Risk Study Report (occupational health and safety) Research Paper

Risk Study Report (occupational health and safety) - Research Paper Example Individual and commercial insurance is a good way to reduce the personal as well as commercial financial risks. I have selected the J. Paul Getty Museum as the visiting location. The location is situated in Los-Angeles. Los Angeles itself is blessed with beautiful landscapes and the building of the museum is made uniquely so that it would attract as many visitors as the museum can hold. On the other hand the entry to the museum is absolutely free, while visitors are charged $15 for the parking. However, after 5p.m the parking is free too. Museums are good places to find cultural, religious and ancient aspects of the location. Around 1.3 million people visit the museum each year (The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2012). The most significant feature of the tourism business is the capability of the operators to deal with the risks and associated factors regarding the tourism business. It is equally viable for the operators to maintain a smooth, receptive and cost efficient insurance that will ensure to meet the legal necessities and requirements. Risk management ensures to make clear reduction in the unnecessary and unintentional events. However, it is important for the risk managers to develop such strategies to reduce the impacts of the unplanned events. The third important perspective of the risk management is to improve the capability to have full control on all the events and associated risks and maintain cost-efficient insurance within the business environment. Risk management strategies will ensure to enhance the recognition of the risks, analyze the risks and the make strategies to reduce the risk. It not only benefits the organization but also the individuals. On the other hand, the risk management techniques will help to face the accident and help us to be prepared for any accidents. The techniques will also reduce the severity and the after effects of the accidents. Financial damages are heavily influenced by the

Time and Life Essay Example for Free

Time and Life Essay According to a popular saying,schooldays are the happiest days of your life. Is there any truth in this? Answers to this question are bound to vary greatly from person to person. A person’s answer will depend on how happy the person’s schooldays actually were and on how happy the rest of his or her life has been since. To give a really true answer to this question you have to be fairly close to the end of your life. Hopefully,by this time you will have lived a long time. If this is the case,then you will have a long period of time to look back on. Will no other period of your life have made you happier than your schooldays? This seems rather unlikely. There are certain momentous times in a person’s life which are usually accompained by a great feeling of happiness,even of ecstasy. One of these is being in love. Another is a person’s wedding day. Yet another, and many parents would put this at the top of their happiness list, is the birth of a couple’s child. These are milestones in human life and they bring happinessto the majority of people who experience them. However, apart from these emotional milestones, there is a wide variation in what makes people happy. To a large extent what brings happiness to a person depends on what they are interested in. For example, athletes might well regard their period of supreme happiness as the time they won a major track or field event, especially an Olympic event. Footballers might regard the peak of their happiness as the time they played for a top-ranking team and scored a crucial goal in an important game. Ambitious businesspeople might be at the hightest point of their happiness when they bring off a particulary successful and shrewd business deal. If there are all these opportunities, and many more, for achieving happiness in life, how has the idea arise that schooldays are the happiest days of our life? It is at least partly because people’s memories, particularly older people’s memories, tend to be imperfect when they look back on the past. Not only that. Especially where childhood is concerned, older people tend to look back at past through rose-coloured spectacles. For example, they might remember the weather during the summer holidays as being much better than it is now. That has nothing whatsoever to do with modern climate change. It has to do with looking back on the past with affection and nostalagia-and a lack of realism. A few people’s schooldays might genuinely have been the happiest days of their lives. On the other hand, some people’s schooldays might have been an absolute nightmare with stern schoolteachers administering harsh punishments and fellow students teasing and bullying them, not to mention the often unbearable pressure of exams. For most people,neither of these extremes fits the bill. Their schooldays are the usual mixture of happiness and unhappiness,like the rest of their lives. Schooldays are not the happiest days of their lives.

Critical Thinking and Business Decisions Essay -- GCSE Business Market

Critical Thinking and Business Decisions Our basic concept of critical thinking is, at root, simple. We could define it as the art of taking charge of your own mind. Its value is also at root simple: "if we can take charge of our own minds, we can take charge of our lives; we can improve them, bringing them under our "self-command" and direction (McCall and Kaplan, 1990)." Of course, this requires that we learn self-discipline and the art of self-examination. This involves becoming interested in how our minds work, how we can monitor, fine tune, and modify their operations for the better. It involves getting into the habit of reflectively examining our impulsive and accustomed ways of thinking and acting in every dimension of our lives and business. Many various "Forms of Thinking" affect the way we rationalize problems and situations. We could approach a problem by utilizing the forms such as in "a logical, scientific, persuasive, or creative fashion (University of Phoenix, 2000)." The way we approach a problem or situation can be and is very important. In addition, all that we do, we do based on some motivations or reasons that are forces which influence our ways of thinking. However, we rarely examine our motivations to see if they make sense. We rarely scrutinize our reasons critically to see if they are rationally justified. "Some of the forces that influence are thinking can be gender, culture, ethnicity, religion, race, economic status, ethics, etc (University of Phoenix, 2000)." As consumers, for example, we sometimes buy things impulsively and uncritically, without stopping to determine whether we really need what we are inclined to buy, whether we can afford it, whether its good for our health, or whether the price is competitive. As parents, we often respond to our children impulsively and uncritically, without stopping to determine whether our actions are consistent with how we want to act as parents, whether we are contributing to their self-esteem, whether we are discouraging them from thinking, or from taking responsibility for their own behavior. The two examples above, illustrate how we could have used a "scientific form of thinking" to come to a conclusion but the "force", whatever it may have been, that influenced that way of thinking, was very strong. The same remains true in business as it pertains to our manageria... ...en seriously, it can transform every dimension of work life: how we formulate rules, how we relate to our employees, how we encourage them to relate to each other, how we cultivate their speaking and listening skills, as well as their decision making skills. Of course, we are likely to make "Critical Thinking" a basic value in work only insofar as we make it a basic value in our lives. "Therefore, to become adept at contemplating critical thinking, we must become committed to thinking critically and reflectively about our own lives and the lives of those around us (Shermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 2000)." We must become active, daily, practitioners of critical thought. We must regularly model for our employees what it is to reflectively examine, critically assess, and effectively improve the way we live and think. References Morgan W. McCall Jr. and Robert E. Kaplan, (1990). "Whatever It Takes, Realities of Managerial Decision Making," (New Jersey: Prentice Hall) Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn. (2000). Organizational Behavior. 7th Ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. University of Phoenix, (2000). Critical Thinking: Strategies in Decision Making. (Module) MGT 350.

Aggression as a Negative

Aggression is viewed by many as a negative response in sport, but theories of why aggression occurs contradict each other. Evaluate critically theories of aggression that seek to explain why negative responses often occur in sporting situations Use practical examples for the theories you evaluate. Aggression is any behaviour outside the rules of the game that aims to harm an individual that is motivated to avoid such harm. Some skills appear aggressive for example, a slide tackle in football, however they are perfectly legal in the games rules so it is not seen as aggressive behaviour.Possible negative responses relating to aggression are caused by; actual/perceived unfairness, frustration at performance, displaced aggression from other sources, pressure to win, retaliation, copying others, nature of the game, reaction to a hostile crowd, being on the losing team and previous ill-feeling (derby game). There are 4 theories of aggression; Instinct Theory, Social Learning Theory, Frustr ation Aggression Hypothesis and Aggression Cue Hypothesis.Instinct Theory (Freud) suggests that behaviour is predictable, genetically inherited and it is the Trait view of behaviour. According to this theory, we can tell which players and when they will perform aggressive acts. This says that everyone has aggression within them, it is just a continual build-up of energy that needs to be released through catharsis, for example, small lashes out at an opposition to release pressure (Lorenz). However this theory completely disregards an environmental stimulus that we know exists.Social Learning Theory (Bandura) suggests that behaviour is learned from our environment, for example we observe behaviours through a role model, we perform the behaviour (copy) then this mode of behaviour becomes accepted through reinforcement. For example, young footballer copies Wayne Rooney and kicks out at an opposition player, then gets praise from team-mates, this behaviour is reinforced, then the young player will do it more to create this sort of response again.This theory does the opposite of Instinct Theory and accepts the environmental stimuli however disregards the genetic influence, that we also know exists. These next two are Interactionist Theories that aim to combine environmental and genetic influences. Frustration Aggression Hypothesis suggests that frustration occurs when our goal-directed behaviour is blocked, and there is more frustration if the behaviour is outcome orientated. This hypothesis suggests that environmental build ups create a biological reaction as a cathartic release, if this release fails then we become more aggressive.For example, Jordan Mutch of Cardiff blocked Wayne Rooney from getting past so Wayne Rooney (goal blocked), Wayne Rooney got frustrated, Kicked out at Mutch and received a yellow card as punishment, this cathartic release failed. Aggression Cue Hypothesis suggests that frustration is equal to arousal; it creates a readiness for aggressi on. This aggression will only occur upon environmental cue. For example in football, being on the receiving end of a bad tackle provides the environmental cue which will increase arousal. If there is the presence of aggression, chances of aggression are increased dramatically.

Energy drink lab Essay

Questions: 1. When we say that something gives us â€Å"energy,† what does that mean? What is a biological definition of energy? When we say that something gives us â€Å"energy† it means that, that drink gave us power to get up and do things. It energizes us so we can accomplish something. The biological definition of energy is the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity. 2. What is the physiological role of each of the molecules in your table? The role of each of the molecules in my table is to 1. Which ingredients provide energy? How do they do that? Caffeine, sugars and many more provide energy by stimulating the central nervous system giving the body a sense of alertness. It can raise heart rate and blood pressure while dehydrating the body. 2. Which ingredients contribute to body repair, I.e., which help build or rebuild muscle tissue? Glucose (sugar) to provide energy quickly to the muscles. Because sugar is short-lasting, the resulting energy burst is also short-lasting. Ingredients with protein repairs, and Folic Acid, since it helps with DNA synthesis which makes protein. In our case the amino acid group help build muscle tissue in the drink Nos. 3. In what ways might the one that does not have a metabolic energy source provide the perception of increased energy after consumption? The main purpose of an energy drink is to increase stamina and physical performance. With the consumption of caffeine the person will increase performance. 4. How are the ingredients in these drinks helpful to someone expending a lot energy a runner? I believe the ingredients in these drinks are not helpful to someone expending a lot of energy because it’s not healthy and the energy that’s given off these energy drinks do not last long. Therefore it’s unreasonable to drink energy drink when you can drink water and maybe Gatorade or Powerade. 5. Does your analysis substantiate the claim that this is an â€Å"energy drink†? If so, what molecules are the sources of energy? 6. Yes the claim substantiate that Nos is an energy drink. The sources of ener gy in are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, being burned in the presence of oxygen. But the chemical reactions required to consume this energy do require water. 7. Could you drink serve different  purposes for different consumers? Explain. Nos energy drink could be used to provide energy to those who play sports and need the energy, those who need the energy because of lack of sleep, or those who simply enjoy the taste of it. 7. What is the normal physiological response to increased intake of sugars? To increased intake of caffeine? The glucose levels in the blood increase and cause and increase in insulin production with and increased amount of sugar intake. With an increase of caffeine intake the heart rate increases and cause anxiety, insomnia, and the blood vessels to expand. 8. Is there such a thing as â€Å"sugar high†? Explain your answer. No, there is no such thing as sugar high. Many people believe sugar makes people hyper but that is a myth. It is because some people are low sugar tolerant and some have a higher toleration for sugar. 9. Evaluate, in terms of basic physiology and biochemistry, the statement: A lack of sleep causes a lack of energy. Sleeping is essential for everyone and we at least need 6 hours of sleep a day to let our body rest after it has been active for many hours. One lacks energy because your body and brain did not have enough time to fuel up again so therefore one feels tired. 10. Are the product claims legitimate? Why? No, they are off because the amount of caffeine listed is much lower then what it actually has 11. Should you simply buy a can of coke rather than one of these energy drinks? Why/ why not? Yes, but then again no because coke products are honest about what the drink has in so therefore you know what you are consuming and how much but then again it can still affect your health. Coke is a better then Nos but not the healthiest choice. Assessment: Claims: Enhances mental focus High performance Fuels gamers Natural caffeine People should really think about the things they put in their bodies. Many are not aware of the risks that one put themselves in because of the products they consume. Energy drinks are an example of beverages that many  people drink but not everyone knows the risks. A lot of young adolescents enjoy drinking these type of beverages. Energy drinks have high caffeine but the product does not inform you of how much caffeine one is actually consuming. High levels of caffeine cause the heart rate to increase and it could cause death if people are not careful. The claims say that it enhances the mental focus; however the drink cause anxiety problems and insomnia. The high levels of caffeine cause these side effects and increase the consumers heart rate. The claims also state that it is high performance, which is partially true. The caffeine makes one feel wide awake and have more energy but deep down their body is forcefully being told to act that way. The Nos Energy drink tries to catch the eye of adolescents by the logos on the drinks such as â€Å"Nos fuels gamers.† The drink states that it has natural caffeine and even though it may be natural, it has 260 mg of caffeine. A girl in Missouri drank 2 Nos drinks and passed out which caused her to be hospitalized according to EnergyFiend.com. This is why consumers need to be careful when buying these types of beverages because they could end up hospitalized or possibly dead. It clear states on the can that it is only recommended for adults, but yet anyone is allowed to buy not matter what age they are which is unbelievable. Sources of Energy Amino Acids Stimulants & Vitamins Other-Please Categorize Caffeine Citric Acid Acesulfame Potassium Fructose Glucose Glucuronolactone Inisotol Pyridoxine HCL Sucralose Sucrose Aspartame (Carnitine) 1-Glutamine (B12) (B6) (Taurine) (Guarana) Cyanocobalamin Folic Acid Niacin Niacinamide Pantothenic Acid (Potassium Sorbate)- Salt of sorbic acid Water

Employee Selection Principles and Techniques Essay Example

Employee Selection Principles and Techniques Essay Example Employee Selection Principles and Techniques Essay Employee Selection Principles and Techniques Essay Organizational Entry A study of managerial, professional and technical employees of a large OLL company mound that those who demonstrated success early In their career were more Likely to be promoted than those who were less successful early in their career (Dither Brett, 1991). Initial Job challenge has a positive impact on employee performance and success. The challenge should be compatible with your expectations and preferences. Employee preferences Challenging, interesting and meaningful work High salary Opportunities for advancement Job security Satisfactory working hours Pleasant working conditions Compatible co-workers Feeling of being respected and appreciated Opportunity to learn new skills Fair and loyal supervision Being asked ones opinion on work Issues Assistance with personal problems A study of business students showed the most important consideration to be the companys location, followed by salary and benefits (Barber Rolling, 1993). Another factor that affects employee preferences Is level of education. College graduates nave Deterrent preferences Trot null cocoons graduates anon tenure are also differences BTW college graduates. Engineering majors differ from liberal arts majors and students differ from C students. Age also plays an important role as well as specialization. Employee preferences change as a function of economic conditions. When Jobs are difficult to obtain, new employees may be more interested in pay and Job security. In a better economic climate when there are plenty of Jobs, issues such as challenging work or the opportunity to develop new skills rank higher. Preferences also differ as a function of race. A survey comparing Job preferences of black and white women college students, found that more blacks than whites wanted a high-paying Job rather than interesting work (Muriel, Frieze Frost, 1991). The recruitment process Sources of potential employees Recruiter characteristics College campus recruiting Information provision to Job recruits Sources of recruiting: Formal > ads in newspapers, referrals from employees, employment agencies, search services, placement services of professional associations, Job fairs, outplacement agencies, college campus, online recruiting (e. G. Several major newspapers including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune have Jointly begun an online career employment service). Informal > contacting friends and acquaintances > more accurate information and more often lead to hiring. A study of 186 students at universities and training schools found that the longer the bob search, the less the students used formal recruiting sources. However, those who remained unemployed 3 months after the study began significantly increased their use of formal sources > the use of formal sources was high in the early stages of a job search and again later if the search proved unsuccessful (Barber, Daly, Contamination Phillips, 1994). Recruiter characteristics like smiling, nodding, maintaining eye contact, demonstrating empathy and warmth and showing thoughtfulness, competence and personalities are important and influence applicants to accept Jobs. College men expressed en same Kelvin AT JODI acceptance winter tenet recruiter was male of female, but college women said they would be much more likely to accept a Job offer if the company recruiter was male. Research has shown that 50% of women interviewed are offended by gender-related comments made to them by male recruiters about their personal appearance. Also, Job applicants prefer recruiters to spend time during the interview to provide information about the company, to seek information about the applicant (give the chance to the applicant to speak about their achievements), and answer applicant questions. Also issues like how comfortable the applicant feels in the presence of their prospective superiors and the location of the company are important. Campus recruiting Fewer than half of the corporate recruiters have received training in the proper techniques for interviewing Job applicants > problems with the success of campus recruiting. Many organizations are turning to computerized recruitment databases: compilations of student resumes. Colleges and universities also maintain online resumes of graduating seniors as well as listings of companies that are hiring. Also dents can access information about alumni who will serve as mentors. Universities also offer computerized videoconferencing facilities in which companies can conduct long-distance interviews with college seniors > company access to schools they may not visit. Major problem for campus recruiting is finding Job candidates who have a realistic view of the business world. Both applicants and recruiters may present misleading images in order to attract attention > high incidence of turnover in the first 3-5 years of the first Job entry. Realistic Job previews: provide information that is as accurate as possible about all aspects of a Job. Such information can be supplied through a brochure or other written description of the Job, through a film or videotape, or through an on-the-Job sample of the work to see if the applicant can perform the required tasks > reduction of unrealistic expectation about Jobs. Research shows that realistic Job previews correlate positively with Job satisfaction, 100 performance Ana reach turnover rates. Also teeny reduce ten mummer AT applicants accepting Jobs. Their effect varies as a function of the prior exposure applicants have had to the Job in question > a study of 1,117 applicants for positions as correctional officers found hat applicants with previous experience at prison work were far less likely to accept job offers after watching a realistic Job preview on videotape than were applicants who had no such prior experience (Meaning, Denies Ravioli, 1993). After the recruiting process has been completed and applicants and organizations have decided that each meets the others needs, the selection process formally begins. The Selection Process Job and Worker analysis > 1/0 psychologists must investigate the nature of the Job. The organization will not know what abilities potential employees should have unless t can describe in detail what they are expected to do to perform the Job effectively > Job Analysis: the study of a Job to describe in specific terms the nature of the component tasks performed by the workers. A Job analysis determines the specific skills necessary to the Job and from it a profile of worker qualification can be developed. Once these abilities have been specified, the human resource manager or the occupational psychologist must determine the most effective means of identifying these characteristics in potential employees, and evaluate them in each applicant. Then a score or level for the various abilities is established > the 1/0 psychologist may look at the present workers of the company to determine the cutoff scores that should be set. Recruitment decisions The company should then decide what recruitment method they will use to recruit new employees > ads, employment agencies, referrals from current employees. The response number of potential employees affects the criteria set for their selection > The selection ratio: the relationship between the number of people to be hired and the number available to be hired ( the potential labor supply). If there is a shortage of applicants and the Jobs must be filled within a few weeks, some requirements will have to be changed (e. G. He cutoff score on an intelligence test). A shortage of applicants may also force the company to expend its recruiting campaign and to offer higher wages, enhanced benefits or improved working conditions to attract and retain new employees. Selection techniques Application blanks, interviews, letters of recommendation, assessment centers and psychological tests. Usually a combination of techniques is used. In the U. S. Testing for drug use is no w widespread for all types of Jobs. Also, there is an increased concern for AIDS and some organizations screen their applicants for the HIVE. Some scientists have suggested that in the future, genetic testing may be applied to identify applicants who may be sensitive to certain chemicals used in the workplace and to predict those individuals who are likely to develop specific diseases. Testing the Selection Techniques Every new selection program must be investigated to determine its predictive accuracy or validity. This is done by evaluating the performance of the employees selected by the new procedures, through e. G. Supervisor ratings of their performance. By comparing hose ratings with the performance on the selection techniques we can determine how the 2 measures correlate. Did the selection techniques predict which of the applicants turned out to be the better workers? Based on the results, we either keep or modify our selection procedures. Fair Employment Practices 1972: regulations of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) > all Job applicants regardless of race, religion, sex or national origin are guaranteed equal opportunities for employment > discrimination on such grounds is illegal. Adverse impact When a minority group of applicants or employees is treated markedly worse than he majority group in personnel decisions, that minority group is said to be the target of adverse impact in the selection process. Any selection rate for a minority group that is less than 80% of the selection rate for the majority group is evidence of adverse impact > the company could be challenged in court for maintaining different rejection rates for minority and majority applicants, but other evidence would also have to be presented and not Just statistical documentation. Dilatoriness Stetsons Interviews and application blanks have been greatly affected by nondiscrimination isolation because questions that discriminate against a particular group can lead to lawsuits. No questions can be asked that identify applicants national origin, race, or color. Applicants cannot be asked to name their birthplace or that of their relatives, to identify their religious affiliation, or to give the maiden names of female relatives. It is also unlawful to inquire about the clubs or societies to which the applicants belong and to ask them to submit photographs with their employment applications. It is lawful to ask if applicants have ever been convicted of any crime (as conviction loud be considered relevant to Job performance in certain instance such as when someone convicted for embezzlement applies for a Job as a bank teller), but it is unlawful to ask if someone has ever been arrested because members of certain minority groups are much more likely to be arrested on suspicion of wrongdoing. Reverse Discrimination Equal Opportunities legislation has sometimes resulted in discrimination against members of the majority group > reverse discrimination: the phenomenon that may occur when recruiting, hiring, promotion and other personnel decisions in favor of embers of a minority group result in discrimination against members of the majority group. A 4-year study of 13,509 employees in scientific and engineering occupations found that women and blacks had greater promotion opportunities than equally qualified white men (Sheehan, 1992). Persons hired or promoted on an affirmative action basis may be stigmatize in this way. New legislation notes that the rights of the majority group must not be unnecessarily restrained in the effort to help minorities and that minorities should not be hired or promoted solely on the basis of percentages. Other targets of discrimination Older workers The work force is aging. Life expectancy is increasing and health in later life is improving. At the same time, working lives have been getting shorter with a trend towards early retirement. Old age formally starts at the point of retirement: 60 for women, 65 for men, but older workers are considered the ones who are above 50 years AT age. However, management still prefers to hire younger workers, despite consistent evidence from 1/0 psychology research that older workers are as productive and sometimes more so, as younger workers and have lower absenteeism and turnover rates. In general, older employees do not suffer from poorer health, diminished vigor or declining mental abilities when compared with younger employees. Studies of about 24,000 persons in managerial Jobs in the manufacturing, clerical and service sectors of the work force found that age was positively related to performance in highly complex and cognitively challenging Jobs and that performance declined with age only in less demanding Jobs such as low-level clerical or repetitive assembly-line work (Viola, Walden McDaniel, 1990). However, the stereotypes about older workers persist. They receive more negative reference evaluations than younger workers > a meta-analysis of studies of ratings of older employees found that workers 34 years old and younger tended to give less favorable ratings to workers aged 55 and older than they did to younger workers (Finniest, Burke Raja, 1995). Older workers are protected by law against ageism (discrimination in hiring and promotion with regard to age). The emphasis in the developed world should shift from planning for early retirement towards encouraging longer working lives. In Finland, the government has taken an active approach towards the employment of elder people for some years > longitudinal research program: the Finance project > developed the concept of work ability to assess the ability of workers to do their Job and to predict quality of life > increasing heterogeneity in work ability amongst older groups of workers > Nation-level action programs to promote health and lifestyle, to make adjustments to the physical work environments and to design work and organizational systems more carefully to the needs of older workers (adjustments include improved workplace design to reduce the physical workload, regular updating of professional skills and knowledge, and the introduction of more flexible scheduling of work, for example, by introducing micro-pauses following peak loads). Different countries have adopted different approaches to the issue of ageing, work and health due to their policies towards labor market intervention as well as the organizat ion of their health care systems. A major factor is whether health care is supported through employer-funded insurance or through general taxation. Workers with disabilities Employees with physical and mental disabilities are protected by law against Job Localization. Employers are required to make reasonable accommodations to ten physical or mental impairments of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability if it would not impose an undue hardship on normal business operations. Defining the term disability has proven difficult and requires some 60 pages of government regulations: in general, a person is considered disabled if s/he has a physical or cognitive impairment that limits one or more major life activities. [sensory impairment: vision or hearing disabilities, motor impairment, cognitive impairment: learning disabilities, speech impairment, mental retardation]. Research has shown that disabled employees perform as well as or better than nondurable employees do. Job opportunities for disabled persons vary as a function of type of disability: Pl with impairments of vision, hearing or motor skills experience greater difficulty obtaining employment than Pl with less disabling conditions. Women workers Women face discrimination particularly when applying for what are still considered to be traditionally male Jobs. Once hired, women receive lower wages than men with similar skills and qualifications that are performing the same Jobs do. Gender-based wage discrimination: lower pay for comparable worth. Comparable worth: the idea that Jobs that require comparable or equivalent skills should receive comparable compensation. Thus, discrimination against women today may occur less in the hiring process but more in terms of pay and promotion. Discrimination based on sexual orientation Gay men and lesbian women face discrimination in hiring in public agencies and private companies. Some companies, such as ATT, Xerox and Levi Strauss actively sponsor support groups and networks for their gay employees. Discrimination based on physical attractiveness Beautys: Judgment based on a pleasing physical appearance > has shown to affect ring and promotion decisions. Many Pl Delve Tanat phonically attractive persons also possess more sealed personality and social traits. A bias against overweight Job applicants has also been found. Job Analysis Job analysis: the study of a Job to describe in specific terms the nature of the component tasks performed by the workers. Includes information about the tools or equipment used, the operations performed, the education and training required, the wages paid and any unique aspects of the job such as safety hazards. Essential for employee selection and the design of training programs. Also, it helps in he design of Jobs and workspaces for more efficient performance. Example: if an operator has to walk a long distance from the machine to the storage shelves every time it is necessary to replenish the supply of raw material, this wasted time and effort can be eliminated be redesigning the work area. Job analysis can also uncover safety hazards or dangerous operating procedures. It can also be applied to the development of Job evaluations which are used to determine appropriate wages for various Jobs > in order to determine fair pay, judgments are made by experts that are based on Job analyses after the collection ND evaluation of data from large numbers of employees on such Job-related factors as the specific skills required, the level of education, the level of responsibility and the consequences of making errors. 2 basic approaches to Job analysis: the Job-oriented approach and the worker- oriented approach. The Job-oriented approach: focuses on the specific tasks involved in performing a Job and on the Job outcome or level of productivity. The worker-oriented approach focuses on worker behaviors on the Job and on the specific skills, abilities and personal traits needed to perform the Job. Most Job analyses involve a combination of Job-oriented and worker-oriented data. Interviews: used in Job analysis and involve extensive meetings with the persons directly connected with the Job: the workers performing the Job and their supervisors, and sometimes the instructors who trained the workers for the Job. I nose Interviews may De supplemented Day quaternaries. Questionnaires: 2 types used: the unstructured one and the structured one. In the unstructured or open-end approach, the subject matter experts describe in their own words the components of the Job and the tasks performed. In the structured approach, workers and supervisors are provided with descriptions of tasks, operations and working conditions and are asked to rate the items or to select those items that characterize their Jobs. Length of Job experience and race have been shown to influence the content of the lob analysis. Level of education and gender have only minimal effects. A widely used questionnaires is the PAS: Position Analysis Questionnaire: consists of 194 Job elements related to specific behaviors. These elements are organized into 6 categories of Job behavior: information input, manila processes, work output, legislations with other persons, Job context and other Job activities and conditions. Subject matter experts rate each element for its importance to the Job in question. Such quantifiable ratings have an advantage over the kind of information yielded by the unstructured questionnaire. Direct observation: direct observation of the workers on the Job. But Pl may behave differently when they are being watched, so it is necessary for the Job analysts to remain as unobtrusive as possible. Also, they should observe a representative sample of workers and make observations at various times throughout he workday to take account of changes caused by such factors as fatigue. Systematic Activity Logs: workers maintain a detailed written record of their activities during a given period. Critical Incidents: The critical-incidents technique is a means of identifying specific actions or behaviors that lead to desirable or undesirable consequences on the Job. It is based on identification of those incidents that are necessary to successful Job performance. The goal is to have subject matter experts indicate the behaviors that differentiate good from poor workers. A single critical incident is of little value, but undress of them can effectively describe a Job task sequence in terms of the unique behaviors required to perform it well. Research comparing the effectiveness of various approaches to Job analysis indicates that they vary in their usefulness. The choice of a specific technique must depend on the organizations reasons for conducting the analysis in the first place. Unless the purpose of the Job analysis is stated (e. G. Refining a selection or training program), the company cannot make an informed decision about which technique to use or what kind of information to seek. But generally, a combination of methods provides

A People Essays

A People Essays A People Essays October 13, 2014 A People’s History of the United States: Chapter 4 The fourth chapter of â€Å"A People’s History of the United States† is about how Britain started to become more aggressive towards the American colonies in order to tighten their loosening grip they had on the colonies. The colonies were supplying their mother country with raw materials needed in order to produce goods to send back to the colonies, benefitting the mother country. The colonists began to get tired of the on ­going monopoly with Britain and tried cutting ties all together by rebelling against Britain. To lead these rebellions, the founding fathers led groups prioritized on the hate and opposition of British ruling. The colonies had longed for an independent, self ­government, completely detached from British power. As in any place, wealth was not distributed evenly throughout the colonies causing more problems than it was probably worth. The separation between the classes throughout t he colonies led to an unequal balance between the rich and poor. The struggle for unity in the colonies was just another spark leading up to the revolution. The basic point of Zinn’s argument is â€Å"tyranny is tyranny†. He argues the American Revolution was one substitution for tyranny after another. He states the founding fathers were just as greedy and malicious as the king of England was. Zinn states the founding fathers were able to, â€Å"take over land, profits, and political power from favorites of the British Empire. In the process, they could hold back a number of potential rebellions and create a consensus of popular support for the rule of a new, privileged leadership†. The founding fathers wanted to keep the lower class suppressed as much as the king did. Zinn points out prior to the revolution, there was a great deal of anger and resentment already existing between the upper and lower classes of the colonies. However, in the time leadin g up to the revolution, the colonial â€Å"elite† had managed

Italian Slang Dictionary Adult Words A

Italian Slang Dictionary Adult Words 'A' In every language, native speakers know more than newbies will ever learn in from textbooks, dictionaries, or from respectable tour guides. Often referred to as the language of love, Italian is no exception. Obviously, there are many ways to talk about seduction, flirtation, a little naughtiness, and sometimes get  downright raunchy in Italian. These Italian slang words and phrases are not found in standard texts, but most native speakers know them well (whether theyll admit it or not is another question entirely).   Most likely, however,  you dont want to begin your Italian lessons with these words; youre better off first learning some basic survival phrases  if Italian isnt your native tongue. Greetings are another list of must-learn words and phrases, particularly if you want to make friends while traveling in Italy. If you want to partake in all the culinary delights Italy has to offer, learn a few phrases related to dining out and food. And of course, before you unleash the naughty words below on your new Italian friends, youll want to at least get to know one another with some  basic introductions If youre pressed for time, focus on the fundamentals. Study the Italian ABCs and Italian numbers, learn how to pronounce Italian words and ask questions in Italian, and brush up on the euro. Adult Italian Phrases Now that youre ready with some fundamentals, you can spice up your language skills with this uncensored guide to Italian colloquial expressions, shocking idioms, hard-core curses, scatological words for body functions and parts, expletives, off-color phrases, and euphemisms. Because of the very nature of slang, this feature necessarily contains expressions that some readers might find offensive.  Heres the list of words beginning with the letter A. allupato  adj.  (familiar) hungry for sex, especially after a long period of celibacy.ammucchiata  f.  orgy.arare  v.t.(familiar) to possess sexually.arrapato  (familiar) horny, sexually excited.arruso  m.  [Palermitano] (vulgar) buttocks.  Tta a facc,arruso  Ill strip your face, [buttocks].assatanato  m.  sexually aroused, excited.avere rapporti sessuali con  (familiar) to have sex with.

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

Changing American Dream - Essay Example Material things like cars and rich apartments and luxury associated with American dream. Since the first automobile was invented it has embodied cultural and emotional values that have become an integral part of the American Dream. The Great Depression, resulted the stock market crash, caused widespread hardship during the Twenties and Thirties, and was almost a reverse of the dream for those directly affected. Racial instability did not disappear, and in some parts of the country racial violence was almost commonplace. Consumerism transformed the American Dream. People received a chance to earn more and buy expensive goods. Their buying habits were transformed and became necessities. The world seemed absurd, because war considered morally right. The events of major importance like WWII, Vietnam War, war in Afghanistan, or minor armored conflicts resulted in desire of people to live in peace. The period of the Cold War connected with Truman doctrine, and Cuban Missile Crisis transformed the dream. President Kennedy played an important role preventing the new World War with the Soviet Union. The invention of hydrogen and atomic bombs caused new sufferings for mankind. The first atomic bomb was used during WWII in Hiroshima.

Photography and Consumer Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Photography and Consumer Culture - Essay Example (Lury 2011, p.112-119). Consumer culture propagators believe that the buying and selling of goods and services is a cultural activity, affected by the cultural perceptions of people and not just the economical and political factors (London & stone 2012, p.298-306). By saying so, we mean that what effects one individual affects the whole cultural community. In other words, we can say that consumer culture is strongly influenced by consumerism; this concept promotes that the desire for goods generates and fosters the bases of a social and economical culture. This theory of consumer culture believes that social cultures are based on the demand of goods and services in a particular community. This joint demand of commodities brings together the people of a geographic area and ties them in a community. Consumer culture is tightly bound with advertising and globalization since the limitation of geographical boundaries has been rendered useless by the integration of world markets. To unders tand it better we must look at the features of consumer culture: 1. The founding idea of the concept is that people’s identities are defined by the commodities that they own and the services they can afford to purchase. 2. It bases on the premise that the attainment of happiness is dependent on the accumulation of things and objects. 3. Leisure time is also an important factor in consumer culture; the free time in which people go and shop the products/commodities which define their status. People are tied together in a culture through the products they own and the services they utilize. This concept is particularly useful in marketing and advertising where creating an ad for every individual in the target market will be impossible and very expensive, consumer culture concepts lets marketers create an ad that grabs the attention of a large market share (London & stone 2012, p.298-306). A point to be considered here is that although an individual may belong to a culture but he/ she also has some individual opinions, thoughts, and way of perceiving things and objects. So what should an ad comprise of to generate the desired results in all consumers, or at least in a major segment of the target market? Taking a look at our ad, the happiness factory ad shows explicit and colorful images to support and strengthen its underlying message so as to attract the attention of its target audience immediately. The ad is different in its creativity and approach; it is not saying anything, there are no words used, but still the message is loud and clear and evokes the desired results. It explicitly indicates a way of living, a particular and differentiated life style that is only for those people who drink coca cola. What coca cola is trying to do is create a culture, a brand tribe of coca cola across the world, in all areas where coco cola is operating. It wants to create the impression that people who drink coca cola are united by a unique experience that others are fa r too unlucky to get or understand. (Wolman 2006, p.48-57) They want to convey the idea that coco cola delivers

Vintage Ads of Coca-Cola Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Vintage Ads of Coca-Cola - Article Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the unique quality of the ad is the racial representation of all individuals. The sampling nature of the ad displays different aspects. Different racial backgrounds incorporate into the advert creating a feeling of acceptance by all the individuals. The ad is on a hilltop in Italy, represented by a youth singing a unity song. What makes the advert to stand out is the simplicity of the communication method; a song that unites individuals while educating the public on Coke. The ad is different from others, as it takes time before the product being advertised displays. The use of visual communication gives a unique topography, symbol, and photography. The ad provides the organization with information viewing, and television is a perfect example of visual communication. Visual communication is crucial in that it enhances the message that is being conveyed, enabling a better understanding. Visual communication in the glob al perspective and business world can be related to video conferencing, where business meetings are held without the relevant parties traveling to the designated locations. Visual communication has also been used widely in the business sector to advertise their products. The use of billboards does not require any speech, but tells the customer a lot, enabling even the hearing-impaired people to be able to get the intended message. Billboard communication is a common approach by Coca-Cola to interact and set a place in the highly competitive market. The rise of new technologies affects global communication, time and space, which are needed for the process to take place. In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the use of the telephone was common among individuals. It is important to notice the message in the song as it achieves surround the controllable variables that make up the marketing mix. The product, price, place, promotion, and people represent the ad in various aspect ratios.

Jerusalem Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Jerusalem - Research Paper Example Israel has been reported to introduce a crisis in the sewerage system and water management (Library Information and Research Service ‘a’ 347). Israel uses about 300 million liters of water daily while Palestine only has access to about 70 million liters of water daily. It has also been reported that to some extent, some Palestinians only have access to 20 liters of water daily. Moreover, West Bank and Gaza Palestinians do not have the authority to dig wells or own water tankers. Israel has also set quotas guiding the Palestinians on the amount of water they are supposed to draw from existing wells. While on the other hand Israel has put up swimming and green garden facilities (Chà ¢tel 38-142). Furthermore, despite the fact that Israel has access to about 3% of river Jordan as per the pre-1967 borders, Israel uses majority of the water. This is because it has blocked Palestine from gaining access to river Jordan by constructing National Water Carriers that divert approximately one quarter of the water Israel consumes. It has also been noted that Mekorot Israel Water Company closes down valves that supply water to Palestinians when the water supplies are low. This prevents Israel from being affected by the decrease in water supply. As if this is not enough Israel also steals water from the Palestinian West Bank water supply and sells it back to the Palestinian at an inflated rate. This is because there is no rule governing water production in Palestine (Shuval & Dwiek 163-197). Palestine also has access to water that is unhygienic as it is mixed with waste water and sewage. This is because Israel only allows about three of the 80 trucks which have spare parts to enter Gaza and West Bank a fact that has greatly contributed to the deteriorating quality of water that Palestinians have access to (Shuval & Dwiek 137). Thus one is left to wonder what rights Israel has to manage water crucially needed by the

Promoting Jordan as a cultural destination being the only open air Research Paper

Promoting Jordan as a cultural destination being the only open air museum in the world - Research Paper Example I have once again proven this to myself when I visited Jordan and attended a concert for Mohammed Assaf, winner of Arab Idol, and Farah Yousef at Amman citadel on the 28th of August 2013. More than 3,000 people witnessed the dazzling, heartfelt performance of Mohammed Assaf. However, the tremendous success of the event would not be possible without the fervent support and ingenuity of the show’s organizer—the Friends of the Jordan Festivals. The Friends of the Jordan Festivals (FJF) was formed by individuals and groups that possess a deep-seated passion for culture and the arts, and are committed to the goal of making Jordan the topnotch cultural destination in the world. FJF organizes a variety of cultural events for a varied mix of entertainment audiences. Besides satisfying local tastes for culture and arts, FJF aspires to create globally renowned entertainment products. The unending commitment of FJF to the success of Jordan in tourism and cultural promotion is reve aled in its triumphant organization of major cultural events, such as the 2010 Jordan Festival, the Cirque du Soleil, Saltimbanco Show, Cirque de Glace, and the Evolution Show. And on July 2013, FJF publicized the opening of the Amman Citadel Festival for this year. The Festival showed off the finest artists of Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries. It seems that FJF thought that the festival has to be hosted with several big names, like Julio Iglesias, Marcel Khalife, and Khaled Salim, to draw the attention of audiences all over the world; but in reality Jordan is perhaps most rightfully positioned to act as a meeting point between the Middle East and the rest of the world. Isam Salfiti, Chairman of FJF, expressed their unwavering commitment to the country’s cultural tourism sector: â€Å"We look forward to helping enhance Jordan’s touristic appeal, as we believe that the Kingdom has all the makings of a world class destination†. This latest announcement of FJF has been distributed by Bidaya Corporate Communication, which is a regional public relations agency and regional event organizer. Because of its exceptional ability to satisfy the demands of its diverse clientele, Bidaya has become the favorite associate of leading local, regional, and global organizations. Bidaya Corporate Communications helps NGOs, like FJF, to stage the most successful cultural and historic events in the country. More notably, His Majesty King Abdullah II has committed to the goal of enriching Jordan’s cultural and artistic scenery. His Majesty aims to transform Jordan into a first-class economic and touristic destination. As part of His Majesty’s national tourism strategy, he commissioned Zaha Hadid Architects in 2010 to create the most exquisite design for a new performing arts center that will be built in Amman. Envisioned as a venue for performance, studying, mentoring, and rehearsing, the King Abdullah II House of Culture & Art was visuali zed to be the leading site for education, artistic and cultural performance in Jordan. It is His Majesty’s belief that through this initiative he would succeed in promoting the country’s great potential in tourism and in bringing together all its citizens in the collective experience of history, culture, and the arts. Derived from the Royal idea of a self-sufficient historical restoration organization in Jordan, His Majesty also ordered in 2010 the creation of the Jordan Heritage Revival Company (JHRC).

Jerusalem Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Jerusalem - Research Paper Example Israel has been reported to introduce a crisis in the sewerage system and water management (Library Information and Research Service ‘a’ 347). Israel uses about 300 million liters of water daily while Palestine only has access to about 70 million liters of water daily. It has also been reported that to some extent, some Palestinians only have access to 20 liters of water daily. Moreover, West Bank and Gaza Palestinians do not have the authority to dig wells or own water tankers. Israel has also set quotas guiding the Palestinians on the amount of water they are supposed to draw from existing wells. While on the other hand Israel has put up swimming and green garden facilities (Chà ¢tel 38-142). Furthermore, despite the fact that Israel has access to about 3% of river Jordan as per the pre-1967 borders, Israel uses majority of the water. This is because it has blocked Palestine from gaining access to river Jordan by constructing National Water Carriers that divert approximately one quarter of the water Israel consumes. It has also been noted that Mekorot Israel Water Company closes down valves that supply water to Palestinians when the water supplies are low. This prevents Israel from being affected by the decrease in water supply. As if this is not enough Israel also steals water from the Palestinian West Bank water supply and sells it back to the Palestinian at an inflated rate. This is because there is no rule governing water production in Palestine (Shuval & Dwiek 163-197). Palestine also has access to water that is unhygienic as it is mixed with waste water and sewage. This is because Israel only allows about three of the 80 trucks which have spare parts to enter Gaza and West Bank a fact that has greatly contributed to the deteriorating quality of water that Palestinians have access to (Shuval & Dwiek 137). Thus one is left to wonder what rights Israel has to manage water crucially needed by the

Choose a crisis and discuss how the Chinese government handled it Essay

Choose a crisis and discuss how the Chinese government handled it - Essay Example Food became a problem to feed the growing population. This was followed by intervention of the government through acceptance of importation of world food crops such as maize and potatoes to eradicate the problem. The government decided to come up with certain strategies to counter the high growth rate situation in the country. This was evident through family planning strategy. This policy was established in 1980 and stated that each family should give rise to one child. This was applicable in reducing the large growth rate. In return, there was a balance in the population compared to the previous years. Though some people were against the policy, it has reduced the cost of living of the people of China. The latest statistics shows that this policy has cut down the growth rate which was standing at 1.34 billion by 0.57 percent, which was below the replacement rate (Greenhalgh & Winckler, p, 287). In conclusion, it is evident that the Chinese government has adopted the right policy and strategy of controlling the high population. That is why there is perfect regulation of birth and population in

Settlement in Southeast Asia Essay Example for Free

Settlement in Southeast Asia Essay An example of such a country is Singapore. There are also countries with some areas that are much more urbanized than other areas. The entire area is closely clustered with buildings. A good example of such a pattern can be seen from Bangkok in Thailand. Dominant settlement patterns of most major cities in the world with high population densities are likely to result in clustering of buildings due to constraints of land resources. Urban settlements tend to be clustered as people in urban settlements are mainly involved in activities like business and manufacturing. All these require transportation and services. Thus, having settlements clustered together enables them to have easy access to transportation. Population density here is usually higher than in rural settlements and the incomes of people in urban settlements are usually higher than those in rural settlements as well. 2. Linear Liner settlements can be found along main transport roads, railways, rivers or canals. Individual buildings are arranged in a linear pattern that takes after the structure of the transport road, making travelling easier for people living in the settlement. Such examples can be found in Philippines, along its main roads and in Vietnam, along its canal. Rural settlements tend to be linear and located along a river as rural settlements are mainly involved in activities such farming, fishing, growing of crops, etc. Population density in this area is low, with few amenities such as schools, clinics, public transports and etc. The living of people in this settlement is usually closely related to the settlement’s main function and physical environment. 3. Dispersed Dispersed settlements are created with individual buildings being scattered all over a wide area or large open spaces. Some examples are forests, farmlands, etc. This pattern happens usually due to limited natural resources or fertile soil, resulting in people being spread out to ensure enough land for agriculture functions and for obtaining resources from the ground. An example of where the dispersed pattern can be found is in Philippines. Dispersed settlement patterns are usually found in rural areas around the world due to small population sizes and low population densities in those areas. Patterns of settlements are very closely linked to the physical landscape, climate, location of water and resources and access to trade routes of the area. Historically, people settled close to trade routes, by which it is usually water routes, in areas of hospitable climates and terrain. This general pattern remains true today. The only difference is that humans of today are more adapted to harsher climates and more rugged terrains and trade is no longer the factor controlling settlement patterns. There are various factors that affect the location of settlements in the Southeast Asian region. However, the factor that plays the most important role is rivers. When Southeast Asia was first colonised by the Europeans, they set up trading ports beside rivers and seas. Thus, until today, extensive changes of dominated port cities have been established in countries such as Singapore. Sources also show that in both ancient and modern times, people have sought out all kinds of ways to settle alongside bodies of water, rivers in particular. They have historically been a draw to migrants in search of fresh water for drinking, cooking and food. In addition to providing an abundance source of fish, lakes and streams have long been desirable places to hunt animals coming to drink from them. For many cultures of the world, rivers have also had a spiritual significance, drawing people to visit, pray, celebrate and settle along their banks. Rivers are important as they are the main paths for water transport. Transport is vital for trade and trade is vital for the wealth of a country. In some Southeast Asia regions, water transport is generally faster and cheaper than most ways of travel on land. Water is also counted as a resource that is usually in good supplies and does not need any up keeping. An example of such a country is Vietnam. Vietnam is not as well-developed as some other countries and thus, water transport is still commonly used there. Rivers provide water for agriculture as well. Countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand do a lot of crop planting (wet agriculture), so they need plenty of water. Thus, settling along rivers allow them to be able to draw in water effortlessly as they have easy access to water.

Case Study: Hunter Douglas Group

Case Study: Hunter Douglas Group This is a case study report to analyse how Hunter Douglas Group manages its human resource planning and how the activities involved in the human resource planning process contributes to the success, as well as to ensure future success, of this large multi-national organisation in line with its corporate vision, mission, core values, strategic planning and objectives. Human resource planning provides the means to accomplish the desired outcomes of the organisation and achieving objectives by ensuring that the organisation has the right number of quality people available to achieve objectives through strategy implementation. This is based on a close working relationship between the human resource practitioners and line managers in each company (business unit) of its decentralised organisational structure. The human resource practitioners serve as consultants to line managers concerning the people management implications of business objectives and strategies. Line managers, in turn, have the responsibility to respond to the business implication of human resource objectives and strategies. We also see that the environmental and contextual changes present a number of competitive challenges to this organization which requires its human resource management to be involved in helping to create and build new capabilities. The challenges include: Globalisation: the challenge is to move peoples ideas, products and information around the world to meet local needs. Technology: the challenge is to make technology a viable, productive part of the work setting Competition: in order to remain competitive and remain as a market leader, Hunter Douglas is aware of the importance of continuous training of its people. Economics: economic growth or lower interest rates cause the increase in spending and often increase in business opportunities. Changes in the labour market has an impact on the organisations ability to find and keep employees Workforce changes and ability to cope with change: these include resignations, terminations, leave of absences, death, change in employment status and retirement The success of a business is directly linked to the performance of those who work for that business and Hunter Douglas Group is fully aware of this as it believes in the power of learning and providing its employees growth opportunities to develop their skills. Hunter Douglas Group acknowledges that its employees commitment is the key ingredient to the Groups continued growth and success. Hunter Douglas Group prides on the diversity and strength of its corporate culture that empowers its employees to build and run the business like their own businesses. The Hunter Douglas Group acts like a federation of entrepreneurial companies who think globally but act locally. The character and creativity of its 21,000 employees in 169 countries worldwide have built the dynamic and entrepreneurial company that the Group is today. With numerous benefits encouraging wellness and a work-life balance, Hunter Douglas Group regards its employees as its most valuable resource which is the key to the Groups success. Background Corporate Mission and Core Values Corporate Mission: Hunter Douglas is the worlds market leader in manufacturing a wide range of innovative and quality architectural and window covering products. Hunter Douglas provides on-time delivery, reliable and friendly service at a competitive price. Its aim is to offer fulfillment to its staff and to secure a reasonable return to its shareholders. Core Values: Customer Oriented Putting customers first Providing reliable and friendly service. Achieving on-time delivery Innovation Seeking continuous improvement and new ideas to create value to our customers Striving for creative ways of doing our work better Teamwork Working together harmoniously to achieve common goals and objectives Integrity Honouring commitments to customers, staff and organisation Being sincere and truthful Communication Showing respect and understanding for each other Being frank, open and receptive Staff Well-Being Providing continuous training and development Recognising good performance Corporate Structure Board of Directors Hunter Douglas Group has a one-tier corporate structure. Under its Charter, the Board of Directors is responsible for the overall management and control of the Company. The Board is appointed by the shareholders at the annual General Meeting. The Board has four regular meetings per year and additional meetings as required. Board members may not be members of more than five boards of public companies. Independence The Board has six Members, of whom four are independent. It acts collectively by majority resolution. Functions The Board reviews the overall strategy, financial objectives, budgets, acquisi ­tions, divestments, capital expenditures, currency and aluminium hedging, port ­folio composition and returns, results and risks in the Companys business. Audit and Compensation Committees The Board has an Audit and a Compensation Committee, whose members are independent. The Audit Committee reviews the Companys accounts, internal controls and meets with the Companys external Auditors twice a year. The Compensation Committee reviews the Directors and Officers compensation and stock options. Chairman, President CEO Mr. Ralph Sonnenberg is Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer. Officers The Board annually appoints the Officers of the Company: the President, the Co-Presidents, four regionally responsible Vice Presidents, two Staff Vice Presidents and a Corporate Secretary. The Vice Presidents and Corporate Secretary report to the President. Financial Reporting In accordance with the applicable reporting principles, the consolidated financial statements give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Group. The annual report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the Group, together with a description of the principal opportunities and risks associated with the expected develop ­ment of the Group. Major Business Processes A business process is a collection of structured, related tasks or activities which produce a specific product or service which serves a particular goal for customers. The main types of business processes observed in this case study report are Management Processes, Operational Processes and Supporting Processes. Management processes: processes which govern the operation of a system in an organisation. Typical management processes include Corporate Governance and Strategic Management. Corporate Governance The Hunter Douglas Group is incorporated in The Netherlands Antilles and has its statutory seat in Curaà §ao. Hunter Douglas is therefore not subject to The Netherlands Corporate Governance Code. However, Hunter Douglas adheres to good Corporate Governance. The Group has the following key internal controls: Conflicts of Interest Policy The Conflicts of Interest Policy is applicable to all key employees covering relations with customers, suppliers and other third parties. Insider Trading Policy The Insider Trading Policy, as prescribed by the Authority Financial Markets (AFM), restricts trading in the Companys shares by Directors, Officers, key employees and related persons. Internal Audit Function Hunter Douglas principal Operating Companies have an Internal Audit Program. Authority Limits Every Manager, including the Regional Vice Presidents, has clearly defined Authority Limits. Whistleblower Policy Hunter Douglas has a Whistleblower Policy in each and every Company within the Group. Compensation Compensation is reviewed by the Compensation Committee of the Board. The Company also follows the best practices: Stock options Stock options are granted for five years with vesting starting after two years. Stock It is not the Companys Policy to provide stock at no cost. Loans Loans to Directors, Officers or other employees bear market interest. There is no forgiveness of principal or interest. Investor Relations Hunter Douglas has an Investor Relations Website, regularly issues press releases and holds analysts and investor meetings. Strategic Management Strategic management is a process through which organizations analyse and learn from their internal and external environments, establish strategic direction, create strategies which are intended to move the organisation in that direction and implement those strategies, all in an effort to satisfy stakeholders, as illustrated in the diagram below: External Analysis (External Environment) Strategic Controls Direction Setting: Generate, Allocate Build Develop Vision Evaluate, and relationships Control Mission and Manage Systems Values Select, Resources Design Strategies Structures Measure and Evaluate performance Internal Analysis (Internal Environment) Strategy Formulation Strategy Implementation and Evaluation Hunter Douglas Group has been successful over the long term because the Group has effectively acquired, develop and manage resources and capabilities that provide competitive advantage. The Group has, over the years, achieved strong brand recognition such as the HunterDouglas ® in North America and Asia as well as for Architectural Products worldwide. Luxaflex ® for residential window coverings in the rest of the world. The Hunter Douglas Group, with its 21,000 employees in 169 countries worldwide, takes advantage of its organisational strengths and environmental opportunities. It continues to neutralise or overcome organisational weaknesses and environmental threats by managing its business processes well and applies best practices. Operational processes: processes which constitute the organisations core business and create the primary value stream. Typical operational processes include Purchasing, Manufacturing, Marketing, and Sales. As a highly decentralised organisation, each company in each region within the Hunter Douglas Group manages autonomous operations with minimum interference and maximum accountability, growing their businesses within the groups entrepreneurial environment following the corporate governance, vision, mission and values. Supporting processes: processes that support the organisations core processes. Examples in this category include Accounting, Recruitment, Technical support. Although highly decentralised, each company in each region within the Hunter Douglas Group has to follow an Internal Audit Program when it comes to financial and accounting matters. Recruitment and Human Resource matters are set in line with the business plan and strategies of each company in each region as well as in line with the directions and corporate governance, vision, mission and values of the Group. Business Strategy Porters Generic Strategies Target Scope Advantage Low Cost Product Uniqueness Broad Cost Leadership Differentiation (Industry Wide) Strategy Strategy Narrow Focus Strategy Focus Strategy (Market Segment) (Low Cost) (Differentiation) Hunter Douglas Groups strategy is to grow the market and the Groups market share by continuing to introduce innovative and proprietary new products and by expanding its presence in key geographic markets. It was observed that Hunter Douglas Group has been successful in using the Differentiation Strategy by having the following internal strengths: Access to leading research and development Highly skilled and creative product development team Strong sales teams with the ability to successfully communicate the perceived strengths and benefits of the product. Corporate reputation for quality and innovation Differentiation Strategy A differentiation strategy calls for the development of a product or service that offers unique attributes that are valued by customers and that customers perceive to be better than or different from the products of the competition. The value added by the uniqueness of the product may allow the firm to charge a premium price for it. The firm hopes that the higher price will more than cover the extra costs incurred in offering the unique product. Because of the products unique attributes, if suppliers increase their prices the firm may be able to pass along the costs to its customers who cannot find substitute products easily. The risks associated with a differentiation strategy include imitation by competitors and changes in customers tastes. Generic Strategies and Industry Forces Industry Generic Strategies Force Cost Leadership Differentiation Strategy Focus Strategy Strategy Entry Ability to cut price in Customer loyalty can Focusing develops core Barriers retaliation deters discourage potential competencies that can act potential entrants entrants as an entry barrier Buyer Ability to offer lower Large buyers have less Large buyers have less power Power price to powerful power to negotiate to negotiate because of few buyers because of few close alternatives alternatives Supplier Better insulated from Better able to pass on Suppliers have power Power powerful suppliers supplier price increases because of low volumes, to customers but a differentiation-focused firm is better able to pass on supplier price increases to customers Threats of Can use low price to Customers become Specialised products core Substitutes defend against attached to differentiating competency protect substitutes attributes, reducing against substitutes threats of substitutes Rivalry Better able to Brand loyalty to keep Rivals cannot meet compete on price customers from rivals differentiation-focused customer needs Relationship With External Entities In order to remain successful and continue to expand its market share, Hunter Douglas Group has learned to develop and manage relationships with wide range of organisations, groups and people that have a stake in their business. The emergence of a fiercely competitive global economy means that the companies within the Hunter Douglas Group have to expand their networks of relationships in their region and cooperate with each other to remain competitive. Education Hunter Douglas Singapore team up with the National University of Singapores Department of Architecture to organise the NUS-Hunter Douglas Award for the innovative use of technology in Architecture. Hunter Douglas Group has developed multi-level training and education programs for its fabricators, retail dealers, professional designers and installers. It holds consumer seminars to help prospective buyers under ­stand the importance of window coverings for home fashions and for light control and energy efficiency. It provides training seminars and hands-on workshops for retailers, designers and installers, which includes CD-Roms, videotapes and web-based instructions, through ­out the world. It has created the industrys first and only formal Retail Alliance Program, offering its very best dealers a choice of tiered partnership options that reward their brand loyalty with lucrative business-building benefits, including financial incentives and exclusive products and programs. Through Hunter Douglas Group exclusive partnership with Archiprix International, it builds relationships with the next generation of architects as they begin their careers after college. With Hunter Douglas Groups support, Archiprix organises a biennial international com ­petition for the best graduation projects in architecture. Finalists travel to a host city with hundreds of architects from around the world where an independent jury evaluates the student entries and recognizes the most outstanding work with the Hunter Douglas award. Hunter Douglas Singapore was conferred the Singapore Institute of Architects Friend of Architecture Award in recognition of the companys contribution to Architecture in Singapore and its continuous support for the Singapore Institute of Architects. Its Windows of Opportunity seminar on the use of window fashions in interior design reaches more than 2,500 design school students and designers in major United States markets each year. At the Fashions Institute of Technology in New York and other leading design schools, Hunter Douglas provides design students with industry overviews and a business perspective through teaching opportunities. At the renowned Pratt School of Architecture, Hunter Douglas has sponsored design studio projects that challenge students to envision new and novel ways to integrate its products and materials into architectural structures. Corporate Citizenship Hunter Douglas Group actively supports the com ­munities in which they live, work and do business. Decisions about which causes to support and the form that support takes are made locally by the management in each country. It provides window coverings to hospitals, research centres and healthcare facilities around the world. It supports educational opportu ­nities for the families of its staff and less privileged members of our communities. In the United States and Canada, Hunter Douglas sponsors Habitat for Humanity, donating custom window cover ­ings for the homes Hunter Douglas has built for low-income families since 1993. Hunter Douglas employees have also contributed thousands of hours in sweat equity assisting with the building of these homes at the local level. Hunter Douglas stimulates students awareness of its products and encourage their creativity through competi ­tions in which they are judged upon the innovative application of its products in their design projects. Hunter Greenà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ and Keen on Green are important new company-wide environmental initiatives being undertaken by the Hunter Douglas branded compa ­nies to reduce energy consump ­tion, water usage and its overall carbon-footprint. It also includes an ongoing consumer marketing effort creating increased aware ­ness of Hunter Douglas corporate commit ­ment to the cause as well as the superior energy-saving benefits of its products. The Process of Human Resource Planning in the Organisation Manpower Planning Manpower planning is a process of getting the right number of qualified people into the right job at the right time. It is a system of matching the supply of people internally, who are the existing employees, and externally, potential talents to be hired or searched for, with job openings which the Group expects to have over a given time frame. This planning requires the human resource departments in the Group to prepare an inventory of skills and talents already available as well as coordinating and controlling various activities in the Hunter Douglas Group. Manpower planning involves reviewing current manpower resources, forecasting future requirements and availability as well as taking steps to ensure that the supply of people and skills meets demand. It utilises the concept of planning to visualise how the Hunter Douglas Group can go through the allocation and control of its manpower resources in a better manner. It is also a tool for higher management to equip themselves with the necessary data on its human resources available immediately within the Group and from outside, when the need arises to meet markets demand. Manpower Planning Model Forecast Demand Forecast Supply Considerations: Internally Product/ Service demand Staffing tables Economics Balance Supply and Demand Markov analysis Technology Skills inventories Financial resources/ limitations Recruitment (Shortage) Management inventories Absenteeism/ turnover Full-time Replacement charts Organisational growth Part-time Succession planning Management philosophy Recalls/ transfers Overtime Externally Techniques: Outsourcing Demographic changes Trend analysis Reductions (Surplus) Education of workforce Managerial estimate Terminations Labour mobility Delphi technique Layoffs Government policies Leave without pay Unemployment rate Outplacement Demotions Retirement Factors Economic Competition Government action Organisational Divisional Skills and Historical Data Objectives Department abilities Nature of company Objectives required Skills Inventory Net human resource Types, numbers, requirements Human Resources Negative: Layoff, terminations, resignations, retirement Manpower planning, as observed in the Hunter Douglas Group, consists of the following steps: Identify the Groups objectives and strategies which are stipulated in the business plan and from the strategic planning processes of the companies within the Group. Determine the impact of the organisations objectives on specific organisational units. For this purpose the cascade approach can be used, whereby the organisations long term strategies are translated into the shorter term performance objectives and time schedules per division and department. Define the skills, expertise and total number of employees (demand for human resources) required to achieve the organisation and department objectives by using the different statistical methods and managerial estimates. Perform an analysis of the Groups current human resources. By doing a skills inventory will shed light on the number of current employees in terms of their different competencies, skills, training levels, qualifications, work experience, etc. Determine the additional (net) human resource requirements in light of the Groups current human resources. Develop action plans to meet the anticipated human resource needs which may include a comprehensive succession plan for each department, resultant recruitment strategies, the design and implementation of managerial development and other training programs, making available bursary schemes for current participants who may eventually fill scarce positions, designing compensation packages to attract and retain quality staff. The key activities of Human Resource Management carried out by both line managers and the Human Resource practitioners in the Hunter Douglas Group are: Organisation Organisation structuring: developing an organisation which caters for all the activities required, groups them together in a way which encourages integration and cooperation. Job design and role specification: deciding on the contents of the jobs which involve the employees duties and responsibilities and the relationships that exist between job holders and other employees within the Hunter Douglas Group. Organisational development: stimulating, planning and implementing programmes designed to improve the effectiveness with which the organisation functions and adapts to change. The employment relationship Improving the quality of the employment relationship Creating a climate of trust and self propulsion Developing a more positive psychological contract Achieving a highly committed organisation Resourcing Human resource planning: assessing future people requirements in terms of both numbers and all levels of skill and competence. Formulating and implementing plans to meet those requirements through recruitment, training, development, etc. Recruitment and selection: obtaining the number and type of people the organisation needs Performance management Getting better results from the companies, teams and individuals by measuring and managing performance within agreed frameworks of objectives and competence requirements; assessing and improving performance. Human resource development Organisational and individual learning Skill improvement through systematic approach to training Reward management Job evaluation: assessing the relative size of jobs as a basis of determining internal relativities Pay: developing and administering pay structures and systems Non-financial rewards: providing employees with non-financial rewards e.g. recognition, increased responsibility and opportunity to achieve and grow. Employee benefits: providing benefits in addition to pay which cater for personnel security and personal needs Employee relations Employee relations involving managing and maintaining formal and informal relationships with trade unions and their members Employee involvement and participation which means sharing information with employee and consulting them on matters of mutual interest Communication: creating and transmitting information of interest to employees. Health, safe

Phenomenon :: essays research papers

John Travolta. Those two words used to send millions of women (and men) all around the world into a dancing frenzy back in the seventies. He could claim credit for the modern equivalent of the estrogen brigades (for the net crazy "X-philes") of Fox Mudler and Assistant Director Skinner. But nowadays, equipped with a paunch and that same disarming smile, he is proving himself to be more than a passing fever. Together with the great cast of this latest offering from the Disney studios, Travolta lifts "Phenomenon" (tele-kinetically, no less) above the mass of mediocre summer releases. For doubting thomases who thought his brilliant gun-slinging portrayal in "Pulp Fiction" was just "luck of the draw", his portrayal of a simpleton with nothing but heart should re-categorise Travolta from "comeback kid" to "talented actor"; he did not allow "Phenomenon" to degenerate into "Forrest Gump Part 2". The similarities are obvious: a nice, simple fellow earns the favour of Lady Luck and does extraordinary things. Yet, that's all there is. "Phenomenon" packs a higher reality-density than "Gump". Countless scenes in "Gump" had me trying to pull wool over my eyes just to stop myself from laughing at the sheer ludicrousness. Despite the fact that going to the movies is about the suspension of disbelief, it should never be equated with treating the audiences as hoards after hoards of idiots. George Malley (Travolta), on the other hand, comes across very naturally (and believably) as a small town simpleton who doesn't know what to make of his very strange birthday "present". One flash of light and he flips through calculus books in a flash. It's not heavenly intervention, but unleashing the possibility of what the mind is truly capable of. Yet, George quickly learns that he isn't capable of something: affecting what other people think. Small-town insecurities and parochialism soon turn once friends into dumber-than-simpleton fools; with the exception of three very well casted characters. Kyra Sedgwick plays Lace, George's love interest. The agony of having gone through the loss of her perfect family show through her smiles. Despite being intent on keeping George at arms' length, head-strong Lace falls in love with George, with no small help from her two precocious kids. Gerard Dipego's choice of the two kids as parallels and inversions of the adults' relationship is simply brilliant. It is the little girl who extends herself to George when Lace plays the silent, "I want to keep my life simple" girl.

Teenagers and Use of Contraceptives

Teen pregnancy has been a great issue that has been widely discussed about and seen to increase in the United States. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy one-third of girls in the US get pregnant at least once by the age of 20 and most of the pregnancies are unplanned (2011). Teen pregnancies have been increasing due to the fact that teens are not using contraceptives to prevent any pregnancies and society does not do a good job on informing teens of the importance of contraceptives and protecting themselves when they engage in sexual activity, especially at a young age.Psychological and socio-economical issues can also play a role in teen pregnancy, some girls decide to intentionally get pregnant because of their low self esteem, not having any goals for the future, having problems at home or even if their mother or sister were teen mothers. Teens should have more knowledge on protection and the importance of contraceptives because not only can it prevent pregnancies but also prevent sexually transmitted diseases.As previously mentioned teen pregnancies are at a high once again and teens who engage in sexual activity do not use the proper forms of protection and society does not highlight the importance of birth control. Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy stated that the magic formula for the decline of teen pregnancy is having less sex or using more contraceptives (PR Newswire). Most teens are unaware of the importance of having protected sex it can change their life dramatically. Half of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned–about three million each year (NCPTUP).Unplanned pregnancies result from unprotected sex; therefore, the use of birth control should be highly motivated in order to prevent any pregnancies. In their public opinion survey the NCPTUP concluded that 46% of teens wished young people were getting more information about abstinence and contraception. Rekha Daver, professor of gynecology at the grant Medical School in JJ Hospital states that there needs to be more reproductive health education among children to teach them about safe sex and proper methods of contraception.Teens should be taught at a younger age to think about their future and how being pregnant can transform and affect their whole life, as well as teaching them the value of safe sex and what can be taken to prevent unwanted pregnancies or abortions. More health education in schools should be emphasized to acknowledge students the risks of becoming teen parents and the importance of preventing pregnancies by the use of birth control. Teens should have easy access to these contraceptives in order to protect themselves during sexual intercourse and should not be ashamed to seek these resources since it is for their well-being.The media can play a prominent figure in teen pregnancy and the use of contraceptives; it has its positives and negative outlooks on it. Many people are skeptical about TV series that are popular among adolescents because some believe that it teaches them to practice safe sex or not practice sex at all to prevent any unwanted pregnancies, but on the other hand some believe that it lionizes teen parents that are on shows like Teen Mom and it gives them a higher status since they are now popular and highly seen throughout the nation.Some teens may want to follow their footsteps and believe that if they become teen parents they might also become recognized like the teen moms on the show. Another TV series that is very popular and seen among teens is The Secret Life of an American Teenager, it informs the audience how not using protection during sex can cause a serious life changing effect and becoming a teen parent is followed by many psychological, socio-economic and social issues such as becoming alienated from friends, not being able to financially sustain and care for a baby and believing that others think they are infer ior now that they have had a baby.In a poll conducted by the National Campaign to prevent pregnancies concluded that seven in ten young adults between the ages of 18-29 would support a campaign that would educate women and teens about all the birth control that can be accessed (2011). Many people support the use of the media to educate young teens the importance of protection and the wide range of birth control that can be used in order to prevent pregnancies, this will help decrease the high rate of teen pregnancies in the future. It also highlights the significance of using protection to prevent any further health risks such as sexually transmitted diseases.Each year, approximately three million cases of sexually transmitted diseases occur among teenagers according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not only does protection prevent pregnancies but it protects the health by preventing the transmission of sexual diseases among partners; according to the mentioned statist ic, many teens are becoming victims of these diseases and most of the teens could have prevented this by using a condom, but most teens are not informed how to prevent these diseases so it is very important for them to become educated on the topic in order to decrease the rate of sexually transmitted diseases.Another factor that plays a prominent role in teen pregnancy and knowledge of birth control comes from the teen’s psychological issues and how their parents raise them. Some teens may face difficult issues at home or at school and feel depressed and alone, some may have a low self-esteem and do not have a set goal for their future. Andrea Parrot, a Cornell women’s health and human sexuality expert said that girls intentionally get pregnant because they do not see any life goals in their future other than becoming a mother.She also mentions that teens do not have anything to strive for and have no one to look up to for admiration or affection so they believe that a baby may be a source to receive unconditional love. Parrot believes that more programs that would help young girls acquire skills to achieve life goals, increase their self esteem, relationship with family and education on sex and protection would dramatically decrease teen pregnancy; although, these programs should be more effective if it targets girls at an early age in order for them to be informed at a younger age and not commit these mistakes later on in their life.The way the teen was raised also is important because teens who were raised in a single parent household are often left to learn life lessons and sex on their own or through peers, and a teen whose mother was a teen mother or whose sister was a teen parent as well, is more likely to become a teen parent themselves. Parents influence their children’s decisions, so parents should inform their children more on safe sex and the importance of it.In a survey by The national Campaign states that 46% of teens say par ents influence their decision about sex, eight in ten teens say it would be much easier for teens to delay sexual activity if they were able to openly talk to their parents about sex, and six in ten teens agree that they do not use contraceptives because they fear that their parents will fond out. It is the parents’ responsibility to inform their teens about safe sex and contraceptives in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies at an early age and prevent diseases.Parents should be more open about the topic and feel comfortable to cover the issue with their children so their children can openly talk about sex with their parents. Teen pregnancy is a major issue in the US, psychological issues such as self esteem, sociological issues like relationship with peers and parents and social problems like society’s role on informing teens on sex and birth control play a prominent role in teen pregnancies.Informing teens at a younger age on the importance of safe sex and protectio n does not only decrease the rate of teen pregnancies but also decrease the rate of sexually transmitted diseases. Having a greater knowledge on sex education is the key factor for teens to make a dramatic decision in their lives to take precaution and think about their future before acting upon a simple consequence that can change their life such as not taking precaution.