short, medium and long term. As discussed above, the impending introduction of VAT must be regarded as exerting a downward pressure on consumer demand. Although it only represents a  £0.50p increase on a  £20 ticket, the real effect of the rise upon actual consumer demand should be viewed holistically. Fulham supporters will be paying 2.5 per cent more for all of their discretionary living expenses, with a commensurate reduction in their disposable income. If buyers (supporters) stop coming to games Fulham FC will be forced to reduce prices. Threat of Substitute Products A major consideration for Fulham FC, substitutes from outside of football may become significant, especially if alternative sports and leisure offerings were available at a competitive price. This should be considered a proportionate rather than total threat; if, for example, a percentage of football supporters switched to an attractive new product, such as basketball, ice hockey, speedway, or similar, it could impact negatively on club revenues, rather than eliminating them. 1b The Major Points for Consideration for Success in the Football Industry? It may be argued that the most important point for consideration in the success of a football business is liquidity and/or capitalization. It is definitely the case that the best-financed clubs often have the most realistic prospects of winning major trophies. In recent years such investment has become associated with the chairmanship of super-rich entrepreneurs such as Abramovich at Chelsea, and Fayed at Fulham. The latters support of the club even included the opening of a concessionary outlet on the fifth floor of his Harrods store in Knightsbridge. (Brennan et al. 2003: p.229) However, as the Financial Times indicates, dependence upon a wealthy benefactor implies contingent risks, especially if supporters are expected to replace such capitalization on the departure of the former. (Kavanagh 2010) In May 2010, Fayed sold the Harrods store to Qatar Holdings for a reported  £1.5 billion. (Arnold and Rigby 2010) Earlier meetings between Fayed and Lakshmi Mittal prompted speculation that a sale of the heavily indebted Fulham club was immanent. (Smith 2005) The important point here is that, as elsewhere, Fayeds capitalization of the club is secured through debt, a liability which would remain, should he depart. (Buhler and Nufer 2010: p.9) 2 The cost of Premiership players is constantly increasing and yet Fulham must continue to purchase strong international players if it is to continually improve. Fulhams wage/turnover ration is reputed to be around 120 per cent for the 2000 season. In what areas should Fulham Football Club focus its revenue generation activities so that it covers its costs in the longer term? Brennan et al point out; the rationale of footballs primary consumers (i.e. ticket-buying supporters) cannot be analyzed through conventional marketing considerations, since consumption of football is mediated through a variety of non-commercial criteria. Moreover, since the core product is the game itself, Fulham cannot avoid investment in the requisite skills base. (Brennan et al 2003: p.229) Since the Club cannot capitalize its skills-base (i.e. playing and managerial staff) to the extent of the top Premiership clubs, it must pursue the CRM (customer relationship marketing) strategy already adopted. As Brennan et al. express it, †¦since marketers cannot influence the outcome of the game†¦emphasis should be placed upon†¦an offering that†¦extends to an overall package built around the game. (Brennan et al. 2003: p.230) However, as Hooley et al. indicate, effective marketing and segmentation can only succeed if there are commercially significant differences within the customer base. (Hooley et al. 2004: p.271) It cannot be assumed that Fulhams 1999 market research based on an 800-strong participant sample provides enough data about these. (Brennan et al. 2004: p.232). It should therefore commission contemporary market research within a larger sample, i.e. at least 5,000 participants or 25 per cent of aggregate attendance. This data should then be use to Concentrate on developing a CRM (customer relationship marketing) approach with existing customers, through personalized e-commerce, loyalty and reward schemes etc. Their continued support will secure a stable income in the long term, and this is vital, even if it is at a reduced level. As Christopher et al. indicate, in mature markets featuring intensifying competition, existing customers imply less costs and are therefore more profitable to sell to. (Christopher et al. 2002: p.46) Hasten the development of its youth academy output and attempt, wherever possible, to engineer advantageous contractual conditions with players. This could also be used to enhance Fulhams Corporate Responsibility profile, in support of a cause-related marketing approach. (Pringle and Thompson 1999: p.xix) Continue to develop the Fulham Business Club as a means of partnership and investment with local and national businesses. As the Club states The objectives of the business club are straightforward to provide a framework for Fulham supporters in business to come together on a social and informal basis. (Fulham FC 2010) This should nurture what Buhler and Nufer term an industrial marketing perspective, †¦concentrated towards strong, lasting relationships. (Buhler and Nufer 2010: p.22) Concentrate on diversification essential to club revenues, as Brennan et al indicate. (2003: p.236) Since 2009, Fulham FC has been in partnership with Fenway Sports Group, owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. This pairing was regarded by many as unorthodox; the Red Sox are a leading US baseball side, whilst Fulham, although in the Premiership, cannot be regarded as falling into the equivalent category in English football. This stands in contrast to the earlier partnership between Manchester United and the New York Yankees. However, a spokesman for the Boston team asserted that Craven Cottage is 150 years old and Fenway Park is almost 100 years old. Both clubs have strong heritage and strong local ties in the cities in which they play. (Garrahan 2009) The arrangement allows Fenway to benefit from the growing American interest in the English Premier League; it has even been suggested that Premiership games could be played in Boston. Meanwhile, Fulham benefits from Fenways established marketing of sports in the US, a largely virgin market in comparison to UK/Europe. The important point here is that this partnership could yield valuable new market shares in the US if the Fulham/Fenway partnership succeeds, increasing revenue and profitability accordingly. 3 Fulham has a relatively low fan base and a ground capacity that is currently hindered by the need to obtain planning permission approval. How important are the fans in the generation of revenue? Why couldnt Fulham simply focus on television spectatorship? Fulhams ground capacity is low by Premiership standards, with a 25,700 capacity, including provision for 6.500 away fans. (Fulham 2010) However, an over-reliance on television revenues might expose the Club to a loss of revenue as prices rise. Even before the forthcoming VAT increase, British Sky Broadcasting has raised both the wholesale and retail prices. (Fenton 2010) In addition from January 2011, pay-per-view subscribers will begin to pay VAT at 20 per cent. The precise effects of this are unpredictable, but precedents elsewhere suggest weakening consumer demand e.g. the German Bundesbank calculated that a VAT rise in 1997 depressed domestic private consumption by 0.5 over the succeeding decade. (Unattributed 22.7.10) The important point here is that pay-per-view subscriptions nor match attendance represent a recession-proof source of income. On this basis alone, over-reliance on TV receipts is a risky strategy. Also in football marketing generally, it is not the case as Porter argued that a †¦firm gains competitive advantage by performing strategically important activities more cheaply or better than its competitors. (Christopher et al. 2002: p.121) Physical and televised spectatorship cannot be entirely divorced; there is a relationship between the two. Television spectators derive their appreciation and enjoyment of the game partly through the visual and aural stimulus of the crowds behavior at the ground, as well as the uncertainties inherent in the game itself. (Brennan et al. 2003: p.230) Half-empty and quiet grounds, therefore auger badly for the uptake of pay-per-view. It must also be considered that even neutral supporters hold in high appreciation, highly charged grudge-match atmospheres. It must also be remembered that, in the specific business scenario of English Premiership football, increased revenue is not the panacea which the question seems to suggest, since it would not necessarily lead to increased profits. Essentially, Fulham cannot escape the effects of what independent observers term the dysfunctional business model of the English Premier League, in which †¦clubs are continually driven to maximize wages rather than profitability. (Kavanagh 2010) As the Financial Times reports, Premier League wage inflation during the 2008-9 season was 11 per cent; a  £39 million increase in club revenues was dwarfed by a  £132 million rise in total wage costs. At  £1.3 billion, these accounted for 67 per cent of revenues. (Kavanagh 2010) What this means is that increased revenue, whether derived from ticket receipts or TV revenues, would undoubtedly be taken into account by players agents when negotiating future contracts and salaries. Therefore in relative terms, Fulham FC might be no better off. Fulham might also realise profits through marketing the output of its youth academy. However, the professional services group Deloitte reported that transfer expenditure was down 22 per cent to approximately  £350 million in 2010, compared to  £450 million in each of the previous years. Moreover, much of the 2010 total (40 per cent) is accounted for by the  £115 layout of Manchester City. (Blitz 2010) As a Deloitte spokesman put it †¦an absence of new owners and clubs striving to improve their financial balance has diminished the vibrancy of the transfer market. (Blitz 2010) It must also be borne in mind that Premier League rules now limit the overall size of first team squads to 25 players, of whom the overseas contingent must be no greater than 17. (Blitz 2010). To date however has had little impact on the domestic-overseas balance: accountants Grant Thornton reported that only 16 per cent of 2009-10 expenditure was on home-grown players, 20 per cent down on the previous years figures. (Blitz 2010). As one Financial Times commentator puts it Fulham have several advantages over Chelsea their tickets are cheap and easy to get hold of, their ground is picturesque and closer to my house, and their supporters unlike Chelseas thuggish, hyped-up followers are amiable and philosophical. (Rachman 2009) However, as suggested above, it is this exclusivity and character which may limit the scale ability of the brand; if it starts trading down to a wider but less stereotypically Fulham type of fan, its brand equity may be diluted. As Brennan et al. indicate The role of the brand is to act as an important link that brings the club, supporters and potential sponsors together. Building a brand that emphasises values is important to the supporters and other stakeholders alike†¦ (Brennan et al. 2003: p.240) Furthermore, there are inherent dangers in the categorisation of consumers into convenient segments. As Brennan et al. also argue Individualism is becoming increasingly important in society and paramount to ones sense of self†¦ therefore †¦Classifying supporters on the basis of their supposedly homogeneous behaviour may not serve any real purpose. (Brennan et al. 2003: p.236) As discussed above, contemporary market research data must be secured to establish a viable segmenting strategy in contemporary terms. In conclusion Fulham cannot focus solely on television spectatorship as revenue generation is directly linked to the fans, an empty ground will lead to lower Television viewers and lower television viewers means less people likely to become Fulham fans who aspire or wish to watch live games at Craven Cottage, Fulhams home ground, which in turn negatively affects all other revenue generating elements like merchandising etc.

Essay --

My Year of Meats (Ozeki) tells the story of two women in two very different parts of the world, and their tumultuous, life-changing journey with meat over the course of a year. Both characters come face to face with situations that test their beliefs and morals, as well as their resolve. There are many themes and lessons that come out of the two women’s’ journey regarding the media, meat products and capitalism, but one of the majors themes that is present in all aspects of the story is the idea of how ideals are carried through society. At one point or another, both women are faced with a choice to either continue on the path their life is currently on, or go against society and change their course. Ruth Ozeki supports the idea in her book that in order to be truly happy and have a less stereotypical society, each individual member of society must be willing to look at their own lives and change it themselves; otherwise, true change will never happen, and society will never be able to move past its limiting views. Jane Takagi-Little is the first of the main characters to be introduced, and in the beginning of the story she very bluntly points out that, â€Å"One requisite of a good documentarian: you must shamelessly take what is available† (Ozeki 33); however her opinion of what a documentarian should be showing changes and evolves the more she films and interacts with different families. When Jane is asked to write a proposal for a show, My American Wife!, that is sponsored by a major beef corporation called BEEF-EX, Jane does not turn down the opportunity given her tough financial situation (7). Each week the show would look at a different traditional, wholesome American family from around the country, and feature a delicious me... ...er. In the end, My Year of Meats (Ozeki) was the yearlong journey of two different women who decided to go against society and try to make it a better place by changing themselves, finding their own happiness and influencing others to do the same along the way. The purpose of Ozeki carrying this theme through the book is to show that change is possible, but every person needs to start with their own lives as society changes one person at a time, not all at once. Ignorance of problems only leads to the problems becoming worse, and possibly more problems appearing, so it is important to realize and fix them when they are present. This is a very important lesson to be learned from the characters of My Year of Meats (Ozeki), and it is likely a problem that will persist, but through time and effort, society can change, even if it can only be done one person at a time.

Role of Relationship Norms in Processing Brand Information Journal Article Review

The journal article, Role of Relationship Norms in Processing Brand Information by Pankaj Aggarwal and Sharmistha Law, two types of relationships are examined. The first is the communal relationship, â€Å"in which concern for a partner’s need is paramount† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005) and the exchange relationship in which â€Å"a matched benefit is expected back from the partner. This study explored the relationship between business partners as being an exchange relationship and family members and friends as communal. In the first study out of three, is about near versus far product extensions. To easily describe what is meant by this, the researchers compared a chair and furniture. A chair is easily accessed and has the greatest amount of feature-related information. Furniture is going from a specific item to a general level. The study was trying to show that depending on the context, consumers have been found to use product features at different levels of abstraction. The first hypothesis in the first study was, â€Å"Compared to a communal relationship, when the norms of an exchange relationship are salient people evaluate far extensions of a product poorly relative to near extensions† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005). The method for this study was using 64 undergraduate students for the 15 minute study. In the study they tested communal and exchange relationship norms purely as contextual constructs an examine their influence on a subsequent, unrelated decision test. Participants read a brief description of the interaction with another person intended to manipulate one of the two relationships. The exchange relationship scenario used phrases such as â€Å"keep things even,† â€Å"return favors as early as possible,† and â€Å"expect to reciprocate. † In the C. Cox Page 2 communal relationship, the phrases were â€Å"is there whenever they need her,† â€Å"does things to show she cares,† and â€Å"expects friends to be there for her†. Participants then had to answer an open-ended question that made them assume the role of the person described in the scenario and decide how to split a lunch bill with a friend. The result of this first study showed that the â€Å"norms of relationship moderate to the degree to which far product extensions are seen as similar to the original product, as revealed by the differences in the evaluations of the product extensions across communal and exchange relationships† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005). The findings suggest â€Å"the salience of communal relationship norms are more likely than exchange relationship norms to lead to brand information being processed at a higher level of abstraction† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005). The second study was about measuring memory for brand information at different levels of abstraction. The purpose of this study was to prove if people in both relationships were presented with abstract as well as more specific (or concrete) information about a brand, individuals in a communal relationship condition would encode the abstract information, whereas those in an exchange relationship would attend relatively more to the concrete brand information. The hypothesis for the second study is separated into three parts. The first is â€Å"relative to participants in the communal condition, those in the exchange condition will show higher recognition rates for correct concrete brand information and lower rates of acceptance of incorrect concrete brand information†, the second, â€Å"Relative to participants in the communal condition, those in the exchange condition would respond more slowly when correctly identifying abstract brand information†, and â€Å"Relative to participants in the communal condition, C. Cox Page 3 hose in the exchange condition would respond more slowly when identifying plausible inferences† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005). The study had 56 undergraduate students. Participants were presented with one of the two relationships, the same statements as the previous study and a 12-item questionnaire. Participants were asked to read a 450-word description about a hypothetical clothing store. The reading contained concrete and abstract brand information. After the reading and a filler exercise, the participants completed a multiple choice recognition test. The questions tested for memory for the concrete brand and abstract brand. The results of the second study showed that â€Å"participants in a communal condition, relative to those in an exchange condition, have faster access to both correct abstract brand information and plausible inferences, suggesting that they particularly attend to and elaborate on brand information presented at a higher level of abstraction. Participants in the exchange condition apparently needed to construct the abstract brand information be relying on their knowledge of concrete information. Together, these finding support the overall premise that brand-related information is processed at a broad overall level in a communal relation, compared to an exchange relationship in which it is processed at a more detailed and nitty-gritty level† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005). The third and final study was about generating brand features at different levels of abstraction. Study three’s hypothesis was, â€Å"Compared to consumers with an exchange relationship, those with a communal brand relationship will generate brand features at a higher level of abstraction† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005). C. Cox Page 4 One hundred and fourteen undergraduate students were used for the study. Students were asked to fill out a 15 minute paper and pencil study to act as a filler for an unrelated computer based study. Just like the first and second study, students were given a scenario to read. The difference between this study was that the scenarios described a relationship between a person and a product. After the students studied the person and product they filled out a questionnaire about the product and how the person related to it. Students were then asked to rate to the extent to which the brand was like a close friend, a family member, a business person or a merchant. The study showed that the number of words that it took to describe the product in the reading did not make a difference in the communal or exchange relationship. The study did, however, show, â€Å"the type of relationship with a brand in fact leads consumers to focus on different gestures that vary on their level of abstraction† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005). The perceived brand quality did not drive the results since the students were asked to compare it to people. The findings in study number three were the same as in the first two, but were different in context. The results of the whole study found â€Å"that when interacting with a brand, the type of consumer-brand relationship influence what information becomes salient. Hence, in an exchange relation, since the focus is on balancing the input and outcomes, people tend to focus on every detail which results in processing information at a lower level of abstraction. In a communal relationship, the focus is on satisfying the partner’s needs rather than the individual† (Aggarwal & Law, 2005). C. Cox Page 5 CRITIQUE Studying relationship norms in processing information about brands in the field of psychology enriches our understanding of consumer behavior by letting us know how people process brand information when they are in certain relationships. The relationship does not mean a marriage relationship, but rather if they are with a friend, family member, business person or just someone they barely know. This study was interesting because it let me know who are the people who factor the most into their brand relationships and who does not. The problems with this study are that the studies still need further investigation before everything can be fully understood. Boundaries are needed such as differences in brands to really understand how the process is being thought through. Also, the study did use a control group, it was not usually helpful within the study. The results found not difference in what was found previously. Time was also a factor that they did not seem to fit into the study. The study needed to find out if people in a communal relationship take a longer time to focus relative to those in the exchange relationship since the communal people are more concerned of others. The research in this study implies that people will think differently of brands depending in the relationship they are in. The processing time might be longer, shorter, faster or slower. The way of someone thinking about someone else is also a factor due to not thinking of themselves. Managers could use the information given in the study to show different brand features, or use a brand name for other products depending on the relationship. Pricing could also become an issue with relationships. Consumers in an exchange relationship might prefer itemized pay as you go methods while communal relationship people like it in a lump sum price. People could also figure out what type of relationship they have and how people look at them. Those people might C. Cox Page 6 be able to, in the long run, ensure continuous, smooth and more efficient interactions along with longer and more meaningful relationships. This study could be improved if they would have used a wider range of participants. Most undergraduate students would have a different view of a business relationship than someone who is actually in one. Also, everyone is everyones best friend at that age group so they may not appreciate the scenarios for the communal relationship. Although the study could have been called biased for those same reasons, it really was very fair and went smoothly. REFERENCE: Aggarwal, P, & Law, S. (2005). Role of relationship norms in processing brand information. Journal of Consumer Research, 32(3), Retrieved from http://search. ebscohost. com. www. libproxy. wvu. edu/login. aspx? direct=true&db=ufh&AN=19141303&site=ehost-live.

How Modern Technology Affects Language Essay

Language and words are the most important intangible things we have as humans. Having the ability to communicate abstract ideas with others by making sounds with our mouths is what sets us apart from other Earth-walking animals, and is quite incredible when you think about it. However, when the times change, language changes right with it. We are now in what is called the â€Å"Age of Technology† and the major increase in use of the internet, mobile devices and TV has created a whole new set of words that are being looked at as detrimental to traditional language. I do not think the language of new media is corrupting communication but helping, and the idea that it is helping comes from a bias towards younger people. People are generally afraid of change. So it’s understandable why someone who grew up talking a certain way, would be quick to be against the way a new generation was talking. Older people feel as if the words that new media have introduced to our culture are â€Å"slang† and are making us dumb because it’s taking over the traditional way of speaking and writing English. If everyone had this mindset, we would still be speaking like Shakespeare. In the video â€Å"Tweets, Texts & Myths† by Professor David Crystal, he disproves the common myths of modern vernacular. Crystal talks about how this â€Å"new† language is not really used as much as believed, and that they do not hurt people’s ability to write and communicate in a formal setting. Through a classroom study, Crystal found that those students who used the language of new media the most actually received higher marks on written assignments. So perhaps new language is not hurting, but in fact helping. A big part of the movement against the new language that mass media and technology have created is a bias towards younger people, who are the ones that use it the most. People fail to realize that just because someone is young, does not mean what they are doing is wrong. Every group of people has their differences in how they say things, from rocket scientists to a sports team, yet because the young people are doing it, it’s labeled as â€Å"dumb and detrimental†. In the yellow packet we received in class, it reads â€Å"while ‘spaced out’, ‘hang’, or ‘lol’ are widespread and easily understood†¦this ‘teen argot’ is viewed as slang while the arguably even less-penetrable â€Å"’szujet’, ‘diegesis’, and ‘metalepsis’, are recognized as technically appropriate terms for professional literary theorists. (I think it’s ironic how when typing this, the â€Å"sophisticatedà ¢â‚¬  words all were not recognized by the computer). Language is very versatile and should be. At it’s core, language is nothing but a way to communicate, so why does it matter how it’s done as long as it’s done? If you’re saying the same exact thing, why should it matter if you abbreviate a few words or add a word that’s not in the dictionary as long as your audience understands? I think that we have to drop our biases when it comes to something like language and allow for everybody to do what works the best for them, because they are the only one that it effects.

Facts About the Olympian God Hermes

Facts About the Olympian God Hermes There are 12 canonical Olympian gods  in Greek mythology. ​Hermes  is one of the gods who live on Mount Olympus and ruled over parts of the mortal world. Lets delve into the role of Hermes in Greek mythology regarding his relationships with other gods and what he was a god of. To learn more about the other 11 Greek gods,  check out  Fast Facts About the Olympians. Name Hermes is the name of a god in Greek mythology. When the Romans adopted aspects of the Ancient Greek belief system, Hermess was renamed, Mercury.   Family Zeus and Maia are the parents of Hermes. All the children of Zeus are his siblings, but Hermes has a special younger-brotherly relationship with Apollo. Greek gods were far from perfect. In fact, they were known to be flawed and to have many sexual affairs with gods, nymphs, and mortals alike. The list of Hermess mates include Agraulos, Akalle, Antianeira, Alkidameia, Aphrodite, Aptale, Carmentis, Chthonophyle, Creusa, Daeira, Erytheia, Eupolemeia, Khione, Iphthime, Libya, Okyrrhoe, Penelopeia, Phylodameia, Polymele, Rhene, Sose, Theoboula, and  Thronia. Hermes fathered many children, who are Angelia, Eleusis, Hermaphroditos, Oreiades, Palaistra, Pan, Agreus, Nomios, Priapos, Pherespondos, Lykos, Pronomos, Abderos, Aithalides, Arabos, Autolycus, Bounos, Daphnis, Ekhion, Eleusis, Euandros, Eudoros, Eurestos, Eurytos, Kaikos, Kephalos, Keryx, Kydon, Libys, Myrtilos, Norax, Orion, Pharis, Phaunos, Polybos, and Saon. Role of Hermes For human mortals, Hermes is the god of eloquence, commerce, cunning, astronomy, music, and the art of fighting. As a god of commerce, Hermes is also known as the inventor of the alphabet, numbers, measures, and weights. As the god of the art of fighting, Hermes is a patron of gymnastics. According to Greek mythology, Hermes also cultivated the olive tree and provides refreshing sleep as well as dreams. Additionally, he is the herdsman of the dead, the protector of travelers, the giver of wealth and luck, and he protector of sacrificial animals, among other things. For gods, Hermes is credited with inventing divine worship and sacrifice. Hermes is the herald of the gods.

Write an article about Bluetooth technology and applications Essays

Write an article about Bluetooth technology and applications Essays Write an article about Bluetooth technology and applications Essay Write an article about Bluetooth technology and applications Essay Find resources on this subject from the e-Library and the web.Choose two resources from the e-library and one from the web.Make notes from resources (by writing some short phrases under different headings, or drawing a mind map).Write your answer from your notes, NOT directly from the resources. This will help you to use your own words in your answer. Make sure you don’t copy text directly from any of your sources, unless you use quotation marks and give a reference.Make sure that your resources are up to date.You should structure your answer as follows: ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An Abstract.(3 marks) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A keyword list.(2 marks) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An introduction.(3 marks) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the body of the report should cover the following points:o  Ã‚   Why we need it?o  Ã‚   Standard and protocolo  Ã‚   Featureso  Ã‚   Uses (applications)o  Ã‚   Deploymento  Ã‚   Potential drawbacks(12 marks) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A conclusion.(3 marks) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A references list giving full references for the three websites that you selected. (if not exactly two resources from the e-library and one from the web then no marks given for this part)(3 marks) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Your answer should use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.(2 marks) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Your answer should use headings and subheadings(2 marks)Your answer to this question should be between 1000 and 1300 words (excluding the references list) and you should state how many words you have used. You will lose marks if you exceed 1300 words or do not give a word count.Recorces from E-library.1-Public buses play an important role in public transportation in most parts of the world and it is still the dominant public transportation mode in some regions. Nowadays, as people switch to a mobile lifestyle, they spend significant amount of ti me on the traveling to work, back and forth. However, not much research has been done on how to provide some on-board service for those commuters in the public bus. This paper presents a Bluetooth-based system which is inexpensive, yet flexible, and scalable to serve commuters in a personalized manner using Bluetooth enabled mobile phones. However, from the Bluetooth specification, one Bluetooth dongle can connect to at most seven other Bluetooth devices. As we expect more than 7 users to use the services provided in the Bluetooth-based system (a full double-deck bus can carry around 100 passengers), we need to work out an effective scheduler to schedule all the private services on the Bluetooth servers in the bus. This paper also describes a scheduling algorithm that exploits the park mode feature of the Bluetooth specification to allow more users to have access to the Bluetooth services on the bus2-The article reports on Bluetooth 4.0, a new version of the Bluetooth technology tha t will enable transfer rates of 100 megabits per second and provide the option to use IEEE 802.11n radios. The low-energy Bluetooth will conserve energy by turning off the radio when not in use and may be used in small devices such as wristwatches. Testing for interoperability between devices is scheduled for completion by the end of June 2010, at which time the Bluetooth Special Interest Group expects to adopt the Bluetooth 4.0 standard.

Monte Alban - Capital City of the Zapotec Civilization

Monte Alban - Capital City of the Zapotec Civilization Monte Albn is the name of the ruins of an ancient capital city, located in a strange place: on the summit and shoulders of a very high, very steep hill in the middle of the semiarid valley of Oaxaca, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. One of the most well-studied archaeological sites in the Americas, Monte Alban was the capital of the Zapotec culture from 500 B.C.E. to 700 C.E., reaching a peak population of over 16,500 between 300–500 C.E. The Zapotecs were maize farmers, and made distinctive pottery vessels; they traded with other civilizations in Mesoamerica including Teotihuacan and the Mixtec culture, and perhaps the classic period Maya civilization. They had a market system, for the distribution of goods into the cities, and like many Mesoamerican civilizations, built ball courts for playing ritual games with rubber balls. Chronology 900–1300 C.E. (Epiclassic/Early Postclassic, Monte Albn IV), Monte Alban collapses about 900 C.E., Oaxaca Valley with a more dispersed settlement500–900 C.E. (Late Classic, Monte Albn IIIB), slow decline of Monte Alban, as it and other cities are established as independent city-states, influx of Mixtec groups into the valley250–500 C.E. (Early Classic period, Monte Albn IIIA), Golden Age of Monte Alban, architecture in the main plaza formalized; Oaxaca barrio established at Teotihuacan150 B.C.E.–250 C.E. (Terminal Formative, Monte Albn II), unrest in the valley, rise of the Zapotec state with the center at Monte Albn, city covered about 416 hectares (1,027 acres), with a population of 14,500500–150 B.C.E. (Late Formative, Monte Alban I), Oaxaca valley integrated as a single political entity, city increased to 442 ha (1,092 ac), and population of 17,000, well beyond its ability to feed itself500 B.C.E. (Middle Formative), Monte Alban founded by param ount rulers from San Jose Mogote and others in the Etla valley, site covers about 324 ha (800 ac), population of about 5,000 people The earliest city associated with the Zapotec culture was San Josà © Mogotà ©, in the Etla arm of the Oaxaca Valley and founded about 1600-1400 B.C.E. Archaeological evidence suggests that conflicts arose in San Josà © Mogotà © and other communities in the Etla valley, and that city was abandoned about 500 B.C.E., at the same time that Monte Albn was founded. Founding Monte Alban The Zapotecs built their new capital city in a strange place, probably partly as a defensive move resulting from unrest in the valley. The location in the valley of Oaxaca is on the top of a tall mountain far above and in the middle of three populous valley arms. Monte Alban was far from the nearest water, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away and 400 meters (1,300 feet) above, as well as any agricultural fields that would have supported it. Chances are that Monte Albans residential population was not permanently located here.   A city located so far away from the major population it serves is called a disembedded capital, and Monte Albn is one of very few disembedded capitals known in the ancient world. The reason the founders of San Jose moved their city to the top of the hill may have included defense, but perhaps also a bit of public relations- its structures can be seen in many places from the valley arms. Rise and Fall Monte Albans golden age corresponds with the Maya Classic period, when the city grew,  and maintained trade and political relationships with many regional and coastal territories. Expansionist trade relationships included Teotihuacan, where people born in the Oaxaca valley took up residence in a neighborhood, one of several ethnic barrios in that city. Zapotec cultural influences have been noted in Early Classic Puebla sites east of modern-day Mexico City and as far as the gulf coast state of Veracruz, although direct evidence for Oaxacan people living in those locations has not as yet been identified. The power centralization at Monte Alban decreased during the Classic period when an influx of Mixtec populations arrived. Several regional centers such as Lambityeco, Jalieza, Mitla, and Dainzà º-Macuilxà ³chitl rose to become independent city-states by the Late Classic/Early Postclassic periods. None of these matched Monte Albans size at its height. Monumental Architecture at Monte Alban The site of Monte Albn has several memorable extant architectural features, including pyramids, thousands of agricultural terraces, and long deep stone staircases. Also still to be seen today are Los Danzantes, over 300 stone slabs carved between 350–200 B.C.E., featuring life-sized figures which appear to be portraits of slain war captives. Building J, interpreted by some scholars as an astronomical observatory, is a very odd structure indeed, with no right angles on the exterior building- its shape may have been intended to represent an arrowpoint- and a maze of narrow tunnels in the interior. Monte Albns Excavators and Visitors Excavations at Monte Albn have been conducted by Mexican archaeologists Jorge Acosta, Alfonso Caso, and Ignacio Bernal, supplemented by surveys of the Valley of Oaxaca by US archaeologists Kent Flannery, Richard Blanton, Stephen Kowalewski, Gary Feinman, Laura Finsten, and Linda Nicholas. Recent studies include bioarchaeological analysis of skeletal materials, as well as an emphasis on the collapse of Monte Alban and the Late Classic reorganization of the Oaxaca Valley into independent city-states. Today the site awes visitors, with its enormous rectangular plaza with pyramid platforms on the east and west sides. Massive pyramid structures mark the north and south sides of the plaza, and the mysterious Building J lies near its center. Monte Alban was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.   Sources: Cucina A, Edgar H, and Ragsdale C. 2017. Oaxaca and its neighbors in Prehispanic times: Population movements from the perspective of dental morphological traits. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 13:751-758. ï » ¿Faulseit RK. 2012. State collapse and household resilience in the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 23(4):401-425. Feinman G, and Nicholas LM. 2015. After Monte Alban in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca: A reassessment. In: Faulseit RK, editor. Beyond Collapse: Archaeological Perspectives on Resilience, Revitalization, and Transformation in Complex Societies. Carbondale: Southern Illinios University Press. p 43-69. Higelin Ponce de Leà ³n R, and Hepp GD. 2017. Talking with the dead from southern Mexico: Tracing bioarchaeological foundations and new perspectives in Oaxaca. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 13:697-702. Redmond EM, and Spencer CS. 2012. Chiefdoms at the threshold: The competitive origins of the primary state. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 31(1):22-37.

Business advise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Business advise - Essay Example This massive drop in revenue may result in the hospital being unable to meet operational cost thus resulting in closure. The first solution to the problem is that the hospital can form its own ACO. Since the hospital has access to funding as a source of capital, it can easily raise money to set up an electronic record of patients (McCaffrey 217).The hospital has trained health professionals who can handle clients. This is extremely beneficial since to hospital will not need any additional funding as it makes use of resources already at its disposal. However, this is time consuming and since most of the patients around already belong to a functioning ACO, it would be very hard to convince them to join the new outfit. Second, the hospital can pot to buy some of the ACOs already in operation. The hospital would spend money on the acquisition only; the rest of the infrastructure is already in place. The challenge in this case would be convincing the doctors involved to selling their venture (McCaffrey 218).The option of buying into an already established ACO would be the most appropriate. Buying existing ACOs is a low level of risk because the system is already functional and has a client base ready to receive

Legal & Ethical Case Studies - elementary school Study

Legal & Ethical Studies - elementary school - Case Study Example A principal is not allowed by the law to terminate a contract without the evidence of wrong activities that prompted them to terminate the teacher’s contract. These activities include insubordination against educational rules, moral misconduct and insufficiency, and incompetence at work (Manos, 2006). In the case where by the principal and district officers terminate a contract, they should provide a written document detailed with reasons for termination in a period more than six months before the termination date. They should also conduct an impartial hearing before the board and school’s panel. In this case, the teacher was proactive and used advanced teaching methods but the principal dislikes these methods. In accordance to leadership ethics, the termination was not important (Manos, 2006). Question # 2 Conflicts do arise in school premises among students especially in the urban life where alcoholism, sexual harassment, and drugs among other misconducts take place. When a student is badly injured like in a case where a student lost his front teeth with the teacher and classmates witnessing the act, legal measures should take place. The action by the principal in sending the perpetrator out of the school was correct, but it was not enough punishment. The student ought to have been charged with felony violation or fines at the juvenile court. This extended punishment would have acted, as a lesson to other students to adhere to the zero-tolerance policy (Manos, 2006). Question # 3 Discussing question three, I agree with the parents view on the judgment about the teacher’s supervision. The fact that the teacher was in the duty of care for students in the field guarantees the injured student’s parent a right to sue this teacher. The reasons to this according to legal and ethical background for in which the teacher was supposed to supervise instruct and provide safety care to students. However, the court may justify that the injury was not foreseeable; therefore, the teacher would not have to be answerable to the court. In this case, the teacher was students’ favorite but she did not give much attention to her duty as an overseer. The standard of care to the student was not her priority. Nevertheless, her negligence may be objected due to her involvement in students’ tasks of which this has earned a chance to be their favorite teacher (Manos, 2006). Question # 4 Child abuse is a critical issues to those around the victims especially a teacher. Suspicion that a child is a victim of child abuse has to be reported to authorities. Failure to report a case in child abuse is considered misdemeanor or felony case. Serious injuries resulting from maltreatment requires a caregiver or teacher to be keen and to show interest in extracting more information about the life of the child at home. The teacher in this case did not follow the guidelines provided for suspicion of child abuse. Therefore, the teacher sho uld have faced legal liability. The court should assess the situation in an exceptional manner to bring to justice the child abusers who should face a bigger penalty, unlike the teacher. The court should consider the teacher as a third party law violator of which charges are dependent on the substantial evidence that; indeed, the teacher waited for a bigger harm to occur to the child (Manos, 2006). Qu

The Capital asset pricing model (CAPM) is a very useful model and it Essay

The Capital asset pricing model (CAPM) is a very useful model and it is used widely in the industry even though it is based on v - Essay Example In this sense, a high quantity of a security’s beta would result in a high expected return of an asset and vice versa. After CAPM was published, and after actual returns were compared with expected returns, many economists have since then criticized the simplicity of and the reality of application of CAPM. The CAPM is still subject to empirical and theoretical criticism despite it being the basis for over a hundred academic papers and having affected non-academic fiscal community considerably. Although it has an apparent invalidity, the CAPM is still widely used by companies as a valuable model for computation of capital cost through justification of high returns in correspondence to higher beta. Therefore, this paper will discuss the implications with regards to the current developments in the area. The paper will first explain and discuss various assumptions in relation to the model and thereafter discuss the key theories as well as the whole debate that surround this area p articularly through the criticizing the assumptions. There are numerous economic applications of the CAPM. It is used in valuation of a company’s common stock, for acquisition and merger analysis, capital budgeting and the valuation of convertible and warrants securities (Naylor & Tapon 1982, p.1166). To ensure validity of the CAPM, William Sharpe came up with numerous assumptions designed for investors in the creation of market equilibrium. The supporters of the model postulate that the capital market functions as though the above assumptions were met. The model derives the price to be commanded by any asset to make the investors happy to retain the present market portfolio. Under the CAPM, each person carries similar risk in diverse amounts. Investors have different portfolios, and they will need a return for their portfolio’s systematic risk because the removal of the unsystematic risk has been done and therefore, can be disregarded. An investor will give a ranking to the portfolio in accordance with a utility function which is dependent on the expected return rate of this portfolio. Because everyone has the same risky assets’ portfolio; it is normal that everyone is exactly happy to purchase the market portfolio, that is, the portfolio of every asset available in the market. Furthermore, part of the risk can be diversified through purchasing many dissimilar assets. The level of stock risk not necessarily related to how variable its return is. The variability is an appropriate measure only if one investor invests all his/her money in one asset. In reality, part of the risk is diversified through purchasing many dissimilar assets. In fact, through diversification, there is a possibility of averting the risk associated with each stock as opposed to the risk which the whole market may decline. The non-diversifiable risk originates form macroeconomic factors which affect all assets simultaneously. For instance, in the credit-crunch many fir ms have the tendency of having negative cash flows and low profits. As much as the assumptions contained in CAPM permit it to concentrate on the relationship between systematic and return risk, they propose an idealized world that is different from the real world where investment decisions are majorly made by firms

Perfect City in Plato's view, with the philosophers and guardians and Research Paper

Perfect City in Plato's view, with the philosophers and guardians and the working class and how they all work together - Research Paper Example It is far from monarchy which a child of king or queen automatically becomes a ruler by birth right. From this this philosophical thought comes the social and economic stratification which are meant to forge social solidarity in the ideal state (Silvermintz 762) In stratifying, Plato did not discriminate people by birth but by capability and will of who should rule and exercise political power over a state. , "philosophers [must] become kings†¦or those now called kings [must]†¦genuinely and adequately philosophize" (The Republic 5). Plato put so much emphasis on the philosopher king or the philosopher ruler whom designated as the Guardians. They are chosen by an inner calling or daimon and by their birth or privileged station in life. The philosopher kings are also those who are supposed to have a philosophical temperament that can judge between mere appearances of objects and permanent abstract forms or in short, those who can distinguish truth from falsity. For Plato†™s philosopher’s it is necessary for them â€Å"to possess philosophical truths for their own sake, where this in turn implies good regardless of any bene? cial e?ects (Woolf 33). The Guardians are supposed to have a heart of bronze and silver which meant that they have the physical capability and also the intellectual prowess to rule. To have this quality, the philosopher ruler of the ideal city has to undergo rigorous and regulated study which extends until mid-life. Their curriculum of study involves the study of philosophy, the arts, as well as the gymnastics. In the early years of their study, poetry and fictional drama are deemed inappropriate because Plato thought that it could dull the person’s ability to discern and make to make wise judgment. He was also cautious that the undesirable behaviors may be emulated (Republic 395) and that the student may not be able to see its falsity. The study of the Guardians also involved the physical training. To be specifi c, it involves gymnastics and should train physically that is more suited for war. This physical training however must be balanced with music and poetry to avoid the negative tendencies of each training that is, being too physical may make the Guardian brute or too much music and poetry may make the Guardian too soft. Upon the assumption of the role to become The Guardian, the ruler must also have to live an ascetic life and far from the life of a privilege person so that the ruler will not get spoiled which will weaken him. For Plato’s perspective, living a life of comfort will weaken a ruler because it will prejudice him to perpetuate the life that he is beginning to like. To guard against this character weakness, it is mandated that a Guardian or ruler must live a simple life. This also serves as a safeguard from those who wanted to become a Guardian that it is a position of service to its fellow that there are no material incentives in becoming a Guardian. Thus, a Guardia n has no possession also and is not even paid despite the tremendous political power that he wields. Whatever that he has should be donated by society at large and he is not paid for governing. The rationale for this stringent life was that for the Guardian to focus solely on governance. That is, if he will dispense a law or administers justice or that of the state, that he may

Ethical Implications of Takeovers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Implications of Takeovers - Essay Example From the case, it is clear that the Chief Executive Officer is unaware of this situation and thus may not be part of the investigation. Thus, Lisa can discuss the issue with the CEO and try to find the problem or compel the CFO to produce evidence of the entries in the financial information. Since Fragrance Company is under the Home and Care Product management, the CEO has the power to launch an investigation into the malpractices in financial reporting. Another course of action is that Lisa can consult an impartial accountant. The objective is to understand the various elements of the report. It is possible that Lisa may misunderstand several entries and thus consulting another accountant may shed more light. The accountant may also give Lisa more information regarding the possible action that she can take as a professional accountant. It would be better is Lisa can access an IMA Ethics Counselor to address this issue. The third option that Lisa has is to seek legal advice from an attorney. It is important to understand that accounting has its legal implications and thus Lisa must have the information at hand. The attorney should explain to Lisa the legal option that she has and how to go about them. In essence, the attorney explains the legal implication of the exposure and the possible legal suits. Of the three choices, the best choice is to report the issue to the top leadership of the company.

Introduction to campylobacter Literature review

Introduction to campylobacter - Literature review Example 163–189). Since campylobacter is present in large quantities in stool, isolation may be considered from this point. However, it is important to note that isolation requires certain conditions of microphilic atmosphere and a media that contains antibiotics. Several methods have been developed to isolate campylobacter. One of them is the membrane filtration. This is used in isolating the microorganism from low turbidity water. Filters of pore size of 0.45 microns are used, and the water is passed as the platting is done face down for the selective agar for the campylobacter. The selective agar is described below in another isolation method. The filters in this process are removed after an overnight incubation. The streaking of plate for isolation before re-incubation then follows this. Prior lab tests have indicated that in the presence of pre-filtration with filters of pore sizes of 6.0 and 5.0 has consistent results of recovery of about 30 jejuni CFU per 250 ml of the seeded water that is nat ural (Line 1711–1715). The other method of isolation is the conventional cultural method. In the laboratory, the sampled specimen is prepared for isolation. If, for example, the sample of raw chicken, a sample of filtrated, chicken rinse water may be used. The water is taken and centrifuged at a rate 16000 times the weight for a period of ten minutes in a minimum temperature of 4 degrees. With an enrichment media of Preston broth, the supernatant is discarded while the pellet is suspended. After the sampled pellet is re-suspended, incubation of the sample at a microbic atmosphere that has 10 percent carbon dioxide, 5 percent oxygen and 85 percent nitrogen. All this happens at a temperature of 3 degrees for 24 hours. The enrichment broth is made consistent with the nutrient broth with supplementation including trimethoprim 10 mg/l, cefoperazone 15 mg/l, rifampicin 5 mg/l, polymyxin B 2500 iu/l and amphotericin 2mg/l. This enriched culture is then placed in

Ethical Implications of Takeovers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Implications of Takeovers - Essay Example From the case, it is clear that the Chief Executive Officer is unaware of this situation and thus may not be part of the investigation. Thus, Lisa can discuss the issue with the CEO and try to find the problem or compel the CFO to produce evidence of the entries in the financial information. Since Fragrance Company is under the Home and Care Product management, the CEO has the power to launch an investigation into the malpractices in financial reporting. Another course of action is that Lisa can consult an impartial accountant. The objective is to understand the various elements of the report. It is possible that Lisa may misunderstand several entries and thus consulting another accountant may shed more light. The accountant may also give Lisa more information regarding the possible action that she can take as a professional accountant. It would be better is Lisa can access an IMA Ethics Counselor to address this issue. The third option that Lisa has is to seek legal advice from an attorney. It is important to understand that accounting has its legal implications and thus Lisa must have the information at hand. The attorney should explain to Lisa the legal option that she has and how to go about them. In essence, the attorney explains the legal implication of the exposure and the possible legal suits. Of the three choices, the best choice is to report the issue to the top leadership of the company.

A T-shirt Epic Essay Example for Free

A T-shirt Epic Essay Pietra Rivoli’s delightful narrative, The Travels of A T-Shirt in the Global Economy, goes about a surprising journey around the global village to discover an entangled web of economic and political forces that move this piece of clothing around. The book is split into four parts of a t-shirt’s life.   Part one of the book deals with the cotton industry.   Rivoli’s own surprise at learning that the cotton used for her shirt comes from Texas opens up this chapter on the continuing dominance of the American cotton industry.   The book then continues to explain the reasons for these—aside from government subsidies, the larger part of America’s continuing competitive advantage is its â€Å"virtuous cycle† of governance.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"In the United States, the farms work, the market works, the government works, the science works, and the universities work.† (Rivoli 7). The second part of the book is about the textile industry’s so called â€Å"race to the bottom†.   Industrialization is ushered in by the textile industry, and Rivoli gives examples from 19th century England to the Asian economic powerhouses Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong in the 20th century.   The third part is about the complexity of getting a textile import into the United States, with all the confusing legislation brought about by decades of political control held by textile manufacturers in America.   In the final part of the book, Rivoli examines the global market for used t-shirts, which she concedes is the final place where markets actually determine its origin and destination. Free Trade or Protectionism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is not making an argument for either protectionism or free trade.   Obviously, as a trained economist, Rivoli favors free trade, as do all her colleagues in an almost unanimous voice.   However, the book does not argue for either side, and instead illustrates that both sides of this policy divide unwittingly spur economic development. Free trade policies encourage more â€Å"races to the bottom† as production shifts to low cost countries; however protectionist policies also contribute to another type of race.   In the battle for quota imports to the United States, for example, investment has flowed into areas where there is less restriction on trade with the world’s largest consumer of textiles and apparel.   In the modern-day case with China, the relatively low quota limits that China has for its exports to the US before the expiration of the Multifiber Agreement (MFA) (Rivoli 121) has encouraged investments in other developing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Sub-Saharan Africa.   As the book notes, the exclusion of one creates opportunities for another, and the humble textile industry is the first step towards industrialization for many developing nations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As Rivoli further notes, when the MFA was scheduled to be taken down, a lot of other developing countries were scared of China eating everyone’s share of the textile pie.   It represents one of the few actually plausible pro-protectionist arguments in the book, which are not really argued for but just explained. The role of politics in international trade It’s a given fact that politicians will listen more often that not to their constituents first instead of to common sense.   Unfortunate as it may be, politics more often than not counter the market forces that power the global race to the bottom.   Rivoli puts it as â€Å"While the market forces powering the race to the bottom are strong, the political forces pushing back against the markets are strong as well, particularly in the United States.† (Rivoli 115) This clash between the two has made importation of textiles a very complicated business in the United States, and changes the face of international trade with it.   If an item cannot be imported from China, it is imported from Mexico instead, giving an artificial advantage to some countries that will not be there if market forces were solely in control.   The decisions that politicians like congressmen and senators in Washington make often influence the very futures of some countries in the world. Rivoli characterizes American industries that are aging as trying to escape market forces by clinging on to their political supports.   Instead of a paradise of no intervention and perfect competition, what happens is that more often politics exert a big unpredictable force that tilts the equation over completely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example was 18th century England, where to no avail Parliament tried to pass acts that would protect their domestic wool producers.   Instead of having the intended consequences (i.e. eliminating imported cotton), it just pushed international trade to adapt to the circumstances. The â€Å"race to the bottom† phrase used so much in the book is one of the most intriguing ideas of Rivoli. Basically it says that the textile industry, like all industries is governed by market forces.   On the supply side, producers seek more and more productivity for lower costs—a reaction that sparked the original Industrial Revolution.   However, as wages go up along with production costs, producers are keen on reducing costs and preserving low prices with huge markets.   These trends doom an industrial country’s textile production after it becomes less competitive than another aspiring country who is not the leader in the â€Å"bottom† of production costs. The fire of the Industrial Revolution spread to the United States, and then in the last century to Asia, where during the past twenty or so years China has held the spot as top in this ubiquitous â€Å"race to the bottom†. The other side of the argument—those activists who bring about higher minimum wages and better labor standards, hasten the fall of a country from the â€Å"race to the bottom†, but at the same time also hasten industrialization and the development of other more value-added industries.   It also makes another country leader of the race to the bottom, ready to start the cycle all over again. This â€Å"history repeats itself† phenomenon—from Britain to Taiwan leaves the reader enthusiastic of the future, and of how economics will eventually make all the people of the world feel a little bit better. R E F E R E N C E Rivoli, Pietra. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. New Jersey :Wiley, 2005.

Developing a Learning Organizational Culture

Developing a Learning Organizational Culture ABSTRACT Employees of an organization that has a mission of enhancing standards of excellence must have knowledge and skills that best suits their work. This then calls for continuous trainings of employees for an organization to better utilize the existing human resources. Training and Development is a major strategy to accomplish this objective. In this perspective there is need for flexibility which is required to respond effectively to the rapidly changing environment, Human Resource training efforts must enable the employees to perform multiple tasks in multiple roles while enhancing a good organizational learning culture. This paper therefore contributes to the debate by analyzing in detail the creation of a learning organizational culture We also examine the methodologies that enable us to show that even successful organizations do not always implement best practice Human Resource Management, and that there is frequently a discrepancy between intention and practice. conclusion at the individual and directorial levels are intricate and often contradictory; we question the extent to which it is possible or meaningful to attempt to measure the interrelationship between Human resources management, at the level of the formal system, and organizational performance, without taking into consideration the role played by the informal organization in the process and implementation of Human resources training. Introduction The human resource field takes a clear view of workers, supercilious that almost all wish to contribute to the enterprise productively, and that the main hindrance to their actions are lack of knowledge, insufficient training, and failures of process. Human resource management is seen as a more inventive aspect of workplace management other than the traditional approach. It results to the managers of an enterprise expressing their goals with specificity in order to be understood and undertaken by the workforce, providing the resources needed for them to successfully accomplish their assignments. As such, Human Resource management techniques, when properly practiced, are expressive of the goals and operating practices of the enterprise overall. Human Resource management is also seen by many to have a key role in continuous trainings of employees. The employees of an organization that has a mission of enhancing standards of excellence must have knowledge and skills that best suits there work. This then calls for continuous trainings of employees for an organization to better utilize the existing human resources. Training and development is a major strategy to accomplish this objective. In this perspective the flexibility required to respond effectively to the rapidly changing environment, Human Resource training efforts must enable the employees to perform multiple tasks in multiple roles (Adler 1997, p.13) Development and training The aim of the development function of human resources maintenance is to ensure that personnel are adequately trained to enable them to be capable to fulfil their goals, as well as to contribute to enhabnced performance and growth with their work . The development of employees can be regarded as a special field of human resource management that includes planned individual learning, education, organization development, career development and training. Training is an efficient method for altering an employees behavior to prepare the employee for a job or upgrade the employees performance on the job. Development involves the preparation of a person for broader responsibilities and higher-level positions within the company. Preparation and growth can fluctuate from one firm to another, as well as by type or size of service organization (Armstrong 1996, pp. 220 -221). To maximize training effectiveness, it is important to consider how employees learn most effectively. Culture as a factor has a strong impact on training practices in different parts of the world. For example, in the USA, where power distance is small, the interaction between the trainer and employees appears to be equal. The trainer and employees use first names, and the employees therefore feel free to challenge what the trainer says. In another country outside the USA like Malaysia, power distance is large, a trainer receives greater respect from the employee. The trained employees use his/ her surname and title, and he/ she is an expert that students rarely challenge. Defining a Learning Culture A learning tradition can be defined as an organization that knows how to learn, with people who freely share what they know and are willing to change based on the acquisition of new knowledge. Undoubtedly, one of the most significant rudiments of a learning culture are high quality, sound learning programs that are evaluated not only for their effectiveness but also for their potential for really making a difference. That kind of communal appraisal is a self-check on the worth of the program and whether its being endorsed and supported. Organizations that simply make public large catalogs of training courses without consulting their clients or assessing their unique needs exhibit more of a course culture — the more courses, the better — than a learning culture. Instructors that are content only to make public a large e-learning course catalog, and not much more, will be less likely too be seen as business problem-solvers (Galaghan, 1991, p. 43). An extra suggestion of a high-quality education society is higher-ranking management support — and Im not just talking about words, but long-term funding. For learning to hold base, senior executives must do extra than just endorse learning; they must embrace it and become users themselves. This will make them good role representation for the rest of the institute. Good learning traditions involve an savings in good learning depth and evaluation. Its serious to demonstrate that learning makes a variation and that its benefits are not simply conjecture. Some organizations that are just paying attention on plan and liberation tend to miss out on the front end (needs assessment) and the back end (evaluation), which are very culturally specific. Good learning traditions go out of classroom and out of the instructional mode to become involved in the workplace. If the staff gets two or three weeks of instruction a year, thats pretty good. But what is their responsibility for the remaining parts of the weeks? They didnt stop learning; theyre learning on the job. So the ease by which the workforce contacts information, form communities of performance, and use performance support to learn and improve their performance in the workplace is a sign of a good learning culture. An additional attribute of an education tradition is how well and how thoroughly we integrate front-line supervisors into our learning strategy. Do they commend whatsoever training the workers call for but not pay any attention to outcomes, or are they integrally involved in developing their people? Then theres the whole performance assessment and performance analysis scheme. To what degree is learning truly included and embroidered, and to what extent are employees encouraged in the review process to teach one another and share their knowledge? This is where it becomes very important to review not just whether the employee took the requisite number of hours or the requisite number of courses. That becomes very mechanical. Workers — above all managers — have to be weighed up on their coaching and support for learning. Executives must assume that liveliness comes in large part from learning and growing. They must actually consider about their own â€Å"knowledge measure† (their curiosity in, and capacity for, learning new things) and the learning quotient of their employees. Also, a learning society cannot give confidence to knowledge hoarding, but slightly knowledge sharing. If I know that Im going to be rated on the known, why would I share information with someone else — which would give them an advantage in the appraisal system, especially with companies that rate on a curve? If I come up with a brilliant idea and share it with everybody, I should get credit for sharing it, even though the idea then would not be to my exclusive benefit. The blueprint of a outcome evaluation scheme has to equal any kind of required rating and ranking with criteria that focuses on knowledge-sharing, learning and teamwork (Arthur 1994, p. 298). Creating a Learning Organization A learning organization can be described as one that is able to inspire commitment, and cultivate a culture of discovering and acquiring knowledge and experience for continued growth, development and success. The organizational learning process requires some relatively permanent change in behavior of its workers that results in continuous capability to adapt and change as the market, clients or environmental demands. To tackle these changes requires a strong commitment from management and often a significant shift in organization culture. One of the biggest challenges in moving toward the learning model is convincing and enabling employees to develop new ways of thinking about how things are smartly done. To be a learning organization also demands an open culture where information is shared, interdependence is high, collaboration is the norm, and achievement of the organization mission or vision is pursued with cooperation and open-mindedness ( Hofstede 1991, p. 304). A commitment to such a challenging level must offer tangible outcomes. The learning organization can also on the other hand have some distinct advantages, the most significant being the ability to respond to major change much more quickly than a more traditional organization. As well, learning organizations are more likely to embrace processes of systematic problem solving, and to focus on creating new ideas and solutions to optimize outcomes, versus the more traditional approach of trial and error or committing to approaches that have worked in the past. A typical learning organization will learn from past experiences and history, but utilize that experience to pursue more enlightened and future-directed outcomes. The plasticity and compliance intrinsic to a learning institution is determined by the rapid and efficient internal transfer of knowledge. The open culture and communication processes that are indicative of a learning organization are the enablers in this internal knowledg e transfer. Knowledge sharing encourages motivation and commitment from employees, by encouraging employee involvement in the process of creating and developing a learning culture, and by providing continuous constructive feedback ( Huselid 1995). The test for most associations is the shift from a long-established to a learning organization. How does one begin the practice of changing organization ethics, comprising organization acquaintances â€Å"unlearn† the old ways of doing things, and convincing them to embrace a culture that is committed to change, innovation and continuous improvement? The key is a well thought out strategy that is based on an in-depth understanding of the culture, values, market position, and knowledge base across the organization. For advanced organizations to successfully develop continuous learning, they should regard the Initial consultation within the senior leadership team to gain an accurate and detailed view of how the organization functions overall; structure, knowledge base, mission, goals, vision, culture and values, and; the rationale for becoming a learning organization. This information is necessary and invaluable when determining the requirement for and viability of a more detailed needs analysis (Stacey 1996, p. 64). The institutions should also take on a thoroughly need investigation through surveys, focus groups and key stakeholder interviews. It should also undertake a strategic planning and action by senior leaders based upon the in-depth needs analysis. Because contact is serious in organization expansion progression, it is therefore important to ensure all employees are aware of the process, and the targeted outcomes. It is essential to ensure that all employees understand the â€Å"learning organization† concept, the rationale and value, implications for employees, implementation process, and targeted outcomes. Through senior leaders, planning, organization and delivery of information workshops would facilitate provision of survey feedback, â€Å"educate† employees on the â€Å"learning organization† concept, solicit their ideas and concerns and achieve buy-in. An organization should establish a multi-dimensional management development program, which is essential for the successful implementation of a learning organization culture. The two major dimensions of the program would be: a formal management development process with a consulting focus, to prepare managers for their next promotion level, while strengthening performance in their current position and; a dynamic and substantive coaching program developed for each level of management. Both dimensions of the management development program would be aligned with organization mission, vision and goals, and would include a concerted focus on interpersonal skills development, in the learning organization milieu. An evaluation of developmental initiatives, and particularly the management development/coaching process, is necessary, to ensure that the â€Å"learning organization concept† is well entrenched within the organization (Triandis 1995, p. 39). Becoming a Learning Company The aptitude of a corporation to learn, not to be rigid, bright and responsive to sustain itself in the given environment is in the modern world being seen as the only way to manage a competitive advantage. Speculative images of the learning company thrive but there is little research focusing on companies who have actually applied the concepts and made them work. The following case study is concerned with describing a company which has attempted to become a learning organization. Prudential UK The Organization The Company started by giving loans and life insurance to people since 1848. Since then it has become a leading company, as measured by annual premium equivalent sales. Their service has also increased to include annuities, pensions, savings and investments. The company has offered financial services to many enterprises such as Jackson National Life, Prudential Corporation Asia and Egg. Prudential company is found in the United Kingdom, the United States and Asia and has employed over 20,000 people, 7,200 of whom are based in the UK and Mumbai. Globally Prudential Company has assets of 234 billion pounds on behalf of 19 million customers, to whom it promises, â€Å"In an uncertain world, we make it possible for everyone to enjoy a secure future†. The Challenge At the start of the decade the company had to accept a period of profound change to cater for the increasing demands of its highly-competitive and tightly-regulated market. In 2002 the companys leadership team learnt the way it would achieve this in a strategy called the ‘1,000 day plan, the cornerstone of which was best practice in all people policy and procedures. â€Å"We wanted to make sure that we involved our people to transform our business. To do this we harmonised our practices using the People Standard as our benchmark,† says Liane Collins, Human Resources and Learning and Development Operations Consultant. The plan was to provide success and the Standard helped the company to engage its people to succeed. By adopting Andra King from Capital Quality Limited as their external Adviser, the Prudentials aim was to maximise the potential of its people using a number of different tools such as continuous assessment and recognition. Using these tools the y wanted to continue to ensure that their people were at the heart of their business. A further difficulty was to ensure that its workers grasped and applied the brand values to everything they did. â€Å"We are focused to delivering the right services,† explains Liane. â€Å"We want our clients to know that we can be trusted, helpful and easy to deal with. Thats the experience we want them to have. Honest dialogue is the essence of what we believe in.† The Solution Among the first things to be done back at the outset of the 1,000 day plan in 2002 was to align learning materials with a Capability Framework, in which the company outlined the skills it needs to thrive. Since then understanding of the framework has leapt from under 40 per cent to over 90 per cent and there is noticeably more connectivity between company strategy and its people. Having established physical Learning Zones across its head offices in the first year of the plan, the second year saw the company bring learning to each desktop through an online learning management system called Learning Space. As well as providing a way to track learning achievements, it gives access to over 4,000 items of learning material. Nearly every employee has now actively used it, and so has helped put them in control of their own learning and development. At the same time highest achievers were offered access to the Pru University programme, an internal institution designed to develop a group of key managers and specialists committed to achieving our business goals. This concept was extended the following year to an Alumni scheme, allowing those who studied together to work and develop together. A talent management process was also introduced to ensure leaders are properly assessed. â€Å"The Pru University is aimed at influential people, ambassadors and drivers of change, irrespective of grade, who can contribute to the development of the organisation and make a real difference to the business,† says Head of Learning and Development Matthew Starks. More recently the company has started to implement best practice in encouraging healthy lifestyles, which research suggests will reduce the burden of self-reported sickness absence. Although it is too early to say what the results have been, the company estimates that it will lead to a five per cent reduction in absence and a ten per cent reduction in cases of stress reported to Occupational Health. It estimat es that the return will be  £2 for every  £1 spent on the project. The Results Business outcome is usually quantified using performance Indicators (KPIs), an array of measures which come under the headings of cashflow, customer, people, risk and compliance, profit, and shareholder. Absence, employee turnover, and performance remain key human resource measurements that are closely linked to the people indicator. But other variables that are factored include elements drawn from an employee survey and from the Organisation Cultural Index (OCI), a characterisation of a companys culture. Honest dialogue, simplicity and people all close to the companys desired brand values are consistently the highest scoring values, suggesting the aim of developing understanding of these among employees has been successful. Success s due to developments in its Learning, three-quarters of the people now understand how they can access learning and development opportunities and 88 per cent feel personably accountable for their own development. The vast majority of people 98 per cent have also used Learning Space the online learning management system. A group of initiatives has also delivered benefits. Self assessment by managers revealed that the number now rating their knowledge as ‘good has increased from 48 per cent to 92 per cent. Meanwhile an internal audit gave a positive evaluation of the performance review process with 88 per cent of people believing their review meetings to be open, honest and frank. Integrating communications with the strategy has proved an effective approach for Prudential. â€Å"There is now a greater connectivity with the strategy from the top and understanding of why things happen and the connections being made,† says Matthew. As a result one of the primary objectives which include, ensuring understanding of the 1,000 day plan among employees has been achieved. The ‘Living PRU survey found that the percentage of people who said they understood their role within the plan increased from 71 per cent in 2004 to 94 per cent the following year. External recognition has come on a number of levels for the company. Among a survey of 7,500 customers, 90 per cent of them said they were satisfied with the service provided. And on a business level, Prudential is also performing extremely well, posting a 33 per cent rise in pre-tax profits in 2005, well above market expectations. The one thousands day reform process come to an end in October 2005 having inspired a period of profound organisational change and improvement in business performance. One of the most dramatic changes came in June 2003, still the first year of the three year programme, when Prudential opened a $10 million customer service centre in Mumbai, Indias commercial capital. Champion Status To get success is a major endorsement of everything that the company tried to put in place. As Champions, Prudential intended to continue to build on its philosophy of sharing best practice. As well as being involved in forums, the company has worked alongside other organizations, including the Inland Revenue and the Department for Work and Pensions. It shares many of its activities through awards, articles, case studies and benchmarking forums. But, as a Champion the company looks forward to sharing its experience with other employers and showing how involving people in the business is the key to any organizations success. A human resource manager is involved in performance of the following tasks Planning He or she ensures that a firm has the right number and mix of people at the right times and places varying from long-range planning for large, stable companies to short-range crisis planning for thousands of small companies employing low-skilled and low-paid workers. (Haksever p217). In this case human resource, managers have to consider all of the laws that protect against discrimination and all of the requirements that employees must meet for the company. Effective planning by a human resource manager clearly brings accurate results that a company wants .in a case of staffing, understaffing result to result to the drop of the industries economies of scale and field of specialization, information, customers and the attained profits, while Overstaffing is extravagant and expensive, if continual, and it is costly to get rid of because of contemporary legislation in respect of joblessness payments, cons ultation and minimum periods of notice. Significantly, overstaffing reduces the competitive effectiveness of the business. An assessment of current and future needs of the organization has to be evaluated with present and future predicted resources when considering staffing. When proper steps are used in planning, it brings demand and supply into balance. The future demands of a company are influenced by the predictions of the personnel manager, who examine and adjust the simple delivery of the other managerial staff and also recruitments which depends on the following aspects The predictions of Sales and productivity Impact of technological change on job needs Difference in the competence, output, and suppleness of labor as a training result, job study, organizational alteration and new motivations. Renovation in employment performances by the involvement of subcontractors or organization staffs, hiving off tasks, buying in and substitution. Deviation, countering fresh legislation, for example payroll taxes, new health and safety requirements Adjustment in Government policies Logical staffing demands a plan for varying dates in the future which can then be compared with the crude supply schedules. The associations will then show what ladder must be taken to achieve a balance which involves the further preparation of such enrollment, training, or alteration in labor force operation as this will result to a balance in demand and supply (Claude Johannes 1999, p.115). Recruiting A human resource manager is involved in identifying people who could fill positions within the firm and then securing them as applicants. He has to plan a good job picture for the position and a specification of skills and abilities the candidate should have. A potential applicants list is developed from various sources, depending how the human resource manager decides to advertise the job opening. Managers obtain their recruits sources from internal and external sources. Advantages of internal recruiting The members of staff will not have to undergo basic teaching or learning all of the policies of the company. Disadvantages Inbreeding Results to seldom new ideas brought into the company. Jacuis (1975).An external source for recruiting brings into account the opposite of internal recruiting from outside the company. There are many forms of external recruiting. Some include employment agencies, advertising, Internet recruiting, and word of mouth. He is also involved in the recruitment of employees depending on: An examination of the work to be performed through carefully consideration of the errands to be carried out to establish their essentialities written into a career description so that the applicants know what physical and mental distinctiveness applicants must acquire, what traits and attitudes are attractive and what uniqueness are a certain disadvantage. Where substitution is to take effect, imperative questioning of the need to employ at all should be taken into consideration. Human resource managers have to search for recruitments in the following areas: 1.Domestic promotion 2.Careers advisors 3.Boards of university appointment 4.Unemployed agencies 5.Advertising Selecting Of Employees After applications have been confirmed, the human resource manager then begins the selection process basing on undoubtedly established criterion for performance of the job. The request form ought to be intended to discover the applicants skills and abilities for the job performance. The human resource managers choice reason could also be based on testing, interviews, references, and probationary periods of employment. (Simnett 1995, p.56). An effective selection is considered as buying an employee (the price being the wage or salary multiplied by probable years of service) hence the human resource manager has to carefully select to minimize and avoid in competencies in the company firms may involve external specialist consultants for selection of their employees Some small organizations exist to catch the attention of staff with high status from existing employers to the recruiting employer. Training and Development Training is an efficient method for altering an employees behavior to prepare the employee for a job or upgrade the employees performance on the job. Development involves the preparation of a person for broader responsibilities and higher-level positions within the company. Instruction and progress can differ from one firm to another, as well as by type or size of service organization. (Chaffee 1995, p. 46). Preparation in interviewing and in evaluating candidates is clearly crucial to good recruitment. For the most part the former consists of training interviewers how to draw out the interviewee and the latter how to rate the candidates. For consistency (and as a help to checking that) rating often consists of scoring candidates for experience, knowledge, physical/mental capabilities, intellectual levels, motivation, prospective potential, leadership abilities etc. (according to the needs of the post). Relevance of the normal curve of allocation to scoring g ets rid of freak judgments. Aims of Organization for Setting Reward System In Human Resource Management, the employee reward policy is intended to align employees with organizational strategy by providing incentives for employees to act in the firms interest and perform well over time. Anticipation theory carries a clear significance that workers must sense confident that their effort will affect the rewards they receive. Awareness of equity is therefore crucial in an employees judgment to remain and produce valuable work. Equity is a multidimensional construct, embracing external equity (the degree to which a firm pays employees the rate they would find in the external labor market), internal equity (the degree to which a firm differentiates pay between employees on the basis of performance in similar jobs), and individual equity (the degree to which employees are rewarded proportionately to their individual performance). For the reason that the varying strains of performance on human resources in high- velocity companies, perceptions of equity in its three forms may become confused, as job roles and job interdependence become more varied and flexible. Since employees would expect that as their job changes, so will their rewards, designing reward systems in high-velocity environments presents a major challenge to organizations. In high-velocity environments, a premium is placed on individuals who are able to operate in ambiguous circumstances and who are able to take advantage of loose job descriptions provided by their employers. Organizations in faster-moving surroundings are prepared to pay proportionally higher salaries to individuals who have such skills. We would expect, therefore, that emphasis on individually equitable rewards as a means of recruiting and retaining highly capable employees would be required (Farah 1991, p. 340). Employee Rewards Policy amended by the Human Resource Management can be classified under three broad headings: performance-contingent rewards, which explicitly reward through performance outputs; job-contingent rewards, where pay is contingent on job classification; and person-contingent rewards, in which pay is dependent on the competencies a person has (Dean Snell, 1993). Because both output orientation and job categorization may be complex to determine truthfully in high-velocity circumstances, the prospect of person-contingent rewards, which may encourage the values of learning, flexibility, and creativity, would seem to be best suited to fast-changing conditions. In addition, member of staff Reward Policy can be one of the best foundations of control available to a company in its quest to increase organizational performance and effectiveness, yet remain one of the most underutilized and potentially complex tools for driving organizational performance. The significance and diffi culty of connecting reward strategies to industrial goals in a systematic manner has been a recurrent argument in the study in this field, as has the importance and difficulty of linking rewards to the longer-term view (Hambrick Snow, 1989). In recounting the strongest stage of connection the stress has been placed on Lawlers (1990) description of reward processes which are capable of reinforcing the behaviors crucial to business strategy like long-term versus short-term, customer focus versus financial results. Utilizing This involves arranging the employees work to make them both productive and motivated. The factors that determine the effectiveness of human resource utilization include: 1.The structure of the work that provide an opportunity for â€Å"stretch† performance 2.Contribution in verdicts that have a straight forward effect on the persons job 3.Open interactions and fair setting up of assignments 4.Competent supervision and organizational flexibility 5.Economic and non-economic rewards that recognize achievement and equity 6.Opportunity for growth Role of Human Resource Management in Implementing a Learning Organization culture Human resource management has a strong impact on the organizational culture, it contributes a lot in implementing a learning organization because according to Senge, â€Å"the essence of a learning organization is that people are changing, people are developing w Developing a Learning Organizational Culture Developing a Learning Organizational Culture ABSTRACT Employees of an organization that has a mission of enhancing standards of excellence must have knowledge and skills that best suits their work. This then calls for continuous trainings of employees for an organization to better utilize the existing human resources. Training and Development is a major strategy to accomplish this objective. In this perspective there is need for flexibility which is required to respond effectively to the rapidly changing environment, Human Resource training efforts must enable the employees to perform multiple tasks in multiple roles while enhancing a good organizational learning culture. This paper therefore contributes to the debate by analyzing in detail the creation of a learning organizational culture We also examine the methodologies that enable us to show that even successful organizations do not always implement best practice Human Resource Management, and that there is frequently a discrepancy between intention and practice. conclusion at the individual and directorial levels are intricate and often contradictory; we question the extent to which it is possible or meaningful to attempt to measure the interrelationship between Human resources management, at the level of the formal system, and organizational performance, without taking into consideration the role played by the informal organization in the process and implementation of Human resources training. Introduction The human resource field takes a clear view of workers, supercilious that almost all wish to contribute to the enterprise productively, and that the main hindrance to their actions are lack of knowledge, insufficient training, and failures of process. Human resource management is seen as a more inventive aspect of workplace management other than the traditional approach. It results to the managers of an enterprise expressing their goals with specificity in order to be understood and undertaken by the workforce, providing the resources needed for them to successfully accomplish their assignments. As such, Human Resource management techniques, when properly practiced, are expressive of the goals and operating practices of the enterprise overall. Human Resource management is also seen by many to have a key role in continuous trainings of employees. The employees of an organization that has a mission of enhancing standards of excellence must have knowledge and skills that best suits there work. This then calls for continuous trainings of employees for an organization to better utilize the existing human resources. Training and development is a major strategy to accomplish this objective. In this perspective the flexibility required to respond effectively to the rapidly changing environment, Human Resource training efforts must enable the employees to perform multiple tasks in multiple roles (Adler 1997, p.13) Development and training The aim of the development function of human resources maintenance is to ensure that personnel are adequately trained to enable them to be capable to fulfil their goals, as well as to contribute to enhabnced performance and growth with their work . The development of employees can be regarded as a special field of human resource management that includes planned individual learning, education, organization development, career development and training. Training is an efficient method for altering an employees behavior to prepare the employee for a job or upgrade the employees performance on the job. Development involves the preparation of a person for broader responsibilities and higher-level positions within the company. Preparation and growth can fluctuate from one firm to another, as well as by type or size of service organization (Armstrong 1996, pp. 220 -221). To maximize training effectiveness, it is important to consider how employees learn most effectively. Culture as a factor has a strong impact on training practices in different parts of the world. For example, in the USA, where power distance is small, the interaction between the trainer and employees appears to be equal. The trainer and employees use first names, and the employees therefore feel free to challenge what the trainer says. In another country outside the USA like Malaysia, power distance is large, a trainer receives greater respect from the employee. The trained employees use his/ her surname and title, and he/ she is an expert that students rarely challenge. Defining a Learning Culture A learning tradition can be defined as an organization that knows how to learn, with people who freely share what they know and are willing to change based on the acquisition of new knowledge. Undoubtedly, one of the most significant rudiments of a learning culture are high quality, sound learning programs that are evaluated not only for their effectiveness but also for their potential for really making a difference. That kind of communal appraisal is a self-check on the worth of the program and whether its being endorsed and supported. Organizations that simply make public large catalogs of training courses without consulting their clients or assessing their unique needs exhibit more of a course culture — the more courses, the better — than a learning culture. Instructors that are content only to make public a large e-learning course catalog, and not much more, will be less likely too be seen as business problem-solvers (Galaghan, 1991, p. 43). An extra suggestion of a high-quality education society is higher-ranking management support — and Im not just talking about words, but long-term funding. For learning to hold base, senior executives must do extra than just endorse learning; they must embrace it and become users themselves. This will make them good role representation for the rest of the institute. Good learning traditions involve an savings in good learning depth and evaluation. Its serious to demonstrate that learning makes a variation and that its benefits are not simply conjecture. Some organizations that are just paying attention on plan and liberation tend to miss out on the front end (needs assessment) and the back end (evaluation), which are very culturally specific. Good learning traditions go out of classroom and out of the instructional mode to become involved in the workplace. If the staff gets two or three weeks of instruction a year, thats pretty good. But what is their responsibility for the remaining parts of the weeks? They didnt stop learning; theyre learning on the job. So the ease by which the workforce contacts information, form communities of performance, and use performance support to learn and improve their performance in the workplace is a sign of a good learning culture. An additional attribute of an education tradition is how well and how thoroughly we integrate front-line supervisors into our learning strategy. Do they commend whatsoever training the workers call for but not pay any attention to outcomes, or are they integrally involved in developing their people? Then theres the whole performance assessment and performance analysis scheme. To what degree is learning truly included and embroidered, and to what extent are employees encouraged in the review process to teach one another and share their knowledge? This is where it becomes very important to review not just whether the employee took the requisite number of hours or the requisite number of courses. That becomes very mechanical. Workers — above all managers — have to be weighed up on their coaching and support for learning. Executives must assume that liveliness comes in large part from learning and growing. They must actually consider about their own â€Å"knowledge measure† (their curiosity in, and capacity for, learning new things) and the learning quotient of their employees. Also, a learning society cannot give confidence to knowledge hoarding, but slightly knowledge sharing. If I know that Im going to be rated on the known, why would I share information with someone else — which would give them an advantage in the appraisal system, especially with companies that rate on a curve? If I come up with a brilliant idea and share it with everybody, I should get credit for sharing it, even though the idea then would not be to my exclusive benefit. The blueprint of a outcome evaluation scheme has to equal any kind of required rating and ranking with criteria that focuses on knowledge-sharing, learning and teamwork (Arthur 1994, p. 298). Creating a Learning Organization A learning organization can be described as one that is able to inspire commitment, and cultivate a culture of discovering and acquiring knowledge and experience for continued growth, development and success. The organizational learning process requires some relatively permanent change in behavior of its workers that results in continuous capability to adapt and change as the market, clients or environmental demands. To tackle these changes requires a strong commitment from management and often a significant shift in organization culture. One of the biggest challenges in moving toward the learning model is convincing and enabling employees to develop new ways of thinking about how things are smartly done. To be a learning organization also demands an open culture where information is shared, interdependence is high, collaboration is the norm, and achievement of the organization mission or vision is pursued with cooperation and open-mindedness ( Hofstede 1991, p. 304). A commitment to such a challenging level must offer tangible outcomes. The learning organization can also on the other hand have some distinct advantages, the most significant being the ability to respond to major change much more quickly than a more traditional organization. As well, learning organizations are more likely to embrace processes of systematic problem solving, and to focus on creating new ideas and solutions to optimize outcomes, versus the more traditional approach of trial and error or committing to approaches that have worked in the past. A typical learning organization will learn from past experiences and history, but utilize that experience to pursue more enlightened and future-directed outcomes. The plasticity and compliance intrinsic to a learning institution is determined by the rapid and efficient internal transfer of knowledge. The open culture and communication processes that are indicative of a learning organization are the enablers in this internal knowledg e transfer. Knowledge sharing encourages motivation and commitment from employees, by encouraging employee involvement in the process of creating and developing a learning culture, and by providing continuous constructive feedback ( Huselid 1995). The test for most associations is the shift from a long-established to a learning organization. How does one begin the practice of changing organization ethics, comprising organization acquaintances â€Å"unlearn† the old ways of doing things, and convincing them to embrace a culture that is committed to change, innovation and continuous improvement? The key is a well thought out strategy that is based on an in-depth understanding of the culture, values, market position, and knowledge base across the organization. For advanced organizations to successfully develop continuous learning, they should regard the Initial consultation within the senior leadership team to gain an accurate and detailed view of how the organization functions overall; structure, knowledge base, mission, goals, vision, culture and values, and; the rationale for becoming a learning organization. This information is necessary and invaluable when determining the requirement for and viability of a more detailed needs analysis (Stacey 1996, p. 64). The institutions should also take on a thoroughly need investigation through surveys, focus groups and key stakeholder interviews. It should also undertake a strategic planning and action by senior leaders based upon the in-depth needs analysis. Because contact is serious in organization expansion progression, it is therefore important to ensure all employees are aware of the process, and the targeted outcomes. It is essential to ensure that all employees understand the â€Å"learning organization† concept, the rationale and value, implications for employees, implementation process, and targeted outcomes. Through senior leaders, planning, organization and delivery of information workshops would facilitate provision of survey feedback, â€Å"educate† employees on the â€Å"learning organization† concept, solicit their ideas and concerns and achieve buy-in. An organization should establish a multi-dimensional management development program, which is essential for the successful implementation of a learning organization culture. The two major dimensions of the program would be: a formal management development process with a consulting focus, to prepare managers for their next promotion level, while strengthening performance in their current position and; a dynamic and substantive coaching program developed for each level of management. Both dimensions of the management development program would be aligned with organization mission, vision and goals, and would include a concerted focus on interpersonal skills development, in the learning organization milieu. An evaluation of developmental initiatives, and particularly the management development/coaching process, is necessary, to ensure that the â€Å"learning organization concept† is well entrenched within the organization (Triandis 1995, p. 39). Becoming a Learning Company The aptitude of a corporation to learn, not to be rigid, bright and responsive to sustain itself in the given environment is in the modern world being seen as the only way to manage a competitive advantage. Speculative images of the learning company thrive but there is little research focusing on companies who have actually applied the concepts and made them work. The following case study is concerned with describing a company which has attempted to become a learning organization. Prudential UK The Organization The Company started by giving loans and life insurance to people since 1848. Since then it has become a leading company, as measured by annual premium equivalent sales. Their service has also increased to include annuities, pensions, savings and investments. The company has offered financial services to many enterprises such as Jackson National Life, Prudential Corporation Asia and Egg. Prudential company is found in the United Kingdom, the United States and Asia and has employed over 20,000 people, 7,200 of whom are based in the UK and Mumbai. Globally Prudential Company has assets of 234 billion pounds on behalf of 19 million customers, to whom it promises, â€Å"In an uncertain world, we make it possible for everyone to enjoy a secure future†. The Challenge At the start of the decade the company had to accept a period of profound change to cater for the increasing demands of its highly-competitive and tightly-regulated market. In 2002 the companys leadership team learnt the way it would achieve this in a strategy called the ‘1,000 day plan, the cornerstone of which was best practice in all people policy and procedures. â€Å"We wanted to make sure that we involved our people to transform our business. To do this we harmonised our practices using the People Standard as our benchmark,† says Liane Collins, Human Resources and Learning and Development Operations Consultant. The plan was to provide success and the Standard helped the company to engage its people to succeed. By adopting Andra King from Capital Quality Limited as their external Adviser, the Prudentials aim was to maximise the potential of its people using a number of different tools such as continuous assessment and recognition. Using these tools the y wanted to continue to ensure that their people were at the heart of their business. A further difficulty was to ensure that its workers grasped and applied the brand values to everything they did. â€Å"We are focused to delivering the right services,† explains Liane. â€Å"We want our clients to know that we can be trusted, helpful and easy to deal with. Thats the experience we want them to have. Honest dialogue is the essence of what we believe in.† The Solution Among the first things to be done back at the outset of the 1,000 day plan in 2002 was to align learning materials with a Capability Framework, in which the company outlined the skills it needs to thrive. Since then understanding of the framework has leapt from under 40 per cent to over 90 per cent and there is noticeably more connectivity between company strategy and its people. Having established physical Learning Zones across its head offices in the first year of the plan, the second year saw the company bring learning to each desktop through an online learning management system called Learning Space. As well as providing a way to track learning achievements, it gives access to over 4,000 items of learning material. Nearly every employee has now actively used it, and so has helped put them in control of their own learning and development. At the same time highest achievers were offered access to the Pru University programme, an internal institution designed to develop a group of key managers and specialists committed to achieving our business goals. This concept was extended the following year to an Alumni scheme, allowing those who studied together to work and develop together. A talent management process was also introduced to ensure leaders are properly assessed. â€Å"The Pru University is aimed at influential people, ambassadors and drivers of change, irrespective of grade, who can contribute to the development of the organisation and make a real difference to the business,† says Head of Learning and Development Matthew Starks. More recently the company has started to implement best practice in encouraging healthy lifestyles, which research suggests will reduce the burden of self-reported sickness absence. Although it is too early to say what the results have been, the company estimates that it will lead to a five per cent reduction in absence and a ten per cent reduction in cases of stress reported to Occupational Health. It estimat es that the return will be  £2 for every  £1 spent on the project. The Results Business outcome is usually quantified using performance Indicators (KPIs), an array of measures which come under the headings of cashflow, customer, people, risk and compliance, profit, and shareholder. Absence, employee turnover, and performance remain key human resource measurements that are closely linked to the people indicator. But other variables that are factored include elements drawn from an employee survey and from the Organisation Cultural Index (OCI), a characterisation of a companys culture. Honest dialogue, simplicity and people all close to the companys desired brand values are consistently the highest scoring values, suggesting the aim of developing understanding of these among employees has been successful. Success s due to developments in its Learning, three-quarters of the people now understand how they can access learning and development opportunities and 88 per cent feel personably accountable for their own development. The vast majority of people 98 per cent have also used Learning Space the online learning management system. A group of initiatives has also delivered benefits. Self assessment by managers revealed that the number now rating their knowledge as ‘good has increased from 48 per cent to 92 per cent. Meanwhile an internal audit gave a positive evaluation of the performance review process with 88 per cent of people believing their review meetings to be open, honest and frank. Integrating communications with the strategy has proved an effective approach for Prudential. â€Å"There is now a greater connectivity with the strategy from the top and understanding of why things happen and the connections being made,† says Matthew. As a result one of the primary objectives which include, ensuring understanding of the 1,000 day plan among employees has been achieved. The ‘Living PRU survey found that the percentage of people who said they understood their role within the plan increased from 71 per cent in 2004 to 94 per cent the following year. External recognition has come on a number of levels for the company. Among a survey of 7,500 customers, 90 per cent of them said they were satisfied with the service provided. And on a business level, Prudential is also performing extremely well, posting a 33 per cent rise in pre-tax profits in 2005, well above market expectations. The one thousands day reform process come to an end in October 2005 having inspired a period of profound organisational change and improvement in business performance. One of the most dramatic changes came in June 2003, still the first year of the three year programme, when Prudential opened a $10 million customer service centre in Mumbai, Indias commercial capital. Champion Status To get success is a major endorsement of everything that the company tried to put in place. As Champions, Prudential intended to continue to build on its philosophy of sharing best practice. As well as being involved in forums, the company has worked alongside other organizations, including the Inland Revenue and the Department for Work and Pensions. It shares many of its activities through awards, articles, case studies and benchmarking forums. But, as a Champion the company looks forward to sharing its experience with other employers and showing how involving people in the business is the key to any organizations success. A human resource manager is involved in performance of the following tasks Planning He or she ensures that a firm has the right number and mix of people at the right times and places varying from long-range planning for large, stable companies to short-range crisis planning for thousands of small companies employing low-skilled and low-paid workers. (Haksever p217). In this case human resource, managers have to consider all of the laws that protect against discrimination and all of the requirements that employees must meet for the company. Effective planning by a human resource manager clearly brings accurate results that a company wants .in a case of staffing, understaffing result to result to the drop of the industries economies of scale and field of specialization, information, customers and the attained profits, while Overstaffing is extravagant and expensive, if continual, and it is costly to get rid of because of contemporary legislation in respect of joblessness payments, cons ultation and minimum periods of notice. Significantly, overstaffing reduces the competitive effectiveness of the business. An assessment of current and future needs of the organization has to be evaluated with present and future predicted resources when considering staffing. When proper steps are used in planning, it brings demand and supply into balance. The future demands of a company are influenced by the predictions of the personnel manager, who examine and adjust the simple delivery of the other managerial staff and also recruitments which depends on the following aspects The predictions of Sales and productivity Impact of technological change on job needs Difference in the competence, output, and suppleness of labor as a training result, job study, organizational alteration and new motivations. Renovation in employment performances by the involvement of subcontractors or organization staffs, hiving off tasks, buying in and substitution. Deviation, countering fresh legislation, for example payroll taxes, new health and safety requirements Adjustment in Government policies Logical staffing demands a plan for varying dates in the future which can then be compared with the crude supply schedules. The associations will then show what ladder must be taken to achieve a balance which involves the further preparation of such enrollment, training, or alteration in labor force operation as this will result to a balance in demand and supply (Claude Johannes 1999, p.115). Recruiting A human resource manager is involved in identifying people who could fill positions within the firm and then securing them as applicants. He has to plan a good job picture for the position and a specification of skills and abilities the candidate should have. A potential applicants list is developed from various sources, depending how the human resource manager decides to advertise the job opening. Managers obtain their recruits sources from internal and external sources. Advantages of internal recruiting The members of staff will not have to undergo basic teaching or learning all of the policies of the company. Disadvantages Inbreeding Results to seldom new ideas brought into the company. Jacuis (1975).An external source for recruiting brings into account the opposite of internal recruiting from outside the company. There are many forms of external recruiting. Some include employment agencies, advertising, Internet recruiting, and word of mouth. He is also involved in the recruitment of employees depending on: An examination of the work to be performed through carefully consideration of the errands to be carried out to establish their essentialities written into a career description so that the applicants know what physical and mental distinctiveness applicants must acquire, what traits and attitudes are attractive and what uniqueness are a certain disadvantage. Where substitution is to take effect, imperative questioning of the need to employ at all should be taken into consideration. Human resource managers have to search for recruitments in the following areas: 1.Domestic promotion 2.Careers advisors 3.Boards of university appointment 4.Unemployed agencies 5.Advertising Selecting Of Employees After applications have been confirmed, the human resource manager then begins the selection process basing on undoubtedly established criterion for performance of the job. The request form ought to be intended to discover the applicants skills and abilities for the job performance. The human resource managers choice reason could also be based on testing, interviews, references, and probationary periods of employment. (Simnett 1995, p.56). An effective selection is considered as buying an employee (the price being the wage or salary multiplied by probable years of service) hence the human resource manager has to carefully select to minimize and avoid in competencies in the company firms may involve external specialist consultants for selection of their employees Some small organizations exist to catch the attention of staff with high status from existing employers to the recruiting employer. Training and Development Training is an efficient method for altering an employees behavior to prepare the employee for a job or upgrade the employees performance on the job. Development involves the preparation of a person for broader responsibilities and higher-level positions within the company. Instruction and progress can differ from one firm to another, as well as by type or size of service organization. (Chaffee 1995, p. 46). Preparation in interviewing and in evaluating candidates is clearly crucial to good recruitment. For the most part the former consists of training interviewers how to draw out the interviewee and the latter how to rate the candidates. For consistency (and as a help to checking that) rating often consists of scoring candidates for experience, knowledge, physical/mental capabilities, intellectual levels, motivation, prospective potential, leadership abilities etc. (according to the needs of the post). Relevance of the normal curve of allocation to scoring g ets rid of freak judgments. Aims of Organization for Setting Reward System In Human Resource Management, the employee reward policy is intended to align employees with organizational strategy by providing incentives for employees to act in the firms interest and perform well over time. Anticipation theory carries a clear significance that workers must sense confident that their effort will affect the rewards they receive. Awareness of equity is therefore crucial in an employees judgment to remain and produce valuable work. Equity is a multidimensional construct, embracing external equity (the degree to which a firm pays employees the rate they would find in the external labor market), internal equity (the degree to which a firm differentiates pay between employees on the basis of performance in similar jobs), and individual equity (the degree to which employees are rewarded proportionately to their individual performance). For the reason that the varying strains of performance on human resources in high- velocity companies, perceptions of equity in its three forms may become confused, as job roles and job interdependence become more varied and flexible. Since employees would expect that as their job changes, so will their rewards, designing reward systems in high-velocity environments presents a major challenge to organizations. In high-velocity environments, a premium is placed on individuals who are able to operate in ambiguous circumstances and who are able to take advantage of loose job descriptions provided by their employers. Organizations in faster-moving surroundings are prepared to pay proportionally higher salaries to individuals who have such skills. We would expect, therefore, that emphasis on individually equitable rewards as a means of recruiting and retaining highly capable employees would be required (Farah 1991, p. 340). Employee Rewards Policy amended by the Human Resource Management can be classified under three broad headings: performance-contingent rewards, which explicitly reward through performance outputs; job-contingent rewards, where pay is contingent on job classification; and person-contingent rewards, in which pay is dependent on the competencies a person has (Dean Snell, 1993). Because both output orientation and job categorization may be complex to determine truthfully in high-velocity circumstances, the prospect of person-contingent rewards, which may encourage the values of learning, flexibility, and creativity, would seem to be best suited to fast-changing conditions. In addition, member of staff Reward Policy can be one of the best foundations of control available to a company in its quest to increase organizational performance and effectiveness, yet remain one of the most underutilized and potentially complex tools for driving organizational performance. The significance and diffi culty of connecting reward strategies to industrial goals in a systematic manner has been a recurrent argument in the study in this field, as has the importance and difficulty of linking rewards to the longer-term view (Hambrick Snow, 1989). In recounting the strongest stage of connection the stress has been placed on Lawlers (1990) description of reward processes which are capable of reinforcing the behaviors crucial to business strategy like long-term versus short-term, customer focus versus financial results. Utilizing This involves arranging the employees work to make them both productive and motivated. The factors that determine the effectiveness of human resource utilization include: 1.The structure of the work that provide an opportunity for â€Å"stretch† performance 2.Contribution in verdicts that have a straight forward effect on the persons job 3.Open interactions and fair setting up of assignments 4.Competent supervision and organizational flexibility 5.Economic and non-economic rewards that recognize achievement and equity 6.Opportunity for growth Role of Human Resource Management in Implementing a Learning Organization culture Human resource management has a strong impact on the organizational culture, it contributes a lot in implementing a learning organization because according to Senge, â€Å"the essence of a learning organization is that people are changing, people are developing w