Financial Accounting has become increasingly standardised and Essay

Financial Accounting has become increasingly standardised and harmonized across organizations in different industries, while Management Accounting continues to - Essay Example Each corporation that is registered under the Companies Act faces a requisite to prepare a set of accounts that would present an accurate as well as reasonable view of its profit otherwise loss for the specific year along with that of its conditions almost by the end of each year . It is noticeable that the Annual accounts for Companies Act rationales by and large consist of the following elements: But the as long as the conglomerate is a "parent company", in other words, the company that furthermore owns additional companies - auxiliary then "merged accounts" have got to also be primed. Yet again there are certain prevailing exceptions to this prerequisite. The proportional figures ought to also be specified for more or less each and every one of the substance as well as scrutiny specified within a year end of financial statements. There are certain exceptions to this rule which are shown specifically. For illustration, there is no prerequisite to offer proportional figures for the notes detailing the arrangements during the year upon fixed positive characteristic otherwise reserves balances. (Melissa Bushman)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Posing that query of an accountant is similar to enquiring a cultivator what possible need would rainfall fulfill? There is no doubt that accounting element is required in order to assess and support the progressive development of any specific business. And thus it would not be wrong to deem it as the actual supportive wall the actual backbone of the financial accounting structure. The country of Italy has come out after years of research as the foremost recorded resource for accounting entries, in addition to being the initial published accounting toil during 1494 was through a Venetian monk.   So it is not too hard to perceive this conceptual element of accounting as a well thought-out method for

Professionalism in the Medical Field Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Professionalism in the Medical Field - Essay Example Medicine is a critical and very important profession as it deals with the lives of people. One mistake and it could end up in the loss of a precious life. Apart from that patient compliance is also very important. People concerned with the medical field must be appropriately dressed and must project a professional image so that the patient is confident that he/she is in capable hands. Some general elements of dress codes include dressing in neat, clean, crisp and pressed suits. Suits should be appropriately fitted and shouldn't be too short (in case of females wearing skirts). Casual wear such as denim/jeans, shorts, cutoffs, caprice etc and not permitted. The dress should not be exposing such as having plunging necklines, backless, strapless, spaghetti straps, sheer etc. Jewelry should be avoided or should be minimal and not too large or heavy. Underwear should not be visible. Full length or knee length stockings or socks must be worn. Shoes should be of appropriate size, fitting, c lean and in good repair. Casual wear such as flip flops, bedroom wear is unacceptable. Carrying a cellular phone for the sake of having personal calls is prohibited. Chewing gum is front of patients is not allowed. Nails should be trimmed and short for hygiene purposes. No artificial nail extensions are allowed. Nail polish if worn should not be chipped. Body odor or very strong perfume is unfavorable. All personal is expected to maintain good body hygiene. Scrubs, uniforms or lab coats should be worn wherever required. Hats or caps are not acceptable unless for religious reasons. (UCSF, 2002) Ethics, as in the case of all professions, maintains a high stand point in medical healthcare as well. Perhaps the most important aspect is that of patient privacy. Patient approval before releasing the medical records is essential by law. However in some cases the rule might be relaxed for providing healthcare services. (Ducca, 2008) Interaction with the patient and other colleagues plus a person's behavior are and integral part of maintaining a professional atmosphere. Due to the critical and demanding nature of the medical profession, it is essential for the individual to have appropriate time management as well as multi tasking skills. He/she must show discretion with sensitive content, maintain a team environment and comply with laws, rules and regulations. The attitude must be friendly and interest conflict must be handled carefully or completely eliminated if possible. A professional must be aware and accept full responsibility for his/her actions. They should also keep in mind that they are accountable for every action and should be reliable, available, handle problems until resolved and finish what they have started. (Toms, 2008) It is imperative to have the appropriate body language while interacting with others. When communicating the use of your body is as important as the right use of words. Example while delivering good news to the patient, if the doctor is stiff and unsmiling the patient might get aggravated and think the doctor is lying while good news delivered with a smile and relaxed body is the appropriate way. Similarly while interacting

Relationship Between Divorce and Family Models | Proposal

Relationship Between Divorce and Family Models | Proposal Aim and Hypothesis â€Å"The conventional nuclear family is already a thing of the past,† writes Madeleine Bunting, author of ‘Willing Slaves: How the Overwork Culture is Ruling Our Lives[1]’. Current statistics do indeed paint a worrying picture; in the past 30 years the rate of divorce has doubled[2], Britain now having the highest divorce rate in Europe. Concurrently, the proportion of women in full-time employment has trebled, with maternal employment having increased by 8% to 65%[3]. As a firm believer in the Nuclear Family model, these findings and predictions are of particular personal concern. For this reason I have chosen this area as the focus for my sociological research. I have chosen to concentrate my study on the relationship between the ever-changing female sex stereotype, and the heightened rates of divorce. My test hypothesis is therefore as follows: â€Å"Divorce is more prevalent amongst families where the mother does not willingly accept the traditional female sex employment stereotype.’ Contexts and Concepts: The context of this hypothesis is best understood in light of two research studies which have been conducted previously in this area. The first was an exploratory research study conducted by Geoff Dench of Middlesex University into men’s family roles, entitled â€Å"The Place of Men in Changing Family Cultures.[4]† In this study, Dench identified two main family types; the ‘conventional family’ and the ‘deregulated family.’ The conventional family model represents a traditional family formulation in which each member has interpersonal rights and obligations arising from their marriage [or birth, if children]. The reciprocal support structure inherent in this model results in individual free choice being limited; purely personal interests may therefore need to be compromised. Dench identified that members of this group would be more inclined to see a distinction between what may be good for them as an individual, and what may be good for the family as a whole. The deregulated family model represents an individualist family formulation in which each member is responsible for upholding their own rights and negotiations of those rights. To this extent, individual choice is prevalent within this group; autonomy being the over-arching ideal. Respondents in this group expressed a view that traditional gender roles were a source of social injustice, and rejected the notion of the ‘conventional family’ as ideal on this ground. Dench identified that supporters of this model tended to be young, childless couples. Whilst this study yielded several very interesting findings, it is one conclusion in particular which is most relevant to the study of this paper: Dench discovered that the ‘highest levels of personal and marital satisfaction were among people who lived in traditional families. The highest levels were connected to families in which the man worked and the woman was at home. The lowest levels occurred when the woman worked and the man stayed at home.’ This is the very conclusion which I am attempting to prove within this research study, via my hypothesis that â€Å"Divorce is more prevalent amongst families where the mother does not willingly accept the traditional female sex employment stereotype.† The concept of ‘traditional female sex employment stereotype’ describing the situation where the role of the husband is as breadwinner of the family [i.e. provides the primary family income], and where the role of the wife is as ‘housewife’ [i.e. the primary domestic labourer]. The second research study is entitled â€Å"The growth of Lone Parenthood: Diversity and Dynamics[5]†, and was conducted by Karen Rowlingson, Stephen McKay and Richard Berthoud on behalf of the University of Derby’s Economic and Social Research Council. Their findings, whilst not specifically concerned with the issue of the female sex employment stereotype, suggested that divorce occurs more frequently in families where the woman leaves her full-time employment to look after a newly arrived child. Prima facie, this finding would suggest that my conclusion is flawed; after all, surely a woman who leaves work to look after her newly born child is adhering to the traditional employment stereotype, and should therefore be less likely to engage in divorce or separation from her partner. This finding however does not contradict my hypothesis, rather helps to contextualise it; this finding from the study concerned women who had previously been non-traditional employment stereotype conformists, but had been forced to give up their work and look after their child through circumstance. A woman who does not willingly accept her traditional role is of course more unlikely to be unhappy, as her ‘individual autonomy’, which as discussed by Dench is held as the over-arching ideal by a subscriber of the non-traditionalist model, is not being allowed to predominate. This helps to explain why my hypothesis is limited to/focussed upon women who do not ‘willingly accept’ the traditional gender employment stereotype. Main Research Method and Reasons: In light of the obvious difficulties with actually asking random adults about their marital status and employment, I have decided that the best way to glean this information is by asking my fellow students at school to complete a survey questionnaire [a method usually associated with the positivist school of sociology]. It is of course necessary that a significant proportion of my sample population have parents who are divorced, and visa versa. The problem with this requirement is that a random sample of students may not throw up sufficient of the former category. What I therefore propose is a one day trip to Somerset House in London, and armed with a complete list of all students at my college, I will cross reference their surnames against the Divorce Register[6]. Once I have identified all the students whose parents are now divorced, I will randomly select a proportion of these students to take part in my survey by assigning each student with a number and using a random-number gene rator program on my computer to decide which students will be selected. By the same random-sampling technique, I will select an identical number of students whose parents are not divorced. The benefit of conducting this prior research to identify students whose parents are divorced is that it means that the questionnaire itself does not need to ask these people whether or not their parents are separated. To ask this question may prove to upset the students; after all the divorce of their parents is not something which most students would wish to discuss or even recall during a sociological study such as mine. For the student’s whose parents are apparently still together, married, it is important to confirm that the student still lives with both parents; after all just because the parents of these student’s do not appear on the Divorce registry doesn’t mean they are still living together- they could be separated without divorce, or in the process of applying for a decree nisi/absolute. The questionnaire itself will ask questions designed to glean the following information: From those students whose parents are now divorced: If the student’s mother, for the majority of the student’s life, was engaged in full-time employment prior to separation. If the students mother, for the majority of the student’s life, was engaged in part-time employment prior to separation. If the students mother, for the majority of the student’s life, was a ‘housewife’ prior to separation. The reasons for the above answers, if known. [e.g. my mother always though that it was important to look after the family while the man went out to work etc.] From those students whose parents are still married, and living together: If the students mother has been employed on a full-time basis for the majority of the student’s life. If the students mother has been employed on a full-time basis for the majority of the student’s life. If the student’s mother has been a ‘housewife’ for the majority of the student’s life. The reasons for the above answers, if known. [e.g. my mother always though that it was important to look after the family while the man went out to work etc.] In light of the fact that I will need to compare all the data if I am going to test my hypothesis, I plan to use the above information to calculate a total ‘employment score index’ for each student sample. One simple way to achieve this is by structuring the questions of the survey as score lines, i.e. On a scale of 1-9 was your mother, for the majority of your childhood, 1= fully employed 2= fully employed but took some time of work to look after me in my early years 3= was fully employed for some of the time, but also spent a good proportion of those years at home as housewife†¦ 9= has always been a housewife since I was born. In this way the indexes of each student sample whose parents are not separated can be compared with the indexes of each student sample whose parents are divorced, a comparison from which a trend may or may not be identified, and may or may not be in line with my hypothesis. 2 pre-tests will need to be conducted by a sample of 25 students in order to tweak the questionnaire[7], so that we can be assured that the final questionnaire is appropriately constructed. This survey will create qualitative results; the limited size of the sample study precludes there being any reliable quantitative conclusions, and besides, there are clearly other factors which cause couples to separate, and therefore from such a study, we can only sensibly be interested in identifying a qualitative trend. Potential Problems: One problem associated with proposed study is the fact that due to the time restraints in which I would be operating, the limited size of my sample frame would perhaps not yield sufficient results from which a reliable trend/conclusion could be drawn. This problem could of course be rectified without changing the method, but rather by increasing the sample frame, and as such is not what could be described as an inherent problem. Another problem is the fact that we are questioning students about their mothers employment history throughout their childhood. Whilst some students may remember these details with great clarity, it may well be the case that certain students are unable to recall this information with sufficient accuracy. One solution to this problem, and a way of avoiding erroneous results through sample guesswork, would be to ask each student on a scale of 1-5 how accurate they believe their assessment to be. Finally, it may also be the case that there are simply not enough students from divorced families in my school to provide sufficient and therefore reliable data for this side of the comparison. If this is the case, it may be essential to extend the survey across several additional local colleges, although the time-frame available would not make the necessary research for this sample frame extension feasible. When asking the students to confirm that their parents are still married and living together, students may not be willing to admit that their parents are currently in the process of divorce or separated, as this is often perceived to be shameful by the children of such parents. This will mean that data from students whose parents are in fact separated [but not divorced] will be erroneously attributed to the data for students whose parents are still married and living together, thus causing inaccuracies to any trend which is identified. One solution to this problem would be to allow each sample student to conduct the survey in the privacy of their own home etc., in this way there is no reason to lie as no-one will ever discover their identity. Footnotes [1] June 21st, 2004. Harper Colins Publishing. ISBN: 0007163711 [2] http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=4140 [3] http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/article.asp?ID=355Pos=ColRank=1Rank=224 [4] The Place of Men in Changing Family Cultures (London York: ICS/Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1996); [5] Rowlingson, K and McKay, S (1998) The Growth of Lone Parenthood: Diversity and Dynamics, London: PSI [6] Principal Register, Divorce Registry, Room G45, Somerset House, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL. [7] Converse and Presser (1986: 65) argue cogently that a minimum of two pre-tests are necessary, with pretest sizes of 25 – 75.

Singaporean Mentality Exposed :: I Not Stupid Education System Essays

Singaporean Mentality Exposed Film critics and audiences have dubbed I Not Stupid an excellent commentary on the education system and government paternalism. The movie stars three school children who have been channelled into the undesirable EM3 stream, and shows the trials and tribulation of these children and their parents. I Not Stupid has been described as a "coming of age movie"1 for its rare ability to criticise the government and its policies and bring pertinent issues to light, so much so that many are surprised that it managed to get past the not-too-kind local board of censors. This presents us with an interesting question - with its explicit references to the government and its blatant criticisms of government policies, how did this political satire get past the censorship board? Was it a case of the censors deciding that this sort of criticism was acceptable once in a while? Or perhaps the censors just saw the movie differently. At first mention, the latter might sound very unlikely. However, if we ask ourselves what the real butt of the satire is, we might begin to realise that there is a possibility that this movie is not intended to be a political satire at all. In fact, it is my contention that the butt of the satire in this movie is the Singaporean mentality, and not the government. However, before we can begin to examine the real target of the movie's satire, it is first necessary to have an understanding of the movie and its characters. The movie stars three students, Terry Khoo, Liu Kok Pin and Ang Boon Hock who are in the EM3 stream. Terry Khoo, who is also the narrator in the movie, is portrayed as a chubby and clumsy spoilt brat, whose mother is overly paternalistic. Mrs. Khoo, who is decked in white for most of the movie to no doubt show a similarity between her and the PAP government who also have a white uniform, makes all the decisions for her children, and believes that they should be lucky to have such a responsible mother. While Terry is happy to accept this situation, his elder sister Selena is more rebellious and repeatedly demands her freedom. Liu Kok Pin is a student whose ability in English and Maths is weak. His mother, Mrs. Liu takes it upon herself to discipline Kok Pin to ensure that he scores well in his tests in school, while brushing asi de his natural talent in art.

Cultural identity Essay

According to Bloch, the ultrasocial and communicative nature of the human species makes the desire for a unique sense of belonging a deep-seated need. Identification with a particular community, whether it is a distinct cultural identity or a subculture of socio-political beliefs helps fulfill this need. This is not to say the desire for cultural identity rests on the same psychological drive or libidinal charge that powers fashion or gestation. It is important to distinguish that need from these desires, as cultures are not mere surface properties distinguished only by flavor and aesthetics, instead they arise naturally from the unique properties of the geography that spawn them. Archaeologist Paul Bidwell notes that the success of many empires such as those of the Roman Empire quite possibly has more to do with their ability to accommodate diverging cultures. Areas which were successfully Romanized such as southern Britannia were won over by inviting the ruling classes to dinner, while Celtic chiefs disinterested in Roman culture were never successfully incorporated into the pre-modern proto-melting pot that was the Roman Empire. In essence, Bidwell asserts that the Roman Empire’s assimilation policy rested entirely on a principle of minimizing the amount of intervention necessary to secure imperial interests such as the food supply provided by Egyptian agriculture, limiting their actions entirely to structured forms of co-optation: legislation, taxes and the requisitioning of goods. Bloch concurs, noting that when an empire begins to disrupt the social fabric of a culture, that trouble begins. This is not unlike the present state of the â€Å"accidental empire† of the United States, which as a melting pot (or salad bowl, depending on who you ask) is remarkably tolerant of other cultures to the extent that it does not threaten the status quo. Globalization permits the fulfillment of the desire for individual cultural belonging by making all sorts of cultural identities permissible by amplifying their importance in relation to an American past that had previously been subject to the hegemony of European culture. Because cultural diversity is now more relevant to the economic and political concerns of the United States, they are now considered more relevant to individuals by making the range of identity expression more permissible. If the United States is the Roman Empire, then it has now begun to realize that it is no longer practical to keep the cultures of Celts and Egyptians at arm’s length. For example, European culture’s relationship with the United States resembles that of the relationship between Greek culture to the Roman Empire, while many other cultures stand in for the Celts which are largely held up as valuable assets to be accommodated into a global economy that has been enabled by digital telecommunications technologies. Jerry Mander argues that whatever criticisms can be leveled against free trade agreements and other means by which nation states and transnational corporations exert commercial and political hegemony, these acts are merely external homogenization processes, and as such, a truly efficient and successful homogenization of culture relies on the ever expanding range of communication technologies such as TV and the Internet. Global telecommunications are in essence, internal homogenization forces that â€Å"speak directly into the minds of people everywhere, imprinting them with a unified pattern of thought, a unified set of imagery and ideas, a single framework of understanding for how life should be lived, thus carrying the homogenization and commodification mandate directly inside the brain. † For example, Todd Gitlin argues that the increasing influence of Hollywood on the international film market have essentially rewritten the parameters by which filmmakers produce their films, effectively washing away the paradigms of filmmaking that are unique to various cultures as well as reengineering local tastes. Gitlin does not suggest that differences in cultural content have been eradicated, but rather, the models and designs of American entertainment have become the most far-flung, successful and consequential. However, Soraj Hongladarom does defend the idea that digital telecommunications do not necessarily erode notions of local culture, presenting an example in which one thrives in spite of globalizing effects of such. In an examination of Thai based newsgroup culture, he notes that the Internet replicates the heterogeneity of local cultures using it, rather than subsuming them into one homogenous whole. Hongladarom thus concludes that what the Internet does, is create an â€Å"umbrella culture† under which disparate cultures can communicate: â€Å"Thai attitudes toward the CMC technologies, especially the Internet, seem to show that the technologies only serve as a means that makes communication possible, communication which would take place anyway in some other form if not on the Internet †¦ Cyberspace mirrors real space, and vice versa. † Works Cited Bidwell, Paul. Roman Forts in Britain. Wiltshire: English Heritage, 2007. Gitlin, Todd. Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives. New York: Henry Holy and Company, 2002. Hongladarom, Soraj. â€Å"Global Culture, Local Cultures and the Internet: The Thai Example. †C. Ess and F. Sudweeks (eds). Proceedings Cultural Attitudes Towards Communication and Technology ’98, University of Sydney, Australia, 231-245. Retrieved May 6, 2008 at: http://www. it. murdoch. edu. au/~sudweeks/catac98/pdf/19_hongladarom. pdf Mander, Jerry. â€Å"The Homogenization of Global Consciousness: Media, Telecommunications and Culture. † Lapis Magazine. Retrieved on May 6, 2006 from: http://www. lapismagazine. org/index. php? option=com_content&task=view&id=120&Itemid=2

HRM Consultancy Report †BancRoyale Amsterdam Essay

In a survey undertaken by PWC of customers and outsourcing service providers cut across different advanced countries, over 80% customers noted that outsourcing activities delivered targeted gains provided for in the original business case. By implication therefore, it can be said that outsourcing and offshoring in the case of Bancroyale is a basic part of organizational strategy in a bid to maintain competitive advantage and staying ahead of other organizations. The need to outsource certain business processes by organizations over the years have been attributed to the recession that hit hard on world economies and businesses, it is also borne out of the need to reduce and contain costs while maximizing benefits and increased efficiency. As we speak and in coming years, process enhancement and productivity as well as governance, risk and security are other needs to be met by business process outsourcing. It is a trend that continues to emerge over time. Business processes such as IT and payroll management is of the essence to be outsourced due to their dynamic nature for the former and better efficiency in management by 3rd parties for the latter. Studies have shown that about 50% of clients are discouraged from outsourcing due to a lack of experience by service providers and their inability to justify the costs against benefits and therefore provided a justification for preference for in-house employees over 3rd parties while some companies do not have the skills to manage outsourcing activities and the service providers. Some are of the opinion that they require to put their house in order before outsourcing certain business processes. Banc Royale Amsterdam known and popular for superior and friendly customer service has taken steps to outsource its online customer service unit to a small South American company to handle due to increasing costs of maintaining this department. It is pertinent to take note of issues that may arise due to this change and its effect on the bank and also its customers. Majority of organizational change management systems fails as proven by research because employees who are at the core of these programs are not carried along and feel left out, this leads to low morale which results in demotivation and its consequences. Dawson and Jones (n.d), said that it is the people/employees that are subject to change and must adapt to change as against the organization adapting to change therefore human capital is the most important and critical element when instituting any form of change. People/employee and customer issues would arise and worthy of note is the language barriers already raised by the firm saddled with the responsibility of handling this unit. It is expected that most customers of Banroyale would speak Dutch or French and this should have been put into consideration while contracting this unit out to a South American firm. From the onset, management ought to have determined if this firm has Dutch speaking customer service consultants that would be able to communicate with their customers and also keep up with the standard of superior customer service set by the bank. The entire reason to outsource this unit is completed defeated if the bank cannot maximize benefits from this exercise as customers that are not pleased with services via the online customer service window are either completely lost or aggrieved thereby making the bank lose more money than it planned to save. The decision to outsource a key unit of the bank by the management is also likely to cause collective distrust amongst employees in spite of the fact that the decision is a strategic performance management decision that is expected to make the bank cut down on its increasing costs. According to Shawn 2008, the decision to outsource creates uncertainty for existing employees and it could make them to look elsewhere for employment, in cases where they do not leave, they most times do not cooperate with the new service providers to provide them with adequate information that would make the task easier to handle thereby causing also decreased efficiency in service delivery and bring in operational risk. Another major people management issue of outsourcing of this unit has to do with the customers to be attended to. In most cases, the service provider, that is the South American firm even though based on recommendation are highly professional most often than not would not be able to provide 100% banking services customers have always enjoyed because they have limited access to the bank’s customer database and hence, all they would be able to do while trying to serve the bank customers is to only take down messages and tell the customers someone would get back to them, these are customers that probably want to know their bank balance, ask questions regarding interest rates, cancel standing orders immediately etc. Only staff of the bank that has access to specific customer data base would be able to provide services to these customers. There is a very high likelihood that there would be a wide gap between management goals and eventual performance. One of the bank’s strategic capabilities and strengths is embedded in this unit that is customer service which is a major selling point for the organization; therefore it ought not be toyed or experimented with. In its quest to maintain a competitive advantage other areas should be looked at to reduce costs and expenses. HRM should seek to look at better ways to maximize the performance of this unit by determining unnecessary overheads are proposing to bank management to reduce, it could also develop more work challenges and deliverables to the managers of this unit in order to justify the increasing costs. Increasing costs accruable from this unit should provide increasing bottom lines for the entire bank, therefore performance management systems should be adopted to determine if these increasing expenses are justifiable and are actually increasing the bank’s bottom line. HRM could also propose to the service provider to hire some of the laid off bank customer service consultants and have them on their payroll on their own terms, this would ensure that these people are not so aggrieved for being laid off but also be able to still provide their services to the bank indirectly through the service provider. Lastly, if it is of great necessity that management outsource this unit then it is advised that it be done gradually and strategically in order to integrate the service providers into the system instead of a sudden transfer of this function thereby causing avoidable people management issues. SECTION 2- Organisational Solutions OB-HR Matrix Relationships The study of organizational behavior covers basically how knowledge about people, individuals, and groups are applied within an organization; and covers topics bordering on leadership behavior and power & politics, communication, group structure and process, learning & attitude development and perception, change process, conflict, negotiation and resolution, job design and motivation etc. Organizational behavior (OB) is a field of study devoted to understanding, explaining and ultimately improving the attitudes and behaviors of individual and groups in organizations. Therefore, the findings of this report are meant to be applied by managers to see how relevant they are to real world practical organizational challenges. The managers or HR professionals apply these organizational behavior theories and principles in solving problems that relate to human capital. For instance, while OB would explore the relationship between social recognition or employee motivation and job performance, human resource management would be examining the best ways to structure a perfect rewards system and performance management. In other words, the study of organizational behavior provides significant insights to human resource management when the principle and theories are effectively applied by HR professionals. Motivation and Diversity being very key and relevant organizational behavior concepts relevant to the change process being embarked upon by the organization would be the subject of analysis in this section. MOTIVATION – By making reference to the book ‘’Good to Great’’ by Jim Collins where he analyzed how Fortune 500 companies such as Wells Fargo, Walgreens etc transformed from just good companies to great companies. These companies were reported to have transformed into great companies basically by their commitment to hire the right people with emphasis on character, work ethics, intelligence, values and commitment and refusing to hire when such people were unavailable. This model was also adopted by Apple when they embarked on opening retail stores to serve their customers, they focused on hiring only very highly passionate individuals for their products i.e. highly enthusiastic about Apple products and this would only mean that, employees are first hand self motivated because they are passionate about what they are doing and so whether they are rewarded using the traditional reward systems or not, they are still happy doing what they are doing. However, Apple did not just stop at hiring passionate people, they created very unusual reward systems worthy of note is by not placing sales people on commission so as to ensure tension is completely eroded and employees maintain a very calm mien in dealing with customers. These hired sales people also go through rigorous trainings to acquaint them with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the Retail stores. Career growth opportunities for these sets of employees to grow through different opportunities are provided within the organization. Motivation in this context is therefore defined as an employee’s willingness to put in his maximum effort into his job to achieve organizational objectives while also being able to meet his personal needs and objectives. Motivation was defined by Baron, 1983 as a set of processes concerned with the force that energizes behavior and directs it towards attaining some goals. Simply put, motivation is the reasons why individuals behave the way they behave or do what they do, which implies in a workplace that an employee is said to be motivated on the job when he enjoys doing what he is doing and totally involved in it as against doing it for the sake of only remuneration to be received. A self-motivated employee implies that personal goals align with organizational goals most often than not therefore, employee satisfaction & retention, customer satisfaction & retention and accomplishment of organizational goals are guaranteed even in the long run. Human behavior is goal directed and it is motivation that drives an individual to behave in a particular way he does. Motivated employees are more self driven and autonomy-oriented than those who are less motivated ( Ryan and Deci, 2000), they also show interest in colleagues work more than less motivated employees which makes them more open to challenges and developmental opportunities. Motivation and HRM approaches for BancRoyale. Research and studies have shown and proven that motivation is positively related to employee performance and therefore HRM has a major role in this regard by implementing the concept of performance and reward management. Gungor, 2011 conducted a research on the relationship between reward management systems and employee performance with a major focus on motivation as a critical and intervening factor, he concluded that reward management systems application is significantly and positively related to motivation and employee performance which implies that financial rewards have great impact on employee performance and motivation (be it intrinsic and extrinsic). HRM has the duty to identify employee needs and goals through employee audit and other means that target employees’ individuality. The implementation of performance management systems by BancRoyale would make it benefit greatly from all its positive outcomes such as customer and employee satisfaction and retention and other additional benefits. Individuals have different needs as analyzed by Abraham Maslow in his ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ and theory of motivation where he stated that individual needs are arranged in a hierarchy of importance, he also added that all these needs are insatiable, however as one level of need is satisfied it no longer motivates behavior and therefore the next level is activated. HRM must be able to determine the level on which each employee is on to be able to strategically position the organization to meet such needs. It is important that HRM understands that unmet needs and expectations of employees over time leads to certain behavioral patterns that manifest in absenteeism, frustration, work stress and conflicts with its attendant effect on performance. DIVERSITY – Meanings According to the US Department of Interior, diversity refers to many demographic variables including but not limited to race, religion, color, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age, education, geographic origin and skill characteristics. The Law Society of Scotland says that diversity is about recognizing that everyone is different in a variety of visible and non visible ways; and about creating a culture that respects and value uniqueness and difference in people in order to harness their potential in creating a more productive working environment. Diversity encompasses acceptance and respect of individual uniqueness and differences, exploration of these differences in a safe, positive and nurturing work environment, moving beyond mere tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity within each individual (University of Oregon, www.gladstone.uoregon.edu/) Diversity and HRM approaches for BancRoyale HRM is saddled with the responsibility of managing diversity, ensuring the organization conforms to the legal requirements related to equal opportunity. This process is managed with HR functions ranging from recruitment, selection,evaluation, job design, training, people management to workforce management in terms of placing the right people in the right location and position. Due to seeming economic and business realities in addition to demographic changes taking place within the organization, diversity management is an all-new challenge for HR and the entire bank. If HR performs its functions related in this context, it would save the organization from avoidable litigation, reduced employee costs and better bottomlines. In order to make diversity a strong point of the bank, the following HR processes should be considered: Recruitment and selection: HR must look to assembling teams of diverse backgrounds that would stimulate creativity and innovation with skill sets that complement each other. Technology: diverse workforce often includes virtual teams therefore the need for technological support. HR policy: need to take into cognizance cultural and ethical aspects in addressing equality standards prevalent in each location they are present. Training: Managers and employees need to be trained on leadership and teamwork as it applies in a diverse workplace. KEY HRM ISSUES WITH GREAT IMPACT ON THE TRANSITION FROM IN-HOUSE ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO 3RD PARTY SERVICE MANAGEMENT IN BANCROYALE Diversity Management Diversity Management – â€Å"Diversity management is the ability of an organization to maximize the advantages of organizational employee diversity and minimize the inherent problems. I.e maximize the benefits and minimize the costs of implementing diversity policy in the workplace† Benefits to Banc Royale Creating a competitive advantage (the business case for diversity) Better understanding of diverse customers. Increased productivity on complex tasks. Better problem solving as a result of inputs of diverse members. Increased innovation Potential issues that may arise in diversity management (Knouse 2008) Diversity members may show loyalty to background groups rather than the team. Potential for increased conflicts amongst employees with diverse background. Potential for exclusion of people different and more cohesion amongst similar groups within networks. Potential for non-cooperation when group members have different values. High potential for miscommunication among diverse organizations Proposed solutions HRM practices must be fair and equitable and take responsibility for the effective delivery of the policy Work groups and teams must be allowed to grow and develop in stages and be given time to fully develop Diversity plan must be well thought out and communicated to be effectively implemented. Change focus from social cohesion to task cohesion Reinforce a culture of diversity through continued management commitment Institute mentoring systems with bias for the diversity cause. Employing the right people to deliver best quality service based on equality of opportunity. Ensuring employees are able to contribute a diverse range of skills and experience. Ensuring Banc Royale harnesses and realises full potentials and performance of employees. Building and encouraging a culture of intolerance to discrimination. Eliminating barriers leading to discrimination and prejudice. Building a culture that fosters cooperation and respect amongst employees. Board of Directors is overall lead. All directors and line managers are responsible for full implementation of the policy. Employees are responsible for adhering and complying with the policies. Trainings, sensitization seminars and workshops are conducted and organized by HRM for employees to learn about the policy. Emergence of virtual teams Virtual teams came to the fore as evolving organizations saw the increasing need to go global and this was characterized by technological advancement. Organizations whose goals are to maintain a competitive advantage believe that creating effective virtual teams are necessary to achieve this goal. Global brands such as Coca cola, Microsoft, Citigroup, Ford, Toyota and even non-profit organizations have been able to lead the pack of their various industries as they have seen ahead that they require to be present across all parts of the world using people as their major resource. Symons et al (2007) have this to say about virtual teams being teams where its members are geographically dispersed and unified by one project. Which invariably means that there are 2 teams: physical teams and virtual teams unified by one organizational goal. While the physical team adopt face to face communication, the virtual team communicate using technology such as telephones, emails, conference calls, or other computer-mediated communication. The foregoing pre-supposes that in building or creating virtual/global teams, there would be a large involvement of a diverse workforce scattered all over the globe which comes with its attendant challenges and even more benefits if systematically harnessed. MIT Sloan School conducted a study in 2009 and concluded that virtual teams could outperform physical teams and provided a justification for their creation which amongst others include: Productivity day in day out due to time zone differences, Sharing of best practices, Reducing costs, Innovation and increased creativity as a result of highly diversed workforce. Bergiel et al (2008) said that such teams as virtual teams allow organizations to attract and retain top talents because workplace flexibility is seen as a crucial aspect of job satisfaction for many employees; for many companies, the use of virtual teams reduces costs and time of employee travel. However, inspite of all the benefits accruable from virtual teams, without proper structures and strategic planning, these benefits may not be harnessed. Trust is a crucial component required in building a cohesive and effective team and it even becomes more complicated when this trust needs to be built where distance is a barrier. In building trust, it is important for team members to have face to face interactions, this allows them to develop rapport, build friendship and relationships and also have a better understanding of the team goals. Frequent communication electronically between members also has a way of fostering relationships. Team training from time to time on technology that has to do with team interaction would also go a long way to promoting the understanding of team goals and objectives Virtual teams are very much likely to fail when organizations do not make appropriate investment in technology and training of team members. Team leaders must be taught how to provide leadership and direction with giving feedbacks effectively through unconventional methods while members should be trained and given guidelines on how to communicate with other team members to encourage team building. At the helm of all of these is the support and trust of company CEO and other management staff in promoting and deepening the activities of the virtual team without which it is bound to fail. The decision to create virtual teams is usually the idea of management and therefore they must be seen to support it by building the appropriate structures that would ensure goals are achieved. Symons et al (2008) concluded and postulated some key points that should be followed by virtual managers which is hereby recommended to the Customer Service Departmental Head in alliance with the South American company that is in charge of it and they are as follows: Communication is a critical component of virtual teams enhanced by the support and the introduction of technology, therefore virtual teams succeed when value are placed on the people than the technology. It implies that the manager must create a definite purpose in cooperation with his team members and effectively communicate it to them. Leadership style advised for virtual teams is democratic in order to get the best out people and promote creativity and innovation. This is the benefit obtainable from having a diverse workforce and it must be adequately harnessed by the leadership approach used. In this kind of work environment, each team member is able to voice his opinion irrespective of his background, language, status etc. The virtual manager is able to create a very high level of trust when conscious efforts are made from the outset to address trust issues and conflicts that might arise as a result of diversity. He therefore should employ essentially face to face interactions in conflict resolutions and better still create an environment of friendship where conflicts are minimal. In addition to these key points, virtual teams are disadvantaged by problems or challenges characterized by difficulties in communication caused by the absence of face to face interactions, lack of employee engagement to get the best out of team members, major trust and integrity issues etc all caused by inability to go through physical interactions. This is responsible for the slow pace of trust building in virtual teams however all of these disadvantages and more can be mitigated to have our dream ideal virtual team or better put, the ideal Customer Service Department by employing tested strategies. The Banc Royale virtual manager is hereby advised to adopt the following strategies in building a cohesive and effective team: Communication All team members must be kept closely via communication. Effective communication is essential from top to bottom and bottom to top ensuring free flow of information. Communication must also be frequent and the manager’s responsiveness to communication or information is also key to effective communication. Communication does not start or end with passing information, listening and being very attentive is also critical. He must be able to create awareness from time to time so that the team can achieve expected outcomes and results. His ability to make use of the technology resource provided also enhance communication and also train team members on how to optimize the benefits available in the resource. The team leader must seek to understand his members through and through including their cultures and background, this would help him in deepening his relationship and develop trust. Collaboration The virtual manager must be able to create a collaborative mindset in the entire team which harmonises the best of competition and fostering trust and respect amongst team members. Collaboration can only be achieved when divergent views are welcome are analysed to take decisions that would allow for goals to be achieved and eventually create a win-win situation. Defined team objectives The virtual manager must be able to make his team members know the reason for their existence. This reason must be well clarified and communicated, team members must understand the role and contribution of their team to the entire bank, what is expected from each team member, results that are expected from the team etc. This clarity of purpose ensures that employees are properly engaged. Success celebration Milestones and successes must be celebrated to motivate star performers and encourage other team members to do better. Finally, the Customer Service department head could also adopt an account/customer classification approach to structuring the new online customer service just outsourced. The Team lead is advised to divide his team across the types of clients that patronize the unit such as new customers, existing customers broken down into retail, commercial, borrowing and non-borrowing customers. It is also necessary to ensure multi-lingual Customer Service Consultants are hired to avoid complaints as a result of language barriers. Influence of Power and Politics Power is the capacity or ability to influence another and it is drawn from various sources such as formal authority, control of scarce resources, control of decision processes, control of knowledge and information etc Politics is the tactical use of power or practical exercise of power to retain or obtain control of real or symbolic resources† according to Bacharach et al (1980 p. 1). Politics in the workplace or organization is usually driven by personal interests and therefore tantamount to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. This determines productivity within the organization. The influence of power and politics on Banc Royale Amsterdam as a result of the changes being made can be both positive and negative. Scholars such as Eisendhart et al (1988) believes that politics is linked with poor organizational performance creating inflexibilities, communication barrier, restricting information flow etc. while some scholars are of the opinion that politics is necessary for innovation, creativity and organizational change that are brought about by disagreements and conflicts. This decision as taken by the management has some political undertones to it due to the fact that this unit is a very key unit in the organization, it can be noted that other units also exist within the organization that could also have been outsourced to cut down on expenses. This decision definitely would have caused collective distrust amongst employees not affected by this decision and could lead them to seek for employment in other organizations. According to Shawn 2008, the decision to outsource creates uncertainty for existing employees and it could make them to look elsewhere for employment, in cases where they do not leave, they most times do not cooperate with the new service providers to provide them with adequate information that would make the task easier to handle thereby causing also decreased efficiency in service delivery and bring in operational risk. It would also bring about a situation whereby other existing employees of the entire department would lose confidence in the Manager of the department for allowing such a decision to be taken. They would lose confidence in his ability to provide leadership and therefore bring about a decline the department’s productivity and his ability to be in control. If an individual is perceived by others to have influence then such person holds power and such is arrogated to him. When his employees believe in his ability to control the distribution of rewards valued by others such as promotion, money or even his ability to influence management to retain the â€Å"online customer service unit†, then they believe he has power and influence and would respect his leadership. Power requires one person’s perception of dependence on another person and in this situation, existing employees of this department are beginning to think otherwise. In order to minimize power and politics which is not bad entirely except it is engendering an unethical culture within the organization, it is of necessity that HRM takes a very strong stand to tackle it and I would recommend that they look at HR processes that include Recruitment and Performance Management. In whatever HR process we want to look at, the sole aim is to ensure that negative power and politics is downplayed and HR plays a major role in ensuring that. It is important that structures are built that do align with the objectives of the organization based solely on Corporate Governance policies in order to have management buy in. Section 3: Conclusion ‘Human capital represents one of the last and the best sources of competitive advantage’ (Kaufman, 2010: 292). The strategic objective of Banc Royale is to provide â€Å"helpful banking† to its numerous customers who are mostly retail customers, therefore cannot afford to get customer service wrong so that customers would not lose confidence in the brand. Quick steps need be taken immediately to first address the language barrier issues that are existent between both customers-service providers-bank employees. It is recommended and advised that management should change the focus of this exercise from cost reduction alone to enhanced and improved productivity with greater emphasis on collaboration between the bank officials and the service providers to ensure seamless integration. We all know change is difficult, however, if we consider what we stand to gain as an organization we would be glad to embrace change. Globalization, the need to maintain competitive advantage and churn out good bottom lines at minimal expenses, economic downturn are amongst other justifications for the creation of virtual teams and the need to outsource certain units of an organization. Banc Royale intends to be at the forefront of this, therefore all employees are enjoined to understand the workings and the concept of virtual teams in order to give support as required. Virtual managers have the responsibility to acquaint themselves with the roles required of them which include and are not limited to: Providing strategic direction in alignment with corporate goals Motivating and empowering team members to achieve team goals Identifying and providing required resources to achieve team goals Developing and communicating a clear vision to team members Giving effective employee feedbacks etc. Performance management as it affects human resources is to ensure organizational goals are met by training, motivating and rewarding employees by adopting best practices to achieve competitive advantage. As it applies to Banc Royale at this point in time, there is a need for management to have meetings and round table discussions with existing employees that the organization require to retain and get them to understand the reasons for the decision taken and make them see reason, in addition to this, appraisal could be done for the existing employees so that promotion exercise can be undertaken or probably an increase in compensation so as to win their hearts. The human resource management department of any organization is charged with the responsibility of managing employees, employee welfare and employee performance in alignment to the organizational goals and objectives, it is however in the purview of HRM to direct and guide employees and management to behave in such a manner that would ensure both personal and organizational goals are aligned and delivered. This describes the link between organizational behavior and human resource approaches and concept all described in this report. Human resource management can be used as a tool by management for shaping organizational behavior. The relationship between organizational behavior and human resource management stems from the fact that human resource management can be used as a tool for shaping organizational behavior. The practice of performance management also helps in the integration of other HR practices such as talent management, training and development, reward system management that have been discussed in this report to ensure they are all interrelated and be able to complement each other to achieving overall organizational health goals and objectives. Performance management systems aid the integration and enmeshment of HR policies with overall business organizational goals. REFERENCES Aguinis, H. (2009),†Performance Management (2nd ed.)† Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Aguinis H. & Pierce Charles A (2007), â€Å"Enhancing the relevance of organizational behavior by embracing performance management research†, Journal of Organisational Behavior Bacharach, S. B. & Lawler, E. J. (1980),†Power and politics in organizations†, San Francisco: JosseyBass. Baron, R.A. (1983), â€Å" Behaviour in Organizations†,. New York: Allyn & Bacon, Inc. Bergiel B. J., Bergiel, E. B., & Balsmeier, P. W. (2008),†Nature of virtual teams: A summary of their advantages and disadvantages†, Management Research News, 31(2), 99-110. Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (October 2003) – INDICATORS TO MEASURE THE COSTS EFFECTIVENESS OF DIVERSITY POLICIES IN ENTREPRISES- FINAL REPORT Dawson Mark J. & Mark L. Jones(n.d), â€Å"Herding Cats- Human Change Management† Eisenhardt, K. M. And L. J. Bourgeois (1988), â€Å"Politics of strategic decision making in high-velocity environments: Towards a midrange theory†,Academy of Management Journal, Eidson C., (2009) ,†The benefits and liabilities of virtual teams†, Available from ( http://expertaccess.cincom.com) Accessed on 31st July 2013 Equality and Diversity – Policy and Procedures http://www.grundon.com/PDFs/dutyOfCare/Equality%20Diversity%20Policy%20Procedure%20-%20Jun09.pdf (Accessed 1st July 2013) Gandz J. 2001, â€Å"A Business Case For Diversity† Copyright Queen’s Printer of Ontario Gà ¼ngà ¶r P. (2011),†The Relationship between Reward Management System and Employee Performance with the Mediating Role of Motivation: A Quantitative Study on Global Banks’’, 7th International Strategic Management Conference Greenberg J.(2005), â€Å"Diversity in the workplace† http://diversity.sdce.edu/content/diversity-workplace-benefits-challenges-and-solutions (Accessed 2nd July 2013) Heller R, A. Laurito, Kurt J., M.Martin, Fitzpatrick R. & K. Sundin(2010), â€Å"Global Teams: Trends, Challenges and Solutions†, Cornell Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, New York. Kaufman, B. (2010), ‘‘SHRM Theory in the Post-Huselid Era: Why It is Fundamentally Mis-Specified’, Industrial Relations, 49 (2): 292. Knouse Stephen B. (2008),†Issues in Diversity Management†, DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE DIRECTORATE OF RESEARCH, Internal Report No 05-08, pp 10-13 Maslow, A (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY:

Creating an Effective Tardy Policy

Creating an Effective Tardy Policy As a teacher, you are sure to face the issue of students who are tardy to class. The most effective way to stop tardies is through the implementation of a school-wide tardy policy that is strictly enforced. While many schools do have this, many more do not. If you are lucky enough to teach in a school with a system that is strictly enforced than congratulations- that is awesome. You will simply need to make sure that you follow through as required by the policy. If you are not quite as lucky, you will need to create a system that is easy to enforce yet effective against tardies. Following are some methods that teachers have used which you might want to consider as you create your own tardy policy. Realize, however, that you must create an effective, enforceable policy or you will eventually be faced with a tardy problem in your classroom. Tardy Cards Tardy Cards are basically cards given to each student with space for a specific number of free tardies. For example, a student might be allowed three per semester. When the student is late, the teacher marks off one of the spots. Once the tardy card is full, then you would follow your own discipline plan or the schools tardy policy (e.g., write a referral, send to detention, etc.). On the other hand, if the student gets through a semester without any tardies, then you would create a reward. For example, you might give this student a homework pass. While this system is most effective when implemented schoolwide, it can be effective for the individual teacher if strictly enforced. On Time Quizzes These are unannounced quizzes that take place as soon as the bell rings. Students who are tardy would receive a zero. They should be very short, typically five questions. If you choose to use these, make sure that your administration allows this. You can choose to have the quizzes count as a single grade over the course of the semester or possibly as extra credit. However, make sure that you announce the system in the very beginning and that you start using them right away. There is a chance that a teacher could start using these to specifically punish one or a few students- not giving them unless those students are tardy. To be fair make sure that you randomly place them on your lesson plan calendar and give them on those days. You can increase the quantity if you find that tardies are becoming more of a problem over the year. Detention for Tardy Students This option makes logical sense- if a student is tardy then they owe you that time. You would want to give your students a certain number of chances (1-3) before instituting this. However, there are some considerations here: Some students might have no transportation other than the school bus. Further, you do have an additional commitment on your part. Finally, realize that some students who are tardy might be those who are not necessarily the best-behaved. You will be required to spend extra time with them after school. Locking Students Out This is not a recommended means for dealing with tardies. You must consider your liability for student safety. If something happens to a student while locked out of your class, it would still be your responsibility. Since in many areas tardies do not excuse students from work, you will have to get them their make-up work which would, in the end, require more of your time. Tardiness is a problem that needs to be dealt with head-on. As a teacher, do not allow students to get by with being tardy early in the year or the problem will escalate. Talk with your fellow teachers and find out what works for them. Each school has a different atmosphere and what works with one group of students might not be as effective with another. Try one of the listed methods or another method and if it is not working do not be afraid to switch. However, just remember that your tardy policy is only as effective as you are in enforcing it.

Donaldson Dunfee 2000 Essay

Donaldson Dunfee 2000 Essay Donaldson Dunfee 2000 Essay Business and Society Review 105:4 436–443 Prà ©cis for: Ties That Bind THOMAS DONALDSON AND THOMAS W. DUNFEE W e wrote the book, Ties that Bind, out of our conviction that answering today’s questions requires a new approach to business ethics, an approach that exposes the implicit understandings or â€Å"contracts† that bind industries, companies, and economic systems into moral communities. It is in these economic communities, and in the often unspoken understandings that provide their ethical glue, that we believe many of the answers to business ethics quandaries lie. Further, we think that answering such questions requires the use of a yet deeper, and universal â€Å"contract† superseding even individual ones. The theory that combines both these deeper and thinner kinds of contracts we label â€Å"Integrative Social Contracts Theory,† or â€Å"ISCT† for short. ISCT does not overturn popular wisdom. While it asserts that the social contracts that arise from specific cultural and geographic contexts have legitimacy, it acknowledges a limit to that legitimacy. It recognizes the moral authority of key transcultural truths, for example, the idea that human beings everywhere are deserving of respect. The social contract approach we detail holds that any social contract terms existing outside these boundaries must be deemed illegitimate, no matter how completely subscribed to within a given economic community. In this sense, all particular or â€Å"micro† social contracts, whether they exist at the national, industry, or corporate level, must conform to a hypothetical â€Å"macro† social contract that lays down moral boundaries for any social contracting. ISCT thus lies midway on the spectrum of moral belief separating Thomas Donaldson is the Mark O. Winkelman Professor of Legal Studies and Director of the Wharton Ethics Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Thomas W. Dunfee is the Joseph Kolodny Professor of Social Responsibility in Business and Vice Dean responsible for the Undergraduate Division of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.  © 2000 Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College. Published by Blackwell Publishers, 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA, and 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK. THOMAS DONALDSON AND THOMAS W. DUNFEE 437 relativism from absolutism. It allows substantial â€Å"moral free space† for nations and other economic communities to shape their distinctive concepts of economic fairness, but it draws the line at flagrant neglect of core human values. Our approach takes â€Å"moral free space† seriously. It insists that morality can be â€Å"conditional† or â€Å"situational† at least in the sense that two conflicting conceptions of ethics can sometimes both be valid, and that community agreements about ethics often matter. Two economic systems need not have precisely the same view about the ethics of insider trading. Their views about what is wrong with insider trading may differ, yet both may be legitimate. Nor does every corporation have to follow exactly the same conception of fairness as it designs flextime or seniority rules. It follows from our view that all economic actors must recognize the critical role of social contracts in the communities they impact. To fail to do so, as many companies have done in the past, is to display moral blindness. In our view, as social contracts change, so too do the challenges for business. The ethical â€Å"game† of business today is played by different rules, and harbors different penalties and benefits, than it did decades ago. Broad shifts of moral consensus have occurred. In subtle, far reaching shifts, managers and members of the general public have gradually redefined their view of the underlying responsibilities of large corporations. Half a century ago, companies were basically expected to focus on producing goods and services at reasonable prices; today, corporations are held responsible for a variety of issues involving fairness and quality of life. In companies

Eisenhower Doctrine Definition and Analysis

Eisenhower Doctrine Definition and Analysis The Eisenhower Doctrine was an official expression of U.S. foreign policy delivered to a joint session of Congress by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 5, 1957. Eisenhower’s proposal called for a more proactive economic and military role on the part of the United States in the increasingly tense situation threatening peace in the Middle East at the time. Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, any Middle Eastern country being threatened by armed aggression from any other country could request and receive economic assistance and/or military assistance from the United States. In a â€Å"Special Message to the Congress on the Situation in the Middle East,† Eisenhower tacitly pointed to the Soviet Union as the most likely aggressor in the Middle East by promising the commitment of U.S. forces â€Å"to secure and protect the territorial integrity and political independence of such nations, requesting such aid against overt armed aggression from any nation controlled by international communism.† Key Takeaways: Eisenhower Doctrine Adopted in 1957, the Eisenhower Doctrine was a key aspect of U.S. foreign policy under the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.The Eisenhower Doctrine promised U.S. economic and military combat assistance to any Middle Eastern country facing armed aggression.The intent of the Eisenhower Doctrine was to prevent the Soviet Union from spreading communism throughout the Middle East.   Background The rapid deterioration of stability in the Middle East during 1956 greatly concerned the Eisenhower administration. In July 1956, as Egypt’s anti-Western leader Gamal Nasser established ever-closer ties to the Soviet Union, both the U.S. and the United Kingdom cut off their support for the construction of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River. In response, Egypt, aided by the Soviet Union, seized and nationalized the Suez Canal intending to use ship passage fees to fund the dam. In October 1956, armed forces of Israel, Britain, and France invaded Egypt and pushed toward the Suez Canal. When the Soviet Union threatened to join the conflict in support of Nasser, its already delicate relationship with the United States crumbled. Israeli Tanks Occupy Gaza During Suez Canal Crisis of 1956. Hulton Archive / Getty Images Though Israel, Britain, and France had withdrawn their troops by early 1957, the Suez Crisis left the Middle East dangerously fragmented. Regarding the crisis as a major escalation of the Cold War on the part of the Soviet Union, Eisenhower feared the Middle East could fall victim to the spread of communism. In the summer of 1958, the Eisenhower Doctrine was tested when civil strife- rather than Soviet aggression- in Lebanon drove Lebanese president Camille Chamoun to request U.S. assistance. Under the terms of the Eisenhower Doctrine, nearly 15,000 U.S. troops were sent to put down the disturbances. With its actions in Lebanon, the U.S. confirmed its long-term commitment to protecting its interests in the Middle East. Eisenhower Foreign Policy President Eisenhower brought what he called a â€Å"New Look† to U.S. foreign policy, emphasizing the need to respond to the spread of communism. In that context, Eisenhower’s foreign policy was greatly influenced by his staunch anti-communist Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. To Dulles, all nations were either part of the â€Å"Free World† or part of the communist Soviet bloc; there was no middle-ground. Believing that political efforts alone would not stop Soviet expansion, Eisenhower and Dulles adopted a policy known as Massive Retaliation, a scenario in which the U.S would be prepared to use atomic weapons if it or any of its allies were attacked.  Ã‚   Along with the threat of communist expansion in the region, Eisenhower knew the Middle East held a large percentage of the world’s oil reserves, which were badly needed by the U.S. and its allies. During the 1956 Suez Crisis, Eisenhower had objected to the actions of U.S. allies- Britain and France, thus establishing the U.S. as the lone western military power in the Middle East. This position meant that America’s oil security was more at risk should the Soviet Union succeed in imposing its political will in the region.   Impact and Legacy of the Eisenhower Doctrine The Eisenhower Doctrine’s promise of U.S. military intervention in the Middle East was not universally embraced. Both Egypt and Syria, supported by the Soviet Union, strongly objected to it. Most of the Arab nations- fearing Israeli â€Å"Zionist imperialism† more than Soviet communism- were at best skeptical of the Eisenhower Doctrine. Egypt continued to accept money and arms from the U.S. until the Six-Day War in 1967. In practice, the Eisenhower Doctrine simply continued the existing U.S. commitment of military support for Greece and Turkey pledged by the Truman Doctrine of 1947. In the United States, some newspapers objected to the Eisenhower Doctrine, arguing that the cost and the extent of American involvement were left open-ended and vague. While the doctrine itself did not mention any specific funding, Eisenhower told Congress he would seek $200 million (about $1.8 billion in 2019 dollars) for economic and military aid in both 1958 and 1959. Eisenhower contended that his proposal was the only way to address the â€Å"power-hungry communists.† Congress voted overwhelmingly to adopt the Eisenhower Doctrine. In the long run, the Eisenhower Doctrine failed to succeed in containing communism. Indeed, the foreign policies of future presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, and Reagan all embodied similar doctrines. It was not until December 1991 that the Reagan Doctrine, combined with economic and political unrest within the Soviet bloc itself, brought the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Sources The Eisenhower Doctrine, 1957. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian.Foreign Policy Under President Eisenhower. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian.Elghossain, Anthony. When the Marines Came to Lebanon. The New Republic (July 25, 2018).Hahn, Peter L. (2006). Securing the Middle East: The Eisenhower Doctrine of 1957. Presidential Studies Quarterly.Pach, Chester J., Jr. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Foreign Affairs. University of Virginia, Miller Center.

IT Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

IT Project management - Essay Example Nevertheless, additional software projects normally lacks of calendar time. Increasing work force to a late software project results to sequential constraints. Moreover, it is costly which has immediate negative impact that cannot be recompensed within the prevailing weeks. Additional software projects also lacks of calendar time. Strategy of making up schedule slippage is increasing the productivity of the individuals working on tasks. Nevertheless, the strategy has the disadvantage of not solving the delays due lack of the information, support and resources. Increasing the productivity of the data modeling teams demands extensive training and replacement of the underlying outsourced staff, which would demand escalated expenditures of time and money (Taylor, pp. 123-189). Thus, managers and corresponding planners ought to carry out re-planning in order to adjust the schedule, staffing and budgetary plans to be utilized in process of guiding the entire process of completion duration. Another approach is adding more workers to the underlying project tasks. This approach has a risk since the managers and the corresponding planners argue that adding more workers can never solve the problem due to lack of the enough information, support and resources. Moreover, computation of the increase in productivity due to the increase in the number of workers especially for the underlying data modeling tasks to catch up is normally unrealistic. This schedule slippage offer re-planning opportunities that entail utilizing slack time of the non-critical path tasks and corresponding overlapping more of the tasks. MOOS-Maintenance and Ongoing Operations Support affect IT project estimates in numerous ways. It will offer standard recurrent procedure to monitor on the collaboration amidst the IT regarding the project demands. They will be allotted by the SDLC phase by identification of the preliminary assessment of the underlying work request,

U02d1 Research and Discuss Rationing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U02d1 Research and Discuss Rationing - Essay Example The term rationing is one where the United States is not faced with a shortage of service as the level of goods and services of the country are not used, or are out of demand. This generally tends to happen when there is a limit that is implemented on the goods and services and is based on the ability to pay. Considering the general public here in the case, there is a huge misbelieve that if there is a medical condition and a possible treatment for it, then the insurance companies are liable to pay irrespective of the costs. This however is never the same if a person needs to pay for the treatment from their own pockets. This is simple human nature. However there is always rationing that happens when a person is not covered by insurance. Here the individual or even the practitioners would consider whether it is useful to allow the treatment on the person and whether the outcome might be useful or not. The first article by Newt Gingrich is one which describes the current day situation where there is a clear level of rationing. The author states a very interesting point, ‘if you are a single male with no children, the legislation still requires you to have maternity benefits and well-baby and well-child care coverage. You dont want or dont need that coverage? Sorry, you have to pay for it anyway’. This is the current situation among all Americans and the perspective of the citizens is clear from the title of the article: ‘Healthcare rationing: Real scary’ (Gingrich, 2009). The second article by Floyd on the other hand discusses the issues faced by the government. It is clear that in the current situation the health care systems are very costly and the Americans expect to receive the best without the will to pay for it. This leads the author to set down three important questions which have been answered here in the document. The author has set down the following: ‘The current debate over healthcare rationing surrounds three key

How globalization changes Canadas urban development after World War 2 Essay

How globalization changes Canadas urban development after World War 2 - Essay Example These are guided by the primary political objectives of the ruling power and the intricacies of welfare culture’s regional disparities (McBride & Mcnutt, 2007, p. 194). â€Å"Neo-liberalism is a set of economic policies that have dominated politics for the last 25 years. Essentially, neo-liberalism contains many elements. The foundation of neo-liberalism is a free-market economy, where there is as little government intervention as possible (Abu – Jazar, 2009).† In addition, it is one of the primary objectives of neo – liberalism to effect the privatization of public services. It is contended by its votaries that the private sector, being better equipped in this context, will provide these services in a much more optimal manner. Moreover, the proponents of neo – liberalism argue in favor of reduced expenditure on social services. The aim of this reduced spending being the minimization of intervention by the government (Abu – Jazar, 2009). The reduction of governmental intervention and promotion of individuality, ensures that a neo – liberal state is peopled by individuals who compete against all the other residents of that state. This promotes tremendous economic growth, as every individual is compelled to fend for himself, without relying upon the state to lend him anything more than the most basic support. A major criticism that is levelled against neo – liberalism is that it generates socio – economic disasters. An instance being the vast disparity between the poor and rich of the developed nations (Abu – Jazar, 2009). From the perspective of the competition state, the cardinal objectives are to promote economic growth and synchronize policy in a manner that complies with the requirements of the global market. Neoliberals are furnished a useful reference, in achieving these goals, by the global hegemonic ideology and the national policy experiments (McBride & Mcnutt, 2007, p. 194). Furthermore, a

Strategic Management- Xerox Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Management- Xerox - Essay Example Xerox Corporation is a multinational document management firm involved in production and selling of printing related products and other services. It was founded in 1906 and produced first plain paper photocopier and became one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of the document management products and services. Its major breakthrough during recent times came during 1990s when company started to refocus and specially went on to redevelop its focus on the product orientation. It was also during this period that firm has seriously started to look for expanding into other related and unrelated businesses. Historically, Xerox has been a hard copy company means it supplied products and services which were related with hardcopy however, over the period of time, it has opted out of this business segment and is now also generating revenue from the non-hardcopy business segment. This unrelated diversification therefore has allowed the firm to increase its revenue and profitability. It is however, important to understand that unrelated diversification can benefit the firm it has the requisite expertise in management to actually strengthen the business. If management does not have the expertise and skill to actually support new business, it may become relatively unsuccessful and risky to engage into unrelated diversification activities. Xerox has ventured into financial services industry also which was a completely different business line than its traditional business. It however failed to sustain the business and was force to divest from this due to lack of knowledge and expertise to manage this business independently. (Business Week). Not having relevant skills and knowledge to manage a business which actually does not fall into the domain of senior managers therefore may be one of the key risks faced by the firms like Xerox. Over the period of time, Xerox has changed its orientation and has now become a more of a service

Discuss the role of vitamin K, vitamin D and calcium on bone health Essay

Discuss the role of vitamin K, vitamin D and calcium on bone health across the lifespan and review the evidence that supplementation with vitamin D and calcium - Essay Example In this manner the strength and vitality of the bones are maintained. However, this process varies in significant manner during advanced age, which may have a negative impact on the strength of the bone and its ability to satisfactorily perform its essential functions. With the increase in life spans being experienced around the world and particularly in the developed world maintaining healthy bones has become more important, so that the elderly segments of population can continue their active phase of life, without risks of damage of fractures to bones impeding the quality of their lives. This has led to increasing interest in the interaction between nutrition and bone growth and development and the nutrients that are significant in prevention of deficiencies, with particular emphasis on optimising peak bone mass and making the risk for osteoporosis minimal (Prentice, et al, 2006). Bones are made up of hard living tissue, which are in the form of hard matrix consisting of calcium salts deposited around protein fibres. The protein fibres are made up of collagen and provide the bones with their strength and elasticity, while it is the mineral deposits that make the bones rigid. Bones may be divided into the outer bone and the inner bone. The outer bone layer is called the periostem and it makes up eighty percent of the mass of a bone and provides rigidity to the bone. The trabecular bone is the inner bone, the structure of which looks like a honeycomb, due to the spongy mesh-like bone that it consists of to provide strength to the bone. It makes up twenty percent of the mass of the bone. Within the cavity of the bone, bone marrow is found, which is responsible for the production of red blood cells. Bones are in different shape and length based on the functions that they perform in the skeletal system. osteoclasts and

Body Language Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Body Language - Article Example Gestures and body language are therefore often second nature; something that we follow based on instinct and the need for survival. Therefore, when an individual is speaking or listening to another, he or she often reveals unconscious feelings or reactions through gestures and body language. Since our bodies speak the truth and our words often do not, it is important for people to learn to observe body language as well as listening to the speech of others. Body language often has an unconscious affect on the speaker or listener. If somebody speaks and demonstrates very confident body language, people are more likely to take that individual seriously, and/or believe in what that individual has to say. If another individual speaks the same speech but shows a lack of confidence with gestures and body language, people are less likely to respect or care about the information presented. Thus, whether or not an individual successfully gets a point across has a lot to do with how that individual presents his or her body language. How does the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis fit in with all of this' According to Amy Stafford, Sapir "believed that language and the thoughts that we have are somehow interwoven, and that all people are equally being effected by the confines of their language. In short, he made all people out to be mental prisoners; unable to think freely because of the restrictions of their vocabularies" (para 1). If our vocabularies are restricted, it is therefore important for individuals to have another way of expressing themselves, or of getting their main points across. This is where body language comes into play (Henslin 45). Since body language is often an initial instinctual reaction, it allows individuals to communicate on an unconscious level and get their concepts across when they lack the words to express those concepts. Stafford further states: "Whorf fully believed in linguistic determinism; that what one thinks is fully determined by their language. He also supported linguistic relativity, which states that the differences in language reflect the different views of different people" (para 3). Language is therefore important to demonstrating what an individual is thinking, and what that individual's limitations are. However, language is often relativistic from person to person, as is language ability, and therefore Whorf felt that we can get a strong feel for an individual by understanding these limitations. Stafford's article can be found at: http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/language/whorf.html. Her link is very helpful and describes body language as well as the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. The presentation on this website helped the researcher to grasp and better understand these concepts and why they are important. Therefore, this link is very helpful when it comes to understanding body language and the issues surrounding body language. Works Cited Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach. New Jersey:Allyn and Bacon 2006. Stafford, Amy. "The Sapir-Whorf Hyp

Discuss the role of vitamin K, vitamin D and calcium on bone health Essay

Discuss the role of vitamin K, vitamin D and calcium on bone health across the lifespan and review the evidence that supplementation with vitamin D and calcium - Essay Example In this manner the strength and vitality of the bones are maintained. However, this process varies in significant manner during advanced age, which may have a negative impact on the strength of the bone and its ability to satisfactorily perform its essential functions. With the increase in life spans being experienced around the world and particularly in the developed world maintaining healthy bones has become more important, so that the elderly segments of population can continue their active phase of life, without risks of damage of fractures to bones impeding the quality of their lives. This has led to increasing interest in the interaction between nutrition and bone growth and development and the nutrients that are significant in prevention of deficiencies, with particular emphasis on optimising peak bone mass and making the risk for osteoporosis minimal (Prentice, et al, 2006). Bones are made up of hard living tissue, which are in the form of hard matrix consisting of calcium salts deposited around protein fibres. The protein fibres are made up of collagen and provide the bones with their strength and elasticity, while it is the mineral deposits that make the bones rigid. Bones may be divided into the outer bone and the inner bone. The outer bone layer is called the periostem and it makes up eighty percent of the mass of a bone and provides rigidity to the bone. The trabecular bone is the inner bone, the structure of which looks like a honeycomb, due to the spongy mesh-like bone that it consists of to provide strength to the bone. It makes up twenty percent of the mass of the bone. Within the cavity of the bone, bone marrow is found, which is responsible for the production of red blood cells. Bones are in different shape and length based on the functions that they perform in the skeletal system. osteoclasts and

Physical Education Lesson Plan Essay Example for Free

Physical Education Lesson Plan Essay 1. Grade level: Second Grade 2. Estimated level of developmental stage: predictable, self-paced (Hastie, 2012). 3. Number of students: Twenty 4. Fundamental skill (to be taught): Dribbling a soccer ball with their feet 5. State standard for Washington State (NASPE, 2008) a. Demonstrates locomoter skills in a variety of activities and lead-up games i. Example: Uses walking/jogging/running skills in soccer ii. Demonstrates manipulative skills with stationary targets 1. Example: Kicks a ball toward a goal iii. Demonstrates mature form in manipulative skills in a variety of activities 2. Example: Traps a ball in soccer Section 2: 1. Student objective: a. As a result of this lesson students will be able to demonstrate dribbling skills while both walking and then jogging. Students will also be able to demonstrate trapping a ball and kicking a ball towards a stationary object. 2. Lesson description b. During this activity students will practice dribbling a ball with their feet; first walking and then jogging. Students will maintain control of the ball using the inside of their foot while dribbling the ball between cones towards the pop-up goal at the end of the field. Once the student reaches the last cone they will then trap the ball with their foot and take aim at the goal. 3. Classroom management system and student grouping c. Students will be divided into five groups with four students in each  group; each student will receive a shape card and will then be grouped according to the shape displayed on the card. Students will be reminded at the start of class regarding the class rules and consequences. Students will be reminded to use kind words, respect others around you, listen carefully, use equipment properly, and if in doubt ask. Consequences and rewards will be handled on a case by case basis meaning praise will be given to individual students and actions will be corrected as necessary. Ultimately the goal is to keep all students involved and engaged while ensuring the safety of everyone. As an educator it is important to be consistent and fair to all students using positive reinforcement and encouraging students to stay on task. 4. Equipment needed d. Twenty soccer balls, twenty-five orange cones for setting up the obstacle course, five pop-up goals at the end of the course, and a large outside grassy field. Section 3: 1. Content: Write a script of what the teacher would say and include the following for each task/skill. a. Task #1: Dribbling while walking first in a straight line, then through the cones i. Introducing the task/skill 1. Our first objective is to practice dribbling our soccer ball while walking. Remember to use the inside and outside of your foot when moving the ball down the field. I want you to first walk down the field dribbling your ball next to the row of cones and then return dribbling the ball while walking through the cones. When the first student begins the return trip through the cones the second student in the group may begin dribbling their ball next to the cones. ii. Safety concerns, rules and protocols to follow during the task 2. Watch out for other students 3. Be careful not to overtake the student in front of you 4. If the ball gets away from you quickly retrieve it iii. Teaching the task/skill 5. Educator will demonstrate the task once at the beginning and then again if students have questions or need extra clarification. iv. Questions to ask during the task as a form of assessment 6. What part of our foot do we use to dribble a ball? 7. Do we want to keep the ball close or far away? b. Task #2: Dribbling while jogging; first in a straight line then through the cones v. Introducing the task/skill 8. Our second objective is to practice dribbling our soccer ball while jogging. Remember to use the inside and outside of your foot when moving the ball down the field. I want you to first jog down the field dribbling your ball next to the row of cones and then return dribbling the ball while jogging through the cones. When the first student begins the return trip through the cones the second student in the group may begin dribbling their ball next to the cones. vi. Safety concerns, rules and protocols to follow during the task 9. Watch out for other students 10. Be careful not to overtake the student in front of you 11. If the ball gets away from you quickly retrieve it vii. Teaching the task/skill 12. Educator will demonstrate the task once at the beginning and then again if students have questions or need extra clarification. viii. Questions to ask during the task as a form of assessment 13. Was it easier or harder to dribble while you were jogging versus when you were walking? 14. Does the change in speed from walking to jogging affect your ability to maintain control of the ball? 2. Culminating activity: c. Class, now we are going to combine our soccer skills together. We are going to have a relay race with each group being a team. The object of the game is for all students in each group to successfully kick their ball into the goal. The first student in each group will dribble their ball through the cones, trap the ball with their foot, and then kick the ball into the goal. Once their ball has successfully made it into the goal they will run back and tag the next teammate in line. The key to success in this game is maintaining control of your ball at all times. 3. Assessment: d. In order to assess the students in my class I would use observational skills to determine if they are meeting the lesson objectives. I would use a scale rating system; based on a scale of one to five, with five being perfect and one being unsatisfactory. I would rate the students based upon whether they could maintain control of a ball while dribbling, trap the ball with their foot, and accurately kick the ball towards a stationary object. Section 4: 1. Home/school connection: a. I would send out an email to all parents suggesting ways students can practice dribbling skills at home. In the email I would include ideas such as parents setting up an obstacle course for kids to dribble through. I would suggest that parents can use household objects such as soup cans for the â€Å"cones† and any round ball would work for dribbling. I would encourage parents to practice with their kids by first demonstrating the skill and then just participating. When parents are involved with their kids in a physical activity the child is more likely to stick with it longer and of course it is an excellent way for parents to bond with their child. 2. Modifications and adaptations b. Inclusion of a child with a physical impairment (e.g. a child confined to a wheelchair, or a child that requires the use of assistive technology). i. One way to include a child confined to a wheelchair would be to have them hold the soccer ball in their lap and maneuver their wheelchair through the cones; upon reaching the end they can throw the ball into the goal. A second way to include them would be to have them use a paddle to â€Å"dribble† the ball through the cones and ultimately hitting the ball into the goal. c. Inclement weather or an altered schedule forces you to change your location. Choose a different location to discuss (e.g. a smaller classroom as opposed to a gym). ii. Due to inclement weather the lesson would need to be moved indoors to the gym. Since the gym floor surface is much smoother than a grassy field I would have the student’s only practice dribbling while walking in order to maintain better control of their ball. d. Several children from a  different grade are temporarily joining this class for this particular lesson. iii. In order to include all students fairly I would disperse the children in groups using the shape cards, but if one group was disproportionately older students or younger students I would need to rearrange a bit. In order for the relay race to be fair each group would need an even mixture of older students versus younger students. References Hastie, P. (2012). Foundations of moving learning. San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Education, Inc. NASPE (2008). Washington State K-12 state standards. Retrieved from http://www.k12.wa.us/HealthFitness/Standards-GLEs/HealthFitnessStateStandards.PDF.