Thursday, November 28, 2019

Batteries Essays - Rechargeable Batteries, Battery, Primary Cell

Batteries Essays - Rechargeable Batteries, Battery, Primary Cell Batteries I choose thus project because when watching television both name brand batteries claim to be the best. I wanted to see which one actually did last the longest. The Encyclopedia?s I did my research in say a battery is a device which transforms chemical energy. The term is usually applied to a group of two or more electric cells connected together electrically. In comman usage the term battery is also applied to a single cell, such as a flashlight battery. There are in general two types of batteries, primary batteries and secondary storage or accumulator batteries. primary types, although sometimes consisting of the same palliative materials as secondary types, are constructed so that only one continuous or intermittent discharge can be obtained. Secondary types are contracted so that they may be recharged, following a April or comply discharged, by the flow of direct current throughout them in a different appreciate to the current flow or discharge. By recharging after discharge, a higher state of oxidation is create at the at positive plate or electrode and a lower state at the negative plate, returning the plate to approximately their original charged condition. Both the primary and secondary cells are manufactured in many size and design from the small electric wristwatch battery and the small penlight battery to the large submarine battery, where a single cell has weights 1 tons. It all applications the cell must be constructed for its particular service, so that the best performance may be obtained consistent with cost, weight, space, and operational requirement. Automotive and aircraft batteries generally used thin positive and negative plate with thin separation to conserve space and weight and to provide high rate of current discharge at low

Monday, November 25, 2019

Government Involvement in the Economy Essay Example

Government Involvement in the Economy Essay Example Government Involvement in the Economy Essay Government Involvement in the Economy Essay Government Involvement in the Economy In the capitalistic society in the United States, Government plays many roles in the economy. Government has been regulating, overseeing, and providing many services in the economy since the inception of our nation. Modern day government has had an increasing presence in the American market as it has gotten larger and more complex. It has become necessary for government to interject its involvement into the economic system to maintain the sustainability of the economy. The fact is, capitalism cannot and will not regulate, enforce, or provide all the necessary goods and services that consumer need. Government is needed to regulate corporations, provide public services infrastructure, and protect the rights of the consumer. Government involvement is a quintessential factor for the success and growth of a capitalistic economy. Although some economists and businessmen believe that the economy should be allowed to move freely based on the laws of supply and demand without government intervention, government involvement is necessary to ensure a competitive market and help prevent market failure. Ever since the Clayton Anti-trust Act was passed in 1890, government has regulated and broken apart monopolistic businesses. Since businesses are constantly moving towards a monopoly or oligopoly, government regulators must be increasingly vigilant in regulating monopolistic businesses to prevent a non-competitive market. If the government did not regulate businesses to prevent monopolies, then those corporations would become too politically powerful, decrease total output, and increase their prices. An example of the harmful effects a monopoly can have on politics is when a monopolistic company threatens to raise the price of a good or service that is important to the government in order to bring about a desirable result. Another reason government must stop monopolistic companies is because they artificially raise their prices in order to create a shortage. Once an economic situation occurs where demand for goods greatly exceed the supply; the company can sell as much as they want at a given price, they have an incentive to raise their price, and consumers can never get as much as they want at that price. : Government must also prevent harmful business practices in order to help avert market failures. For example, the 2008 global financial crisis was a result of deregulation and less government oversight. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Glass-Steagall Act separated traditional banks with shadow investment banks. As a result, the shadow banks became increasingly riskier with respect to how they invested over the years. In 2008, the global market came crashing down and prompted government to revert to a firmer regulatory position. Had government properly regulated the markets and not taken down Glass-Steagall, the economy would not have collapsed and would still be growing. Harmful monopolies must be broken up because they cause prices to be higher and reduce output. Therefore, the United States economy requires a government presence to regulate the economy and businesses. Some people believe that the market competition within capitalism will meet the needs of the consumers. However, capitalism does not provide all the necessary goods and services that consumers require. Business only care about making money and increasing profits. In order to make profits, the company must quickly research, develop, and produce a sellable product or service. In other words, businesses will not provide money for public infrastructure, new technologies, and basic services to the poorer echelons in the economy. Public infrastructure like bridges, highways, and recreational parks do not make profits and therefore businesses will not invest in them. Therefore, the government must provide money to create and maintain public infrastructures. The modern age would not be in existence today had it not been for government investing in new technologies. For example, the technology that went into designing, constructing, and building spacecraft has grown and developed into something that consumers can use. Specific examples would be the modernization of photovoltaic solar panels, lasers, microchips, enhanced photo imagery, and ultra sound imaging to name a few. These technologies are now being used in all aspects of life and are the result of government funding. Government must also come into the market to provide access to basic services to the populace. Those services include Medicare/Medicaid, welfare, social security, and public education among many others. Like every country in the world, the United States has many underprivileged, disabled, uneducated, and elderly people, who may not be able to obtain all that is needed to have the basics in life. Therefore, government must provide certain services that would ordinarily not be provided in a free market system. The capitalistic economy will not supply the funds, time, and resources to produce long term solutions because deferred benefits will not make businesses money in the short term. Therefore, government is necessary to provide basic goods and services to assist and enhance the quality of life for all social classes. Finally, government is needed to protect the rights of the workers and consumers. Companies are in business to make a profit and do so by having more income than overhead costs. One way to keep overhead down is by denying certain rights to their employees. If it was up to companies, the rights of the workers would be diminished to maximize profits. These rights include: fair salary, safety requirements, collective bargaining, and reasonable hours per week. Unions have fixed many injustices over the years through the use of collective bargaining, a right given through the federal government. The rights of the consumers also need to be preserved. Competitive markets mean cheaper prices for the consumers and the right to choose which good or service they want to buy. Consequently, government has shown to be of the utmost importance to prevent abuse and provide basic rights to the public. Government must constantly work with the market to keep the economy moving in the right direction. Government must regulate businesses to prevent market failure and promote competition. Moreover, government must provide civil services and funding to create new technologies and build public infrastructure. Lastly, government is needed to protect the rights of the general public.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Financial Markets Efficiency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Markets Efficiency - Essay Example Therefore, this form suggests that if everyone is aware of the price records, it is of no value. However, many financial analysts acquire profits by evaluating pas prices using technical analysis including pointing price policy or moving average technique, which according to this form has no value (Horne, 1990). Semi-strong form of market efficiency says, â€Å"Current prices have influence of all the information that is publicly available† (Williams, 2005). All the information takes into account the annual reports of the company that is â€Å"balance sheet and income statements showing the status of assets and liabilities of the company and telling about the revenues, expenses, and income of the company† (Fleming, 2004). It also encounters the payment of dividends, announcement of merger plans, upcoming macroeconomics expectations pertinent to inflation and unemployment (Fleming, 2004). It needs not only to be financial but every aspect that is responsible for adding o r subtracting value to the company. It can also be about the behavior of management with employees, the competence of research and development department, quality of the products and perception about the company in public’s mind. ... One needs to make a deep research to gather all the information, which is helpful in determining the current prices and getting profitable returns. The strong form of market efficiency does not only have impacts of public information but it also opts for information inside the company that is private information. Strong form is different from semi-strong form in a way that it does not want anyone to acquire profits even when public is not aware of the trading information at that time (Bollen & Inder, 2002). In simple words, it means that even the management and other important organizers of the company that is insiders should not be able to acquire profits on company’s shares. As insiders have knowledge about profitable shares, so they should not acquire these shares after few minutes later they make the decision. Additionally, the members of R & D department should not get profits on information they discovered half an hour ago. The objective of strong form of market efficien cy is that markets should possess abilities of anticipating in an impartial manner. However, this form of efficiency is very difficult to achieve as greed for money and other monetary rewards can persuade ones inner light and convert it into flesh. The question arises that why is there a need of efficient market. A market has to be efficient otherwise; investor’s money would go nowhere. An efficient market is one where all the information influences the prices of shares. Market has to be â€Å"large and all the information should be available to investors regarding a company’s financial conditions† (Bollen & Inder, 2002). In this kind of market, transaction costs should be less than the opportunity cost of investment. Opportunity cost is the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

African-American Muslims in Philadelphia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

African-American Muslims in Philadelphia - Essay Example Though the roles of men and women are clearly spelt out in the Quran, the bone of contention is: How are African-American women perceived or treated in this religion? While these women put themselves on the same equal ground as their male counterparts, the media and Americans in general see them as a subjugated group. Sunni African American women believe that Muslim is the first and only religion that is centered on feminism. They recognize this religion as their source of redemption in a male dominated world. Even though their opinions and views may seem absurd to most Americans, the religion keeps growing in popularity among the Blacks. It is worth noting that men were attracted to Islam as it put a lot of emphasis on male leadership1. Elijah Muhammad used this opportunity to affirm the role of both men and women in religion, leadership being the primary role of men. In African-American churches, leadership positions were mostly taken by women with one overall male leader- the pastor. Black women were also attracted to Islam despite being reduced to housewives and child bearers by the sect. This was due to how they viewed Muslim men and the respect that the religion accorded women and children. Unlike their irreligious or Christian counterparts, Muslim men were responsible, focused, loved their women and were always smart in suits. This attracted the women to the sect. Many came from abusive and dysfunctional families; Islam offered a source of reprieve and comfort for them. Elijah called for the men to protect and provide for their black women to preserve the purity of black skin and to discourage interracial relations with the whites. It was not for the benefit of the black women. In fact, men were in control of their spouses bodies. The only time men were not allowed to copulate with their wives was during menstruation and when they were sick. Regardless of whether she was in the mood or not, a Muslim woman was mandated by her religion to meet her

Monday, November 18, 2019

A Critical Assessment of an Agency or Funding Regime that promotes Essay - 1

A Critical Assessment of an Agency or Funding Regime that promotes physical regeneration - Essay Example ese agencies and their functioning toward the uplift of the regional economy, it would be interesting to study and understand what urban regeneration is all about and how it evolved. Urban areas are essentially dynamic in nature. Socio-economic factors, environmental and physical factors all interplay and interact together to generate changes in their structures. Moreover, an urban area experiences thrusts from outside which necessitates adaptation to changes while internal dynamics and pressure try to withstand such changes or accept those resulting in either prosperity or decline. Though each problem may not be unique to a specific rural area, yet each challenge requires a distinctive approach towards the generation and implementation of its solution. Since the beginning, urban areas have always performed a variety of functions, offering shelter, providing infrastructure and opportunities for trade and commerce and opportunities for social interaction, being a few of those. As time passed, the importance of each need changed necessitating the requirement for new infrastructure, more space, more facilities for business etc. These changes in the physical structure and functioning of a town and its social life are inevitable since the town has to reorganise itself to meet the changing demands. These changes are also beneficial in a somewhat indirect way since these changes also make fresh demands for improvement of infrastructure and facilities so that the community within an urban area is forced to adjust itself to the new demands and work towards providing better opportunities for growth and progress. The relation between social deprivation and meagre physical infrastructure and facilities had long been an accepted fact and legislations and policies were implemented for improved infrastructure for health and better living conditions. It was gradually realised that merely improving health and living conditions will not contribute significantly towards the

Friday, November 15, 2019

Succession Planning for SMEs in IT Industry

Succession Planning for SMEs in IT Industry Purpose This thesis is based on an investigation into succession planning in small to medium-size organisations within the Information Technology (IT) industry. The main area of research is centred on whether these organisations develop employees sufficiently to move into pivotal roles or whether they must continue to rely on external recruitment for senior positions. An additional question raised by the report is whether operating within the IT industry brings its own peculiarities. Methodology A survey, by means of postal questionnaire, was chosen as the means of collection of primary data. This questionnaire was distributed to human resource managers and officers operating within the IT industry. In addition to this data collection, use was made also of secondary archive survey data. Findings The findings of this report quite clearly show that, despite statements to the contrary, true succession planning exists in very few organisations. Succession planning theory and best practice are ignored to the extent that real top level commitment is hard to find and very little HR participation exists other than at operational level. Findings show that little has changed over the years in that whatever succession planning exists in organisations, it remain in the authority of senior management, operated by and for them. There is little evidence to show that this has been widened to include more junior levels within organisations. Notwithstanding the fact that succession planning exists within the senior ranks, there is little evidence to show that it actually works. External recruitment continues to be the norm and retention rates of senior personnel do not show any real benefit. The specific problems of lack of opportunity and resource, faced by small to medium-sized organisations, are exacerbated within the IT industry, which brings its own issues of employee high expectation and impatience. Introduction Succession Planning What is it? Definition: Succession planning is making sure that the organisation develops and keeps the right people for key jobs. .. More successfully, it defines the competencies needed for the future and develops them in everyone who has the capability. This provides a pool of talent from which successors to important jobs can be drawn. The Industrial Society (April 1997)[1] Staff turnover dictates that all organisations have a need to fill employee vacancies; key roles not excluded. Forward-looking organisations look beyond a basic recruitment process and understand the value of a system that identifies high potential in current employees, as well as recognising leadership gaps in the organisation. Having acknowledged these requirements, good organisations put in place a development structure that seeks to answer these needs. This complete process is known as Succession Planning. Of course, where such a process is part and parcel of everyday life in an organisation, most likely it is not restricted to the hierarchy of the company. An expected consequence of this situation is a culture of ongoing development of employees from top to bottom, leading to a continuous process of succession planning throughout the organisation. Succession Planning Why is it important? The brief that good leadership has a direct affect on organisational performance lies at the heart of the move towards succession planning. We live today in a fast-moving, high pressured, competitive society, where the slightest advantage may give a company a valuable aggressive edge. If a company is to grow and expand into new areas and markets, it is important that the organisation is built on a strong foundation. The best and strongest foundation for an organisation is a pool of capable, talented individuals, who have grown with the organisation; absorbing its knowledge and its culture, ready to move up through the company into pivotal leadership roles. Organisations that do not provide this home grown talent, and possibly lose valuable knowledge and expertise along the way, may have to seek replacements from outside; with this course of action runs the risk of recruiting the wrong person. This latter occurrence could be a disaster, particularly when a wrong choice is made at a senior level. This situation could lead to serious disruption in an organisation and, depending on the importance of the employee concerned, the result could be terminal decline. Research Aim Succession planning is seen as a crucial process by most major employing organisations (Hirsch 2000, p.ix)[2] The aim of this research is to establish whether, despite the perceived benefits of succession planning, most small to medium-sized organisations fail to nurture sufficient home-grown talent and have to look outside their own organisations to fill key senior positions. An alternative, but equally worrying situation is the appointment of individuals on the basis of class, length of service, family history, etc., without the developmental support. This situation certainly exists within the authors organisation at the present time. There is little, if any, work being done among the senior management team to develop the leadership skills of the successors to the principal roles; although it does appear that in the case of the primary position, the choice has been made! More importantly, this situation continues down throughout the organisation and, in many departments, it is difficult to see which individuals would have the qualities necessary to be able to stem into senior roles if the need arose. This state of affairs creates serious concerns for the direction and future of the organisation. All this exists in an organisation, which claims that a culture of development exists and, if questioned superficially, would be of the opinion that succession planning occurred. Strategy The research method chosen was data collection by means of postal questionnaires to be sent out to the HR Officers / Managers in small to medium-sized high tech companies / organisations in the UK and India private sector. Where necessary, the postal questionnaires are to be followed up with telephone reminders and completed via telephone calls or emails. Outline Structure Literature Review History of Succession Planning Historically, succession planning systems were the sole province of the upper echelons of male, class-dominated society. Whether or not this served society well is an arguable point; the fact that it existed in a class-ridden paternalistic age is not up for debate. The traditional model of succession planning, as identified in The Industrial Society (1997), is for the Board of identify, secretly, a list of two or three potential successors for the senior roles. According to Holbech, no more than two or three per cent of the workforce were deemed to have management or executive potential (Holbech, 2003)[3]. There are considerable, well-documented, drawbacks associated with this process for example, management may continue to choose clones of themselves, perpetuating a culture with a reluctance to change. Without fresh blood, bringing new ideas, organisations may begin to stagnate. The disadvantages brought about by this traditional model may be distilled down to two arguments; the organisation risks losing exceptional talent (with the associated consequences) and employees miss out on development and fail to fulfil their potential. Chris Watkin of Hay Group maintains that the roots of talent management can be found in the outsourcing of the pervious decade. (Carrington 2004)[4] The reduction of graduate recruitment schemes in the early 1990s meant organisations often did not have the right employees in place to move into the senior positions. This situation was fine for a while but, long-term, it proved to be very expensive and not to successful. (2004, p.26) Watkin also says that the recruitment slow-down that had occurred over the past couple of years has highlighted further the need for organisations to make more of their current employee talent. (ibid p.26) Certainly, within the authors industry (IT), the lack of available talent during this period has been a serious (and costly) concern. Definitely, it is cheaper to develop current employees than to buy-in expensive candidates with great potential but little knowledge of the Companys products and specific technologies. The CIPD (2004, p.1)[5] support this view by suggesting that maybe it was better to develop loyal employees who understood the organisation and its culture. According to Rothwell (2001, p.5)[6], one of the first writers to appreciate the need to plan was Henri Fayol (1916), whose fourteen points of management indicate that management has a responsibility to ensure the stability of tenure of personnel. Fayol also said that if the need were ignored, key positions would end up being filled by ill prepared people. The world is now a much different place than in Fayols time but the basic tenets of his thinking remain. According to the Corporate Leadership Council (CLC)[7], from 2000 to 2002, many organisations struggled in the difficult economic climate. Despite this, a number of companies continued to excel, sometimes surpassing their earnings expectations. The CLC believe that the reason for this was the quality of their senior executives; they were successful in creating a steady supply of talent at a time when others were failing to keep up. The CLC go on to say that this differentiation may hold the key to organisational success. (2004)[8] The situation prevailing within corporate management today, not surprisingly, puts Board management succession in the limelight. According to Carey and Ogden in Berger Berger, directors, as guardians of the interests of shareholders, naturally are concerned with the ongoing health and success of the corporate enterprise. Capable leadership is vital to this objective, which means that succession must be considered first and foremost and fundamentally a responsibility of the board. (2004 p.243) Despite this, the CLC found that only 20% of responding HR executives were satisfied with their top-management succession processes. Ram Charan thinks that this is simply inexcusable and goes on to say that a board that has been in place for six or seven years but does not have a pool of qualified candidates and a robust succession process is a failure. (2005, p.74)[9] Build Talent throughout the Organisation If an organisation is to be in a position to provide a continuous pool of talented employees from which the leaders of tomorrow must be chosen, it is important that the succession management process is not restricted to the senior level. There is a need to identify and coach potential throughout the organisation. Sisson and Storey thinks that training and development were the building blocks of a learning organisation and, according to many, the real key to developing competitive advantage. (2000, p.147)[10] According to Carey and Ogden, the familiar view of succession is around changing leadership at the top, one CEO[11] moves out of the corner office and other moves in. In reality, this is only a fraction of the whole organisational development picture. The most vital features of the leadership-development process take place beneath the top level, often not visible to people outside the organisation. (ibid, p.247) Obviously, a long-term goal of an organisation may be to extend the succession planning/ management process down through the organisational layers. Hirsch talk about devolved succession planning where local or functional managers are pro-active with regard to the development of successors for roles within their control. This may be extended in a more deliberate way with a result that although the corporate centre considers only the top levels, the bulk of the organisation follows suit. (2000, p.12)[12] A former Vice-President at General Electric commented, The act of creating a mentality of development within a company makes for more effective operations, even before the change takes place. People function better in a developmental mode. (ibid, p.248) Conger and Fulmer were of the opinion that succession planning and leadership development ought to be two sides of the same coin. They went on to ask that, if this were the case, why do many companies handle them as if they were completely separate issue? (2003, p.76)[13] Identifying possible successors, without the structured leadership development in place may lead to failure for the selected candidate and disaster for the organisation. More and more organisations, including very successful High Street retailers such as Tesco and Asda in UK and Pantaloon, K Raheja Group in India have a policy of promoting from within. According to Zneimer in Human Resources Magazine, Asda grooms its brightest talent for the time when they will step into the shoes of those currently sitting on the board or in the management tier just below. They are encouraged to enter a development programme that taps into the skills of external coaches and internal mentors. This ethos is encapsulated in Asdas Accelerated International Management (AIM) initiative, whereby those deemed to be ready are given top jobs abroad. (2004, p.34)[14] Surely, it cannot be an accident that successful companies have home-grown CEOs:- Tesco Sir Terry Leahy 25 years GlaxoSmithKline J P Carnier 14 years AstraZeneca Sir Tom McKillop 34 years BP Lord Browne 38 years Pantaloon India Kishore Biyani 22 years Source: Management Today, December 2003 (updated) in Zneimer (2004, p.37)[15] As Zneimer points out, the succession policies of Asda and Tesco contrast greatly with that of Marks Spencer, which has gone awry in recent years. Instead of continuing to grow their own, they have been spending a fortune on a revolving door CEO succession policy, which has resulted in a couple of very high profile failures. (2004, p.34)[16] This difference in fortunes highlights very well the benefits of a good succession management process. Ram Charan points out in the Harvard Business Review that, in Europe, 70% of outside CEOs, who departed in 2003 were forced to resign by their boards, as compared to 55% of insiders. In the US, these figures were 55% and 34%, respectively. (2005, p.74)[17] Management Commitments All of the theory and best practice covered in this report will come to nought if management commitment is not secured and followed through. Rothwell makes the point that a programme will be effective only when it has the support of its stakeholders; they must perform as well and own the process. (2001, p.116)[18] Lucy McGee quoted in People Management, the European head of HR at Matsushita observed, Without support from the CEO, you might as well not bother. (2004, p.49)[19] The DDI Study, Succession Management Practices, found that effective succession management systems are more likely to be found in organisations which, among other things, involve the CEO; have the support of senior management and involve line management in identifying candidates. The McKinsey study of the war for talent in corporate America, cited by Hirsch in Succession Planning Demystified, contends that with talent comes business success: You can win the war for talent but first you must elevate talent management to a burning corporate priority. According to a survey conducted by Consultancy Fairplace, as cited in Human Resources Magazine, talent management is not getting the funding it needs. In Human Resources Magazines opinion, this suggests a lack of commitment to talent management. (2004)[20] It is recognised that not all organisations, particularly those in the sector forming the target of this report, are able to fund succession management programmes along the lines of those underway at companies such as Asda and Tesco. Succession management, however, really need not cost a great deal of money. In fact, lack of support for this issue is not generally based on lack of budget but more a function of time. Without priority given to this issue, management keeps its focus on customer demands and is too busy reacting to business crises to give the necessary attention to the succession management process. A great deal of management fails to realise that by always focusing on the urgent (not on the important) instead of delegating, they are missing out on an important development process. Of course, there are numerous ways that a succession planning process may be set up and it is not necessary to include such expensive techniques as external executive coaching. Indeed, small to medium-sized companies may still manage to instil a culture of development without recourse to such methods. Combating The Lack of Support: Obtaining management commitment to a succession management programme will not come easily or quickly. HR professionals must be prepared to give time and effort to the task if they are to be successful. In order to succeed, it is important to demonstrate a need and develop a business case for succession management. Rothwell believes that a succession management programme will be successful only when it has the support of its stakeholders; indeed, in order for it to work they must own the process. (2001, p.116)[21] According to the Corporate Leadership Council, there are increased internal and external business trends, which are forcing companies to focus attention on succession management. Fig. 1 outlines current business trends that may be used to make a case for a succession management process. Where top management support is difficult to obtain, Rothwell suggests that the best strategy is to win over idea champions to support the cause. Ideally, such champions come from well-respected top managers who, possibly, have experienced work-related problems as a result of the lack of a successor to a critical role. (ibid, p.69) The Role of Human Resources If HR really is to contribute at a strategic level and take its place at the top table, it must rise to the challenge. Lance Richards, writing in Personnel Today, suggests this is the challenge of delivering the right people in the right place at the right time and at the right cost and goes on to say that HRs ability to do this could be the key to future organisational success. (2004, p.15)[22] Certainly, much has been written on the contribution that HR is able to make to business. Lucy McGee believes that HR must educate its organisations leaders to understand that business plans for growth and change simply dont stand up without a serious commitment of their time and energy to developing people. (2004, p.48)[23] The overwhelming considered opinion about the role of HR seems to be as a champion of the process, guiding rather than taking ownership. This view is in accord with the CIPD, which feels that, although succession planning needs to be owned by managers, led by the CEO, HR has a critical role in supporting and facilitating the process. (2004, p.5)[24] Conger and Fulmer are of the opinion that, although in most companies, HR is the primary owner of the succession planning and leadership development process, this is a mistake. They believe that, in order to be successful, these processes need multiple owners. It is only by active commitment from the top and not just gratuitous support which managers will sense this is a fundamental activity, which must be taken seriously. (2003, p.83)[25] Conger and fulmar also says that it is not realistic or desirable for the CEO and their executive teams to have sole responsibility. HR needs to be involved in order to bring with it the necessary time and expertise. (ibid, p.83) Certainly, Hirsch found that, although the general role of HR could be described as facilitator, the term really did not do justice to the range of activities carried out. Hirsch also says that a project conducted by the Careers Research Forum qualified facilitator in this context as shown in figure 2. HR as Facilitator Process designer: Advising on how information should be collected and collated. Framing agendas and questions. Process Manager / Facilitator: Direct personal involvement in making sure meetings happen and, on occasion, acting as referee in ensuring the discussion is wide-ranging and objective. Good and conscience: Looking further to the future; asking seriously difficult; questions; highlighting problems that executives may prefer not to see. Direct personal intervention as broker: Knowing people well enough to be able to suggest successors, candidates for vacancies; development opportunities for individuals and influencing executives to take these suggestions on board. Counsellor: Trusted to help executives talk through their issues and to help individuals work out their career directions. Information support: Maintaining quality information, which delivers a direct service when internal candidate search is required or more general questions are asked. Despite this general agreement concerning the important role of HR within the succession management process, the CMI survey found that it is rare for HR directors to have board-level influence. At the end of 2004, only 11 companies in the FTSE 100 had HR directors on their Boards. (CMI, 2005) A large number of organisations are looking now to management tools, some web-based, to assist in their succession management programmes and there is a plethora of talent management software systems on the market. Lance Richards argues, however, that we should pay no heed to the software salesman who offers elaborate, expensive packages they are nice but not required. HR should start the succession planning process, if only in a simple paper and pencil format sometimes, the first step is both the simplest and the hardest to make. Richards advice is not to dumb-down succession planning but to show that it can be done simply and without spending the GDP of Denmark in the process. (2004, p.15)[26] Succession Management Process So, where does all this opinion and theory brings us? Almost without exception, good practice points towards a formal succession planning process, at the heart of which lies leadership / employee development. According to Hirsch, succession planning sits inside a much wider set of resourcing and development processes, called succession management. Succession management encompasses links to business strategy, resourcing supply and demand, skills analysis, hiring processes and management development (including graduate and high-flyer programmes). (2000 p.ix)[27] Michael Liebeman in Rothwell supports this view; he feels that succession planning should not stand alone but should be paired with succession management, which assumes a more dynamic business environment. (2001, p.31)[28] For this view of succession management to be truly successful, it is vital that it be engrained in the culture of the organisation and functioning at all levels. Conger and Fulmer see this as a file-rule process, with the four subordinate rules resting on the fundamental rule of development. They believed that succession planning and leadership development are natural allies that share a fundament goal of getting the right skills in the right place. (2003, p79)[29] Implementing the Process Having secured management commitment, arguably the most difficult task of all, the next step is to implement the process. Identification When looking at a succession planning / management system for the first time, it is vital to establish the positions that the organisation wishes to include in the process. The selection of individuals may be linked to particular key posts or identified as having high potential. Conger and Fulmer suggested that by merging succession planning and leadership development into a single system, companies are able to take a long-term view of the process of preparing middle managers, even those below the director level, to become general managers. They suggested that these systems should focus on linchpin positions-roles that are essential to the long-term health of the organisation. (ibid, p79) Whatever the criteria, it is important that the process is tied in to business strategy and the risk posed by the loss of an incumbent is considered when reaching a decision. Composition of Team It is imperative that the composition of the succession planning / management team is such that sufficient weight is attached to the process to ensure its success. In addition to regular team members, most likely the CEO / MD, senior executives / managers and, preferably, HR, it may be a good idea from time to time to second interested parties. Not only will this provide valuable input into selection of candidates but also secure the assist in spreading commitment to the process throughout the organisation. Top level / company commitment and HR involvement are explored in more details in other areas of this report. Measure for Success Once the succession planning / management strategy is in place, it is important that the organisation puts measures in place in order to ensure that the system is operating efficiently and also to highlight any opportunities for improvement. Conger and Fulmer found that succession management systems were effective only when they reacted to changing requirements. They went on to say that none of the best-practice companies in their study expected that their succession management system would be able operate without modification for more than a year. (2003, p.84)[30] An additional important reason for monitoring the system is to demonstrate any success and, thereby, provide information to sustain management commitment. Retention Once an organisation has found its high performers and leaders of the future, it is important to retain these employees and to ensure not only that their aspirations are fulfilled but also that their talents are used to the best advantage of the organisation. Remember that just as organisations are interested in high performers, high performers are keen to be associated with organisations with a strong reputation. In the field of IT in particular, this reputation extends to cutting-edge technology and product development. Organisations need to hold the interest of these individuals if they are not to be lost to more attractive competitors. In addition to the attraction of personal development, one issue of major importance is the subject of recognition / reward and organisations need to give significant consideration to rewarding high performers. It may be necessary to look at alternative / additional methods of compensation, for example, stock options; performance-related bonus schemes; financial support for professional development. What is important is that high performers feel recognised and rewarded in relation to their perceived worth and at levels that are viewed as competitive in the marketplace. According to Susanna Mitterer of TMI, writing in People Management, Pay attention to how your incentive and bonus schemes are designed, making sure all means of reward are fair, consistent and transparent. (2004)[31] Time has moved on but the expectancy theory of Victor Vroom and notions of fairness expounded by Jacques and Adams still ring true today. Turnover Although it may be argued that some turnover is acceptable, even desirable, quite clearly excessive turnover is to be avoided. The cost to the organisation may be seen on many fronts and, in many cases, may not be recognised or considered. In addition to the oft-championed areas of recruitment, training, temporary / contractors costs, there are issues such as lost productivity, customer dissatisfaction and management time, as well as the very important area of loss of skills and knowledge, both explicit and tacit. This final issue, which is of particular significance in this report, is of vital importance to technology organisations, operating as they do in such a knowledge-rich environment. There are many reasons for voluntary turnover in an organisation and according to the CIPD survey, lack of development or career opportunities accounted for 37% of voluntary terminations in the UK. Additionally, 41% highlighted increased learning and development opportunities as a step taken specifically to address staff retention. Make it transparent It is important that the whole process is as transparent as possible. Conger and Fulmer were of the opinion that, although this was a sensitive issue to manage, it was the right view to take. They believed that, if employees knew what was expected of them to reach a particular level, they would be able to take the necessary action. Not making the process transparent and the criteria for inclusion absolutely clear, leads to misunderstandings, feelings of inequality and discontent. Lucy McGee, writing in People Management, believes that there is a genuine urgency at the moment for succession planning and that every manager must become a talent agent spotting, nurturing and lobbying for people with leadership potential and offers her 12-point guide. (2004, pp.48-49)[32] The Small / Medium-Size Business Viewpoint Although, as mentioned previously in this report, the smaller organisations often cannot afford to implement such practices as, for example, executive coaching, the basic principles of succession management remain open to all. Having said this, there are certain restrictions facing the smaller organisations. In addition to the likely limitations on cost, there are the obvious limited developmental opportunities, which could lead to possible difficulties in retention of able and ambitious employees. A consequence of this is the reduced pool of talent from which potential leaders may be drawn. The smaller organisation may also find its senior staff stretched in many different directions, which could lead to difficulty in obtaining commitment to the issue of succession management. Obtaining this commitment, and finding ways to mitigate the particular problems highlighted above, is a role to be embraced by HR. According to the Corporate Leadership Council, there are a number of imperatives and practices that the smaller organisation may consider to improve the situation, as shown in Figure 3. Although, quite clearly, these actions are to be advised in all situations, with regard to small organisations they become all the more relevant. The IT Viewpoint The IT industry in general is a very young, fast-moving and dynamic industry. A low average age, coupled with technical expertise, brings with it developmental and career aspirations that need to be satisfied and will wait for no man. It is important that Companies recognise this and form policies accordingly, in order that they are able to sustain the requirements for technical and career advancement. For this reason, a culture of ongoing development, whilst important and extremely desirable in all industries, takes on a more critical role in high technology organisations. It may be that the particular problems facing the smaller company are exacerbated when the company affected sits within the IT sector. Additionally, it could be argued that turnover rate within the IT industry takes on a slightly different hue. Turnover

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Japanese Education Essay examples -- Essays Papers

Japanese Education Japan is a country that takes education very seriously. This may be understood by the remarkable achievement that has been made. Japan=s education system played a major role in enabling the country to meet the challenges presented by the need to quickly understand Western ideas, science, and technology in the Meiji Period. It was also a key factor in Japan=s recovery and fast growth in the years that followed World War II. We can=t assume that education is the only thing that shaped the country, but can we say that it was a major influence in prosperity and welfare. Despite what may have happened before, it is clear that the education reform was necessary to build back up Japan=s prosperity in the years to come. History of Japan's Education Education has always existed one form or another. The first system of education was during the Tokugawa Period, which placed a high sense of learning. They learned benevolence, justice, courtesy and individual integrity. These were the most stressed systems of thought. The men also had to learn education and the ways of war. The founder of this method was Tokugawa Ieyasu, he issued a law saying Aarts of peace@ (10) which meant learning and also to learn the arts of war. He felt that both were of equal importance and should be mastered by all. After this system was applied, by the 1860's much of the curriculum was found in more than 300 schools across Japan. This soon changed by1868, when one of the top students from the Tokugawa education, suggested that Japan can compare with other Adeveloped nations@(11) of this time. After this suggestion Japan accepted many of the Western ideas. They wanted to modernize their country and by doing th... ...dation, 1982. Beauchamp, Edward R. AEducation and Schooling in Japan since 1945.@ New York & London. Garland Publishing, Inc, 1998. Walberg, Herbert J., and Leestma, Robert. AJapanese Educational Productivity.@ University of Michigan, 1983. Japan=s Education System. December 5, 2003. November 5, 2003. Japan=s Education System. September 30, 2003. November 5, 2003. Japan Access. December 1, 2003. November 5, 2003. Japanese Education and Literacy. August 1, 2003. November 5, 2003. Role of Education in Economic Development in Japan. September 23, 2003. November 5, 2003.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Poems “Rainbow” and “Tyger” Essay

Examine the similarities and differences in the way Agard & Blake deal with the theme of nature in their poems â€Å"Rainbow† and â€Å"Tyger† Agard’s poem â€Å"Rainbow† portrays the wonder and beauty of a rainbow. Agard is from the Caribbean and he uses some examples of this dialect in his poem, which reflects his background. On the other hand, Blake’s poem â€Å"Tyger† describes the nature of the tiger and how it is so powerful in different ways. Blake tries to portray the majesty of the tiger and how talented his creator must have been. In Agard’s poem â€Å"Rainbow†, he tries to convey that the rainbow in the sky is actually God’s bright smile shining above us. The line â€Å"one big smile across the sky† tells us this. When Agard says in this poem, â€Å"And de rainbow make a show† it is possible he means that the rainbow appears after there is rain. When he states in the poem, â€Å"I tell you is God doing limbo† he reflects his Caribbean background. There are two possible interpretations for this line. Agard could possibly mean that God is doing limbo, an activity in which people would try to bend backwards under a pole, not hitting it as they go under. Or he could also mean limbo, a place between heaven and hell, which you are stuck in. The Catholic Church used to teach that limbo existed and that while in limbo, you cannot move on to heaven or hell. Agard says in the poem, â€Å"And curving, like she bearing child† which tells us that the way the rainbow curves, looks like God is pregnant with a baby. Agard uses repetition by stating a number of times throughout the poem, she/he â€Å"got style†, meaning God, whether male or female, has got style. Agard could possibly be trying to say that the colours of the rainbow show God’s style because the rainbow is so colourful and â€Å"full of glow†. In Blake’s â€Å"The Tyger†, Blake’s spelling in the title â€Å"The Tyger† at once suggests the exotic or alien quality of the beast. Blake tries to show the tiger as a symbol of God’s power in creation. In this poem the tiger is being addressed directly. Blake queries the tiger in the first stanza, â€Å"What immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?† Like this, Blake questions the tiger about what kind of person could possibly have had the power to make a creature like him throughout the poem. In the second stanza, Blake questions, â€Å"In what distant deeps or skies, burnt the fire of thine eyes?† meaning, who in the deep seas or the skies above could create eyes, burning bright such as the tigers? He asks himself â€Å"On what wings dare he aspire?† which shows Blake wants to know on what wings this person soars as he couldn’t possibly have made the tiger as he is. â€Å"And what shoulder, and what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart?† Blake asks the tiger in these two lines, what shoulder and what art could combine the strength or power of his heart. Blake questions the tiger about what fears the tigers hand and foot when his heart began to beat, as the tiger’s paws are so powerful and heavy. The tiger is fearless and full of terror as portrayed in the fourth stanza, in the line â€Å"Dare it’s deadly terrors clasp?† The line, which states, â€Å"When the stars threw down their spears and watered heaven with their tears† could possibly be referring to people years ago who would have used spears instead of guns or other modern day weapons. Blake compares the tiger with a lamb in this poem. The line, â€Å"Did he smile His work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee?† tells us that Blake is asking the tiger if the person who made him, so fierce, predatory and active, also make the vulnerable, harmless lamb. By the lamb, Blake could mean Jesus, the Lamb of God. These two poems have a lot of similarities in the way Agard and Blake deal with the theme of nature in their poems â€Å"Rainbow† and â€Å"Tyger†, but they also have a lot of differences. The similarities in these poems include the interest in religion. In both these poems, the poets show that religion is an important factor in their lives by including a God in their poems. Blake shows religion in â€Å"The Tyger† when he talks about the tiger’s creator. Agard shows religion in â€Å"Rainbow†, stating â€Å"God got style† and the different ways the rainbow reminds him of God. Both the poems are expressing great interest in God and his creations and how wonderful God must be to make such extraordinary and powerful things. In the poems â€Å"Rainbow† and â€Å"The Tyger†, the poets explain these amazing acts of nature and describe what they look like and compare them to various things, such as a lamb or a pregnant woman. Blake and Agard both use significant repetition in their poems, such as â€Å"The man got style† in â€Å"Rainbow† and the first and last stanzas in â€Å"The Tyger†. The differences in these two poems includes the way that Blake describes the appearance, the strength and the creator of the tiger whereas Agard only describes what he thinks the rainbow looks like. Blake speaks directly to the tiger in his poem but Agard is speaking to his audience when he is writing the poem â€Å"Rainbow†. In the poem â€Å"The Tyger†, Blake asks the tiger about who made him and about how powerful the tiger is. Agard’s poem reflects his Caribbean background by using shortened sentences and words like â€Å"de† instead of â€Å"the†. Agard wrote â€Å"Rainbow† in 1985, which explains to us why Agard doesn’t speak in the Middle English language as Blake does in â€Å"The Tyger†. Blake wrote â€Å"The Tyger† in 1794 and we can see this by the way he uses the Middle English language with words such as, thy and thine. These are the differences and similarities in the way Agard and Blake deal with the theme of nature in their poems â€Å"Rainbow† and â€Å"Tyger†. These poets had such different lifestyles to each other and yet, in their poetry, there’s still so many hidden similarities.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Doctor Essays

Doctor Essays Doctor Essay Doctor Essay Antonym Persuasive Devices Friend, Romans, Countrymen Lend me your ears. (Act 3 seen 2) Antonym says this to try to get the people to listen to him while he was giving his funeral speech. One thing the people did not know was that his speech was to make them do bad things like riot. Throughout Antonyms funeral speech he used many persuasive devices to get people to listen to him some was where pathos, plain folks, and name calling to get people to believe him. In Antonyms speech there is a lot of emotion which is pathos. He showed emotion to get people to believe that he wept for Caesar death. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, I must pause till it comes back to me. (Act 3 seen 2) Antonym says this to make the people feel sad because Antonym is crying. By Antonym crying it made the people give in even more to him and believe him and that Brutes was wrong. Another was Antonym persuaded the people to believe him is plain folks. A plain folk is where someone upper class is telling the lower class that they are Just like hem. But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man that love my friends; Anthony said. He said this to make them believe he was Just like them and for them to think that he was their friend and they believed him. This is where they believed everything and was making them angry. The last persuasive device is name calling. Name calling is when someone is saying mean or bad things about another person or product. l fear I wrong the honorable men whose daggers have stabbed Caesar; I do fear it. Throughout Antonyms speech he turns the word honorable around as he said it sarcastically. He was really meaning butchers and traitors. The crowd of people gave into Antonym sarcasm and became irate with the conspirators because they then thought they were murderers. Antonym was very happy with his speech. He got exactly what he wanted. He wanted bad things to happen to the conspirators so he knew he could get the people angry enough to do the dirty work for him. Since the people lent their ears to Antonym, by the end of this speech there was a huge riot.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Amibor Heart essays

Amibor Heart essays ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY: THE ABIOCOR HEART On September 13, 2002, mankind reached another technological milestone. Tom Christerson, a patient in Kentucky completed his first year of life sustained by a self-contained artificial heart. The heart, considered the bodys engine, keeps all the other organs working by supplying them with blood and nutrients. All of the bodys organs require blood to function. This means that a product of advanced technology, the plastic and titanium Abiocor heart, is now performing one of the most vital functions of a living human being. The Abiocor heart is the result of decades of research. 1The first artificial heart dates back to the mid-fifties when a team of scientists led by Willem Kolff, a Dutch-born physician, tested their model in animals. In 1969, a team led by Denton Cooley of the Texas Heart Institute successfully kept the first human patient alive for more than sixty hours with their model. Then, in 1982, a team led by William DeVries of the University of Utah, implanted the Jarvik-7 artificial heart into a patient named Barney Clark, who lived for 112 days. 2The Jarvik-7 was an air-driven pump that required Clark be bound to a compressor the size of a washing machine. Tubes from the compressor passed through his chest wall restricting him to his bed and causing constant infections. His blood kept clotting as it passed through the pump and he suffered numerous strokes before he died. After Clarks death, hopes for an artificial heart faded. Scientists focused on heart transplants and today, 386 percent of patients who receive a heart transplant survive for at least one year. More than 70 percent live for at least four years. However, there are only 4,000 hearts available for transplanting each year and at least 700,000 people suffer from heart failure. Faced with this shortage, scientists knew they had to design a smaller, ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

British Cinema and Industry 1980 and Present Essay

British Cinema and Industry 1980 and Present - Essay Example General audiences usually enjoy repetitions of elements that they can recognise from their experience of movie watching along with certain amount of novelty. This paper focuses on the characteristics of British cinema from 1980s to the present. British cinema: genres and themes British cinema is known for distinguished genre and themes that separate it from other national cinemas. There are few Western movies made in the United Kingdom for obvious reasons. British cinema works on putting their own distinctive mark on existing genres and is always inventing new genres and themes. Many British comedy movies have their origin in the era of silent movies when the comedy was slapstick. The British documentary movies have their roots in the 1890s although they have taken their current form in the 1930s . Adaptations from literature have always formed major themes in many British movies. In the 1980s, classic novels almost gave rise to a virtual film industry. This is because such themes an d styles were adored by the audiences. Even today classic adaptations remain high in demand, although contemporary writers are also making their mark in the British film industry. The British film industry was going through an ailing period in the 1980s. The industry was not embraced by the Thatcher administration. The Conservative government did not extend any support to the industry and saw cinema as a â€Å"commercial enterprise which would need to sink or swim on its own†.Margaret Thatcher treated the film industry indifferently and her government passed a Bill in the 1984-85 that abolished a previous law that allowed a percentage of box-office receipts to be invested in the British film industry. ... treated the film industry indifferently and her government passed a Bill in the 1984-85 that abolished a previous law that allowed a percentage of box-office receipts to be invested in the British film industry. The government also abolished the 25 percent tax benefit of film investors. This encouraged the filmmakers to take more economic risks and experience with new innovations. The culture created by Thatcher became implicit or explicit themes in many popular movies of this era (Friedman, 2006, pp.21-22). 1980s was an era of realism in the British film industry and most themes were based on realistic social matters. During this period British filmmakers found specific ways to portray the social problems and matters which they viewed as â€Å"contemporary reality†. Such filmmakers were more often not concerned with the aesthetic depiction of matters concerned with reality. Any issues that concerned the society were reflected and amplified in the movies in the way they were r ecognised by the socially aware filmmakers. In the 1980s, many films were made to reflect the realistic conditions of the working class in Britain. The British film director Derek Jarman saw Britain as a country where morals have perished. He made films like Britannia Hospital (1982) and The Last of England (1987) which reflected the real issues of the prevailing social structure. Although 1980s saw racial riots in parts of London, few movies were concerned with issues relating to racism. One major exception was the documentary movie Handsworth Songs (1986). Unlike the previous decades when women were portrayed only as objects of desire, 1980s was also an era when British movies depicted â€Å"strong female protagonists†. These movies reflected the rising position of women in the British society

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Consumer Purchasing Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consumer Purchasing Process - Essay Example The activities involved in the process include identifying and evaluating vendors, selecting specific products, placing orders, and resolving arising issues (Schneider, 2010). All these activities facilitate the acquisition process from either the supplier or producer. The purchasing process takes six steps which are need recognition; supplier identification and selection; contract negotiation; purchase order placement; purchase order follow-up; and order receipt and fulfillment (Li, 2007). Each of these steps involves several purchasing activities. In the first step of the purchasing process, a company identifies a need for a certain material. The step involves purchasing activities like identification of materials and their delivery time. It also involves quality, quantity, and attributes identification. The second step goes on to identify specific sellers or distributers for the materials identified in the first step. This step involves purchasing activities like price trend analy sis, supplier availability analysis, and market conditions analysis (Li, 2007). The third step involves negotiation of the terms and conditions of the purchase process thus opening sale. Upon agreement on the terms and conditions, a purchase order is placed. ... In the six steps, the purchaser receives the order and verifies both quality and quantity supplied. It is in this step where the sale is closed and the company gets ownership of the purchased materials. In most situations, purchasing process involves interaction between the purchasing personnel of a company and key account managers of the supplying company. The account managers should have skills like planning and marketing, relationship building, problem solving, negotiating, opportunity creating, organization, communication, and presenting skills (Cheverton, 1999). In some situations, the suppliers use global accounts management instead of key accounts management. These situations require the vendor company to be global and coordinated. Competences required for personnel in global accounts management is identical to the ones required in key account management. The reason for this is the similarity in the activities undertaken in each of the cases. Analysis Purchasing process involv es the purchasing company and the selling company. These companies have conflicting interests. Each of them tries to maximize benefits derived from a purchase while minimizing both risks and costs. Negotiations are always required in order to achieve these objectives. This indicates that the persons selected to represent a company in a purchasing process should have good negotiation skills. Negotiation skills are in line with communication skills and therefore, these persons need to have good communication skills as well. If persons representing a company lack negotiation skills, the other company may take advantage of the weakness in the purchasing process. Due to this, the weaker company may make loses while the other company