ERP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ERP - Assignment Example Accordingly, business representatives should use those communication sources which are suitable for customers according to their surroundings and societal status. Technical communication solutions are beneficial for making any business winning and successful in the market. This is confirmed that those companies which are presenting their business solutions with utilization of effective communication resources are capable to make their financial purposes achievable and obtainable without any hurdle. In this matter, people should observe customer opinion strictly because this is linked with bringing betterment in financial achievements without any intricacy and complex. This observance can be performed by all consumers and this is effective to present new and shining ideas for promotion of business in the market place. Accordingly, concern of latest communication resources is also advantageous to take public opinions about performance and presentation of specific products and services. A main disadvantage of ERP is linked with lack of practice of those people which are performing with this commercial technique in the social order. The use of support of experts is the way of sensation in these conditions and this scenario is helpful for success of commercial objectives. Enterprise resource planning is a topical source of business promotion and this is procurable for all humans according to their commercial and social objectives. Technical communication, performance measurement, utilization of latest sources is imperative for sensation of the business and this is an observable matter with the instance of presentation of latest products in the market. These solutions are complex free as clients can bring easiness and acceptance in their social and commercial life. Accordingly, customers are also trouble free as they can procure their desired services and make their life gratifying and pleasurable according to their wishes and desires. Thus, technical communication

Johnny Cupcakes Essay Example for Free

Johnny Cupcakes Essay Johnny Cupcakes is a multi-million dollar clothing brand. The brand was founded in 2001 by Johnny Earle. One of Johnnys acquired nicknames was Johnny cupcakes. He thought it would be funny to make a couple random shirts that said Johnny Cupcakes on them for the fun of it (Earle, 2012). After massive interest in these shirts, he decided to continue to make more and change up the designs. In 2001, Johnny stated, the band I was in, On Broken Wings, finally got signed to a record label and we began to tour full time (Earle, 2012). This opened up Johnny and his t-shirts to a larger crowd of customers in different parts of the country. This boosted the brands popularity and Johnny decided to quit the band and focus all of his time, effort, and attention on his t-shirts. Johnny ended up going to trade shows in Las Vegas and eventually ended up getting carried by shops in Japan, Europe, and Canada in addition to a few other US locations (Earle, 2012). Johnny had a turning point moment at that very same trade show later on that year. He realized people didnt like having the same things as others and that they enjoyed uniqueness. At this point Johnny made the decision to pull all his shirts from retail stores. Earle 2012 stated that he decided to make all of his t-shirts limited edition and exclusive, only selling them through his website and later on in his own retail stores. As the Johnny Cupcakes brand grew, Johnny opened up stores in Hull, MA; Boston, MA; Las Angeles, CA; and London, England. Johnny states that Above all, Ill continue to focus on enhancing my customers experiences through my stores, events, website, designs, and packaging. I will never ever sell my brand to investors for all the money in the world. I think youll find that things will only get more interesting from here (Earle, 2012). The Johnny Cupcakes brand to some can be described as streetwear. Hundreds, 2011 defines streetwear as a genre of contemporary apparel, united between sportswear and military looks, and is one that speaks to a spectrum of subcultures (skateboarding and hip-hop mostly). Some of Johnny Cupcakes major competitors are also streetwear brands such as Us Versus Them, Reason, Benny Gold, Situationormal, Flying Coffin, Clot, Diamond, Fuct, Alife, The Hundreds, A Bathing Ape, Supreme, and Rebel8 among others. These companies not only produce unique designs and clothing, they have a fan base, and what some might call a cult following. They represent more than just a t-shirt. They differentiate themselves by their designs, material, limited edition collections, and the customer experience. Johnny Cupcakes top products are his limited edition t-shirts, but the company also sells sweatshirts, hats and accessories. One of the things that make JC stand out is their packaging. The supplies the compan y needs and uses are not just clothing/accessory based, but just as important is their packaging. Johnny Cupcakes uses bakery style boxes with their cupcake and crossbones logo on it. The company also uses specially made tissue paper to wrap the bought goodies up in. The tissue paper is also marked with the JC logo. The are two major external factors that greatly influence Johnny Cupcakes as a company and those are the economy and trends. Since Johnny Cupcakes offers luxury items (those items that consumers dont need, but rather want), the economy can play a significant role in their profits. When times are tough, like in an economic recession, the majority of people watch their money more closely. These people may choose to only buy things out of necessity rather than splurge on things they want. Another big obstacle that JC has to stay on top of is the trends of their market. Clothing styles and designs come and go, therefore, Johnny Cupcakes needs to stay at the forefront of what their target market likes otherwise they could easily become extinct. One way JC battles these two external factors is making every shirt limited edition. The limited edition status gives the feel of exclusiveness. People not only crave exclusiveness, but will pay top dollar for it. Because theyre collectibles and not just apparel, customers are willing to pay $60 for a Johnny Cupcakes shirtand even stand in line for a new release like kids waiting for concert tickets (Spaeder 2007). This exclusiveness plays off of our cultures social classes. Most Americans want to be in a better social class. Exclusiveness is a trait that is common in the highest of classes. The limited edition shirts not only sets the standards for someones social status, but also keeps inventory at a low, making sure the products that are produced are sold. Having limited edition shirts erases much of the risks and fears of the changing trends of JCs market. Since there are only a handful of the shirts available, they are long gone before the design and style gets soggy. Also, this allows the company to be very flexible with the changing market. The two major internal factors that impact the organization are how they enhance the customer experience and their product packaging. These are two very important factors that help create the Johnny Cupcakes brand. They are part of the JC culture and without them, the brand wouldnt be what it is today. Part of the customer experience lies in JCs three retail store locations. Theyre set up just like bakeries, complete with glass display shelves, employees wearing aprons and the smell of vanilla frosting in the air (Spaeder 2001). During big releases or setting up weekend pop-up stores, Johnny himself will be there to greet and talk with everyone of the customers that walk through his store. This again is part of the experience and connection he wants his fans to feel when they think of the Johnny Cupcakes brand. Johnny thinks nice packaging sets an experience, a memory, or a safe-keeping that is sometimes just as important as the product itself. I’m a sucker for nice packaging (Earle, 2012). When conducting a SWOT analysis of Johnny Cupcakes, some of the companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats have already been discussed. JCs major strengths are the exclusiveness it personifies by selling limited edition shirts and the customer experience it provides. One of its major weaknesses is the fact that it only has three retail stores and an online store. If it were to grow (and being a multi-million dollar business it has the resources to do this) it could reach more of a customer base and increase not only its fan following, but its sales as well. A huge opportunity that Johnny Cupcakes has is the fact that it has done several successful collaborations with other companies including Nickelodeon and Hello Kitty, which expands its customer and fan base. As with all companies, a threat is competition. If JC can stay authentic to its audience then it will overcome the competition. As stated earlier, since JC is a luxury brand, the economy and trends are another threat. Listening to their market will definitely help subdue these threats. One of Johnny Cupcakes biggest resources and assets are its customers. Johnny Cupcakes has not only been able to acquire customers, but also fans and audiences (which is much more powerful). The reason the JC brand has been able to do this is because of the experience a customer gets when going into a store or a pop-up shop. When a customer sees their Johnny Cupcakes shirt they remember an experience they had when purchasing the shirt. I personally have two JC shirts (one was given as a gift so I dont have an experience to associate with that but my parents, who bought the shirt for me do). I do have a vivid recollection of an experience I had when purchasing my first Johnny Cupcakes t-shirt at a pop-up shop on Marthas Vineyard. There was a line of people waiting at a small bakery for it to open its doors. Everyone was unsure of what the t-shirts would look like because the designs had not yet been released. Not knowing what shirts will be sold definitely gives a little sense of excitement and surprise; and being excited about a brand goes a long way with customer loyalty. The waiting fans were given diner-like menus to see what shirts would be available. This definitely embodies the Johnny Cupcakes culture and experience. Once the doors were open to the bakery only a few people were allowed in at a time. This also gave the impression of exclusiveness. The limited edition shirts available were all Marthas Vineyard related. Not only is MV a huge tourist location, but being a resident of the island I had a sense of pride and being able to wear something relating to the island meant something to me, as I am sure it did to others, whether they were residents or tourists gaining a unique souvenir. After purchasing the shirt and leaving the bakery, I was greeting outside by Johnny Earle himself who not only took a picture with me, but also signed my shirt. My parents had a similar experience, telling me what a meaningful conversation they had with Johnny. Every time I pull out my JC t-shirt, I remember my unique experience of t-shirt buying. Johnny Cupcakes is a differentiation strategy user that sells an experience, along with his products. The way the business is run creates fans. JC leverages the companys resources, the customer experience, to create fans and a following of the brand. There are a handful of such loyal fans that fly out to all his releases to be able to experience them and not miss out on any product or show. JC, on a smaller scale, reminds me of the cult following of The Grateful Dead. Deadheads knew each show was unique and didnt want to miss out on any one of them. There are many Johnny Cupcakers who feel the same way. On March 24 of 2011, Johnny Cupcakes went international and opened up a store in London. Johnny had previously tested the waters in London by way of pop-up stores. His store in London was a huge hit, and he plans on a huge one-year celebration. Johnny opened up his store in London the same way he started is brand and opened up his other stores in the USA, with no investors, partnerships, or alliances. He started off small and threw his profits right back into his brand. One of the things Johnny Cupcakes prides itself on is not having to use investors or other companies to grow their brand. Part of this is what makes the brand who and what they are today. By staying authentic and listening to their market, Johnny Cupcakes will be continue to be successful in the years to come. With more years of success under his belt, Johnny may want to further exp and his brand in the global market. References Earle, J. (2012). Story. Retrieved from: http://www.johnnycupcakes.com Hundreds, B (2011). The 50 Greatest Streetwear Brands. Retrieved from: http://http://www.complex.com/style/2011/06/the-50-greatest-streetwear-brands Spaeder, K. (2007). By Popular Demand. Retrieved From: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/177912

Approaches for Organisational Management

Approaches for Organisational Management Introduction: Human resource management is a strategic and rational approach towards the management of the organisations most esteemed assets, the people who normally work inside the organisation independently and collectively contribute to the accomplishment of its goals organisational success progressively depends on the abilities, knowledge and skills of the employees mainly as the help to establish a set of core competencies that distinguish an organisation from its competitors. In modern market place human resource management plays an important role for the existence of modern business organisation. However, the role of HRM strategies is massive for development of the business through organisational success. Different approaches to HRM to aid the development of business strategy: The meaning and nature of HRM has aggravated much debate (for an overview see Legge, 1995).Sisson (1990) Distinguished HRM by explaining four distinguishing features, that is the assimilation of personnel policies with business planning; responsibility From specialists to line managers responsibility has to be shifted; uniqueness in the management of employee relations and an emphasis on securing employee dedication and initiative. Guest (1992, p.42) argues that HRM is designed to produce, Strategic integration, high commitment, high quality and flexibility and that, Strategic integration refers to the ability of the organisation to integrate HRM issues into its strategic plans, to ensure that the various aspects of HRM cohere and for line managers to fit in an HRM perspective into their decision-making. Hendry and Pettigrew (1986) contrast that strategic HRM is featured by four fundamentals: the use of planning; the design by a coherent approach and management of workforce systems underpinned by some philosophy; business approach is coordinated with the HRM actions and policy; and considering the people of the organisation as strategic resources in the accomplishment of competitive strategy. Human resource requires in an organisation will vary at different stages in the business life cycle and so HR policy choices need to be personalized to the appropriate stage (Kochan and Barocci,1985; Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall, 1988). Sisson (1994) suggests that it was the pursuit of competitive advantage in the.There is a number of different approaches in HRM to aid the development of business strategy. It can be professed as social ethics, reminding the senior management about their social responsibilities.HRM department spent most of time functioning on personal welfare problems. The main concern of HRM is the control of personnel as well as reduces the absent rate of employee, work force budgeting and headcount. In other way of HRM helps to develop the business, likewise, to adapt the company with the change and strives to have positive influences by using social science applications to man agreement problems by via job redesign, job satisfaction scheme and techniques of communication. Sometimes HRM deals with job recruitment, transfer and termination by the request from manager. Moreover, human resource management concerned strategic business planning, developing long-term human resources plan and industrial relation strategy. HR planning and acquisition Organisation design structure Organisations strategy Training development Compensation Management Organisation Performance Management Management of employee relations HR mobility management HR toolbox management Figure: Human Resource Management system The key success of any business organisation is human resource. So HRM use these human resources effectively to meet the strategic business objectives of the organisation. Necessity of alignment between organisations corporate strategy and objectives and its human resource strategy: In perfect world, the business and strategic organisational plan are the translated form of organisational mission and goals. According to the principle of alignment, to achieve corporate goals in every aspects of an organisations activities have to be incorporated and pull together. The performance of the people within the organisation depends on the achievement of strategy and vision which in turn calls for high level of motivation and dedication among employees. The organisational mission, goals and values is reflected by the performance of the employees and their excellent performance relies on the opportunities how much they are getting from the business. In an organisation different functional area like: marketing, manufacturing and human resource, after formulating corporate and business level strategy managers need to translate strategic precedence into these areas. This contains all the different aspects of business but predominantly have to be comprehensible between the requirements of organisations strategy and HR policy. There are two types of fit that HR policy and practices require to attain: a) Internal alignment b) External alignment Internal Alignment: In internal alignment managers must have to make sure that their HR practices are all associated with one another within the organisations to set up a formation that is reinforced mutually. From organisations point of view the whole variety of HR practices-job design, training, staffing, performance appraisal and compensation must have to be focused on the same personnel objectives. External Alignment: The link between business strategies and key initiatives in human resource are mainly focused by external alignment. The processes required in order to assess the effectiveness of human resource strategy and its impact on overall corporate strategy: Diagram: Typical strategic recruitment process Dynamic Environment Recruitment requisition Position analysis Vision Position description Strategic business plan Human resource strategy Human resource plans and policy Recruitment process Position evaluation Key stakeholders Budget check sourcing Dynamic Environment Pool of applicants Selection process Source: Nankervis A, Compton, R, Braid, M, 2005, Strategic Human Resource Management (6th edition), Cengage, South Melbourne. Recruitment: A major concern is a recruitment and retention of staff; especially where the pool of availability of workforce is limited. However, due to the requirement of high skill personnel, a shortage of prospective recruits exists in an organisation. The decision of staffing has been formalised by the HRM department at head office. Organisations provide work for people in different position to achieve their own goals. Most of the organisations have vacancy at different time around the year and they need to be filled them on time to continue their work effectively. For recruit and select the best person for the vacancy organisations have to follow certain processes. The personnel decision process helps the organisation to make a decision about the person to who is going to appoint. It makes sure that it will be fairly treated with all the individuals who are going to apply for the post. All the candidates are evaluated on the basis of related skills and behaviours. The outputs of every decision affect the working lives of employees, whose requirements must be met. The organisational productivity increasingly depends on these employees because of hiring right person for the job. The human resources decisions based on the following seven steps: 1. Getting job oriented information through job analysis. The process of identifying tasks, duties and responsibilities is job analysis. Once it has been completed, job analysis leads to identify the knowledge, abilities and skills required to do the job that is job description. After that, organisations will continue through job specification. 2. Identify the measures of job success: There is way of measuring job success called criteria and that is measured through organisational psychologist. 3. Identify predictors and measures 4. Determining the relationship between and predictors job success 5. Developing a recruitment strategy 6. Implementing the selection process 7. Determining the worth of selection system An organisation basically follows two strategies for recruiting suitable qualified individuals. These are- Internal recruitment An Organisation first tries to fill an open position internally through current employees inside the organisation by advertising. External recruitment There are wide range of strategies for recruiting people from outside the organisation like-giving advertisement at newspaper by providing information about job requirements, job duties and responsibilities. The other way of recruiting is through internet. It will create problems for them who dont have the access the internet. Large organisations visit campuses of universities of technologies to recruit their candidates is known as campus recruitment. Sometimes organisations employ human resources recruitment agencies and their services are to provide the whole recruitment process. These are not on low-cost. The least costly external recruitment technique is employee referrals technique. This is a technique by which ask to someone in current employees about they have someone who is interested for this open position. The main advantages of external recruitment are that helps to get new ideas and skills into the organisation. Sometimes it does create problems for them because they dont have knowledge about the new environment and culture. Employees need to spend more time on that. Selection: The process of choosing appropriate candidates for the organisation when it has received applications for open jobs is known as selection. This is the final steps of recruitment process. It is the combinations of eight basic steps. Recruiting candidates Carrying out application form Screening test Checking of reference Arrangement of psychological test Arrange interview for selection Medical check up Making an offer to successful candidates There are some additional terms which used by the organisational psychologist during the process of selection. These are-job selection ratios, realistic preview of job and cut-off. Retention: It is very important and ongoing issue. Its a serious problem when an organisation will have to face continuously for the estimated future. An organisation always wants to retain employees in short of supply and they want to have alternatives. Organisations always keep going on developing their own plan to retain employees by conveying responsibility. The main base of retention job description, recruitment, selection and orientation. Mainly retention focus on job satisfaction and fit with the organisational culture and the strategies based on this should focus on maximising three types of satisfaction. These are personal, professional and social. If organisation fails to recruit right person for the right track then organisations has to suffer and employees has to suffer as well. For example; hidden cost incurred by the management to fix that problems. For that reason organisation has to loss their productivity. From the employees point of view-they have to face problems due to not h aving proper skills in specified job. They have to spent more time and energy on finding new position. Overall they become frustrated. Communication, recognition and future orientation are the key attributes for successful strategies for retention. There are different types of retention strategies based on organisational situations-strategies based on compensation, strategies based on work environment and strategies based on career orientation. Strategy based on compensation: There are some organisation focuses on compensation such as IT firms. Strategies based on work environment: Most of the organisations focus on internal environment of the organisation or the culture of the organisation. Strategies based on career development: some companies focus on retention strategies through career development. Training, Learning and Development: Training plays an important role for the development of all employees which responds to individuals and helps to achieve organisational requirements by improving performance and understanding (Armstrong, 1992).Considering with the strategic direction, how the organisations core competencies of employees can be identified and advantages taken from environmental factors. From the training and development terms, this can implement the classical training cycle and business planning come close to determining training needs (Mayo and Pickard, 1998). Organisation objective Planning Evaluating Delivering Figure: Business objectives within the training life cycle (winter, 1995). The training strategy is a system that determines the competencies required for the organization in the future and how it can be achieved. Organisations need these training strategies for different perspectives like- -To increase the productivity through expenditure on capital improvements -To increase the productivity through spending on developing human capital Different methods of training for people: Generally there are two types of training methods. a) On-site training methods 1) On the job training: In this training method, trainees get training under the direction of someone and encouraging them to gain knowledge and observe more and more from the existing experienced employees. Though its formal training so every employee get some initial knowledge from it. 2) Job rotation: This training method allows people to move in different department of the organisations. Through this job rotation employees develop skills in different section more than they would get from staying in one department. 3) Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship is a particular form on the job training though which a particular level employees used to get information about skilled trade (Goldstein Ford, 2002).For example; different company like:-electrician,plumber,carpenter,pipefitter,sheet metal worker etc. Is used this approach. b) Off-site training methods 1) Classroom lectures: Its one of the common methods of job training. It can provide large number of information at a time and easy to deliver it to the large no of trainees at a time. 2) Instruction in the form written material or forms based on computer. 3) Computer based training (CBT): Its a way training by which trainees can communicate and transfer and get information from instructor through computer, television etc. (Goldstein Ford, 2002).Its distance learning. Development of HR: Human Resource is the framework for employees can develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, abilities. Human resource development include; employee training, employee career, development, performance management and development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key employee identification. Understand the organizational needs and future demand as well as future capability, and know what talent it has available to it. And prove, as far possible, a career challenge to individuals that helps them to meet their aspirations. In developing the organization, personal development also important for the organizational improvement, because a individual persons are the set of organizational power mean resources. In bellow there the method of development: Individual Support- Organizational Interest- Dialogue Accreditation Organizational Mapping Performance Management Career-counselling Succession planning Appraisal discussion Career-planning Secondments Career discussion Personal plans Manpower/skills planning Development centres Mentoring Training prioritisation Vacancy management Learning resource centres Retention Strategies Self-managed learning 360 degree feedback Potential assessment Managerial coaching External coaching High-flyer development Flexible working Training facilities getting to grips with the needs of a job quickly, and by improving the knowledge and skill of worker it allows the employee improved quality, and enhance of skill based on the employee could lead to their job enrichment with benefits to both the person and the organization. Motivational impact of training in a manifest when staff feel a sense of reorganization when sent on training course, and after been trained they are motivated to acquire new skills, particularly when rewards follow the acquisition and use of skills. Identification with organization could be fostered when a better understanding of mission statements and corporate objectives is achieved through training. Strategies for positive employee relation: Employees are the stake holder of the organisation and cant be compared with task, functions, process or products. Emotional support and personal considerations are required for them to understand them. Its very complicated to draw up employees inventory and arrange them in warehouse in a systematic way. Any decisions regarding this will attempt a negative impact on them and may cause a break down in operations. So it is very important for the organisation to identify and value those differences and always give importance on the achieving positive and fruitful employee relations. The main concern of employee relations strategy: How to minimise the conflict by maintaining employee relations through building stable and cooperative relationships. How to achieve employee commitment though involvement of employee involvement and communication processes. -How to develop interest in employees towards the achievement of organisational goals. Strategic direction. The approaches of human resource management towards employee relations: To drive them for commitment: To get all the employees with the organisations by winning their heart and minds and make sure a fruitful return on training and development. A emphasizing on mutuality: getting the letter across that we are all together in this. A shifting of collective bargaining in the organisation to individual. By using of employee involvement techniques. Through applying total quality management (TQM) To use human resources more effectively sometimes increase flexibility in working environment, including multi skilling By giving more importance on team work Once organisation has established it is very difficult to change the organisations culture, this means to change the employee relationships culture is also difficult. The organisation will become more successful when senior management think employee relationship strategically in employee perception rather than rival organisations. It can be achieved simply by aiming to recruit and retain more effectively and by developing employee relationship strategies to increase the overall satisfaction of employees though chances (like feeling interest in job, job security, positive completion, and influence them performance) and decrease the dissatisfaction Performance management: Performance in an organisation cannot be defined but it can be measured. Its measurement of muti-dimentional construct depending on variety of factors (Bates and Holton, 1995). Bernadin el al (1995) concerned that Outcomes of work should be defined as performance because it creates a strong linkage with organisational goals, customer satisfactions and economic contributions. It is about managing of the organisation in the perspective of internal and external environment. There are different stages of performance management showed in figure 2.1: High performance Improved performance Low performance Start year Agreement of performance During year Monitoring and review against agreement End year Review of main performance Figure 2.1: Different stages of performance management Performance management involves continuous review of performance against organisational objectives, requirements and plans and the performance agreement, enhancement by implementation and developments line-up for the next. Business strategy, employee development and total quality management (TQM) are main processes in the business that should be linked with the performance management for achieving business performance (Hartle, 1995). Basically the force for vertical and horizontal integration is performance management.Vertical integration: Vertically It can be achieved in two ways. Firstly, it facilitates the coalition of strategies and plans of the business with individuals and teams. There targeted aims are those that support the success of corporate goals.secondly, the organisational core values and capabilities should take place through vertical integration as well as values adopted and the level of potential achieved by individuals. Valuing peopleHorizontal integration: It is the association of performance management and human resource strategies that deals with valuing, paying, relating and developing people. Organisations effectiveness can be increased through the impact of performance management. The effectiveness of the organisations can be improved by adopting with various processes of managing, motivating and developing people through successful integration with performance management. It shows in figure 1.3: Developing people Performance management Paying people People involvement Figure 1.3: Performance management as a central point for integrated HR activities Reward: The main purpose of reward is to increase job performance, productivity, meet the customer expectation and to hold recognition. In other way- To achieve the goal To accomplish the task on time To take out boring from work place To promote the employee to work To meet the higher and lower order needs Strategies for reward: All employees are in the reward strategy for example: line managers, stake holders. All the employees work hard with skills and effort in return they get salary and other performance bonus from employers. Its also good relationships developed between employees and employers through good working environment and excellent communication. In broader sense strategic aims include: To introduce a more incorporated approach to reward management and encouraging the employees through continuous personal development. To develop flexible approach. To reward people according to employees contribution. To make a clear specification about what behaviour will be rewarded and why. Reward management: According to Contingency theory applied to reward: Different reward strategies are required for organisational diversity and cultures. Different reward strategies and its usefulness vary according the organisations policies and practices. Business strategies may take forward the business strategy inside the organisation. The interrelationship between the employees and managers will influence the strategies at different levels in the organisations. Performance related pay should depends on the way motivation of employees Initiatives for specific rewards: It depends on the examination of present circumstances in the organisation and need of evaluation of the business and its employees. Examples of some possible initiatives: The establishment of contribution pay scheme through replacing of present methods of contingent pay The initialisation of new grades and pay structure The substitution job evaluation scheme with more clarified scheme that shows values and needs of the organisation. The improvement of flexible benefit system The arrangement of announcement and training programmes to tell all the employees about the reward policies and practices. Development of Reward strategy: Development of strategy: In todays organisation is facing fast changing economic environment, technological advancement and globalisation. Organisations have to cope up with these changes. The close fit between business strategy and HR strategy actually help to reach their desired target. From the business point of view, it has to take account on trend such as concentration on core business, market segments, get maximum values from reward system, and give more importance on flexibility. They have to change the old system with the best practices to meet these requirements. The design of reward system must need to be fair and need to operate consistently to recognize individuals needs. There are many steps for developing strategies: Determine the main issues for business strategy that affects the reward and policy To find out crucial success factors for the business and need to think implications for human resource and reward strategies. Need to keep in eye on old reward strategies and identify any change require for that to adapt that with new changes of the organisations. To identify the implications for HR plans to establish future needs. Discuss with the consultant about how to develop reward strategies Consider external factors like policies of government, income tax regulations, peoples pay and pressure from local or international. Conclusion: At the end we can conclude the importance of human resource management strategies in an organisational context by summarising the needs that for effective running of the business HRM is essential. It is not possible to run the organisation without engaging human resource management. Human resource management need to be active in order to maintain all the section within a short time. Moreover, human resource management helps to enhance the productivity of an organisations people through hiring right person at right place at time by making good strategies. HRM also motivate their employees through various ways like pay and reward. This is way how human resource management helps in achieving the overall performance of the organisation through developing strategies and implementing them effectively towards the organisational success.

A Society of Unequal’s Just Won’t Do Essay -- Literary Analysis, Jan

Everyone has the right to govern oneself in how to act, where to live, and who to associate with. In Jane Eyre, Jane is controlled and structured by an underlying social and economic critique of conventional patriarchal authority. First, we will examine the various patriarchs that Jane encounters with John Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester, and St. John. Then, we can turn our attention to the economics of social class and how Jane conducts herself where she resides rather it be at Gateshead, Lowood or Thornfield and then we will look at how Jane becomes an equal. Upon receiving a vast fortune from her uncle, Jane abandons her role of inferiority and travels to Ferndean to reunite with Rochester as equals. Jane Eyre’s mother decided to marry into a lower social class than her own and consequently did not inherit any of her family’s wealth. John Reed, Jane’s maternal cousin, however did inherit the family’s wealth and therefore thought he was superior to Jane. John made it apparent that his position as sole male heir gives him absolute power to harass his dependent female cousin. One can see this when he finds her hidden behind curtains reading a book, John Reed tells Jane, â€Å"You are a dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live here with gentlemen’s children like us†¦I’ll teach you to rummage my book-shelves: for they are mine; all the house belongs to me† (Bronte 23). John then proceeds to demand Jane to go and stand by the door, which she complied to because she is considered his inferior. John then threw the book that he found Jane reading at her. She fell and struck her head against the door, causing it to bleed. Jane verbally lashes out against John Reed, and ... ...ction, Volume 31, No. 4. (March 1977) 397-420 JSTOR. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. . Wyatt, Jean. â€Å"Patriarch of One’s own: Jane Eyre and Romantic Love.† Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, Volume 4, No. 2. (1985) 199-216 JSTOR. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. . Roy, Parama. â€Å"Unaccommodated Women and the Poetics of Property in Jane Eyre.† Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Volume 29, No. 4. Nineteenth Century (Autumn 1989) 713-727. JSTOR. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. . Monahan, Melodie. â€Å"Heading out Is Not Going Home: Jane Eyre.† Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Volume 28, No. 4. Nineteenth Century (Autumn 1988) 589-608. JSTOR. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. . Bronte, Charlotte. â€Å"Jane Eyre† Boston: Bedford of St. Martin’s, (1996) Print.

Amul

Thereafter, it plans to target Canada along with other European countries in future. Maul prompted the White Revolution in India, which eventually made the country the largest producer of milk in the world. Maul, which is also a world leader in producing milk products, is soon to begin manufacturing clarified butter (ghee) and cottage cheese (pander) at a New Jersey plant starting from February 2014. Maul has Joined hands with a local plant in order to manufacture milk products in the city. It has also revealed plans that it may buy milk from local farmers directly in future.Combining defense and offense, it has set forth on a multi-pronged strategy. Step 1: Increase daily milk processing capacity by 11-12 percent by 2018 to meet future demand. For this, Maul is building 9 Greenfield plants across India, and expanding capacity at some of its 245-odd plants, running up a bill of RSI 3,000 core in the process. Step 2: Innovation, so new products, improved packaging, and cost-effective solutions. For instance, Mall's flavored milk, milkshakes and yoghurt drinks will now roll out in 00 ml pet bottles costing RSI 2 less than the glass bottle.With 600,000 bottles a day, Maul wants to double revenues from a category that's growing 30 percent annually. Step 3: Better reach. Stood says, â€Å"We are also increasing our stock points or depots. We had 46 stock points across India. This year we are adding 8 stock points so that including 200 new super distributors to service 2,000 new small towns and cities. † Maul is also confident that its established brand will serve as a strong defense, as will the advantage that building a backward-integrated model like Mall's will take any competitor decades.

Payroll Accounting Project

CHAPTER 7 Note to Instructors Depending upon the availability of time and your goals in teaching the payroll accounting course, you may use the Payroll Project in one of several ways: 1. Assign only the preparation of payroll registers and posting to employees’ earnings records. 2. Assign (1) plus recording the entries in the general journal and posting to the general ledger. 3. Assign (1) and (2) plus completion of the quarterly tax reports. 4. Assign the complete project. . Appendix A uses the same practice set with the computer-assisted approach. If students are completing the project using Appendix A, it would be helpful to have them complete one of the payrolls manually. This would provide a better understanding of the operations that are being performed by the computer. Chapter 7 consists of a simulation, or practice set, for payroll accounting. Students will apply the knowledge acquired in this course to practical payroll situations.This simulation is a culmination of t he information presented in the textbook. Learning Objectives After completing the simulation, students should be able to: 1. Prepare payroll registers. 2. Maintain employees’ earnings records. 3. Journalize and post payroll and payroll tax entries. 4. Complete federal, state, and city tax deposit forms and journalize the transactions. 5. Prepare various quarter-end and year-end payroll tax forms. 6.Make the accrual entries for the payroll at the end of a year. Payroll Project Solution (p. 7–24) JOURNAL 20– Oct. 9 Payroll Cash 12 11,058. 80 Cash 11 11,058. 80 Oct. 9 Administrative Salaries 51 2,307. 69 Office Salaries 52 3,353. 08 Sales Salaries 53 3,600. 00 Plant Wages 54 4,902. 00 FICA Taxes Payable—OASDI 20. 1 878. 09 FICA Taxes Payable—HI 20. 2 205. 37 Employees FIT Payable 24 1,012. 00 Employees SIT Payable 25 434. 82 Employees SUTA Payable 25. 1 11. 33†¦ [continues]

The European Renaissance Essays - Medieval Philosophy, Renaissance

The European Renaissance Essays - Medieval Philosophy, Renaissance The European Renaissance The Renaissance was a period of European history, considered by modern scholars as that between 1300 and 1600. Many dramatic changes happend during the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a period of new inventions and beliefs. The Renaissance was drastically different from the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages the church held most of the power and it's economy was agriculturaly based. Exploration and learning was almost put to a stop. During the Renaissance society was transformed into a society increasingly dominated by central political institutions with an urban commercial attitude. Also, people's curiosity overcame thier fear and many people started to venture out and explore. New schools and colleges became more and more common. The Renaissance was started by many rich Italian cities, such as Florence, Ferrara, Milan ,and Venice. Because these cities were very wealthy, many merchants started to spend money on different things, such as painting, learning, new banking techniques, and new systems of government. These things gave rise to a new type of scholar, the humanist. Humanism was subjects concerned with humankind and culture. They stutied various things such as Latin, Greek language, literature and philosophy. Music and mathmatics were also studied as well. The Renaissance gave way to new forms of painting , art and sculpture. During the Renaissance, artist were no longer regarded as mere artisans, as they had been to the medieval past, but for the first time emerged as independent personalities, compared to poets and writers. Many artisans merged mathmatics with art , in order to become more precise in their measurements and to make sure an object was supported both rationally and porportionally. As a result painters tried and often suceeded into making their painting a window into the world. Artists also studied the way light hits objects and the way our eyes percieve light. A new kind of paint called oil paint was used. This allowed the artist to create texture , mix colors, and allow more time for corrections before it dried. The printing press was probaly the most important advance in technology. Europeans first used movable metal type to print a book. On small pieces of metal they engraved single letters of the alphabet. These could then be arranged and rearranged to form words and sentences. Johan Gutenberg is usually given credit for the first book printed, a copy of the Bible. By the 1500's printing presses where fairly well spread. The printing press had many effects on the world. First of all, it made books much easier to come by, wich made them cheaper. That ment common people could afford them. As a result literacy became more widespread, in contrast to the Middle Ages where usually monks and church officials were the only able to read. Second, since many more people were able to read, they wanted to read subjects other than religious or scientific work. So books on other subjects were published as well. Also many books were published in languages other than Latin, such as English, Portugeese, Spanish, French, and Italian. A third effect was that scholars had better access to one anothers work. They could also read the great works of the ancient and medieval periods. The Renaissance also had an effect on the general society. Many people became interested in politics. Also, people became interested in the world outside of thier towns. Many became explorers, merchants, and mapmakers. Religion especially changed during the Renaissance. In the Middle ages people were primarily concerned with serving the church and getting to heaven. But the increase in arts and education gave people something to look forward to, and a life worth living. So inturn, people based thier lives around various other things instead of the church. Because of the increase in literacy people learned that the Catholic Church only told the populus what they wanted them to hear. This caused many people to break away from the churh and form Proteezt religions. The Renaissance produced many great minds. Leonardo da Vinci was one of these. Although he was not regarded as a genious in his time. He had numerous works of art such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. He also is now

How does Les Murray use sound features to convey the heroism of Bill Tuckett Essays

How does Les Murray use sound features to convey the heroism of Bill Tuckett Essays How does Les Murray use sound features to convey the heroism of Bill Tuckett Essay How does Les Murray use sound features to convey the heroism of Bill Tuckett Essay Essay Topic: Literature Les Murrays Morse is a poem about Bill Tuckett and his heroic surgery, however through the effective use of sound techniques several levels of meaning are created; of the Morse code and how poetry is dying out. Les Murray emphasizes throughout the poem isolation, Morse code and conveys the heroism of Bill Tuckett using plosives, rhyme and rhythm. One of the sound features used to convey the heroism of Bill Tuckett is plosives. Les Murray crafts Morse into a poem with words that is interpreted in more than one way. Plosives such as c, k, t and p sound like tapping noises, very much like that of Morse code. To the reader this link to Morse code is very entertaining because the constant tapping such as the ck and tt of Tuckett and the p and t of patient. This evokes a positive atmosphere; one to support the heroism of Bill Tuckett conveyed through this humorous tone. Furthermore Les Murray uses plosives in pluck and epoch. These are words that are rarely used in this age are considered archaic which in use matches the era of Bill Tuckett. This adds realism and humour to Morse. This realism emphasizes the isolation of the area and how there is nobody except Bill Tuckett to do the surgery which increases the heroism of Bill Tuckett. Plosives also are very short syllables which speed up Morse evoking an urgent atmosphere. Les Murray conveys the urgency to give the effect of Bill Tuckett trying to quickly send Morse to others. Even though he is a hero because of the surgery, his fast sending of Morse has made a hero is Morse as well. The plosives in Morse convey heroism through the tapping noise, being archaic and the urgency. Another of the sound features is rhyme which conveys the heroism of Bill Tuckett through isolation, urgency and entertainment. Les Murray uses some assonance in slit but slit and razor blade portraying dark images of horror and evoking a negative atmosphere. However the words that rhyme end in plosives like lack luck, and pluck which creates an echo. The echoing of sounds is very entertaining to the reader which evokes a positive atmosphere. The contrast between the positive atmosphere and the negative atmosphere reduces the intensity of the horror which conveys Bill as being less horrible through is horrifying actions of the surgery but instead very heroic for what he has done. In all lines of Morse they end in a plosive except for the line which ends in gone. Les Murray uses this to emphasize the line Morse keys have mostly gone which is suggesting that Morse or even poetry is being used less and less. Les Murray is emphasizing the point to convey the importance of the theme and show that since it is running out and he is using Morse effectively, Bill Tuckett is heroic. Rhyme in Morse conveys the heroism of Bill Tuckett through the pleasure of rhyme and his Les Murrayss use of Morse. Heroism is conveyed by Bill Tuckett through rhythm. Morse is made up of short syllables and long syllables. Les Murray creates the effect of short corresponding to the dit of Morse code as well as the long syllables corresponding to the dah of Morse code which is entertaining to the reader because there are several levels of meaning. Because it is entertaining this reiterates the positive atmosphere therefore emphasizing the Positivity of the heroism of Bill Tuckett. A pause is used in Stanza one where there are lots of commas between heat, glare and dust to portray imagery of a difficult environment. Les Murray is emphasizing how its hard for Bill Tuckett to cope and conveys heroism. Throughout Stanza two there is a lack of pauses as there is no full stops therefore evoking an urgent atmosphere. This urgency reiterates Bill Tuckett sending Morse and conveys Bill Tuckett as being heroic. Rhythm in Morse conveys the heroism of Bill Tuckett through the syllables corresponding to Morse code and pauses conveying the difficult environment. In Morse, Les Murray conveys the heroism of Bill Tuckett effectively through rhythm, rhyme and plosives which portray several levels of meaning. Themes of isolation, the loss of art; poetry and Morse are conveyed through the urgent and positive atmosphere. Les Murray conveys to the reader that the art of poetry is important and should be recognised and appreciated.

Analysis of the Nation of Brazil and Its Classification as A Developed Nation or Not

Analysis of the Nation of Brazil and Its Classification as A Developed Nation or Not In this project I have collected, analysed and evaluated evidence to help me to decide whether Brazil is a developed country or a developing country. Introduction to Brazil Brazil is the largest and most influential country in South America with a population of about 176 million, which is greater than the combined total for the whole of the rest of the continent. Brazil takes up almost half of South America. The 6,448km long Amazon River runs through the North of Brazil and is the second largest in the world, and the Amazon Basin is the largest River Basin the world. The River and over a thousand tributaries drain an area of 6,150,000km and carry one fifth of the worlds fresh water out to sea. In the North East, Brazil has arid deserts with rolling grasslands in the South. The Amazonian Rainforest covers more than one third of Brazil and its exploitation has become a major environmental worry. Brazil borders the Atlantic Ocean down the eastern side with the following countries bordering the North and West: French Guiana; Suriname; Guyana; Venezuela; Columbia; Peru; Bolivia; Paraguay; Argentina; and Uruguay. Brazil lies between 5 North and 30 South of the Equator. So, it is possible to stand with one leg in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the Southern Hemisphere! The Equator, therefore, runs through the extreme North of Brazil with Macap and the Mouths of the Amazon on its line. Brazils correct title is The Federal Republic of Brazil and its 26 states are administered from its capital, Bras, which was purpose built and now has a population of between 1 and 1.9 million people. However, S Paulo has 17 million inhabitants. (See population map). The highest point in Brazil is Pico da Neblina which is 3014m (9,888 ft) above sea level. Brazils main language is Portuguese and its main religion is Catholic Christianity. Brazilian society is a vibrant, diverse mix of cultures. Brazils share of the Amazon basin, occupying half of the country, has a model equatorial climate. The 150-200cm (59-79 inches) of rain are spread throughout the year, although some periods are rather wetter than others according to the region. (See rainfall map) Temperatures are high, with almost no seasonal variation, but scarcely ever rise above 38 (100). The Brazilian plateau, which occupies most of the rest of the country, has far greater temperature ranges. Rain falls mainly between October and April. However, the Northeast, the least productive region of Brazil, is very dry and in past years has been suffering from severe drought, which compounded its problems. (See map on rainfall) The southern states have hot summers and cool winters, when frost may occur. The currency used on Brazil is the Real. 1 real = 100 centavos. The average wage per person per year is about ,570. The following evidence I have gathered describes how Brazil may have become a developed country. Economy Brazil has one of the worlds major economies and is now the ninth wealthiest country in the world. Economic reforms in the 1990s have bought some stability to the countrys finances. Reforms have included privatisation and the opening up of its markets. During the 1960s and 1970s, GDP expanded by an average of 11% a year. At this time the country enjoyed massive industrial growth, but then the Boom and Bust pattern hit and Brazil went bust! It became the worlds greatest debtor. The economy underwent major diversification and industrialisation, and today Brazil is a significant producer of cars and computers. In fact, Brazils car industry is acclaimed as being the success of the decade. Economic reform, initiated in 1990, enabled Brazil to reschedule its debts, but a steep recession followed in 1990-1992. The launching of the new currency, the re, in 1994 was the fifth attempt at monetary stabilisation since 1986. It contributed to the dramatic reduction of inflation from around 50% a month in 1994 to around 80% a year in 1995 and less than 20% a year in 1996. Economic growth of 5.7% in 1994 was the highest since 1986. This boosted regional confidence and facilitated the launch of MERCOSUR, the common market with neighbouring Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. In 1995, a fractious Congress blocked constitutional reforms of the tax and social security system, but finally agreed to end state monopolies in such sectors as telecommunications and oil, thereby reviving the governments privatisation programme. Rio de Janeiro is a major city on the East Coast, and although not the biggest, was once the capital city of Brazil. It was the area where the earlier Portuguese settlers (who have always claimed that they discovered it) landed and immediately began cultivating the rich soil. At this stage, it was all tropical forest in the area, but over many centuries it has been cleared and it is now Brazils political and economic heartland. Many people enjoy the white sandy beaches of Copacabana, which is overlooked by Sugarloaf Mountain. Many centuries of colonisation, conflict and slavery, and massive immigration from Europe have left Brazil a Country full of many different races and cultures. Lying mid-way between Salvador in the North and Porto Alegre in the South, and occupying only 7.7 per cent of Brazils total area, Rio De Janeiro supports over 30 per cent of its population. The annual carnival in Rio takes place over fives days where parades, balls, street dancing and samba and bossa nova music fill the streets. Brazil is also revered for its football prowess, having won the world cup 5 times. Vast sugar cane plantations mean that alcohol production is huge, and when oil became scarce and expensive in the early 1970s it caused many to use industrial alcohol as a fuel for the vehicles they then began building. Politics Brazil is a democratic federal republic with 26 regional parliaments and a national congress. Brazil became independent of Portugal in 1822 giving the country the opportunity to develop to its best potential, and current borders were established. Women in Brazil have had the vote since 1934 and in 1993, Brazilians voted to retain directly elected presidents. In 1997 the constitution was changed to allow a president to run for re-election. Reformists want provisions to curb tax evasion, and were successful in 1995 in ending state monopolies and allowing foreign investment in telecommunications, oil, mining and shipping. Many also want to see changes in the electoral system in order to curb the increasing involvement of small parties in government. In October 2002, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, popularly known as Lula, won the elections and became president. A former shoeshine boy he will head Brazils first left-wing government for more than 40 years. At his inauguration in January 2003, Lula promised to make major political and economical reforms and pledged to eradicate hunger. He also pledged to tackle corruption and Brazils economic woes, improve education and create 10 million jobs. He plans to rid Brazil of its reputation for the biggest gap between rich and poor in the world. He did warn that this might take him longer than his initial 4-year term. Plans to develop nuclear weapons have now been abandoned by the military. Industry Local industry is well developed, making Brazil dominant in the region. Major industries include, Agriculture, Mining, Iron and Steel, Motor vehicles, Oil and Mineral refining, Chemicals, Wood pulp and paper, Machinery, Food processing, Consumer goods, Textiles, Rubber processing and Fertilisers. Brazil is one of the worlds most important steel producers, and it has large deposits of gold, silver and iron. Agriculture and Products Brazil has a huge, successful agricultural base and produces the worlds largest quantities of coffee and Soya beans. It also has immense natural resources. It also produces Cereals, Cassava, Sugar, Oranges, Cocoa, Rice, Cotton, Tobacco, Bananas, Rubber, Timber, Iron ore, Bauxite, Manganese, Crude oil and Natural Gas, Coal, Chromium, Nickel, Tin, Zinc, Gold, Silver, Diamonds, Phosphates, Salt, Quartz crystal, Beryllium, Graphite, Titanium, Tungsten and Asbestos. Exports Total products exported are valued at $58.2 billion. Brazil has previously built its wealth on the exports of coffee, but more recently on sugar exportation and that of its other many natural resources. Brazil is now one of the largest sugar and orange juice exporters. Other products exported are Sugar, Machinery, Animal feed stuffs, Coffee, Cocoa, Iron ore, Motor vehicles, Soya beans and oil, Oranges, Iron and Steel, Chemicals and non-ferrous metals. Resources Under the military, Brazil commissioned several power stations from former West Germany. Energy from these has been more expensive than expected, but the construction of the Angra-2 nuclear station was approved in 1996. Hydropower has been more successful, accounting for 90% of electricity generation. An agreement to build a 2,200km (1,370 miles) pipeline from the Bolivian gas fields to Brazils industrial south was signed in 1996 and put out to private tender. Ethanol is being made from sugar in an attempt to reduce petrol imports. Within the agricultural sector, Brazil is the worlds largest producer of coffee and the third largest producer of maize (corn). The total amount of electricity generated is 251bn kW/h. of this 93% is generated by hydroelectric power and 6% is thermal. The total electricity capacity is 56.21 million kW. In the South, the forces of the Paran and Paraguay Rivers have been harnessed to form the worlds largest hydroelectric project, the Itaip Dam. Regional divide Brazil can be divided into 5 regions (see regional map) North, Northeast, Centre West, Southeast and South. The North has several resource sites, from which the following materials are mined: Gold Bauxite Lead Copper Tin Iron Nickel Diamonds Common Salt (Sodium Chloride) Oil But the north does not have any industries. This is because of the enormous Amazon Rainforest and the inability to build upon it. In the Centre West, there is a similar amount of resources, which also includes zinc, limestone and quartz. As in the North, the Centre West does not have any main industries. Down in the South there are not as many resources as in the North and Centre West, but there are many industries. Moving back up into the South East there are many resources such as Iron, Nickel, Oil, Gold, Quartz etc. and also quite a few industries which include Textiles/Clothing, Iron and Steel sites and a shipbuilding site. Finally, in the Northeast of Brazil there are many resource sites and industrial sites. These include Bauxite, limestone, sea salt and oil refineries, mechanical engineering and textiles and clothing. Communications A vast road network is being built to link the main centres of Brazil, and five river systems are being harnessed for a total of 8,000km (5,000 miles) of waterways. The antiquated railways are increasingly unreliable. S Paulos metro is being extended to cope with the citys rapidly expanding population. Media Brazil is the largest exporter of TV programmes. South Americas biggest media market is home to thousands of radio stations and hundreds of T.V channels. The constitution guarantees a free press and vigorous media debate about controversial political and social matters is common. Media ownership is highly concentrated. Globo and Abril dominate the market and have interests in T.V and radio networks newspapers and pay T.V operations. Education Education follows the French system with a bachillerato (baccalaur) at the end of secondary schooling Society Brazil has targeted eco-tourism as a major growth area. The government is encouraging foreign investment in tourist facilities in Amazonia. Health There is a free health service available. This chapter includes evidence to suggest that Brazil may not yet be a developed country, but may still be developing. Politics The reduction of the fiscal deficit is a key objective. The government aims to dramatically reduce overstaffing at all levels of government, reduce social security payments and address the problem of the high real level of interest rates. The 1988 constitution, detailing promises for a better future, has proved to be unworkable in practice. The state cannot afford its social security, health and pension commitments. The proliferation of local governments, designed to check federal power, has led to a duplication of functions and is very expensive. Former President Collor de Mellos 1992 impeachment for fraud underlines the depth of the problem of corruption in Brazil. Many are now demanding an end to parliamentary immunity: under the current system, elected officials cannot be prosecuted unless they have been suspended from office by a two-thirds vote. The military, in power between 1964 and 1985, was responsible for human rights abuses, particularly against Amazon Indians. Its economic mismanagement left Brazil with a legacy of huge debts and inefficient state industries. Regional Wealth The government is facing increasing pressure to redress what some say is one of the worlds most unfair distributions of wealth. Much of the countrys arable land is controlled by a handful of wealthy families, a situation which the Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST) seeks to redress by demanding land redistribution. It uses direct protest action and land occupation in its quest. Society Social conditions are harsh in the big cities of Rio de Janeiro and S Paulo, where a third of the population lives in favelas or slums. In the 1970s a major drive was initiated to move settlers to the Amazon region. This caused considerable damage to vast areas of the rainforest. The high rate of destruction of the Amazon by loggers and cattle ranchers remains controversial today. However, these government sponsored migration programmes have now been halted. Many people work in fields for little pay, while a few rich landowners benefit from the huge profits. The ownership of consumer goods is not high. Out of 1,000 people: 278 own a T.V, 83 own a VCR, 13 own a PC. A lack of money, health and education forces over 500,000 girls into prostitution. Many street children are murdered by vigilante groups, who believe they are cleaning the streets. 90% of these murders go unpunished. Amerindians suffer prejudice from most other peoples in Brazil. Since 1900, 87 Amerindian groups have become extinct as a result of disease, starvation or the forceful taking of their land by miners, settlers and loggers. The Amerindian population today is estimated at just 220,000. Migrants from the poor Northeast suffer considerable discrimination in Brazils larger cities. Health Brazils Aids programme has become a model for other developing countries, having succeeded in stabilising the rate of HIV infection and cutting the number of Aids-related deaths. However, it is a controversial programme since it involves bypassing the big drugs firms to produce generic copycat Aids medicines. There may be as many as 2,000 street children who are HIV positive. The major causes of death are Heart diseases, Cancers, Accidents and Violence. There are 681 patients per doctor. Only 2.8% of the GNP (Gross National Produce) is spent of health. The public health system is limited. Less than 20% of hospitals are state-run and private care is very expensive. The World Bank has criticised the under-financing of preventive health care. On average, only 15% of the health budget is allocated to child health, immunisation and other preventive programmes. Reported malaria cases tripled between 1980 and 1990; 90% are in Amazonia, mainly in settler towns. Leprosy and parasitic skin infections are also becoming more common, again often affecting settlers. Unfortunately, the building of the Itaip Dam caused the lake it created to drown a set of waterfalls and this created a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The forest contains many plants that provide the basis for many valuable products, the most important ones being those for medicines. The bark of chinchona supplies the quinine to treat malaria, for example. Other plants supply substances used in the fight against cancer. Brazil nuts too are of-course famous all over the world. The constant stripping and attacking of these natural resources is doing much harm. Economy Brazil has a history of boom and bust, with its attempts at development hampered in the past by high inflation and one of the biggest foreign debts. It has had to be bailed out in times of crisis. The total value of Brazils debt is a staggering $250bn! () Chaotic finances of the states threatens national economic stability. Foreign investment is deterred by corruption, the fragility of economic reforms and preferences given to national companies in the sale of state companies. Congressional opposition delays urgent tax and social security reforms and privatisations. Savings and investment rates are about half those of leading East Asian competitors. Despite enormous natural and economic resources, Brazil still has 32 million of its people living below the poverty line, and has not begun to tackle the problem of homelessness and street children in Rio, S Paulo and other large cities. An estimated one to five million families remain landless, while nearly 80% of farmland is owned by 10% of farmers. Brazils large wealth disparities have been growing during the last decade. Relatively low levels of unemployment conceal large-scale underemployment, and the UN classifies over 50% of the population as suffering poverty. The large numbers of poor rural migrants who move to the cities live in the favelas, or shantytowns. Favelas are now also appearing in the countryside. The wealthy like to drive European cars, holiday in Paris or ski in Switzerland, where most of them keep their money to avoid scrutiny and interference in their accounts by the government. Brazil experienced an energy crisis in 2001. It is a country very dependent on water to fire its hydro-electric power stations, so when they had droughts so bad that the reservoirs were drained dry, they had a major catastrophe on their hands. At that time, hydroelectric plants and reservoirs produced over 90% of the countrys electricity supply, and the dry weather and insecure infrastructure issues caused major shortages. In 2002, they introduced some energy rationing, even declaring public holidays in an attempt to keep the demand for power by the large industries down. This in turn has led to a more immediate need for an alternative fuel source, and to not keep all ones eggs in one basket so to speak. They are currently importing oil from Venezuela and Argentina. Many large foreign firms have placed serious bids for the rights to drill and excavate for oil in the rich off-shire reserves 6,560 feet below the waters surface off Brazils Atlantic Coast. BP Amoco, for example, won a bi d for an area located 186 miles from the mouth of the Amazon River. A second, third and fourth round of bids was even more successful, with large investments being made in Brazils oil reserves. Aid Brazils main aid donors are the USA and the EU. The World Bank provided $2 billion in 1996 for environmental, basic sanitation, road building and anti-poverty projects. As well as official aid, much comes from NGOs, (non-Governmental Organisations) mainly for environmental and housing projects. Education Not all children in Brazil are registered. Of those that are; 90% receive Primary education, 19% receive Secondary education and only 12% receive Tertiary education. The adult literacy rate is 84.9% of all registered people compared with 99% in the UK. State schools enjoyed a good reputation until the 1950s, but have declined since then. Most middle-class parents now send their children to private schools. The wealthy send theirs to Switzerland or France. Millions of the poor receive little education especially those living in the Northeast and Amazonia, and the urban poor. Brazils three million street children have no schooling at all. Public degree courses work on credits, as in the USA. Of Brazils 95 universities, 55 are administered by the state. Sao Paulo University is the most prestigious. Communications In Brazil, only 49 out of 1,000 people own a car and only 75 out of 1,000 people own telephones. Media Although there is now no official censorship, TV and radio operating licences are awarded as political favours, and state advertising is so extensive that it cannot fail to influence editorial policy. Media ownership is also highly concentrated, 3 main companies own 293 daily newspapers. There are 19 state owned TV stations and 218 independent stations. There 2000 independent radio stations, but only 1 state owned. Environment Federal agencies charged with protecting the Amazon are insufficiently funded, understaffed and accused of corruption. The Amazon rainforest contains an estimated 90% of the entire worlds plants and animals and is the most complex ecosystem known. However, the demands of agriculture are leading to its destruction at a rate of 4 square km (1.5 square miles) per hour, or 35,000 square km (13,510 square miles) per year. As a result of such massive clearances, usually for conversion to cattle pasture, vital genetic diversity is being lost. Brazil faces other environmental problems. Opencast bauxite mining is polluting rivers and threatening the livelihoods of indigenous Amerindians. In the cities, widespread industrial pollution and untreated sewage are major problems. Crime The total population in Prison is 87,053. There is no death penalty. There are 2 murders and 3 rapes per 100,000 people. Urban life in Brazil can be violent. The incidence of armed robbery and drugs-related crime is rising. Human rights abuses by the police are frequently reported. Death squads, uncontrolled by the government, target street children in particular, especially in Rio, S Paulo and Recife. Since 1985, the rate of street child murders has been rising. However, international condemnation of the crimes has led to action in some areas. In the countryside, violent land disputes are common. Landless workers are repeatedly displaced and indigenous peoples driven from land to which the government has, in theory, guaranteed their rights. Tourism Brazils border with Argentina and Paraguay, boasts a natural wonder of the world, the massive Iguazu Falls. This is a remarkable sight much bigger than the Victoria Falls in Africa or North Americas Niagara Falls. Yet, the rest of the world barely knows of its existence. If marketed correctly, this could be a major tourist attraction. Brazil needs to extend this tourist resource and do more with it. Its 2,000 km (1,240 miles) of Atlantic beaches, the folklore and music of the north-east coast, and the annual Mardi Gras carnival in Rio de Janeiro are Brazils major attractions. However, the increasingly affluent and international audience now controls the carnival. The largely Afro-Brazilian residents of Rios favelas, or shanty towns, can often no longer afford to take part in the parades that originate in their culture. However, Brazilians show little interest in Eco-tourism, preferring to visit Amazonia for the duty-free shopping zone in Manaus. Brazil is still a relatively cheap destination for European and American tourists. Despite this, visitor numbers are declining, falling from 0.5% to 0.1% of the world market since 1970. Many visitors have been put off by the negative publicity generated by the conditions in the shantytowns and by Brazils past human rights record. Housing shortages in Brazil mean that about 25 million people live in sprawling shantytowns, called favelas that surround the cities. Most of the homes are built by the families themselves, sometimes from waste materials but more often from wood, bricks and cement bought from builders merchants. For the population who live in the favelas, 70% have no running water, 60% have no toilets or drains and 52% have no waste collection. Conclusion On analysing the evidence found, I have drawn the following conclusions. I think that Brazil is still a developing country despite its enormous agricultural/resource exports and its current attempts to repay its immense $250bn debt. There is such a massive divide between the rich and the poor, with the poor being in the majority that no developed country would have allowed this to remain for such a long time. A developed country would not have accrued such a high debt and would have used its natural resources to its advantage. There needs to be an equal distribution of the countrys wealth. I feel that in order to address some of Brazils problems, there needs to be a major re-allocation of land so that the very poor have a fighting chance of earning a decent living from working the land and selling the produce. There needs to be a massive campaign to re-educate the whole population of Brazil, which should address the need world-wide to stop destroying the rainforest, and all its natural plants. I think Brazil is no where near being a completely developed country. I believe that its only just started developing.

Ohio Senate Race 2012 Sherrod Brown vs. Josh Mandel Case Study

Ohio Senate Race 2012 Sherrod Brown vs. Josh Mandel - Case Study Example The key issue that the candidates are asking voters to consider is the recently passed health care law, popularly known as â€Å"Obamacare.† On one hand, Brown, just as a majority of Democrats, likes the law and supported its passage. On the other hand, Mandel wants this law repealed (Torry, â€Å"Healthcare†). Indeed, the healthcare issue has been divisive not only amongst Ohioans, but also across the entire nation. This issue is important because Ohioans will identify the candidate who will support their preferred choice for healthcare. The two candidates are asking voters to consider the issue of abortion, which is another issue that draws emotions in the American society with people being either pro-choice or against abortion. This issue is crucial, especially amongst women voters, since they need to make a decision regarding the candidate who will support their needs. In addition, the recent global financial crisis is another issue that the candidates are asking vo ters to consider. In line with this, voters will want to know the candidate who will bring measures that reduced the States federal debt while improving the economy of the state (Torry, â€Å"Federal Debt†). On one hand, Brown portrays himself as a defender of the middle class and  a supporter of the rights of women. ... Conversely, Mandel projects Brown’s pro-choice image as views of an extremist (Sewell). Through campaign ads, debates, and public rallies, the candidates are able to get their messages out to the voters. In fact, the Ohio Senate race is the most expensive race this election year (Davidson). Hence, various people and groups have spent money on ads in this campaign since the stakes are high. The candidates have tried hard to avoid any gaffes and controversies that might cost them the race due to the thin margin in the opinion polls. However, Mandel’s gaffe of calling Mourdock a â€Å"gentleman† and his remarks about abortion a â€Å"class act† might influence the voting patterns amongst women (Sewell). Nonetheless, Mandel indicated that he did not agree with Mourdock’s statement and the media failed to highlight this issue. The media’s coverage of the race is faultless. In this case, the local media and the national media have been instrumental in highlighting the issues that these two candidates propose to the voters. In addition, the analysis and the reporting have been fair since each candidate appears to have equal airplay by the media covering the race. Brown’s message to the voters regards the improvement of the State’s economy, and he provides specifics on the issue of taxes. On the other hand, Josh’s main message to the voters on tax opposes Brown’s message on tax extensions. However, the two candidates do not provide the specifics that lay a plan on reducing the deficit that the State is currently facing (Torry, â€Å"Federal Debt†). Thus, the media  are  not distorting the messages from these two candidates as the two candidates failed to provide a clear approach of dealing with the

Research Based Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Based Practice - Essay Example Health care providers also engage in experimental setups, which generate results and knowledge on the best means of providing health care. The findings from these experiments and the literature search are then used to make informed decisions and choices by nurses. Thus, decision-making process is based on the evidence, which is gathered from literature search and physical experiments. Health care providers also engage in questioning the decisions, which they make by evaluating the validity of the existing evidence. Such questions include â€Å"why† some methods and processes are in existences and not others. This creates foundation for the improvement of the research process in order to achieve the anticipated results of the research work. There is also partnership development at work with professional leaders. Such ensures that it is easier to disseminate and diffuse information on the best practice for the nursing. The partnerships also facilitate in end user adoption and im plementation of evidence-based

A Case study of Educational standards in academic institutions Essay

A Case study of Educational standards in academic institutions - Essay Example Such people quote the opinions of British council of education like agencies; UK has an outstanding global reputation for innovative research and the delivery of quality education and UK qualifications are recognised and respected throughout the world (British Council, n. d), to strengthen their argument. On the other hand, critics of current education system believe that the current educational methods are drilling people to answer "undemanding questions to satisfy the needs of league tables and national targets" and the pupil have less ideas about how to solve problems, use critical thinking or apply mathematics in science etc. Even the better teachers forced to teach to the test to meet the demands of school league tables which draws mainly on the recalling of facts, with no reference to logic or mathematics (BBC News, 2008). As stated above the educational standards in UK is debatable as many educationalists differ in their opinions. Different studies yielded different results and it is necessary to research about the standards of education in UK at present to give the educationalists and the public more comprehensive ideas about the British education system. This research addresses the core questions like; Do the educational standards in UK going up or down? What are the merits and demerits of British educational system at present? What are the major issues in British educational system at present? What about the cost factor and the quality of education in UK at present? Guskey (2008) has defined educational standards as the goals of teaching and learning. He has also pointed out that the major issues prevailing in educational system at present are with respect to the standards (Guskey, 2008, p.1). The call for higher educational standards is a never ending one. The scope or space for improvement in educational system is immense as knowledge is exploding from all the corners, virtually in every minute/second. It is difficult to change the

The Economic Boom in Qatar, UAE & Saudi Arabia Research Paper

The Economic Boom in Qatar, UAE & Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example Even though the recent political developments in the Middle Easter countries like Egypt, Libya etc are causing some impacts in these three countries, nobody expect a political instability in these countries because of the higher level of standard of living in these countries compared to that in other neighboring countries. Dubai, one of the prominent emirates of UAE faced some financial problems recently; however, Abu Dhabi was able to lift Dubai from the recent financial crisis. In other words, different emirates in UAE are helping each other when any of them face trouble which is the major reason why United Arab Emirates was able to develop properly. Business is the major revenue source of UAE. Saudi Arabia on the other hand is blessed with immense oil resources and their economy is highly dependent on the oil revenues. Qatar has revenues from oil resources, tourism, marine products etc. This paper analyses the economic booms in these three Middle Easter countries; Qatar, UAE and S audi Arabia. The Economic Boom in Qatar Qatar is one of the prominent Middle Eastern countries which have diverse ranges of revenue sources. While most of the other gulf countries rely heavily on oil revenues for economic development, Qatar is blessed with oil resources, marine products, tourism, real estate revenues etc. According to the 2010 statistics, Qatar’s GDP real growth rate is 19.4% compared to 9.5% in 2009 and 11.7% 2008 (Qatar GDP - Real Growth Rate) (See Appendix for more details). It is evident from the above statistics that the GDP growth doubled in year 2010 compared to that in year 2009. Perhaps, no other country in the world has ever recorded such phenomenal growth rates over a year period of time. Oil and gas account for more than 50% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have made Qatar the second highest per-capita income country. Proved oil reserves of 15 billion barrels should enable continued output at curr ent levels for 37 years (Qatar Population) Oil resources are nonrenewable energy sources. It is exhausting day by day because of over exploitation and increase in the number of automobile vehicles which make use of oil resources. In other words, the demand for oil resources is going to be increased in the coming years. Qatar is one country which has higher oil stocks at present. In short, Qatar’s economic progress may not be affected at least for another thirty or forty years of time because of their oil stocks. Business, tourism and marine products are some other revenue sources for Qatar. Qatar’s coastal areas are blessed with some rare species of fishes. About 150 different species of fishes were recorded in the seacoast of Qatar. â€Å"Sweet lips, emperors and snappers, goatfish, shark, groupers, barracudas, thread fins, lizard fish and rabbit fish† etc are some of the rare fish species available in the sea coast of Qatar (Qatar, 2005) Qatar has a wide coast al area and historically, fishing is one of the major revenue sources for the Qataris. Another reason for the economic boom in Qatar is the development of good educational practices. Qatar is doing everything possible to give good education to its people. They realized that educated people are one of the major pillars upon which a country can develop. Many American, Canadian and British universities are operating in Qatar.

Green and Gracious Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Green and Gracious - Essay Example greases from machinery and equipment, used or leftover paints containing heavy metals or organic solvents, used or spent lead-acid batteries, used explosive tool cartridge. The responsible person (engineer or supervisor) shall determine the volume of concrete, in addition to determining the last balance area, to be used before placing an order. A material wastage control form shall be attached while ordering concrete. The responsible person (engineer or supervisor) shall ensure that the quantity of rebar delivered is in conformance with the order. Sub-contractors shall use cut and bent rebar on site as far as practicable. Shelter must be erected at site for safe storage of pre-packed cement by prevention of direct contact with sunlight or rain water. The responsible person (supervisor) shall be responsible for monitoring the quantity ordered and delivered on site. The responsible person (ECO or SO) shall record waste disposal, and maintain and update the waste register at each project. Wastes such as steel, concrete, or wood shall be recycled for minimization of waste disposal. The responsible person (ECO, SO, HS, SS) shall inform the PM or PIC if any irregularities such as mixing of wastes are discovered. The responsible person (PM or PIC) shall initiate EHS non-conformance, corrective and preventive action, and other necessary action for prevention of recurrence when there is failure in reduction of materials. The responsible person (QS) shall review and update the material quantity schedule based on project progress, and forward the revised material quantity schedule to the concerned personnel for monitoring. Metal formwork that can be re-used for several projects shall be used. Formwork shall be supported by aluminium â€Å"I† beams and steel rectangular hollow sections instead of timber sections. Precast pre-tensioned slab or hollow core slab shall be used as an integral slab system that also acts as a formwork system. The responsible person (PM) shall

A Case study of Educational standards in academic institutions Essay

A Case study of Educational standards in academic institutions - Essay Example Such people quote the opinions of British council of education like agencies; UK has an outstanding global reputation for innovative research and the delivery of quality education and UK qualifications are recognised and respected throughout the world (British Council, n. d), to strengthen their argument. On the other hand, critics of current education system believe that the current educational methods are drilling people to answer "undemanding questions to satisfy the needs of league tables and national targets" and the pupil have less ideas about how to solve problems, use critical thinking or apply mathematics in science etc. Even the better teachers forced to teach to the test to meet the demands of school league tables which draws mainly on the recalling of facts, with no reference to logic or mathematics (BBC News, 2008). As stated above the educational standards in UK is debatable as many educationalists differ in their opinions. Different studies yielded different results and it is necessary to research about the standards of education in UK at present to give the educationalists and the public more comprehensive ideas about the British education system. This research addresses the core questions like; Do the educational standards in UK going up or down? What are the merits and demerits of British educational system at present? What are the major issues in British educational system at present? What about the cost factor and the quality of education in UK at present? Guskey (2008) has defined educational standards as the goals of teaching and learning. He has also pointed out that the major issues prevailing in educational system at present are with respect to the standards (Guskey, 2008, p.1). The call for higher educational standards is a never ending one. The scope or space for improvement in educational system is immense as knowledge is exploding from all the corners, virtually in every minute/second. It is difficult to change the

Green and Gracious Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Green and Gracious - Essay Example greases from machinery and equipment, used or leftover paints containing heavy metals or organic solvents, used or spent lead-acid batteries, used explosive tool cartridge. The responsible person (engineer or supervisor) shall determine the volume of concrete, in addition to determining the last balance area, to be used before placing an order. A material wastage control form shall be attached while ordering concrete. The responsible person (engineer or supervisor) shall ensure that the quantity of rebar delivered is in conformance with the order. Sub-contractors shall use cut and bent rebar on site as far as practicable. Shelter must be erected at site for safe storage of pre-packed cement by prevention of direct contact with sunlight or rain water. The responsible person (supervisor) shall be responsible for monitoring the quantity ordered and delivered on site. The responsible person (ECO or SO) shall record waste disposal, and maintain and update the waste register at each project. Wastes such as steel, concrete, or wood shall be recycled for minimization of waste disposal. The responsible person (ECO, SO, HS, SS) shall inform the PM or PIC if any irregularities such as mixing of wastes are discovered. The responsible person (PM or PIC) shall initiate EHS non-conformance, corrective and preventive action, and other necessary action for prevention of recurrence when there is failure in reduction of materials. The responsible person (QS) shall review and update the material quantity schedule based on project progress, and forward the revised material quantity schedule to the concerned personnel for monitoring. Metal formwork that can be re-used for several projects shall be used. Formwork shall be supported by aluminium â€Å"I† beams and steel rectangular hollow sections instead of timber sections. Precast pre-tensioned slab or hollow core slab shall be used as an integral slab system that also acts as a formwork system. The responsible person (PM) shall

IT Professional Presentation Essay Example for Free

IT Professional Presentation Essay Presentations are meant to be professional with a lot of effort required in the structuring of speech and the assurance of putting across the right message. Professionals in any field or walk of life need to have a good speech which would make them better presenters and hence a noticeable being among all the other employees. An organization has hundreds and thousand and sometimes even more than that employee in number. To make oneself noticeable in the eyes of the one that matter, makes a lot of difference in the career growth. Hard work is something that everyone does but few are those who are able to present it in a manner that enables the top officials to notice you. There are many ways to present and presentations are becoming increasingly common in today’s world. PowerPoint and Flash are the most utilized of all but written means of assistance and even plain verbal speech is also presentation. All these means of presenting are justified depending on the situations and the matter to be presented. Hence, it is not the material that matters to a large extent but it’s what you say right at the right time is what matters. Introduction Information system can be any organised combination of people, hardware, software, communication networks, and data resources that collects, transforms, and disseminates information in an organisation. Like any other system operates within an environment, information system and technology are very important in contemporary business, because they have become a significant component for success in any organisation, such as university, healthcare centre and company. However these are the most important and vital in internet business area because it cannot be managed without information system and technology. In addition internet business can increase their sales and profits by implicating efficient and effective e-commerce which is one of major parts of information system. There are big names that are involved with the IT industry such as the Amazon. com which is solely an internet based company. Other multinationals such as McDonalds are also involved in it despite being a fast food organization. Brief information regarding the two organizations are as follows. Critical Analysis of the Presentations ‘Things they are Achangin-1’ talk about the computer and Information Technology details. It starts off with telling the memory capacity of a computer. The different memories and the capacities that a computer and its hardware has, is explained in the presentation. Along with that it talks about the computer networking and the usage of broadband. It had become increasingly famous and popular in the current years and most of the people in the world have it. ‘Things they are Achangin-2’ on the other hand talks about other energy sources such as batteries and cars and how their mechanism works. These two mentioned sources have also become increasingly important over their years for day to day life. Along with that it has compared their mechanical sources with human body and mind and has talked about the structure of a robotic body. Delivery Channel Strategy ‘Delivery Channel Strategy’ defines the objective of delivery channel which are Projecting and representing the brand defending and developing the active consumer base, obtaining new customers and meeting essential service requirements. It also talks about the benefits of branches, which branches are used more for financial services and why. It explains self servicing and explains the benefits of automated machines which empower the customers. It takes into account the different product used by the financial institutions and their usage. Key Implications of Delivery Strategies In order to have an effective delivery strategy, one needs to take into account all the aspects that come before that as well in order to execute the plan in the most effective manner possible. The following delivery process is explained with an example of Amazon. com, the online trading place. a) Goods, products, ecommerce solution: It started off as a book store with an online presence but later on it kept on adding products in its portfolio and now they have different categories in which they divide their products into such as ‘Books, Music and Movies’, ‘Clothing and Accessories’, ‘Computer Office’, ‘Consumer Electronics’, ‘Food and Household’, ‘Health and Beauty’, ‘Home and Garden’, ‘Kids and Toys’, ‘Sports and Fitness’, ‘Tools and Automotives’, ‘Bargains’ and ‘Gifts and List’. There are further bifurcations within these categories as well which offers further variety to the customers. There services are divided into the categories of ‘Make Money’, ‘For the Community’, ‘For Developers’, ‘For Advertisers’ and ‘Partner Services’. .A9. com caters to the information content requirement which is a search engine present directly on the Amazon. com. (Amazon, 2007). b) Performance and services: The existence of the website over this long period of time indicates its efficiency and the level of customer satisfaction. The website is very well put together so that the customer can easily find their way through to their desired destination. â€Å"Amazon. com, BN. com, and Half. com aren’t getting any complaints at all because they are very simple to use and to understand. Each of these web sites are made for the computer illiterate or just plain lazy† (B2C e-commerce design and performance for Amazon. com, BN. com, Half. com, n. d. ). c) Personalization: The site lay out of the website is also user friendly and it takes no time to find where one wants to go unlike the complicated sites which are hard to browse. It offers the customer to personalize by offering a shopping cart just like an actual shopping mall to create a sense of personalization. They have many products and services and â€Å"different categories of all their items. They also have the option to make â€Å"Your Store,† this is where they store all the information that you like the best and what products you are most interested in† (B2C e-commerce design and performance for Amazon. com, BN. com, Half. com, n. d. ). This gives a sense of individuality to the customers wanting them to come back for a visit. d) Communities and Look and Feel: Amazon. com also offers chat forums for the customers in order to discuss their views and opinions. This is also one reason for the customers to visit the website. ‘Internet Chat Headset Forum’ is one of the examples of their chat forums and virtual customer online communities. The storefront of Amazon. com has been rated high as it offers a number of varieties on the page and also provides clear layout for the customer to assess where they are required to go. e) Incentives: Amazon. com offers different incentives to the customers such as bargains of Friday Sales, Today’s Deals and many more. It offers auctions and personal accounts to give the customers a sense of individuality and personalization encouraging them to visit more often. f) Security Reliability For such sites security is utmost important and therefore it can be said that â€Å"Security and Privacy Policy for these are very well put together and are very private† and one has to â€Å"go through various checks and double checks for e-mail and password verifications. This ensures that the website company and you have the right passwords and e-mail addresses for your privacy and protection. They also have protects programming on their sites to ensure that no one can get you password, e-mail address, and most important your credit card number† (B2C e-commerce design and performance for Amazon. com, BN. com, Half. com, n. d. ). g) Successful achievement One of the many highlighted features of the website is that very recently â€Å"Amazon. com is to Webcast Investor Conference Presentation Morgan Stanley Technology Conference† (Business News, 2007) which is considered to be a huge achievement for the organization along with earning million of dollars of revenue. Another one of its achievements could be the introduction of software called the Amazon S3â„ ¢ which is â€Å"a simple storage service that offers software developers a highly scalable, reliable, and low-latency data storage infrastructure at very low costs† (Amazon Web Services Launches Amazon S3, a Simple Storage Service for Software Developers, 2005). Ethics and Professionalism in the ICT discipline ‘Ethics and Professionalism in the ICT discipline’ talks about the importance of the code of ethics in the professional environment not for one’s career but for the sustainability of its moral values. It describes Ethics as Doing good, Not doing bad, Not screwing people, Only screwing the competition, Letting the competition screw you, Doing things right, Doing the right thing. Key Implications These key implications of Ethics in IT are explained with respect to the example of Amazon. com. For such sites security is utmost important and therefore it can be said that â€Å"Security and Privacy Policy for these are very well put together and are very private† and one has to â€Å"go through various checks and double checks for e-mail and password verifications. This ensures that the website company and you have the right passwords and e-mail addresses for your privacy and protection. They also have protects programming on their sites to ensure that no one can get you password, e-mail address, and most important your credit card number† (B2C e-commerce design and performance for Amazon. com, BN. com, Half. com, n. d. ). Risk Assessment of Ethics in IT Despite the existence of internet over the years, it has still not been able to gain trust regarding the transactions online. Amazon. com along with other organization based online for selling face the challenge of assurance of security to its customers. As for Amazon. com, it failed to provide trust in regard of security to e-commerce project because they did not concern about technical risks. Despite the presence of a huge customer base, a lot of potential customers are hesitant to buy from amazon. com because of this particular reason. However, there is a long procedure regarding the security of credit cards and its personal information which is utilized by many websites present today. â€Å"Many sites that accept credit cards claim they are secure when they have an encryption certificate. This is where you can see the padlock symbol at the bottom of the screen. The encryption certificate encodes the message with the credit card details when it is sent and the organization issuing the certificate (e,g, Thawte or Verisign) verify the business before they issue it. (E-commerce Security, n. d. ). Amazon. com follows the same long procedure of ensuring that the customer feels safe but even then there is a lot of chance of stealth of the information and its misutilization might lead to disastrous losses to an individual. This is the fear that stops the potential customers from entering into the market of internet. â€Å"If credit card numbers are stored on a server they are still potential targets for a hacking attack. Afferent Media protects its server with anti virus and firewall systems. Its ultimate defense though is that it does not store any credit card numbers† (E-commerce Security, n. d. ). Hence, despite the effort, due to technical risk involved Amazon. com is facing the same threat as many other online retailers. Although Amazon. com has developed a trustworthy image over the years but when it comes to monetary losses people are hesitant to take risk as the loss incurred might get too huge to counter. This technical risk can however be countered in order to gain the potential customers that are hesitating at the moment. This can be countered if â€Å"transactions are carried out in real time, in just the same way as an EFTPOS machine. The message is encoded and sent to the bank, if the card passes the checks then funds are transferred directly to the vendor. This is just like when you buy petrol or shop in a supermarket. The vendor swipes your card in and EFTPOS machine, they do not store the card details. † (E-commerce Security, n. d. ). Like every weakness, if this factor is also addressed in its early stages it might not even classify as a problem and may be included in one of the challenges but the more Amazon. com delays it, the more it might lead to disaster and reduction of customer base. It has the advantage that the solution has already been identified, therefore the company just needs to incorporate this procedure in its security e-commerce procedure and keep proper checks and balances over a period of time and the job is done. Once the authenticity of the procedure is verified, it would not be hard for customer to develop trust in the online services. Despite the overall success of the organization, there are still factors that it needs to counter before the issues convert into real threat to the existence of the organization. The security factor is always vital in e-commerce as no customers would want to risk their monetary gains for shopping online. Lean Thinking ‘Lean Thinking’ is a presentation which defines the importance of customers with the help of practical examples taken from different scenarios. It also takes into account the impact of value on customer’s choice and the importance of value in a product. Key Implications McDonalds is a world wide known brand and hence it is famous and loved all around the world for its customer hospitality. A fast food chain, so customer friendly has also made use of the IT sources which is explained as further. The company is a fast food chain across the world known by the name of McDonalds. It is world renowned and is among the top most fast food chains across the globe. It has different kinds of fast foods in its menu ranging from rapid on-the-go burgers to healthy breakfasts and other food items. The organization is known for its quality and variety in food across the globe along with paying its full due to the corporate and social responsibility to the members of the society. Our organization not only is concerned about regular people who are health or weight conscious but also make sure that people with certain individual problems are also given attention to. The entire nutrition information is available on its website and can be completely relied on as it is taken from â€Å"from testing conducted in accredited laboratories, published resources, or from information provided from McDonald’s suppliers. The nutrition information is based on standard product formulations and serving sizes. All nutrition information is based on average values for ingredients from McDonald’s suppliers throughout the U. S. and is rounded to meet current US FDA NLEA guidelines† (McDonalds – USA, 2006). Despite of enjoying the top most notches in most of the countries we are present in; it is made sure that the organization does not lag in its due responsibility towards its customers, employees or the society it caters to which is evident by the brochure of Corporate Responsibility by McDonalds. This brochure is known as ‘The McDonalds USA Corporate Responsibility Brochure’ and another third worldwide corporate responsibility report has been published recently in 2006. It has the ability to adapt to country to country environment and culture. It pays utmost importance to kids and their meals and therefore because of that reason we have specialized meal for children as well. These meals are set with kids preferences in mind and offers incentive such as toy gifts which children can enjoy along with their respective meals. Capabilities and Potential with Risk Assessment McDonalds is known for its customer service and for increasing indulgence in the technology sector as well. McDonalds has some of Information technology involved in its procedures as well as to offer to the customers. As a Manager it is very important to be well equipped and well informed regarding the knowledge of the on-going dynamics in the information technology sector of the country. The advancement of the organization in the information technology sector is indicated by the fact that it offers one of the most novel technologies of the information system which is the McDonald’s Wireless Connectivity. It offers Wi-Fi service to its customers so that they can even bring their work to McDonalds along with enjoying a good meal. Its not just limited to United States which is one of the most technologically equipped country of the world but 7,000 outlets around the globe. We believe in giving the best to our customers and Wi-Fi is a part of it as â€Å"We believe in bringing you innovative and convenient services that enhance your McDonalds restaurant visit, and Wi-Fi is a perfect example. As McDonalds continues to deliver fast and friendly food service at more than 30,000 convenient locations around the world, you can now enjoy the possibility of staying connected with friends, family and co-workers† (McDonalds Wireless Connectivity, 2006). Apart from this, our organization has even stepped in introducing a technology that would bring into use the real time network used by huge and well-known places such as Wal-Mart. In order to manage its hardware and software in different location across the globe, it took help of the Fujitsu Philippines Incorporation to implement a system the system. The system is called Help Desk which enables in the monitoring of the inventory system and the management of the SMS and documents. Due to Help Desk the technical support service now take half the time it previously did. (McDonalds Philippines improves customer service via technology, 2007). Due to high volume of sales of McDonalds around the globe, the manual or low level storing data system is not anymore a product of efficiency for the organization. Therefore, it has moved a step forwards and â€Å"The PC POS system replaced proprietary computer registers that delivered information to in-store processors. These computers are a McDonalds restaurants black box, recording information on operations such as an individual stores total sales for the day, and the number of patties, buns, cups and other products used, and delivering it back to the McDonalds mainframe systems in Oak Brook each night over a modem connection† (Food, Folks and Forecasting, 2006). We as Managers also make use of this technology to place orders to the suppliers for replacement as well, hence making tasks easier for everyone of storing the large bulks of information everyday. The Future of Business Information System ‘The Future of Business Information System’ talks about the consultancy by Dennis Keeling. It takes into account the trends in business cycle, the types of business applications and the industry changes. It talks about different operating systems and system designs and data file structure. Key Implications of The Future of Business Information System The most upcoming trend in the future is outsourcing. Outsourcing is a trend that has recently become very popular among the multi-million and multi-billion organizations around the world. Outsourcing â€Å"often refers to the delegation of non-core operations from internal production to an external entity specializing in the management of that operation† (Wikipedia, n. d. ). There are various functions of an organization that are not the main operations and therefore can be outsourced to other parties such as â€Å"Business segments typically outsourced include information technology, human resources, facilities and real estate management, and accounting. Many companies also outsource customer support and call center functions, manufacturing and engineering† (Wikipedia, n. d. ). There are several reasons why one would outsource their operations to an outside party, which might include the purpose of exploiting cheap labor in case of third world countries or utilizing the efficiency of specialized expertise in a particular field of work. Outsourcing might also involve reducing the cost even it effects their quality to a slight extent. IT outsourcing helps improve the efficiency of IT department as after outsourcing there is special attention given by an entire group people to only one operation, hence in return increasing its importance and therefore its efficiency. IT outsourcing might also be done due to cost reduction by utilizing brains that are willing to work for less as compared to the human resource that is present domestically. Along with a lot of benefits in outsourcing, there comes a bucket full of criticism as well. The critics believe that outsourcing reduces the quality of the operation outsourced hence reducing the overall performance of the organization. Hence, it is believed that organizations reduce their cost by compromising on their quality and exploiting cheap labor by outsourcing. On the other hand â€Å"proponents of outsourcing believe that arguing that outsourcing leads to lower product quality is pointless because if it were true, consumer demand will force firms to shift back to producing the good or service in-firm rather than out-firm† (Wikipedia, n. d. ). Risk Assessment regarding Future of IT With respect to outsourcing, the possible risk or problems that IT could face in the future are as explained further. There are different outsourcers depending to where they are located. They include three kinds that are outsourcing, offshore outsourcing and offshoring. Although these terms are used as a replacement of the other but their meaning is different from one another. Outsourcing is the allocation of an organization’s operation to another responsible party. Now the difference lies in the presence of this third party, that is, if the third party is located outside the host country, it is known as offshore outsourcing. While on the other hand, offshoring is when an operation of an organization is taken to another country without transferring control to the third party. Hence the difference is of transfer of control to another party, that is, the power remains within the organization in case of offshoring while in offshore outsourcing it is transferred to the third party. In case of IT offshore outsourcing, the main country that receives the majority deals is India due to its IT success in recent years with able IT graduates and world-renowned IT universities present in India. Different problems might occur due to the location of the outsourcer, that is, in case of offshore outsourcing, the cost of checks and balances, transportation, dealing across distances might end up being equal or surpassing the cost cut that is the purpose of outsourcing. Hence, nullifying the effect of outsourcing with the cost incurred for distant dealing. â€Å"One issue offshoring of technical services has brought more attention to is the value of education as an alleged solution to trade-related displacements† (Wikipedia, n. d. ). The foreign location of the outsources in case of offshore outsourcing and the exapanding of business globally in case of offshoring might also be subject to crticism due to the reason that it causes the host country to suffer with opportunities travelling to other countries rather than being available to others. Hence, along with certain positive outcomes, outsources is subjected to a sufficient amount of criticism as well. In order to counter the crticism, it would have to scrutinze itself and remove such drawbacks. Weaknesses in Current Information Technology Capabilities However, the McDonalds journey may be rapidly moving towards the success ladder but there are several pitfalls that have occurred in its Information System and its capabilities. For us as managers, it is very important to identify those pitfalls and rectify them as soon as possible in order to avoid any forthcoming problems or issues. The technological world is an extremely rapidly evolving environment, with information becoming obsolete after a certain period of time. Hence, it is very important for the Managers to take that into account and be on the constant guards to protect their image. Wi-Fi is a very innovative and healthy technology but in those countries that are well equipped to support this kind of technology and the citizens prefer to have it in a restaurant. As per a management’s perspective, to implement it in a country like Bangladesh or Pakistan, where there isn’t much knowledge of technology among the masses, would not only be unfeasible but also irrelevant expenditure. As for the PC POS System implemented, it does save time but being a Manager it is very important to receive the detailed information to further process it for other uses which it failed to do. â€Å"The data that is batch-dumped to the McDonalds mainframe system in Oak Brook every night doesnt offer the detail McDonalds executives needed and, worse, took as long as a week to be compiled analyzed and distributed to managers who would then order more patties, buns, etc. from McDonalds vendors†. Hence, it needs to take that into account as well. Professional Presentations Requirement of Soft Skills All the organization of such calibre are required to have high aptitude personnel in it with the presence of hard skills as well as soft skills. In order to sell your product, one has to make sure that its presentation and the its communication is up to the mark. The more the people are convinces the more is the popularity of the product or service meant to be. It is very important for a professional to possess the skills of speaking well and hiring such professional can be a tedious process but all the effort is worth it. Hiring is a very difficult process; it takes a lot of time, patience, and money. Gone were the days when management only looks for technical skills alone, now, they are more focused with soft skills referring to non technical skills of an individual. What are soft skills? According to Mannering (1998) they are considered to be harder to identify, to distinguish. Ironically, for many managers, the soft skills are the hard skills. Ask anyone who has had to manage change, deal with organizational politics, or build a disparate group of people into an effective team (Holbeche, 2006). Platinum skills are developed through training and delegation, active listening, giving and receiving feedback, and creating a motivational environment. (Topchik, 2004). Companies Who Values Soft Skills Fujitsu Here’s an excerpt from an article â€Å"Hi-tech soft skills† IT Training; Jan2007 Fujitsu Services has set up an international Management Academy, headed by Paula Graham (right), to help IT professionals brush up on their interpersonal skills As they progress up the career ladder, many IT professionals could find themselves at a crunch point. They have been hired and valued primarily for their technical and engineering abilities, but as they become more senior they will be expected to adopt more custodial and managerial responsibility over junior colleagues. But where, along the way, were they supposed to have picked up these managerial and interpersonal skills? IT giant Fujitsu Services is tackling the problem of helping the technical person be a better people manager with a new company-wide experiment in delivering soft skills training at leadership level. This programme is about raising the bar on the organization’s people management skills, adds Jeremy Hill, London-based managing director of training partner DIEU. Fujitsu employees are comprised mostly of IT professionals, yes they have all the various technical skills that needed to become one of their programmers, and they keep on giving other technical trainings in order to stay competitive and knowledgeable on diverse IT trends. And yet, management feels they lack something, they need to brush up with communication skills. Employees needed to be more effective communicators; they need to get their message across clearly with the people they are dealing with. Communication is very essential and powerful tool not everybody has the knock off communication skills, and essentially improvement on this part will have a big impact both for employees and their company.