Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 34

Accounting - Essay Example Therefore, what matters is quality decision and hence the need of managerial accounting in an organization. Unlike in financial accounting, the decisions made in management accounting are meant for internal users only. The internal users of information are the top managers, employees and departments in a company. Many organizations use enterprise resource planning system (ERP) to report, gather, arrange and supply information and converting it into meaningful information for decision making (Jackson, Sawyers & Jenkins, 2009). Managerial accounting is a career unit and helpful to students as it prepares them on their duties and responsibilities as future managers (Jackson, Sawyers & Jenkins, 2009). In management accounting, students are taught costing methods, decision making techniques and pricing methods which are the core functions of a manager. Also, students get conversant with ways to solve accounting problems like cost minimization and profit maximization techniques. Students are able to acquire the main concepts in both financial and managerial accounting, which changes their attitude to accounting as a discipline. Accounting as a profession is essential to everybody since it is practiced in all sectors. This forms the basis of future successful entrepreneurs in the society. Therefore, managerial accounting matters to student as it is applicable in all careers especially in decision making. The role of a manager is beyond controlling and issuing commands and directives. There are many skills that a manager should have in order to manage the activities in an organization. Good communication is very vital in an organization, and without it everything will be disorganized. Many companies look for competent leaders with good communications skills as a qualification. Managers with reputable organizational skills tend to improve the performance of a business as they make things done in an organized manner.

Social Consequences Essay Example for Free

Social Consequences Essay One of the most significant social consequences during the Industrial Revolution was child labor. During the late 1700s up until the Factory Act of 1833, children as young as six were working on average 12-14 hours a day in factories for little to no pay. The conditions in factories were deplorable, and the child workers were frequently forced to work with dangerous, heavy equipment. There were many accidents in these factories that resulted in children being seriously injured and even killed at work. Orphans were often taken advantage of and used as slave labor. The young children who were not old enough to work with the machines, often worked as assistants to adult workers in the factory, who would beat them. Punishments like weighting, where a heavy weight was tied to the childs neck while he walked up and down the hallway to serve as an example for the other children, were often used when children showed up to work late or did not reach their quotas (Child Labor). Another consequence of the Industrial Revolution was the result of pollution from all of the new factories. Smog was created by the burning of coal to run the factories, causing many people to develop respiratory issues. The smog caused the people of London to experience a general decline in health, including soldiers in the Crimean War, which caused their performance to suffer (Kasa). Capitalism The rapid growth of manufacturers lead to people investing in factories, new inventions and innovations, and increased production and higher demands for raw materials. Adam Smith, in his book The Wealth of Nations, wrote about the idea that production of wealth would increase if people pursued their self-interest in 1776, just before the Industrial Revolution took off. He went on to describe the division of labor, that is breaking the manufacturing of a product into several easier tasks to be done by separate people, commonly called an assembly line. The Industrial Revolution brought  to life Smiths ideas of division of labor and economic individualism with unrestrained competition, essentially birthing capitalism (Miller). Communist Theory Prior to the First Industrial revolution, manufacturing of goods was done in peoples homes using basic machines and hand tools. Industrialization gave way to powered machinery, factories and mass production. This brought an increased variety of goods and a better standard of living for some, and for many of the poor and working classes it brought dismal living conditions and grim employment options (Industrial Revolution). Capitalism emphasized greed, relied on rankings, and failed to recognize the economic importance of the â€Å"women’s work† of caring and care giving. In these and other ways, capitalism sparked the beginning of Communist theory that society should be publicly owned and each person paid according to their abilities and societys needs rather than a free competitive market (Capitalism Socialism). Differences Under Communism, all property is owned by the community. There is no government or class division, and instead of an exchanging of money, each person contributes to society to their full potential and takes from the society only what they need, ideally creating a balance. The society makes decisions that benefit the people as a whole, not individuals. Capitalism as an economic and political system however, necessitates individuals owning property and industry and encourages competition for resources as a means of increasing wealth and individual success, rather than directly benefiting society as a whole (Anglin, Bronwyn. 2014). References Anglin, M.R., and Bronwyn, Harris. What is the Difference Between Capitalism and Socialism?. WiseGeek. Conjecture, 23 Aug. 2014. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. . Capitalism Socialism: Two Old Economic Visions. Center for Partnership Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. . Child labor in Factories During the Industrial Revolution. Child labor in Factories During the Industrial Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014. . Industrial Revolution. History.com. AE Television Networks, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. . Kasa, Sjur. Industrial Revolutions and Environment Problems. Cas Oslo. Norweigen Academy for Science and Letters, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. . Miller, Donald L. . A Bio. of America: The Rise of Capitalism Transcript. Annenberg Learner. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. .

Human Performance Enhancement Technology :: Science Engineering Essays

Human Performance Enhancement Technology One of the funniest things about human nature is that nothing is ever good enough. No matter how good we are at something, there will always be someone in those 6 billion plus who can do it better. My mom told me that when I was a kid playing soccer in the back yard. They don't sound like the words of encouragement you might expect from a nurturing mother to an aspiring child but it was true. No matter how long I practiced, how many goals I scored, games I won, trophies I put on the shelf of my bedroom, there would always be someone, somewhere who could do me one up. When faced with this thought, we have a choice to make. Give up and accept life for what it is, try to enjoy every moment and yield to share the glory with the word, or try harder. Obsess over the prospect of achieving perfection and stop at nothing: all for that that one moment, that one instant when we ARE the best. People are like technology, they may be the newest hottest thing on the market but lined up for years behind them are thousands of advancements and improvements, maybe still in the works, but chomping at the bit to break out on the world and push even farther. So what's the point? What's the moral we are supposed to derive from all this? No moral. No point. Just a thought I think is pertinent to the changing tides out there in the battle we all face to be the best we can be. How far will we take it? What is advancement and what is too much? We live in an interesting time. Information technology is growing rapidly, new products and ideas popping up every day in relation to every field. By the same token biology and chemistry are as strong as they have every been, discoveries in medicine and health care are booming. So what happens when these potent ingredients are thrown together? What happens when we apply IT to biology? Well we already are, we ¡Ã‚ ¦ve been doing it for years. Doctors and Scientists couldn't accomplish anything without their computers. The human Genome project could never have even existed if not for computers and the special software used.

The Basics of Socialism and Communism Essay -- Government History Soci

The Basics of Socialism and Communism The radical political essay, Communist Manifesto- written by the German revolutionary philosopher Karl Marx, addresses numerous sociological problems of the 1800’s. In it, Marx basically calls for a proletariat, or working class, revolt and the installation of communism. Communism, also known as â€Å"scientific socialism†, like the latter name points out, is derived from socialism. These two complicated theories both yield a government that as autonomous political system has the responsibility to govern its country with the people's best interest as the priority. The Communist Manifesto and these ideas, however, can be best understood with an explanation of socialism and communism. Socialism, which preceded communism, began in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Utopian socialists such as Charles Fourier, Robert Owen, and Charles Dana were some of the founders of socialist thought. These visionaries had notions that human society could be organized into ideal communities of all the different occupations, including capitalists in some cases. They thought these communities would be stable and self-sustaining.[i] In addition, socialism calls for â€Å"state ownership and control of the fundamental means of production and distribution of wealth, to be achieved by reconstruction of the existing capitalist or other political system of a country through peaceful, democratic, and parliamentary means.†[ii] It also promotes protecting public welfare with the national government. One of the significant differences between socialism and communism is that along with state corporation ownership, socialism allows and encourages smaller business es to be owned privately. The ultimate goal of... ...s well. Notes [i] Bruno Leone. Socialism: Opposing Viewpoints, (Minneapolis: Greenhaven Press, 1978), 6. [ii] Michael Harrington. Socialism: Past and Future. (New York: Arcade Publishing, 1989), 51. [iii] Leone, Socialism, 19. [iv] Bruno Leone. Communism: Opposing Viewpoints, (Minneapolis: Greenhaven Press, 1978), 2-3. [v] Karl Marx, â€Å"The Communist Manifesto,† The Avalon Project of Yale Law School, (11 March 2002). [vi] Marx, â€Å"The Communist Manifesto.† [vii] Leone, Socialism, 6. [viii] Andrew Linklater. Beyond Realism and Marxism. (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990), 113. [ix] Harrington, 39. [x] Leone, Communism, 63. [xi] Harrington, 230-234.

Professional teacher Essay

Development takes what is there as a valuable starting point, not as something to be replaced, but a useful platform on which to build. To do so is to recognise not only that teachers do have valuable existing expertise but also that, if teachers are forced to choose, they will usually revert to their secure established ways of doing things. The metaphor of ‘building on what is already there’ is not, however, satisfactory because it suggests adding on something separate to what is there, something extra on top. The concept of development, in contrast, implies that whatever is added, whatever is new, will be integrated with what is there already, and will indeed grow from what is there. † McIntyre and Hagger (1992, p. 271) This places the teacher in a position of power and responsibility. It means that the teacher is the arbiter of change. If a proposed change does not meet with the approval of the teacher, then there is little likelihood that the change will be introduced. What sometimes happens is that, where a proposed reform partly meets with the approval of a teacher, the proposed change is revised. It may be scaled down, some of the less acceptable aspects removed or emphases may be changed. The proposed reform undergoes a process of customization to suit the circumstances and priorities of the individual teacher. This position of power in relation to change and reform also brings with it considerable responsibility. Teachers must be attuned to the need for change. They need to be proactive, able to take initiatives in relation to change but also to make sound judgments about the value and relevance of any change, proposed by others or initiated by themselves. They cannot afford to reject all change outright or be dismissive of it. To do so would be to abandon a professional obligation to work in the interests of students and the future of society. Every professional teacher must be able to articulate fully the bases for his or her own practical theory. Being explicit about one’s own practical theory is essential for a number of reasons. First, it ensures that explanations of the bases for actions in the classroom can be provided and the expectation of professional accountability discharged. Second, knowing in detail one’s practical theory facilitates the process of review and revision. Here the position of the teacher is somewhat akin to that of a medical expert or flight engineer. Only expert knowledge of how the human body or plane operates can provide a basis for the correction of malfunctions. Thirdly, it allows for a fuller and quicker assessment of proposals for change. Areas of compatibility/incompatibility and the flaws inherent in existing and proposed practical theories can be more readily identified. Moreover, it is more likely that unsound proposals for change will be detected. Interpreting student teacher learning as learning by reflection on can be taken a step further by also applying this idea to other components of teacher education, such as group seminars on campus. The realistic approach can be used at the level of a class on campus by creating an experience in that class which is the basis for learning for a whole group. One example is the idea of organizing 10-minutes lessons given by student teachers to their fellow students. Korthagen, F. A. J. Nevertheless, what teachers do as they design their approaches to teaching has many of the hallmarks of theory building. They address significant problems related to student learning, they design and experiment with ways of solving those problems, they inquire into the relative effectiveness of these ways by using data from observations, tests and feedback from others to assist them, they identify patterns which give rise to predictions about what is likely to happen, and they build bases for professional action.

Speak No Evil Essays - Arbiter, Censorship, Mister Sinister

Speak No Evil Essays - Arbiter, Censorship, Mister Sinister Speak No Evil Freedom of expression, and open access to media, are as fundamental to the survival of Progress as the sun and rain are to the survival of planet Earth. Yet censorship remains a traditional response of any group that finds itself offended at another's message or creative indulgence. The argument that because they serve the public interest, media should willingly accept a moral arbiter to decide what will and what will not be disseminated is both uninformed and dangerous. The biggest problem is that nobody will have the opportunity to vote for the people charged with determining what information is left on the cutting room floor. Worse yet, certain lower life forms with an eye on world domination will always find ways to apply this primitive form of babysitting to their own sinister ends. Because the new communications paradigm calls only for media to get bigger-not better-access to media is more costly. As corporate interests pool their

Dealing With Restroom Use During Class

Dealing With Restroom Use During Class How do you handle requests from students to go to the bathroom during class? Every so often you will see a news story about a teacher who did not let a child use the bathroom during class causing them to have an embarrassing accident. Restroom use during class is a sticky issue that deserves some thought so that you do not end up on the news. We have all experienced sitting in a meeting when we really have to use the restroom. People retain less information when they are focused on their need to relieve themselves. Therefore, it is important that you provide a way for students to use the restroom, while  at the same time maintain control within your classroom. Issues With Restroom Use A couple of issues exist that cause teachers to be wary of allowing  restroom use during class. It can be very disruptive. One of the most annoying things to a teacher is trying to hold a classroom discussion and when they call on a student who has raised their hand, the only thing they do is ask if they can go to the bathroom.It can be easily abused. Every teacher has encountered a student who does not have a medical issue yet asks to go to the bathroom each and every day.Roaming the halls is not acceptable. Most schools have strict policies concerning who can be out of class. This helps the school maintain control and keeps disruption to other classes to a minimum. You dont want to be in the hot seat by allowing too many students to leave your class at once or by having your students cause a problem when they are supposed to be in your class. Ideas to Help Control Restroom Use What can you do to allow students to go to the bathroom when they really need to but at the same time maintain control? Make it a policy that only one student can go to the bathroom at a time from your class. This relieves the problem of having too many students out at once.Give students a limit to the amount of time they are allowed out. This will help cut down on students taking advantage of leaving the class. You will need to come up with a discipline plan associated with this to help with enforcement.Institute a policy that students cannot ask to go to the restroom until you are at your desk or at a minimum not addressing the entire class. This is fine but remember that if a student has a medical issue of which you have been informed then they should be allowed to leave when it is necessary. You might want to consider creating a special pass for them for this purpose.Track who is going each day if you think there is an issue. If a student is abusing the privilege talk to them about it. If this does not stop the behavior, call and talk to their parents. There may be situations where a student abuse s the privilege every day without a medical reason. In one example, when the teacher denied the student the ability to go one day, the parents called and complained causing a lot of problems for this particular teacher. A call to the parents before instituting the policy with that student could have helped because they would not be getting the story just from their child. Restroom use can quickly become an emotionally charged subject. Make sure that you spend some time creating and perfecting your own restroom use plan so that you can stay focused on teaching and not on this issue. You can refer to How to Create a Restroom Pass System for more ideas.

buy custom Media Law essay

buy custom Media Law essay The purpose of this study is to examine the concept of privacy law as it applies to the field of journalism in UK. This study will focus on recent case studies in UK with an aim of demonstrating how the law relating to privacy affects the work of journalists. Privacy is a situation in which persons confidential information disclosed in a private place is not brought into public because, it can cause either emotional distress or embarrassment to the latter. The right of privacy mainly applies to those people in a place that somebody expects to be private. Example of private places includes hotel rooms, home and telephone booths among others. The privacy law can be applied in situations whereby, a person believes that the massage he or she ought to deriver is private and that it can only be heard by those acting in the presence of law. UK enacted privacy law on 2 October 2000. Several courts in UK enforced the privacy law after several incidents reported by various citizens, initially, the law was referred to as Data protection Act DPA and established purposely to ensure that both private and government agencies use personal data for specific and legitimate aims only. It also allowed people access to their confidential information, provide enough security for personal information, and to hinder the transfer of personal information to destinations lacking data protection laws. As we all know, that journalism is quite a sensitive field of work with regard to privacy law. Media acts as a tool for creating awareness to the public. In most case media focus on most sensitive incidents such as child abuse and neglect among others (Kenyon 2006. P. 14). Placing information in media such as radio and TVs calls for thorough scrutiny about the sources of information, this is to say that, journalists who are the key participants in media face challenges based on the provision of testimonies. In many cases, journalists must testify their sources of information. If it happens that the sources of information may not attributed to the public interest or dviates the law, journalists face charges from the privacy commissioners. Such commissioners do not rely on a complaint because they can carry out an investigation role to determine the level of quilt. The privacy commissioners have the right to decide the amount of money to be paid to the complaint as compensation. The other challenge facing journalists is that privacy law does not limit the amount to be paid. In the process of publicizing personal data or information, journalists should concentrate on useful and reliable information from government sources. In the provided case study, it is true that Jimmy sunshine who was a TV presenter had tempered with Dots privacy. The privacy law states that there is no person supposed to publicize other personal data without their consent. I think Dot should not have consulted Jimmy Sunshine before proceeding to the court because this could not have changed her image in the public. The best thing that Dot could have done is to sue Jimmy sunshine because by so doing that, other presenters will learn how to observe privacy law (Hendrickx, 2003. P. 45) Copyright is among other areas that tend to impose restrictions on the work of journalists. Privacy law tends to protect photography through copyright and moral rights. Private Law restricts Journalists through copyright not to publish certain photographs unless permitted by the authority. In UK, individuals have the right restricting journalists from publicizing photographs with information that should not be disclosed to the public. If the journalists have to take such photos, they should produce permit from the authority because privacy law through copyright safeguard people privacy. Below is an example of two case studies in which privacy law through copyright imposes a restriction on journalists work. Case study 1 in UK: woman in a swimming pool. Dorothy, a 24 years old woman, and a civil servant lives with her two children. In a servant quarter where she lives, there was a swimming pool sharred by all the residents living in within the servant quarters. As Dorothy was swimming one afternoon, a journalist came and captured some photos without the Dorothys consents. The following day Dorothy got shocked to find her photo in the newspaper. In the photo, Dorothy was half way naked, something that irritated her. She talked the matter with her law Daniel who later sued the journalists against privacy. After the hearing, by the privacy commissioners, the commissioner found the journalist guilty and the commissioner ordered the journalist to compensate Dorothy for interfering with her privacy (Bar et.al 2004. P. 67). Case study 2: Esther Edward aged 27 years old and a mother of two was a single woman who was living in community housing. Her landlord Eliud Colin gave her an eviction notice that did not give reason for eviction. The eviction notice did not allow her to address the concern of the landlord. They arrived at an alternative agreement after her lawyer used Victorian Charted to negotiate with Eliud Colin the landlord. Afterwards, Bruno a journalist came and took some photos of Esther and her house. Late that day Esther learnt that the photos taken by the journalist were placed in press against her consent. Later on her lawyer filed a case against the journalist concerning the disclosure of Esthers personal data. The journalist was found quilt by the privacy commissioner, and the commissioner ordered him to pay Esther $10 for compensation. This is to mean that privacy law through copyright imposed restrictions on the work of the journalist, (Great Britain, House of Commons, Parliament, Media and sport c ommittee, 2010. P. 135). Conclusion The above two case studies analyses the rights of privacy to all categories of individuals in UK. The two show how government agencies and private agencies ensure that personal data is made private. Violation of the privacy law is an offence and that a disciplinary action should be taken to all offenders being either journalist or not. Buy custom Media Law essay

Communications - Single-loop & Double-loop Learning Essay

Communications - Single-loop & Double-loop Learning - Essay Example It is also possible to simply reject the basis of this goal since a great amount of experience has already been gained. It can be undertaken by an individual or even an organization. Learning regimes are helped essentially by the aligning of instruction and assessment methods with theoretical basis. Instruction takes care of the assessment methods and assessments in return discern the exact basis of a student’s repertoire with knowledge. Theories look after the different ways under which strategic basis is manifested. All of these help in jotting down the learning styles which are adopted by different students. It is a need to align the instruction needs and assessment methods in order to reap rich rewards for the students as per their learning regimes. This will essentially make them into learned individuals at the end of the day. Both instruction and assessment methods incorporate the element of learning from a long haul. The different educational paradigms that come into pl ay include the positivist, the constructivist and the critical – all of which support as well as obstruct the alignment process in essence. Supporting the alignment process would mean that the organization is getting the work done in a pretty easy fashion (Garette, 2001). On the other hand, obstructing the alignment process would entail its basis within the critical paradigm of educational discussions. Thus the paradigm basis will manifest the wrongdoings in a person or an entity so to speak. The type of paradigm that an organization uses depends a great deal on its kind of work. The usage of all these three educational paradigms would mean that there is a complete mesh and the organization will reap the benefits in the long run Chris Argyris has provided for a clear cut description of the single-loop and double-loop learning mechanisms which have been instrumental at highlighting how organizational learning has been studied in the time and age of today. This is in light of t he ever-changing mechanisms that are closely associated with organizational learning and how employees have been able to shape up their domains on a proactively consistent basis. This comes from the aegis of the organizations themselves where the top management realms play their significant roles. Modifying the goal is important because it tells an individual exactly how to reach the goal and thus achieve his long term objectives and desires. Same is not the case with single-loop learning where there has been witnessed an inability for the goal modification realms (Marsick & Watkins, 1996). These are some of the most discussed aspects that come under the realms of organizational learning and have been depicted in a number of examples in the past as well. One should believe that double-loop learning is much better because it is comprehensive and encloses a number of aspects when one compares the same with single-loop learning. It is a fact that any organization that allows learning t o come about in a natural fashion with its folds is an organization that knows how to run its varied processes and carry out relevant tasks in a quantifiable manner. What learning essentially does is to bring in the much touted value and quality

Discuss the Explain the view that the dependence of developing Essay

Discuss the Explain the view that the dependence of developing economies on agriculture condemns them to remaining among the worlds poorest nations, Discuss th - Essay Example Cash crops in developing countries are mainly for exports and some of these products include coffee, tea and cocoa, however the oversupply of these products in the global market leads to low prices, high competition in the global market also leads to the low prices of these products. Subsistent crops are produced for the purpose of domestic consumption and the surplus is sold in the local markets, however the products are usually perishables and due to lack of good infrastructure and communication networks products do not reach the market where prices would have been high. The production of both cash crops and subsistence crops is important in these developing countries, cash crops are grown for the purpose of export while the subsistence crops are for local production, however these countries mostly produce the cash crops in large quantities in order to export although these goods do not yield sustainable incomes for the country to develop, there is need to diversify these products. Many developing countries are faced with natural disasters such as draughts and floods, this cause them to import food from other countries when such disasters occur, they lack food security programs that ensure that in years of over production the surplus is stored and these therefore contribute to food shortages, these importation of food products from other countries results to unfavourable balance of payment and unsustainable debts, therefore there is need to initiate a food security program and also an import substitution strategy. Falling food prices in the long term Due to the overproduction of agricultural products leading to high supply levels, the prices of food products falls even to levels below the cost of production, these leads to underdevelopment in the agricultural sector where farmers avoid overproduction of products. Price stabilisation The developing countries

Distributed Electrical Generation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 22500 words

Distributed Electrical Generation - Essay Example Cost and price of electricity has been taken as the moderating factor. Thus all of the independent factors will be considered in accordance with the cost and price of electricity. The black out of electricity in the northeastern parts of USA have been studied in great detail and has been taken as an example of which to base the blackout portion of the study. A questionnaire has been developed in this regard and face-to-face interviews have been conducted in order to gather primary data. The aim of this study is to define how electricity can be generated and distributed with regards to each of the independent factors mentioned. The aim of this research is to study in detail the system of electricity distribution in the United States. Blackouts are a problem that modern day American will have to contend with on a regular basis, unless the system of electricity distribution is reformed and enhanced. As more and more of our lives revolve around electricity, a modern and newer system of distribution is required. Otherwise an overload on the electrical system will result in a black out such as that occurred on16th August (a detailed analysis and description of the blackout has been given in the literature review portion of the report). In addition, the concept of privatization in the utility business has also been taken as an independent variable and has been thoroughly studied in the report. As long as an institute is a state owned enterprise, it is not likely to prosper. One of the main reasons is that governments operate on a basis of cost efficiency; their main aim is to provide a service to the general population by charging the consumers the minimum amount of money possible. Due to this factor, it is difficult for governments to buy state-of-the-art equipments in order to update

Nation Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nation Building - Essay Example To begin with, it is imperative to define nationalism. A force that is capable of rendering a national character to any uprising or event, nationalism is a phenomenon that permeates into the very core of a citizen's life. This has been studied in context of the book by Charles Tilly titled European Revolutions (1993) The hypothesis of this paper is the study of similarities and differences between UK, France and Russia as far as the aspects of the journey from revolution to nationalism is concerned, as discussed and hypothesized by Charles Tilly. These similarities and differences will be studied on the basis of the following three aspects: The basic hypothesis as put forth by Tilly throughout the book is that Europe is still in the making. Here, it is imperative to understand democracy so as to understand the ends of this journey and the point of the hypothesis. Democracy has been best defined as "of the people, for the people, by the people." It is a phenomenon that arises out of the various contextual realities that people represent in various walks of life as well as the socio economic strata of individual countries. To qualify as a democracy, a country must fulfil the following criteria: According to Tilly, Nationalism as a feature on any country's historical or cultural climate rises to the fore as a result of threats. It is only when confronted with a threat, does a country - made up of its people and their collective sentiments - wake up and recognise their strengths. This has been seen in the case of colonial expansion as followed by France and UK. These countries, with UK garnering maximum areas around the world by 1921, based their foreign policy of nationalism around colonization. France, in particular was a competitor for UK with its policy of colonization. These in effect become the strength of the nation and nationalism is born. (Tilly, 1993; P 10) In this way, nationalism is defined, anew; every time there is suffering followed subsequently by an upheaval. As a result of this, nationalism or nation building can be called dynamic concept. This is owing to the fact that its elements change with the changing times and the reasons for upheavals. (Elias, 2000) 2 The only thing constant about nationalism is its power to bind people together as a nation and the fact that it rises to prominence only in the face of adversity. In modern times, nationalism has become a matter of celebrating everything that a nation takes pride in. This includes independence days, art, literature, music and various other symbols that are a part of the national character as a whole - elements that remind nations of its past victories and present strengths. (Almond et al, 2001)3 Essentials of Revolution Tilly maintains that a revolution is a social movement. He argues that a social movement is one that is punctuated with a highly idealistic environment with realistic parameters that set the stage for immediate results and emergence of future trends that will go onto dominate the structure and functioning of that particular society for generations to come. (Tilly, 1993; Pp 47 - 48) Issues like principles, revolutionary change and personal strength and a search for identity of a group

American politics and parties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American politics and parties - Essay Example etermine whether they will further have to narrow down the number of candidates to the expected number or they can keep the selected members till the period close to the time of the primaries. The members select these nominees in relation to popularity among state’s members. Direct Primary Nomination for State and Congress offices takes place before the general election. One nominee is selected from among the selected nominees during the preprimary nominations. The selected nominee becomes the candidate to go for the States or Congress office. In the general elections, these elected congress and state officers, Electoral College, elect the President. The political party with the most seats in States and Congressional offices is able to pass their presidential candidate during the general elections although today it might not be always the case. Delegates are divided among the states by the national parties by apportioning them in relation to the number of voters in each state. The higher the number of votes a state has, the more the number of delegates they select from that state. The most populated cities such as New York is apportioned more delegates than other smaller cities. In my opinion, this is the case because there are more people being represented in one city than the other. Therefore to ensure even representation, the delegates are selected in relation to percentage other than state. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party in the U.S. select their presidential candidates by the process of primary elections. Nomination process starts when voters choose delegates from their states to attend a national party convention to elect their party’s presidential candidate. This is followed by the selected delegates, attending a party’s national convention whereby they select their preferred presidential candidate. The delegates select for a presidential candidate as per the preference or their states. Therefore, the more popular, aspiring

Nation Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nation Building - Essay Example To begin with, it is imperative to define nationalism. A force that is capable of rendering a national character to any uprising or event, nationalism is a phenomenon that permeates into the very core of a citizen's life. This has been studied in context of the book by Charles Tilly titled European Revolutions (1993) The hypothesis of this paper is the study of similarities and differences between UK, France and Russia as far as the aspects of the journey from revolution to nationalism is concerned, as discussed and hypothesized by Charles Tilly. These similarities and differences will be studied on the basis of the following three aspects: The basic hypothesis as put forth by Tilly throughout the book is that Europe is still in the making. Here, it is imperative to understand democracy so as to understand the ends of this journey and the point of the hypothesis. Democracy has been best defined as "of the people, for the people, by the people." It is a phenomenon that arises out of the various contextual realities that people represent in various walks of life as well as the socio economic strata of individual countries. To qualify as a democracy, a country must fulfil the following criteria: According to Tilly, Nationalism as a feature on any country's historical or cultural climate rises to the fore as a result of threats. It is only when confronted with a threat, does a country - made up of its people and their collective sentiments - wake up and recognise their strengths. This has been seen in the case of colonial expansion as followed by France and UK. These countries, with UK garnering maximum areas around the world by 1921, based their foreign policy of nationalism around colonization. France, in particular was a competitor for UK with its policy of colonization. These in effect become the strength of the nation and nationalism is born. (Tilly, 1993; P 10) In this way, nationalism is defined, anew; every time there is suffering followed subsequently by an upheaval. As a result of this, nationalism or nation building can be called dynamic concept. This is owing to the fact that its elements change with the changing times and the reasons for upheavals. (Elias, 2000) 2 The only thing constant about nationalism is its power to bind people together as a nation and the fact that it rises to prominence only in the face of adversity. In modern times, nationalism has become a matter of celebrating everything that a nation takes pride in. This includes independence days, art, literature, music and various other symbols that are a part of the national character as a whole - elements that remind nations of its past victories and present strengths. (Almond et al, 2001)3 Essentials of Revolution Tilly maintains that a revolution is a social movement. He argues that a social movement is one that is punctuated with a highly idealistic environment with realistic parameters that set the stage for immediate results and emergence of future trends that will go onto dominate the structure and functioning of that particular society for generations to come. (Tilly, 1993; Pp 47 - 48) Issues like principles, revolutionary change and personal strength and a search for identity of a group

MRES7013 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

MRES7013 - Essay Example Thus, it is oxygenated in lungs, and de-oxygenated once it passes through tissues (Guyton and Hall, 2006 p. 78). Because of its liquid nature, it is able to seep through spaces once a vascular injury occurs. We usually see it as bruising of the skin, when trauma causes breakage in the thin-walled capillaries in the dermis. The bruising then recedes with time, and the skin goes back to its previous appearance as if nothing happened. The same may not be applicable to other organs, more notably the brain. Although there is no obvious bruising similar to that seen on the skin, brain hemorrhages present with more serious signs of paralysis or changes in the sensorium, as caused by the ischemia and neuronal death of the area in the brain that should have been perfused by the injured vessel. Soon, ischemia of some brain tissue results to irreversible neurologic dysfunction. Prompt management is thus needed before neurologic defects become permanent (Kumar et al., 2010, p. 41). The age of hemorrhage is important because it determines the management of intracranial hemorrhage, as will be discussed later. The stages of hematoma are based on the form of hemoglobin in RBCs. Initially, during the hyper-acute phase or hours after the development of the lesion, hematoma is made up ofa liquid suspension of intact RBCs containing oxy- or deoxy-hemoglobin. If the blood came from an arterial source, which is the case in most non-traumatic etiologies such as aneurysm, approximately 95% of hemoglobin molecules are oxygenated.Later, water is resorbed by the brain tissue, resulting to a solidified aggregation of RBCs. As the blood ages further, the hemoglobin denatures from oxy- ordeoxy- to met-hemoglobin. This transformation is dependent on the oxidation of ferrous (Fe+2) heme iron contained by oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin to ferric (Fe+3) state, turning the

Psychological review Essay Example for Free

Psychological review Essay This interesting movie had many twist and turns that always kept you on the edge of your seat. The mysterious ending could have been interrupted in a variety of different views depending on the person watching the movie. The psychological role of the movie was tremendous, with patients ranging from paranoid schizophrenia to multiple personality disorders. The patients in the Manhattan Institute are suffering from various different disorders. The patient Prot was a delusional person that also suffered from PTSD. He thinks he’s from another planet, and many other of the patients are starting to believe him. Bess is another patient that is in a state of depression called paraiod schizophrenia and psychotic depression. Maria is a patient that is suffering from Multiple Personality Order. Her personalities vary form one to another. Howie is a patient that is on tranquilizers, and he has a desire for perfection. He spends most his time reading dictionaries and encyclopedias which enables him in his mind to speak without any mistakes. Prot is to be said from another planet, K-Pax. The evidence that is supporting his statement would be numerous events in the movie. First, he gave an entire map of his solar system and the exact coordinates. It was an amazing discovery that no other astronomer has yet discovered in our time. Next would be when the scientist said that Prot could see ultraviolet light, no human being can see this light. Also when Prot talked to the doctor’s dog about the kids sneaking up on the dog that the dog did not like that and the dog told him that which he talked to the kids about not sneaking up on the dog from the left side because he was hard of hearing in that ear. Prot said that he was going on a trip to Iceland and Greenland. The doctor didn’t believe him but Prot was missing for a couple of days. When he said he was going back to his planet at that exact time and date, a light came into the room and messed up all the security systems. Also Bess was missing because he said he was going to take one person back with him. After this incident Prot didn’t have to wear his sunglasses, and didn’t talk at all. All of the other patients didn’t recognize him at all. Also where Robert Potter lived near Roswell, New Mexico, which is a place where aliens have been spotted. Also after Robert killed the rapist and murderer he went down to kill himself in the river. The movie never really gives you the exact answer you are looking for as far as if he was an alien or not, it leaves the viewer to determine their own answer. All in All, k-pax is still one of my favorite movies just because of the psychological elements behind it.

A Lifespan Psychology Reflective Learning Journal

A Lifespan Psychology Reflective Learning Journal This paper is about typical grades of growing -up. A summary of the content of readings and discussions as we obviously cannot include everything .There are different definitions of age level (early adulthood, middle adulthood)and the adaptation to the age is different too. The problems of adaptation to the late adulthood and the concept of ageing, propositions to make life of old people more interesting and easier in the conditions of the Nurse House can help in the Health Care Assistants. Lifespan Psychology Reflective Learning Journal Changes in thinking, the person and behavior of adults depend on chronological age or from specific biological changes, than from personal, social and cultural influences or events much less. Social changes, cultural requirements of young adults can support, develop or destroy the templates of the behavior which has been put in pawn in teenage years. It is necessary to make of the decision and to overcome difficulties, proceeding from a daily life. A distinctive sign of a maturity is ability to react to changes and to adapt to new conditions. We conditionally divide years of growing-up on early adult (the second and third decades of a life), average (the fourth and fifth decade) and late adult (age of 60-65 years and above). Value of age for a separate individual can vary considerably .What prospects of classification and research of development of adults in the presence of the big number of specific features? For lack of other indexes, except any age ranges, we will address to concepts of age hours and social norms. By the end of the period of a youth (approximately by 30 years) the person worries a crisis condition, a certain crisis in the development, connected by those representations about the lives which have developed between twenty and thirty years, do not satisfy him. Analyzing the passed way, the achievements and failures, the person finds out, that at already developed and outwardly safe life its person is imperfect, that it is a lot of time and forces is spent for nothing, that he has a little made in comparison with that could make, etc. Differently, there is a revaluation of values, critical revision of the I. The person finds out, that he cannot change much in the life any more, in itself (himself): a family, a trade, ­ a habitual way of life. This crisis testifies that the person passes to a new age step a grown-up age. (Feldshtejn D.I.) According to Shaji, in the middle age the person uses the cognitive abilities to solve problems of others in a family and on work. At some these duties can become difficult enough, demanding adjustment of relations in working collective and assuming  ­ possession of the person of versatile knowledge. Such people have possibility  ­ to show the cognitive abilities, carrying out administrative functions. At later age, according to Shaji, character of solved problems varies again.  ­ The problem reintegration subjective traces of events all previous life, judgement of the life as whole and an estimation of the passed way becomes the main task ­. People of middle age should adapt to  ­ changing requirements and roles of old parents. When parents  ­ have good health and there can live independently, their relations with children are often characterized by mutual equality; it means, that parents and their adult son or the daughter render each other the concrete help. Such relations usually change, when parents fall ill or become too weak to live independently. The duty to look after parents brings not only satisfaction, but can be a stress source ­. It causes pressure in some between dependence and independence. The old conflicts connected with childrens dependence or other problems of family relations between parents and the child or between syblings can become more active again ­. Sometimes old attachments and the unions between members of a family or old rivalry again revive. Besides, care of parents serves as an omen of the future position of people of middle age which  ­ now look after the parents, but in near already the old age it should face own dependence on children. Decrease of physical strengths and appeal one of the main problems which the person in days of crisis of middle age and then faces. For those who is necessary on the physical qualities when was younger; middle age can become the period of heavy  ­ depression. Histories of the beautiful and charming women struggling with destructive action  ­ of time became banality. Act of nature of falling physical strengths of people  ­ of unexpectedly wide range of trades, including, artists and actors. University professors  ­ regretfully recollect the ability in students years to spend some days without a dream if that was demanded by an important issue. Many people simply complain that they start to get tired too often. Though well thought over program of daily exercises  ­ and a corresponding diet has the an effect, the majority of people in the middle age start to rely more and more on brains, instead of on muscles. They find new advantages in the knowledge accumulating life experi ence, get wisdom ( Bentley, E. (2007). The period of grown-up is characterized by that the basic or higher achievements of many kinds of creative, theoretical activity have these years. During this period there is a new differentiation of the separate parties of intelligence and at the same time its higher level of the general integration. So, in an interval from 34 till 37 years there comes the second peak in development of thinking of the adult person, more and more close and steady communications between figurative, verbally-logic and practical thinking (Pinjaeva S.E., Andreev N.V. Personal and professional development in a maturity//Questions in Psychol. 1998. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾-2. p.7). Lets address to group investigated by us with favorable forms of mental ageing. The following age group people 70 80 years ( «the second life »). This time when there are significant such illnesses of an old age as easing and restriction of impellent activity, the sight and hearing decrease, complicating habitual forms of activity. However the share of persons with the positive relation to ageing here again in essence does not vary, despite more significant for this group the factor of physical weakness, the big depth of physical decline. The physical condition of old men substantially depends on their psychological state of health: optimistically adjusted old men shipped in the affairs feel much better, than the despaired, hypochondriac people concentrated to the misfortunes. Certainly, creative people worry ageing is easier with them there is the favourite business, the saved up experience, the got wisdom. The history knows many examples of activity of writers, poets, artists, the musicians who lived to a ripe old age and have kept clearness of mind, taste by a life, creative abilities even contrary to a physical infirmity or illnesses. Goethe, Voltaire, Swift, Michelangelo, Renoir, Monet, Verdi, Beethoven derived strength for struggle against an old age in immense enthusiasm for the business; others, less known, but also causing respect, keep from own advantage. It is possible to note and one more characteristic fact testifying in favour of adaptive value of senile concern: motivational conditionality of a condition of alarm informs emotional experiences in structure of this condition bright partiality [Bennet, PravitsJ. G., 1987; Lazarus R. S., Averill J.G., 1972]. Emotional experiences of alarm (as a whole characterized as unpleasant) are incompatible with experiences of boredom and give a sharpness to a subjective picture of the surrounding validity. Concern concerning the health that is often shown at old men in shape hypochondriatic fixings Induces development of new interests and requirements for enrichment by medical knowledge in the field of the best ways of treatment and other forms of struggle against senile illnesses. Old men receive great pleasure from stories about the illnesses and thus them does not confuse, that surrounding these stories are perceived as persuasive older persons sincerely do not notice it as the life out of a society promotes decrease at Them the behavioral control. But conversations on illnesses, infinite treatment and self-treatment is a process, it is a way, instead of the way end. It is interesting that within the limits of this strategy of adaptation concern in health of relatives extends basically on the narrowest circle of relatives on which the life and well-being of old people directly depends. Other characteristic emotional condition of older persons, according to the given strategy of adaptation, age-situational depression in the absence of complaints to this condition is. As a whole, senile depression is shown in easing of an affective tone, delay of the affective vivacity, set aside à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ affective reactions; thus the person of the old person is limited in possibilities to transfer sincere emotional movements [Shahmatov N.F., 1996; Santrock J., 1995]. Older persons inform on feeling of emptiness of a surrounding life, its vanity and uselessness. All event before their eyes seems to them insignificant and uninteresting; interesting, full of sense the life in the past is represented only, and it never will return. But these experiences are perceived by older persons as usual and do not carry painful character. They grow out of life reconsideration, carriers of new senses and have adaptable value as protect the person from aspirations, struggle and for the excite ment interfaced to them which is the extremely dangerous to old men. Interpersonal conflicts a daily element of a life of the house for aged. People get to such houses-boarding schools with the broken destiny, growing old on( E.Eriksons) unsuccessful type, suffering from the former mental traumas which have not lost urgency, as a rule. They get here many blessings, but, at the same time, are exposed to the negative socially-psychological influences which are a consequence  «hostel way of life » and the state unified maintenance. It is rigid deformation of a personal existential continuum, free will restriction, depersonalization, etc. Neurotic conditions in which depressive passivity alternates explosive affective displays become result of negative influences. As a result of the listed tendencies mentality of the old person living in the house-boarding school, it is deep neurotic, that leads to its frequent collisions with associates. Such person creates round itself the disputed environment and itself becomes its victim. He gets to a vicious circle: a neurotic condition the conflict the new neurotic condition generated by the conflict. The person from this circle cannot independently be pulled out, the qualified psychological help is necessary for it. At the age of 60 years also is more senior the most widespread kind of pathology illnesses of system of blood circulation are. Following rank places occupy illnesses of bone-muscular system and a connecting fabric, bodies of breath, digestion, nervous system and sense organs, new growths. On these six classes of illnesses it is necessary about 90 % of all diseases at persons of elderly and senile age. The number of the older persons suffering because of death of the favourite person is amazingly great: about 12 million become a widow/widower older persons live in the USA, and over 800 thousand from them have become a widow/widower less than year back. At the age of 65 years more than half of women and 10 % of men have become a widow/widower at least once. Among those to whom for 85 years, 81,3 % of women and 40,5 % of men have become a widow/widower (Gibson, H.B. (2002.) Reactions of the person to heavy loss are characterized by especial scale of feelings, thoughts and behavior in which most often tested emotions are the grief and grief. The sharp melancholy and languor concern other reactions on died, a shock, catalepsy, hallucination experiences, anger, feeling of fault, depression, problems with health, irritability and feeling of senselessness of existence is equal as feeling of simplification and hope. Naturally, not all people, worrying heavy loss, test all or the majority of the listed emotions, therefore is difficult to divide normal and pathological reactions of experience of a grief. As consider M.Marshall and M.Dikson,  «if we have no positive experience of dialogue with old people in a daily life, the risk increases to see all old people in identical light, namely in what we see them on the work. And see we them as invalids, helpless problems having many » [Marshall M., Dixon M., 1996, with. 28]. Moreover, social workers and psychologists usually contact to old people and their families when they are in a difficult, crisis vital situation. Thus, if working with older persons have experience of dialogue with them only as with the patients and clients they usually have a confidence, that advanced age is time involution and difficulties of the most different plan. And after all older persons are capable to study, develop abilities, to get new interests. Social workers should listen older persons who tell them about the life; they can feel thus their grief, despondency, disappointment. However older persons have not only bitter experience. About many events which took place in their life, they do not recollect. Events for older persons become significant only in the event that they find reflexion in their late life. The psychologists working with elderly and old people, should have base education under personal and psychological characteristics of people of late age. Starting to work with the elderly and old people, many experts receive a shock from the clients  «client shock » [Britton P.G., Woods R.T., 1999, with. 20] already in the first week of work. Roots of this shock lay in insufficient understanding of old people, underestimation of their requirements and potential. The reason of other stress which experts can receive, is covered in a lack of abilities and the competence, necessary in work with this age group. It is possible to name and other problems necessity of knowledge of religion of that cultural group of the population which they serve, sexuality of old people (the taboo on this theme until recently has been imposed), personal changes in result of mental diseases. The main danger to those who works with older persons is sensitivity loss to their individual requirements. L.Brejtspraak allocates for experts three basic managements in work with older persons: Not to allow older persons to be involved in negative image of ageing, for example, it is necessary to help for them to see and understand, that the source of their problems lays in a situation, but not in them; To demand from elderly to take responsibility for the life there where it is possible; To stimulate activity of older persons who supports sensation of integration and integrity of a life. Old people sometimes become agers in relation to the age group. Therefore the problem of our personnel is softly to resolve their own relation to the age and to the age group. As a whole work [with older persons] in the psychological plan consists in the following: Maintenance and increase of social activity and a self-estimation of the person, prompting to expansion of social contacts; Creation of optimum conditions for training of skills on self-service and social functioning taking into account age changes; Stimulation of potential mental possibilities and creative abilities; Carrying out of special exercises and training to the skills compensating age changes. Work forms can be the most different. For me co-education of older persons and children in which course they operate in common is very effective and help each other, for example, training to computer games and games of type Dandy. Overall objectives of such training is derivation of older persons from thoughts on the past, studying them to live in the present by an establishment of friendly relations with young generation, search of the general interests connecting generations, and reception of pleasure from these communications and interests. Creation of clubs and circles on interests where would enter not only elderly, but also people of all age is effective. They promote dialogue, occurrence of feeling of aesthetic satisfaction, emotional support, raise pithiness of pastime, improve state of health and bring calm. To make the conclusion of the work, Id like to say that old people like kids need our attention, understanding and love. This age is the most non-protecting part of human beings. If they feel lonely, they must be heard by us. Our Nursing Home tries to keep the high level of living place for old people. We do the best to make them feel there like at home.

Bruce Dawe - Americanized :: essays research papers

Bruce Dawe is strongly opposed to consumerism, as shown through his poem, Americanized. The poem is written in a predominantly bitter and ironic tone. The title itself is ironic. Bruce Dawe is Australian and has spelled the title using American spelling rather than Australian spelling, with the ‘s’ being replaced by a ‘z’. Stanza one is set in the morning at breakfast time. It involves the mother and her child. Instead of the usual loving mother, we see a cold mother and one that is doubtful of her lover for her own child. Dawe uses cold language such as ‘beneficence’, ‘beamed’ and ‘laminex’ as well has the pause after ‘she loves him’ to signify this. The pair are also conveyed to be separate from each other, symbolised by them being on opposite sides of the breakfast table. Stanza two shows us how the baby is well looked after, yet is lacking the affection that small children need. The child experiences a ‘vague passing spasm of loss.’ The mother blocks out her child’s cries. There is a lack of contact and warmth between the pair. Stanza three again shows doubtfulness about the mother’s love. We see how the mother locks her child in because she fears the modern world. She sees the world as dangers and especially fears men. Her fear of men is emphasized by the italics used. In the final line of the stanza, the mother puts her son on a plastic pot. This is somewhat symbolic of the consumeristic society i.e. manufactured and cheap. Stanza four is a metaphor. The mother trying to toilet train her son is a metaphor for people learning the rules of society and trying to conform to society’s ways. In this stanza, the mother is society and the child is someone trying to learn society’s values. It is against the child’s natural instinct, yet the mother still tries to force it. In stanza five, the mother leaves the house and leaves her son at home alone. The mother is said to be ‘off to nurse and invalid called the world.’ This is to do with the theory of consumption. The mother has gone out to consume materialistic items that will in turn keep the consumer-based economy ‘healthy.’ If she and the millions of other members of the consumer society fail to do this, the consumer economy will ‘sicken.’ Stanza six shows how toys and presents mark the child’s life rather than love and affection.

Michael Jordan :: essays papers

Michael Jordan Critical Essay On A CNN Article At: http://cnn.com/CNN/bureaus/chicago/special/9806/bulls/mj.htm CNN resource reports the Michael Jordan effect on the economy. Michael Jordan is as CNN states "golden marking tool ". Michael Jordan makes much less that he is worth. With the impact he put on the economy Michael Jordan should be able to receive any amount of payment he ask for. Michael Jordan is Mr. Indorse. Michael is an advertising icon. Today Michael Jordan indorses for some of the major companies in the field today. Michael Jordan indorses for the top name brand shoe in the word Nike. He also peddles products for McDonalds, Oakley, Hanes, long distance company WorldCom, and Gatorade. Michael Jordan also have his own clothing line. Michael Jordan also have his on fragrance. Michael owns his own restaurant in Chicago . where he often attend twice a week to evaluate the service. Michael Jordan recently Open up his on golf company which is name after him. This newest venture Attracts millions of golfers. Michael Jordan also has his own line of golf clothing. As you can see Michael Jordan is a very busy man. He is as active off the court as he is on the court. On the court Michael Jordan is the same type of man. He takes care of his busy first then after it time for fun. Michael Jordan is as the CNN states the greatest athlete ever to play the game, he is best there is, the best there was the best there every will be. Michael Jordan is basketball; basketball would completely drop a level when or if he leave. The NBA doesn't have a player that has the skills, accomplishments, or character of a Michael Jordan. Everything he brings to the game is unique. Michael Jordan is 35 years of age. Jordan ranked 1st in the NBA in points per game averaging (28.7), ranked 16th in the NBA in steals per game averaging (1.72), ranked 17th in the NBA in minutes per game averaging (38.8). These are just the 1997-1998 season statistics. With this short introduction of Michael Jordan one would ask himself why would one consider him as over paid. Why won't I give him what he deserves as a busy man and an athlete. Jordan is the greatest of the game. The NBA deprive not only themselves but also the fans of seeing the phenomenal, the dominant, the supreme, and the optimum of

Complaint Letter Against Employer Essay

I am writing this email to inform you that the decision made to relieve me of my duties as office manager and remain on staff as â€Å"office support† has been done on unlawful grounds. Last week on April 21st I was informally given some vague feedback regarding comments from my co-worker Jane Doe. Her allegations caught me off guard so I requested an opportunity to review some of these concerns with the hope that I could also give a brief explanation from my perspective. I also requested time to review the job description so that we could confirm the nature of my role in the office for clarity’s sake. Dr. ——– asked that I be prepared to discuss what I enjoyed doing in the office as well as the job description, noting that I would continue doing the things I enjoyed doing and other tasks would be handled by current or future staff. This was to be addressed on the next work day which was April 25th. Today I addressed Dr. ——– at the end of the day to let her know I was ready to discuss these matters when she was available at which time she came to the back office. I was then told that our file clerk was going to be let go, that our reserve receptionist was promoted to full-time and that we would need someone to replace Jane who will have her last day in the office on April 29th of this week. After discussing a few of the responsibilities of the above mentioned positions we began reviewing the job description. Dr. ——– then crossed out 80% of the job description and divided it among a previous administrative employee, a contact who has agreed to begin working with Dr. Khan in June and yourself. This was not what was discussed on April 21st and is an unfair result of an unfair assessment for the primary reasons below: 1. The action taken by Dr. ——– does not fit the problem that occurred in that there was no verbal warning, no reprimand, and no opportunity to improve. 2. There was no standard or guideline of what my position as an Office Manager consisted of even on an introductory level – there was no job description. 3. I was not told I was being assessed and not given the specifics of the assessment itself and was therefore not afforded the courtesy of explaining my position adequately or even understanding where and how the errors/conflicts occurred. 4. The assessment was incomplete/unbalanced as one area of office development was assessed while others that are also critical to the function of the office were not addressed. Also, I am sorry to say that this issue now calls into question how things will be resolved based on the fact that you as the HR consultant are also the nephew of Dr.

Disaster recovery training

It is almost inevitable that at some point, a business or organization will experience a serious calamity that may hinder it from carrying out its normal day to day business operations. Such calamities may include computer malfunctioning, accidents, floods, fires, grievous acts, among others. When disaster strikes, it is important for the organization to have a proper disaster recovery plan that will help the business significantly reduce the losses incurred and recover within a short time frame.For this reason, this organization has set up a talented disaster recovery planning team which will cater for such eventualities. However, even as the expertise of the team cannot be questioned, it is still important for the members to undergo disaster recovery training from a credible third party and be properly certified so as to provide our company with the international best practices and recommendations for the implementation of disaster recovery as well as business continuity. Offering Disaster recovery training to our team will also help prevent our organization from â€Å"reinventing the wheel† (Thejendra, 2008).There are several organizations that provide consultancy and training in Disaster Recovery practices but it is important to choose carefully, those who will train our disaster recovery team so as to achieve the best possible training and exposure. The choice is to a large extent, dependent on their Disaster Recovery certification and relevant experience in this field. Based on these requirements, the following are five possible sources that can adequately train our disaster recovery planning team. They include professional training organizations and academic options. DRI internationalDRI is an acronym for the Disaster Recovery Institute and is a reputable international organization which provides training and certification on disaster recovery and business continuity. The training courses that it offers range from basic to advanced levels and its certification programs are aimed towards helping an organization to maintain its professional level of competence even in the midst of calamity. If contracted, DRI will help our planning team learn how to develop a business continuity management program and come up with proper resilience strategies to overcome disasters in the shortest time frame possible.The training offered by DRI international is quite comprehensive and covers each career level therefore members of our DR planning team can grow and improve their knowledge as they progress up the career ladder (â€Å"DRI International†, 2009). The professional certification is given in five different levels starting from entry level to more advanced levels. The entry level certification training is the Associate Business Continuity Professional (ABCP) which will support our team members who have less than two years experience in this field.The second certification level is the Certified Business Continuity Vendor (CBCV) whi ch is offered to those with more than two years experience and who demonstrate knowledge of the DRI professional practices. Another certification level is the Certified Functional Continuity Professional (CFCP) level which is open for those who demonstrate knowledge, have more than two years working experience and have practical experience in at least three professional practices subject areas.The Certified Business Continuity Professional is offered to those who have practical experience in at least five professional practice subject areas and the Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) will cater for those who have more than five years working experience and have practical experience in at least seven professional practices subject areas. DRII certification is internationally recognized meaning that our team will get the best possible Disaster Recovery training and apply it to our organization (DRI International, 2009). Business continuity instituteThe Business Continuity i nstitute (BCI) is an internationally recognized organization that offers training on business continuity. It was started in 1994 with the aim of helping its members to get guidance on proper management of business continuity. This institute offers training and certification on business continuity management through a program known as the BCI professional recognition program. This program is aimed at helping organizations to identify any potential threats to their business and achieve resilience so that they can respond effectively and safeguard their business when disaster strikes.Some of the skills imparted by BCI training include business resilience as well as recovery strategies, business continuity plans and strategies for risk management. (Business Continuity Institute, 2009). Training with BCI can be very beneficial to our organization especially due to its international status. The BCI professional recognition program is a benchmark for assessing best practice and has encoura ged the improvement of business enhancing skills. Our disaster recovery planning team can therefore greatly benefit from the high quality training which this institute is capable of providing.BCI certification is based on the Certification standards for Business Continuity Professionals which are internationally recognized standards of disaster recovery and were published in conjunction with DRI international. Thus BCI certification is internationally recognized and its prestigious status will boost our organization’s credibility and portray us a competent enough to carry out business continuity practices consistently and to a very high professional standards (Business Continuity Institute, 2009). International Consortium for Organizational ResilienceThis is another international organization that offers training on disaster recovery and business continuity. It offers professional certifications through several certification programs that have been tailor made to suit each ca reer level. ICOR courses are offered at the ICOR University and include ten disciplines, among them, Business Continuity Management, Risk Management and Insurance, social resilience and crisis management and communication. The CORA Associate certification program is for entry level professionals and is offered even to those with no work experience.The CORS Specialist certification level is given to those with a minimum of three years work experience and who have a certification in one discipline from ICOR University. CORM manager is a more advanced certification level and for those with more than five years work experience and certifications in at least two disciplines from ICOR University. CORP Professional ICOR certification requires more than seven years work experience and certifications in four disciplines from ICOR University.Finally, CORE executive certification program is for those with more than ten years working experience and certifications from six disciplines in ICOR Un iversity. The credentialing program from ICOR is designed to help students to progress as professionals (The ICOR, 2009). The main aim of ICOR is to empower the professionals who are in charge of business continuity planning with skills that will enable them to come up with adequate resilience strategies for their businesses. If our team trains at ICOR, they will have the benefit of interacting with other professionals making their learning more meaningful.ICOR is also recognized worldwide as offering resilience solutions to organizations therefore if we gain corporate membership, our team will be able to access quite a number of benefits. Some of these advantages include interacting with professionals, having unlimited access to the ICOR library so they can read widely on the subject and have unlimited access to a wide variety of resources. As members, they will undergo thorough training and certification at a lower cost. They can attend professional conferences and constantly be u pdated on what is going on in this field.These benefits will be translated to the organization in from of improved business continuity practices as they apply what they have learnt (The ICOR, 2009). Norwich University This is one of the few academic options which offer training in the field of disaster recovery and business continuity. The disaster recovery course which started in December 2008 is offered at the Norwich online school of Graduate studies under the Masters of Science in Business continuity program. Norwich University developed this program so as to increase the level of training in the disaster recovery field.Among the subject areas that it addresses are policies, systems and procedures that will help a company to carry on with its day to day operations even in the face of a disaster that threatens interruption. Being a military college, Norwich University seems like a natural setting for this program since the military is among the first organizations in the United S tates to initiate contingency planning. The MSBC program will help organizations to strengthen information assurance thereby enhancing business continuity (Larkin, 2008).The MSBC program seeks to help businesses adopt business continuity as a best practice, assessing all business aspects from information technology to supply chains. It will help our team learn how to identify weaknesses in the disaster recovery system. The fact that lessons in this program also involve learning directly from experts and analyzing case studies of those who have actually undergone business interruption at this point and this provides more adequate and relevant information which our disaster recovery planning team can then apply to our workplace.Learning from those who have undergone a disaster first hand is more beneficial than just learning theoretically. The program is provided online so our team members can learn from the comfort of their homes or in the office and as they learn, they apply it conc urrently to the workplace. This can be likened to on the job training, only the company is not providing the training directly. Furthermore, Norwich University is able to recruit instructors in diverse working in their different fields worldwide therefore its students benefit from a wide field of knowledge (Larkin, 2008). Boston University Metropolitan CollegeBoston University is another academic option which offers training in the field of disaster recovery and business continuity. The course is offered online in two distinct programs. One is offered as a Graduate Certificate in Risk Management and Organizational Continuity (RMOC) and the other is offered as a Masters of Science in Business Continuity and Emergency Management (MSBCEM). The graduate certificate program has been designed to help businesses come up with the best strategies to cope with the various calamities that may present themselves in the lifetime of the company (Boston University online, n.d). Students in the RMO C program are taught both proactive and reactive aspects of managing a crisis. The program covers preparedness planning, proper development of a business continuity plan among others. Students will also undergo a simulation of an emergency situation at the workplace and this will help them apply the theoretical concepts that they have learned in the duration of their coursework. Members of our planning team will be able to gain useful knowledge in business continuity.They will be able to gain valuable professional credentials. It is also possible for them to further their training by enrolling in the online Master of Science in specialty management which specializes in Business Continuity, Security & Risk Management. This course is offered to build on the graduate certificate RMOC program and students under the RMOC program can simply transfer their credits to MSBCEM program and complete it only by covering the eight core courses (Boston University Online, n. d).

Business Research Applications Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Research Applications Paper - Essay Example Research happens to be an integral part of any science and medicine related company. Merck & Co., Inc. is also a global research-driven pharmaceutical company. Established in 1891, Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs. The stated mission1 of Merck is, "To provide society with superior products and services by developing innovations and solutions that improve the quality of life and satisfy customer needs, and to provide employees with meaningful work and advancement opportunities, and investors with a superior rate of return." With this mission the company has been carrying on the producing medicines for different needs. Core values with which the company operates its business are; v. Recognizing that the ability to excel -- to most competitively meet society's and customers' needs -- depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity and teamwork of company's employees. Company has affirmed its respect to these qualities and how it values these qualities most highly. Traditionally 'maximizing' profits has been considered to be the objective of any organization. Not any more.This criteria has been discarded. Now organizations are supposed to have multiple objectives, monetary as well as non-monetary. There are short-term objectives as well as long-term ones. Research is an important tool for long term objective strategies. It helps in value creation as well. Value addition is one of the best strategies to take on the competitors. The term "value" can be defined in different ways according to the adopted perspective of the analysis: it is possible to determine a "customer value", a "firm value", a "stakeholder value" (Mele and Colurci, 2006). Research Activities at Merck Merck has a shown its commitment to research and developmental activities. For example the company invested $4.8 billion towards Research and development investment in the year 2006. In a pioneering effort Merck has associated itself with HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), an international collaboration of scientists and institutions sharing all their trials and results in the field of aids medicine. This network is actively pursuing the research headed towards discovering a medicine for Aids. This network shares trial results of researches being carried out by different companies and scientist organisations. The HVTN also facilitates parallel and concurrent testing of the effects of new experiments and medicines. The HVTN is a unique hybrid combining the depth and diversity of the academic community and the flexibility of a commercial drug company like Merck. Working with industry and government, the HVTN seeks to expedite and coordinate the trial process, advancing vaccine candidat es and building a body of knowledge about HIV vaccine trials. This network is the most ambitious one in the industry with

Data Mining in Airlines - NOTE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Data Mining in Airlines - NOTE - Essay Example Among the diverse transportation security parts, airport security remains the most contentious because it is vastly invested however it raises concerns. A conceptual connection to the word â€Å"security† divulges several aspects of AIP security initiatives supported through government funding. Results of the study support theoretical framework that two levels exist that the influence the distribution of grants in transportation security, and they include environmental changes in macro level as well as project features in micro level. Moreover, analysis points out that 9/11 events and the economic crisis in 2008 greatly affected the provision of grants associated with security and all grants in various ways (Wang, Andoh-Baidoo & Sun, 2014). The main weakness in the analysis of the study is that it is restrained by the variable choices because of secondary data. For instance, airport region and type are the only two variables describing project characteristics that only approxi mately indicate location and scope. Moreover, FAA discloses only financed AIP projects, increasing the difficulty of investigating factors that influence awarding of grants. Despite the weaknesses, the study findings still generate some significant implications to both practitioners and researchers. It shows that the investment in transportation security positively responds to terrorist attacks like 9/11 although this is not the case with economic events like the 2008 economic crisis (Wang, Andoh-Baidoo & Sun, 2014). The study focusses on customer behavior and firms developing permanent relationships with customer (Liou, 2009). The study tries to solve the problem of forecasting behavior to help firms minimize loss of existing customers by vigorously creating an enduring relationship with customers (Liou, 2009). The paper uses factor analysis; as well, it introduces Variable Consistency

Asthma Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Asthma - Research Paper Example Proper management of the disease will enable patients live a better quality of life with fewer hospitalisations. Asthma is an episodic and chronic inflammatory disease of the small airways of the lungs, characterised by intermittent airway narrowing and airflow obstruction that leads to symptoms of recurrent episodes of wheezing and shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing particularly at night and early in the morning. (Goyal & Agrawal, 2013) It causes a heavy economic burden on patients, their families and the healthcare system. It is a burden to low-income earners due to medical and drug costs. Asthma patients experience missed school or work days, medical expenses and even premature death therefore influencing their quality of life. Knowledge about the disease and its predisposing causes for development would help researchers to better target future therapies. (Bollmeier, 2013) Asthma is a complex syndrome characterised by airway hyper-responsiveness and is caused by a multicellular inflammatory reaction that leads to airway obstruction. Inflammatory and cellular infiltration of the airways is by recruitment and activation of mast cells, macrophages, antigen presenting dendritic cells, neutrophils, eosinophils and T lymphocytes. The major role in the activation of the immune system that leads to the release of many mediators such as interleukins and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor is by type 2 T helper cells. Cells and tissues in asthmatics are prone to inflammatory reactions against normally harmless substances. This inflammation can cause swelling, mucous production leading to airway narrowing. Air narrowing leads to asthma triggering symptoms. Exposure to substances that trigger reactions on the airways lead to production of IgE antibodies that help release of inflammatory mediators such as histamine and leukotrienes. These mediators cause the airway of the smooth muscles

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

Rewrite - Essay Example It is sponsored by the Pegem Akademi YayÄ ±ncÄ ±lÄ ±k EÄŸitim DanÄ ±Ã…ŸmanlÄ ±k Hizmetleri Tic. Ltd., located in Ankara, Turkey. Its stated aim is â€Å"to serve the needs of researchers and experts in educational sciences and specifically in educational administration, policy, planning, supervision and economics of education† (EÄŸitim Yà ¶netimine, 2012). The source is therefore credible. The second source selected for the topic of Social Media is an article by Rebecca Walker Naylor, Cait Poynor Lamberton and Patricia M. West. It is titled Beyond the "Like" Button: The Impact of Mere Virtual Presence on Brand Evaluations and Purchase Intentions in Social Media Settings, and it was published in the Journal of Marketing in 2012. This source is credible because the journal is long established (for more than 7 decades); it is stated to be a recognized leader in the field, and it is a â€Å"premier, broad-based, scholarly journal of the marketing discipline that focuses on substantive issues in marketing and marketing management† (AMA, 2012). The third source selected for the topic of Work Shop is an article by Haiyan Huang and Zheng Wang. It is titled Solving coupled task assignment and capacity planning problems for a job shop by using a concurrent genetic algorithm, and it was published in the International Journal of Production Research in 2010. This journal is published for researchers around the world interested in production systems and processes (IFPR, 2012). The organisation behind it is The International Foundation for Production Research (IFPR), which has been holding conferences every two years since 1971, and which was founded by a former head of the Production Engineering Department at the University of Birmingham in England. The source is therefore credible. The use of credible sources is very important for academic and professional research because it determines its likelihood of reliability, validity, reputability, and

International Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

International Business - Research Paper Example As per Avon's global strategy it is imperative to sell directly to individual consumers and the product's brand names can be changed in accordance with the cultural environment of different countries but the global brand name will be their primary identification. Avon allows every branch or subsidiary to set its own competitive prices in response to their local market conditions and the inter-country transfer of learning, resources and practices. 1. Your reading assignment for this unit describes different marketing orientations. Discuss the applicability of each to Avon’s international operations. Production, sales, customer, strategic marketing, and social marketing are the most common marketing orientations. Avon uses a mix of customer, strategic marketing and social marketing orientations in its global marketing strategy. Avon is basically a customer oriented company which allows product modifications as per country-specific or customer-specific requirements. As a part of its social marketing campaign to support women, Avon started its social awareness programs like fighting against domestic violence and breast cancer. Avon also introduced insect-repellent skin creams in South American countries. The company also took an innovative step in its distribution method in China to appropriately implement its strategic marketing orientation. 2. Why is Avon so much more dependent on its foreign operations than on its home (U.S.) operations? The strategy of going global was based on a primary fact that there will be more chances of profitability if you could access more customers. The basic reason of exporting is to increase the profitability of business either to explore new markets or to get rid of local heavy competition. Avon had both. The selling model developed by Avon that is in accordance with the nature of their products is not much suitable for the women in United States. As a large number of women are engaged in full time jobs, it will be difficult to access them through direct selling model. 3. Discuss socioeconomic and demographic changes that could affect Avon. Avon has a specific sales model that is line with its business model and the nature of products it is selling. However in order to make the business profitable, it is necessary to understand the socioeconomic and demographic trends of the country. In United States, the availability of women is a major issue. Avon needs part time sales force to implement its sales model effectively with a low labor cost. The unavailability of women affects the volume of sales because there will be fewer candidates willing to take the part time sales representative job and also there will be fewer women to meet those representatives to buy the products. 4. How might a global recession, such as the one that began in 2008, impact Avon’s operations? Going global is a risky decision as the economic recession can affect the profitability of a global company more than a local company . Some portion of operating cost of global operations is fixed in nature and can not be avoided like legal formalities of each country. Global recession also affects the purchasing power of customers and they are now more focused on the usability of the products they purchased. In this situation, companies are focusing on modifying their business strategies to deliver products with more functions with an economic price in order to satisfy the

Tit for Tat Essay Example for Free

Tit for Tat Essay Long time ago there lived a merchant named Garib Dass. He lived in a town . He was very rich but unluckily, he fell on bad days, so much so that he became on bankrupt. His business failed and theft accrued in his house not only that, he had to sell his house to pay off the debts. Garib dass was in utter adversity. But some thing had to be done to cope with the adverse conditions. So he thought, â€Å"I must go to some other town and start some work. God may help me and I may prosper again. Garib Dass made preparations to go to another town. One of his old friend’s Janki Dass lived in same town. He was hypocritical person. Garib Dass went to him and intimated him of his decision to leave the town. Hearing Garib’s tale of woe, Janki Dass expressed his sympathy and said, â€Å"Dear friend, but can I do for you? Let me know â€Å". â€Å"My brother, I have got iron bars that never rust. I went to pawn it with you against one hundred rupee. When I will return, I shall clear your debt and have my iron bar back. â€Å"Is that all? It is no problem at all. I shall preserve the bar safely†. Saying so, Janki Dass gave hundred rupees to Garib Dass and took his iron bar. Garib Dass thanked Janki Dass and set up for another town. With one hundred rupees he started a small business. Luck favored him and in few months only his business flourished and he became rich again. Garib Dass return to his home town. He bought a new house and started his old business once again. Soon he came to enjoy his old respect and well as dignity. One day Garib Dass went to Janki Dass’s house. His friend entertained him duly and they exchanged greetings. Then Garib Dass said to Janki Dass, â€Å"Friend! Here are your one hundred rupees. I went to have my iron bar back†. Janki Dass put on a sad face and said,† My brother! I feel very ashamed to tell you that I placed your iron bar safely in a box. God knows how a rat got into the box and nibbled the entire bar.

Strategic Human Resource Management

Strategic Human Resource Management INTRODUCTION: Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a subject that is in continues phase of transition, from its first emergence in the mid-1980s. In past two decades many authors, theorists and consultants suggested variety of theories and models which can be practically applied in the organization to manage people more effectively. However, according to Legge (1995) and Grantton et al (1999) cited by (Michael Armstrong 2004: 1) there is often a gap between rhetoric of SHRM and reality. Therefore, the main emphasis of this assignment is on the practical execution of these theories and models with the particular reference to Telenor Pakistan (Subsidiary of Telenor ASA, Norway). For the better understanding of the Strategic HRM it is essential to know the basic concept of HRM: it can be defined as strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valuable assets the people working there who collectively and individually contributes to the achievement of its objectives. (Armstrong and Baron 2003: 3). Development of SHRM: In the last 15 years SHRM has grown considerably. According to Schuler et al. (2001) the development of SHRM is two phased transformation: from personnel management to traditional human resource management (THRM), and then from THRM to SHRM. To survive in the cut-throat competition, organization HR must focus on a new set of priorities, which are more business and strategic oriented such as flexible workforces, quality improvement, team-based job designs, employee empowerment and incentive compensation. Definition of SHRM: Strategy is derived from the Greek word strategia, which means Generalship. The term strategic has been borrowed from the military and modified for the use in business. In business, as in the military, strategy bridges the gap between policy and tactics. Together, strategy and tactics bridge the gap between ends and means. (http://home.att.net/~nickols/strategy_definition.htm) In spite of high focus paid by different scholars the term SHRM still remains unclear. Some theorists have suggested SHRM as an outcome, others have suggested it as a process, and other scholars have recommended it as a combination of both: outcome and process. As an outcome, (Wright and McMahan 1992) cited by (Armstrong 2004: 41) defined SHRM as the pattern of planned HR deployments and activities intended to enable a firm to achieve its goals. Likewise, (Snell et al 1996: 62) described SHRM to be organizational systems designed to achieve sustainable competitive advantages through people. As a process, (Ulrich and Lake 1991) defined SHRM a process of linking HR practices to business strategy. Furthermore, (Bamberger and Meshoulam 2000) suggest that SHRM is a competency-based approach to personnel management that focuses on the development of durable, imperfectly imitable, and non-tradable people resources. Cited by (Chang and Huang 2005: 436) Truss and Gratton (1994) Considered SHRM both: process and outcome, and defined SHRM as the linkage of HR functions with strategic goals and organizational objectives to improve business performance and cultivate an organizational culture that fosters innovation and flexibility. Cited by (Chang and Huang 2005: 436) Michael Armstrong ultimately defines strategic HRM as an approach to making decisions on the intentions and plans of the organisation in the shape of the policies, programmes and practices concerning the employment relationship, resourcing, learning and development, performance management, reward and employee relations. (Armstrong, 2006: 115). In the absence of a common definition, broadly theorists and Authors have been reached to an agreement on its basic function of SHRM, which encompasses designing and implementing a set of internally consistent policies and practices that ensure the human capital of a firm contributes to the achievement of its business objectives (Schuler MacMillan 1984, Baird Meshoulam 1988, Jackson Schuler 1995) cited by (Wei, L. 2006: 49). APPLICATION OF MODELS AND THEORIES: The chosen organisation is Telenor Pakistan (100% owned subsidiary of Telenor ASA, Norway). The Human Resource department is known as Human Capital Division at Telenor; Company regards employees as human capital from which a return can be attained by investing prudently in their development. This concept of managing people is also supported by authors like Fomburn at el 1984 and Guest 1999 cited by (Armstrong 2004: 7) Background of Telenor Pakistan: Telenor Pakistan is one of the leading mobile networks in the country, 100% owned by Telenor ASA-(Norway) and adds on to its operations in Asia together with Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Telenor launched its operations in March 2005 headed by the CEO Tore Johnson as the single largest direct European investment in Pakistan. Telenor spread across Pakistan, creating 2,200 direct and 20,000-plus indirect employment opportunities. (www.telenor.com.pk) Key facts about Telenor-ASA Group: Employs more than 34,000 people worldwide. Ranked as 7th largest mobile operators in the world. Ranked 5th in Business Weeks 2007 global ranking of the top 100 performers in the technology industry, beating Microsoft, Apple and Nokia Recorded revenues of NOK 91.1 billion (USD 15.9 billion) at the end of 2006 a 37% increase compared to 2005 (www.telenor.com) Telenor PK has been consistently profitable with highest customer satisfaction. This success is reflected in the Revenues increased by 31% and estimated market share increased by 4%. In the year 2007 Telenor has won many prestigious awards like PSHRM (Pakistan Society of Human Resources Management) Preferred Graduate Employer Award 2007, the best brand award, and the most Innovative Mobile Operator at the 6th SAARC Communication Industry Conference 2007, The above landmarks are the true reflection of motivated and well developed human recourse. This can be associated with the dedication and professional excellence of Telenor employees towards the ultimate goal customer delight! (www.telenor.com.pk) Practical Application of Valuing HR: To get the insight of how Telenor Pakistan practices Strategic HRM, first it would be appropriate to know the meaning of SHRM. In 1986 Hendry and Pettigrew suggested that strategic HRM has four meanings: The use of planning; A coherent approach to the design and management of personnel systems based on an employee policy and manpower strategy with underlying philosophy; Matching HRM activities and policies to some explicit business strategy; and Seeing the employees as a strategic resource for the achievement of competitive advantage (Cited by Armstrong, 2006: 114). As the test of fire can only produce the fine steel the application of Hendry and Pettigrew can be reflected by the real example when implementation of planning, good management of human resource brought the Telenor back on track: right after the cartoon controversy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Jan-06, things got worse for Telenor Pakistan. This incident caused outrage in the Islamic world resulting in consumer boycott for weeks, numerous demonstrations and other protests. In Pakistan due to the western image of Telenor, it became one of the earliest victims of this incidence, resulting drastic slump in sales, and complete abandon of all marketing campaigns. The situation was so critical that Telenor has to make some important decisions as the company had to announce annual salary increments and yearly bonus due after the performance appraisal of past year. Due to the heavy losses and limited funds, it was tough for thee management to pay out the annual bonus to staff. However, analysing the situation closely company decided to pay it out, since it was the right of employee who worked hard in past year. This action of Telenor really standout as other companies has decided otherwise. This made the employee more faithful and loyal towards the company. Furthermore, company was in big dilemma to go for downsizing or not. Lay off would be the common way for other but Telenor decided to retain all the employees; this was even against the employees expectation, as most of the sales people has nothing to do at that time. Yet again to encourage the employees moral and develop their faith in the organization took this bold step. These practical examples can be seen as true picture of how Human capital division regard the people as the most valuable assets for the organisation. Creating Conducive Environment: McGregor in 1960 at the MIT Sloan School of Management came up with two sets of assumptions about human nature (see the Table below). McGregor called these two contrary sets Theory X and Theory Y: with the assumptions underlying that people at work are negative for theory X and people at work are positive and progressive for theory Y. Table of Assumptions Theory X and Theory Y Outdated (Theory X) Modern ( Theory y) Assumptions about people are: Assumptions about people at work: Most people dislike work; they do avoid it when they can. Work is natural activity, like play or rest. Most people must be coerced and threatened with punishment before they will work. People require close direction when they are working. People are capable of self-direction and self-control if they are committed to objectives. Most people actually prefer to be directed. They tend to avoid responsibility and exhibit little ambition. They are interested only in security. People generally become committed to organisational objectives if they are rewarded for doing so. The typical employee can learn to accept and seek responsibility. The typical member of the general population has imagination, ingenuity and creativity . Source: http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/mcgregor/ Being one of the modern organizations Telenor PK human capital division operates with the norms of theory Y. In one of the interviews, CEO Telenor Pakistan Tore Johnsen said: At Telenor Pakistan our philosophy is to unlock the hidden human potential by building expertise and by providing an energizing environment. Telenor is a young organization with an average employee age of 27 years which means that we are interested in finding young talent and equipping it with the competencies that the fastest growing network requires in one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world. (http://www.telenor.com.pk/pressCenter/pressrelease.php?release=97lang=en) Telenor HR managers always put high emphasis on incessant customer-centred and employee-driven expansion; such kind of encouraging atmosphere makes employees more confident and allowed them to work freely, whereby they can take their own initiatives to set future direction for the organization which attains competitive advantage. Benefiting Employees to Create Competitive Edge: SRHM is developed in three important phases. All of them hold vital importance to understand the subject and these three phases were: the human relations movement, the total quality management movement, and the contingency approach to management. Theories forwarded by Elton Mayo, Douglas McGregor and Mary Parker Follett were most influential in the human relations movement. Mayo suggested managers to look deep into the emotional side of the employees. On the other hand Follett argued that managers should inspire and stimulate job performance instead of simply demanding it. She also emphasised on quality circles employee empowerment. (http://books.google.com/books?id=AiIPAAAACAAJdq=Mary+Parker+Follettei=2U0qSMj6GJXEyQTUyYmnCg) These viewpoints instigate new way of thinking about human nature behaviour. HR managers in Telenor Pakistan hold tight to these views by providing flexible working environment to staff and hiring only those employees who can understand the companys strategy. Staffs are benefited by profit sharing and incentive schemes which can keep them focused to work more efficiently. Taking the high care of emotional side of employees, one of the benefits that company provides is the free medical treatment policy which is exactly the same for all the staff e.g. from president to junior officer all are entitled for same health benefits. Talking to the local press Nayab Baig (VP HCD) said: we believe in continuous improvement of employees and taking the standards of service to the utmost levels of excellence. (www.telenor.com.pk) Management skills: According to (Kreitner and Kinicki 2004: 6) there are 11 skills exhibited by effective managers, as shown below: In Telenor above mentioned skills are often displayed by the HR managers to deal with the employees in order to induce high performance and employee morale. Moreover these skills also play a vital role in building the climate of trust and motivation among the team members. Lower turnover rate from all the departments of the company as compared with other telecom operators and consistency with higher employees satisfaction, are the factors that exhibit the high involvement and administrative expertise of HR managers in Telenor. To set every staff member in the same direction Human capital Division uses the technique known as Hochin which means compass to check the direction. To enhance the communication level Telenor operates Open environment in offices, whereby there are no cabin for senior staff and every employee from president to junior officer need to work on the same floor. This also inculcates fun and informal culture in the company. With the help of clear communication managers make sure that companys vision and mission, as well as job description are clear to the employees. To provide the feedback on employees performance there is automated IT-system known as TDP (Telenor Development process). This helps company to use performance relationships that can achieve the purpose SHRM to create competitive advantage. Employee Motivation: Terence Mitchell in 1972 proposed a model that provides the basis for how motivation among staffs influences job behaviours and performance. Following is the model which combines the elements from different motivational theories to explain the relationship between motivation and job performance. As mentioned in the below diagram, employees bring set of unique characteristics to the work place, such as their ability, emotions, moods, job knowledge, traits and values, these individual set of skills are then enhanced by the motivational process and transformed into the job performance. Individual inputs Ability, job knowledge Dispositions and traits Emotions, moods, and affect beliefs n value Skills Motivated behaviour Focus: direction, what we do. Intensity: effort, how hard we try Quality: task strategies, the way we do it. Duration: persistence, how long we stick to it. Performance Motivational Process Arousal Attention Intensity and Direction persistence Job context Physical environment Task design Rewards and reinforcement Supervisory support ancoaching Social norms and organisation culture Enable, limit Source: TR Mitchell, Matching Motivational Strategies with Organisational Contexts, in Research in Organisational Behaviour, Vol19, ends LL Cummings and BM Staw (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1997) P 63. To motivate the employees at all levels Telenor offers competitive pay, excellent benefits and exceptional advancement opportunities. With the caring atmosphere Telenor provides relaxed and enriching working environment. Furthermore, training and further education programs ensure a high professional standard amongst all staffs. Such motivational tools create bunch of talented and loyal workforce which plays a crucial role in the organizations ongoing business success. Moreover, to get the 100% commitment from the employees Telenor uses following management criteria for all managers for annual evaluations. They are; (a) Passion for business (b) Change and constant renewal (c) Operational excellence (d) Empower people (e) Integrity. Source: http://www.telenor.com.pk/careers/whyTelenor.php Task 2: Role of the HR Function: According to (Armstrong 2003: 38) The role of HR function is to enable the organization to achieve its objectives by taking initiatives and providing guidance and support on all matters relating to its employees. Moving one step further Michael Armstrong emphases on basic aim of HR function which is to deal effectively with everything concerning the employment and development of people and the relationship that exist between management and workforce. As the personnel standards (Lead Body 1993) cited by (Armstrong 2003: 39) suggested that Personnel management is exercised as a part of full management process and cannot be viewed in isolation. Although a support activity it must be proactive. It must promote business solutions that take advantage of opportunities stemming from business issues just as it must find solutions to apparent constraints. Activities of HR functions: According to (Mithis and jackson 2006: 6) the HR function becoming transactional as organizations compete globally. Furthermore they have suggested seven key HR activities which ideally the every FR function should perform in the organization, those activities are as follows: Strategic HR management Equal employment opportunity Staffing HR development Compensation benefits Health, safety and security Employee and labour relations By combining the HRM function with business strategy, SHRM creates more efficient and effective arrangement and utilization of human resources to attain the organizational goals, and which helps organization to gain a competitive advantage. Telenor Pakistan has developed strong relationships among teams, which helps in creating high levels of coordination and therefore instigating high levels of quality and performance efficacy. This is only possible because of HR function is performing the required tasks within the organization. All the HR activities mentioned above are critical for the success of Telenor and theses activities are often displayed by the Telenor leadership at the top and the frontline managers, to create an environment in which employees can achieve the level of excellence, by not only performing their jobs effectively but also developing their skills and capabilities to the ever changing demands of contemporary organization. The main focus of SHRM is to develop the firms capability in order to deal with changes in an external environment through a better utilization of human resources. Telenor Pakistan has embedded this strategy in their core business, so the company can respond quickly to external changes. HR Function Models: There have been many attempts to categorize the work of the HR function in order to analyze its verity, diversity and complexity. One of the oldest and perhaps one of the best models was proposed by Karen Legge in 1978 cited by (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005: 131). In 1986 Tyson and Fell came up with their own building Site analogy in which they have identified three roles for the personal function. However, Tyson and Fell (1986, p24) rejected the assumption that HR assumes great maturity as it develops along the continuum. Storey (1992) forwarded another model which was updated by Caldwell (2003). This model proposes fourfold map based on two dimensions: the degree to which HR is strategic or operational, and the extent to which it intervenes and has a high profile. (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005: 131-132) Author (date) Categories for the HR roles Reasons for differentiation Legge (1978) Conformist innovator Deviant innovator Problem-solver Relating the work of HR to the values and norms of the organisation Looks for new innovation often based on social values not economic ones Identifying and resolving problems Ways to gain power and influence Tyson Fell (1986) Clerk of the works Contracts manager Architect Predominately administrative serving the needs of line managers Often where systems and procedures and heavily formalised involving industrial relations Greater integration into corporate strategy HR planning and development are important Time-span for decision-making Degree of discretion Involvement of HR Story (1992) Caldwell (2003) Handmaiden Regulator Adviser Change-market Provide a service to meet the demands of the line managers Mainly concerned with managing problems and discontent Operate at strategic level, provide support for line-managers and work to help shape policies and practices Internal consultant leaving much of HR practice to line managers Level-strategic or tactical Degree of interventionism Ulrich (1998) Administrative support Employee champion Change agent Business partner Improving efficiency within function and organisation Improving contribution commitment and engagement of workforce Improving the organizations ability to transform and change Implementing and developing the strategic plans of the organisation Level, focus and time-frame Managing processes for people (Armstrong, 2006, pp. 76-81) Ulrich in 1998 pointed out that there is sort of disconfirmation between the activities that HR perform and the real work of organization. He believes that HR should not be defined by what it does but by what it delivers. Furthermore he proposed that HR can deliver excellence in for in four different ways: (a) Business partner (b) Administrative support (c) Employee champion (d) change agent. Ulrich model for the HR function: Source: (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005: 135) Application of Models: All of the above stated models hold great value in present world, but the model that fits the Telenor Pakistan HR function is combination of these; Proposed Paradigm: Deviant Innovator Architect Regulator Change agent Employee champion Deviant innovator: Here the HR looks for new innovation driven from social values rather than economic ones. Telenor Human Capital Division plays this role by providing equal opportunities to all employees and providing flexibility in working hours where the staffs is studying or doing some other courses. Empowerment is the key in this role of HR, in Telenor Pakistan line managers are encouraged to delegate authority to their lower level, where by encouraging junior staff to gain confidence and develop their capabilities to cope the future demands. Architect: According to Tyson and Fell this is the most sophisticated role of Hr function it is concerned with grand designs at a senior level and the integration of HR into the broader business plans. Telenor HR managers display the quality of architect by creating the right culture in the organization e.g. open environment to promote speedy work and higher level of communication. Secondly operating as business managers rather than personnel professionals, those can proactively work to analyse the present and future needs of employees. Regulator: Telenor HR work as regulator by managing and resolving departmental conflicts, for example, different incentive plans for Sales and Customer services department can create discontentment among the employees, such issues are regulated by HR to compensate the staff equally. Moreover, HR develops policies practices, and level of hierarchy at which decisions are taken. Change Agent: This role of HR seeks to develop new processes culture and providing new vision to the company. Human Capital Division in HR work as change agent in a manner that it develops the organizations ability to sustain the change forces and transform vision into reality. For instance the service centres operations timings were increased from 9:00am to 9:00 pm to cater the changing demand of customers. However, to facilitate employees company has provided conveyance allowance with higher rate of pay to keep the workforce motivated. Employee Champion: HR in Telenor performs this role by working as a representative of employees by conveying the concerns of the employees to the higher management. Furthermore, as suggested by Ulrich, HR department keep regard of things by which employees are kept motivated and will to work beyond contract when needed. For example in Telenor there is IT regulated system know as service desk, if any employee has any issue he/she can log that complaint on the system and HR will take care of that issue. Source: (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005, pp 132-135) Horizontal vertical Integration: HRM Align: Alignment of Human resources simply means integrating people management decisions with a core business strategy of the organization. By align or integrating human resources management into the organisations planning process develops and promotes strong relationship between HR and management. By this action of management it ensures that the management of human resources contributes towards the achievement of desired goals of company and for any shortcomings managers are held answerable for their HRM decisions. In contemporary organization like Telenor Pakistan, in routine the work requires high level of coordination and most of the work is interdependent among the employee groups. To facilitate high level of coordination and to generate quick response all the Telenor employees are trained for multitasking with very little job description, which clearly mentions one thing at the end: Working for Telenor is better than working for department. This kind of HR structure prevents its not my job attitude and the absence of rigid work roles develops strong partnerships between different departments and create efficacy. Why to align? Study of (Miles Snow 1984, Baird Meshoulam 1988, Wright McMahan 1992) related to SHRM put high emphasis on creating fit between HR practice and business strategy. Implementation and execution of effective HR policies and the design of a HR system align with the firms overall strategy, are vital for the successful implementation of business strategies which can gain competitive advantage.(Lengnick-Hall Lengnick-Hall 1988). HR alignment increases the firm capabilities to better serve and anticipate its customers needs, aggrandizes the organisations strength to implement strategic business goals, and provides decision-makers with vital information for resource provisioning. Finally, it is important for the firms accountability. By regularly defining, maintaining, assessing and communicating HR goals throughout the organisation ensures that the management of human resources contributes towards the mission accomplishment. For any shortcomings managers will be liable for their HR decisions. There are the other areas as well where HR office contributes to align with mission accomplishment, such as HR function working as a consultant, for instance Telenor Pakistans HR office provide consultation to the manager rather than telling manager what he/she can or cannot do. (Wei, L. 2006) Horizontal Integration: One of the vital roles of Strategic HRM is create horizontal integration which aims to ensure that the different elements of the HR strategy fit together and are mutually supportive. (Hendry C and Pettigrew A, 1986: 2), also cited by (Michael Armstrong, 2006, p156). (Walker, J. W. 1992), described strategic HRM as the means of aligning the management of human resources with the strategic content of the business. Vertical integration: Vertical integration focuses on developing a reciprocity or two-way communication between strategic planners and human resource planners in organisations (Milkovich et al., 1983). Walker, J. W. 1992 in his book Human resource strategy suggested that vertical integration is necessary to provide congruence between business and human resource strategy so that it supports the accomplishment of the business. Such two-way methods of communication results in meaningful information regarding human resource being fed into the strategic planning process. Following is the graphical presentation of how the Horizontal and vertical integration creates an overall fit for the organization. Determinants of Both Types of Fit: In Telenor Pakistan Integrative strategies are executed by involving the coordination of human resource planning and the personal functions such as recruitment, training, and career management. These strategies are also practiced to minimize the cost and to instigate efficient coordination of resources to obtain their maximum output. Telenor horizontal and vertical integration goes a long way in building a team that is vibrant and well coordinated for achieving the corporate objectives and long-term goals. Moreover, Telenor practice Vertical integration, to emphasise the congruence of a HR measures with the strategy the firm is pursuing. This in long term can gain a competitive advantage for the organization. Telenor HR exercise vertical and horizontal integration by the help of following Hr tools: Clarifies goals and objectives Encourages participation Planning and organises Facilitates work Provides feedback Empowering and delegates Recognises good performance In practice Telenor HR in many ways influence the achievement of horizontal fit and vertical fit, as achieving both kinds of fits are necessary for company to performance efficiently. More importantly the vision of Telenor is HR and customer oriented which embraces the theories and models discussed above: Our vision is simple: Were here to help. We exist to help our customers get the full benefit of communications services in their daily lives. The key to achieving this vision is a mindset where every one of us works together: Making it easy to buy and use our services. Delivering on our promises. Being respectful of differences. Inspiring people to find new ways. Source: www.telenor.com.pk. Recommendations: Follow are the recommendations to improve the vertical and horizontal integration: (a) There is nothing permanent except change; likewise the top management role in Telenor Strategic Human Resource Management Strategic Human Resource Management Introduction This point of time when globalization become a natural phenomenon, bring human resource in a lime light. A large number of organizations viewed human resource as a source of competitive advantage. There is greater acceptance that distinctive competencies are obtained through highly developed employee skills, distinctive organizational cultures, management processes and systems. However, it is necessary to invest the concept with clear meaning. In todays highly competitive business environment, organizations cannot sustain excellent performance unless they develop a competence for rapid, continuous strategic change. According to Edward E. Lawler (2008) the source of competitive advantage has shifted in many organizations from reliability to innovation and flexibility. Further argue that it is a combination of the right structure and the right people that provides the foundation and tools for creating competitive and innovative organizations. Traditionally, human resource has been considered a factor only after the strategic business decisions are made. Human resource issues were not even discussed during the decision to purchase the business. One human resource executive put it succinctly when he said â€Å"the line job is to tell us where the business is going and then it is up to us to find the people to develop.† Companies like GM and AIG are some of the example when they sour large number of their stake because they had not considered the human resource implication of their purchase. However, companies such as IBM, GE, and Intel use of human resource management as an integral part of strategy formulation. Indeed, many companies have begun to require the human resource component in their strategic plan. Where they begun a great deal of experimentation and problem solving to decide what data are required, what issue should be considered, and how they can relate to the various aspect of the business. The major emphasis in strategic planning has doubtless been on formulation. This led to a conclusion up until 1980 that much time and thought had gone into analyzing and planning strategy yet very little into implementation. But after 1980 it changes to the effective implementation of the strategy. i.e getting people to do the right things to make strategies happen. In this respect, the human resource tools become central and focus. Strategic Human Resource Management Strategic human resource management is a multipart process which is frequently developing and being studied and discussed by academics and commentators. Its characterization and associations with other aspects of business setting up and strategy is not complete and estimation varies involving writers. It has been defined as: * All those activities affecting the actions of individuals in their efforts to put together and put into action the strategic needs of business. (Schuler, 1992) * The prototype of planned human resource deployments and activities anticipated to facilitate the forms to attain its goals (Wright, Macmahan, 1992) In general, Strategic human resources management is defined as the linking of HRM with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance and develop organizational cultures that foster innovation and flexibility. Boxall and Purcell (2003) argue that strategic HRM is apprehensive with explaining how HRM influences organizational performance. They also point out that strategy is not the identical as strategic plans. Strategic planning is the formal procedure that takes place, generally in larger organizations, defining how things will be done. However strategy exists in all organizations even though it may not be in black and white and expressed. It defines the organizations behavior and how it tries to cope with its environment. Strategic HRM is based on HRM philosophy incorporating the concept of strategy. So if HRM is a logical approach to the management of people, strategic HRM now implies that that is done on a planned way that integrates organizational goals with policies and action sequences. Coppers Lybrand (CL) consider HRM and its development as their top priority. The administration is determined in hiring and retaining skilled and competent workers. Each worker should meet the demands of the highly competitive and growing business industry worldwide. Chairman and CEO says that the attraction and retention of people, which they consider as the highest intellectual capital is the critical objectives of CL. The Basic Architecture of HR Source: Brian Becker et al. 2001 Implementing Strategy There are four generic human resource activities of all the organization 1. Selection/ promotion/ placement process Example of Chase Manhattan bank During the period between 1975and 1980 the bank underwent major managerial changes key to the bank s successful turnaround from a troubled bank in the mid -70s was a careful strategic level selection and placement of executive. Historically in banking in general and specifically at chase senior level positions were based on historical precedent with old-boy net works playing a major role. Also the tradition incident based on historical precedent with old-boy net works playing a major role. Also the tradition in banking was reward those with banker skills not those with managerial skills which were implicitly considered to be less importance .Under the stress of serious performance problems chase manhattan when the trust manager retired corporate management decide that the department whose operation had been essentially stable should focus on a more aggressive growth strategy instead of seeking a veteran banker chase hired a man whose experience had been with IBM because it was felt h e brought a strong marketing orientation to the trust department which the new strategy required. Similarly, when chase reorganized it retail banking business from a low margin operation in which the stress was keeping down costs of to a more expansionary business offering broader consumer financial services it hired because of his entrepreneurial skills an executive who had been a division chief of a small industrial firm and had a track record of entrepreneurial management experience. 2. Reward processes Good selection is the sine qua non of performance. Once people are in job and perform however they should also be rewarded for good performance. These incumbents should also be developed to improve performance and prepare them for a new position. The linkage to reward outcomes reduces or eliminates the developmental value of appraisals. Rather than an opportunity for constructive review and encouragement, the reward-linked process is perceived as judgmental, punitive and harrowing. For example, how many people would gladly admit their work problems if, at the same time, they knew that their next pay rise or a much-wanted promotion was riding on an appraisal result? Very likely, in that situation, many people would deny or downplay their weaknesses. Nor is the desire to distort or deny the truth confined to the person being appraised. Many appraisers feel uncomfortable with the combined role of judge and executioner. 3. Development process Ensuring that organization has an adequate supply of human resource talent at all levels is no easy task especially when organization is going to a rapid strategic changes. The key is to have a human resource planning system that make accurate forecast. In order to plan for the future, an accurate inventory of current human resource stock is important. This should include both the current individual performance and the future potential of an individual. 4. Appraisal process A basic human tendency to make judgments about those one is working with, as well as about oneself. The human inclination to judge can create serious motivational, ethical and legal problems in the workplace. Without a structured appraisal system, there is little chance of ensuring that the judgments made will be lawful, fair, defensible and accurate. Appraisal systems began as simple methods of income justification. That is, appraisal was used to decide whether or not the salary or wage of an individual employee was justified. In many organizations but not all appraisal results are used, either directly or indirectly, to help determine reward outcomes. That is, the appraisal results are used to identify the better performing employees who should get the majority of available merit pay increases, bonuses, and promotions. Sue Peattie It has been seen that Food market continuous to grow rapidly since 1990 in UK. (Sue Peattie). In order to full fill the demand of the market, markets had to use all available marketing tools. Promotion is one of the major adapted tools to maintain or increase the sales. However, more focus remains on price base promotion. As more and more competition is coming into market. This tool needs more attention. Business tends to use different kinds of promotions to attract more and more sales. Buy one get free one free, buy three in price of one, bundle deal are good attraction for promotion. Example: â€Å"During 1972-82, US per capita consumption of variety meats (offal) reached a high of 5.66 lb in 1977 and then declined to 4.21 lb in 1982. The objective of this market test was to measure the effects of promotional and merchandising strategies on food store sales of selected beef/pigment variety meats. Promotion took place in 8 test stores of one food chain in three test markets (Salina, Topeka, and Wichita, Kansas) during three eight-week test periods (TP). Promotional and merchandising strategies tried were: (1) a special clearly designated display section for variety meats; (2) point of purchase (POP) price signs; (3) colored wall posters; (4) POP nutritional information and recipes; (5) newspaper advertising at two conventional supermarkets; (6) in-store advertising at all stores; (7) price specials; (8) personal salesmanship; and (9) product taste samples. Average weekly sales (lbs) of total variety meats increased in every test store from TP-1 to TP-2. Sales of 5 beef it ems (heart, liver, sweetbreads, tripe and oxtail) increased significantly. Retail sales increased 9.6% in the test stores compared to a 6.0% seasonal increase in purchases by all stores associated with a wholesale supplier (AWG). A seasonal decline in lbs of variety meats sold of 19.6% in test stores from TP-2 to TP-3 was matched by a 19.1% drop in wholesale purchases by all stores. Promotion in TP-2 increased retail sales over those of TP-1, but continued promotion in TP-3 did not lead to further sales increases.† (Source: http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts/Abstract.aspx?AcNo=19901880256) Strategic HRM and human capital management Many writers have argued that strategic HRM and human capital management (HCM) is one and the same thing, and certainly the concept of strategic HRM matches that of the broader explanation of HCM relatively well as the following definition of the main features of strategic HRM by Dyer and Holder (1998) shows: * Organizational level because strategies involve decisions about key goals, major policies and the distribution of resources they be inclined to be formulated at the top. * Focus strategies are business-driven and focus on organizational effectiveness; thus in this perspective people are viewed first and foremost as capital to be managed in the direction of the achievement of strategic business goals. * Framework strategies by their extraordinarily nature provide unifying frameworks which are at once broad, contingency-based and integrative. They incorporate a full accompaniment of HR goals and activities planned specifically to fit extant environments and to be commonly reinforcing or synergistic. This argument has been based on the information that both HRM in its appropriate sense and HCM rest on the supposition that people are treated as assets rather than costs and both focus on the importance of adopting an integrated and strategic move toward to managing people which is the concern of all the stakeholders in an organization not just the people management role. However, the perception of human capital management complements and strengthens the idea of strategic HRM relatively replaces it. (Armstrong and Baron, 2002) Strategic HRM could consequently be viewed as the essential framework within which these estimation, reporting and management course of action take place and make sure that they are iterative and communally reinforcing. Human capital consequently informs and in turn is shaped by strategic HRM but it does not substitute it. Strategic HRM and business performance Since the mid 1990s, CIPD and others have been generating evidence for the impact of people management practices on business performance. Much emphasis has been put on the importance of ‘fit. In other words it is argued that HR strategies much fit both with each other and with other organizational strategies for maximum impact. The main areas of practice which all the researchers agreed have an impact on performance are around job design and skills development. However, CIPD work found that practices alone do not create business performance. They can create ‘human capital or a set of individuals who are highly skilled, highly motivated and have the opportunity to participate in organizational life by being given jobs to do. However, this will only feed through into higher levels of business performance if these individuals have positive management relationships with their superiors in a supportive environment with strong values. All these factors will promote ‘discretionary behavior, the willingness of the individual to perform above the minimum or give extra effort. It is this discretionary behavior that makes the difference to organizational performance. Conclusion The SHRM idea is a influential idea if function properly within an organization. HR groups are able to plan for potential growth and react to any changes that may take place. In addition, SHRM allows companies to completely make the most of their human assets to make real improvement over their competitors. This advantage comes from having the HR policies and strategies perfectly aligned with the corporate goals so that the organization has the right human capital, right remuneration packages and training methodologies to allow the employees to efficiently do their jobs. There may also be an remarkable view of HRM as an implicit part of the major strategic change Initiative, relatively as a critical stand alone component of reform. This view may now be Changing as more and more people realize the need to reform human resources management as an equal and necessary component of overall Government-wide reform and reinvention. In short, SHRM allows an organization to create a competitive advantage with their human capital by aligning their strategic goals with their HRM systems. Author Ronald Sims states it clearly when he writes: â€Å"Successful organizations in the prospect must strongly make parallel their HRM strategies and programs with the external opportunities, competitive strategies, and their only one of its characteristics and core capability. Organizations that fail to clearly define HRM strategy or competitive strategy that explicitly incorporates human resources will not be successful† (Sims, 2002, p. 30). Bibliography # ARMSTRONG, M and BARON, A. (2002) Strategic HRM: the key to improved business performance. Developing practice. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. # SCHULER, R.S. (1992) Strategic human resource management: linking people with the needs of the business. Organizational Dynamics. Vol 21, No 1. pp18-32. # WRIGHT, P.M. and MCMAHAN, G.C. (1992) Theoretical perspectives for SHRM. Journal of Management. March. pp215-247. # BOXALL, P. and PURCELL, J. (2003) Strategy and human resource management. 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