Analysis Essay

There are various static, such as active listening skills used by negotiators to hopefully reason with hostage takers and get them to surrender. In The 1972 Olympic Terrorist Attack. Negotiators wasted time and gave no positive results which led the terrorists to believe that negotiators didn't take hem seriously. In the end many people died and the terrorists won because Black September forced the Germans to release the three terrorists that were apprehended. â€Å"The Attica Prison Riot of 1971 alarmed and outraged society. The public outrage brought about long overdue prison reforms including changes to public policy and administration.The riot began on September 9, 1971 and ended on September 13, 1971 when state police stormed the prison and opened fire. † It is obvious that the prisoners at the Attica prison were determined to have their demands met or at least get their points across to the right officials, who would in turn make changes at the prison. The inmates wanted better living conditions, fair wages, better treatment, and religious freedom. One may believe that criminals should be treated like caged animals because they have omitted criminal offense, but in reality prisons are human and deserve to be treated as such (Adkins, 2011).What turned the riot into a disaster was the fact that Governor Nelson Rockefeller was unwilling to allow proper negotiations to defuse the situation. Instead, the Governor ordered an assault which took the lives of several prisoners and law enforcement officers. Nearly 40 people died at the command of one person, who refused to compromise with the Inmates. The negligence of Governor Nelson Rockefeller cost many people their lives and the loved ones of these people also suffered (Rosenberg, 2014).A trained negotiation's team should have been In place to negotiate with the Inmates for the safety of the employees who were taken hostage. There's a possibility that If the Governor was willing to pay attention to the I nmate's demands and assure them that some form a change may have been possible, then all of those people wouldn't have died In such a tragic manner during the riot. The Governor obviously had no regard for human life when he ordered law enforcement officers to take back the prison. The assault cost 8 the riot and the assault caught the attention of the Government and the public.Some of the demands of the prisoners may have been unreasonable, but the situation could've been handled a lot better than it was that day. â€Å"Black Septembers demands in the Munich attack: the release of more than 200 Palestinian guerrillas held in Israeli Jails, along with the release of German Red Army members Andrea Beaded and Laurie Inform, held in German prison. † The Germans failed at each attempt to use assault on the terrorists. There was either a leak in the plans to attack or the Germans lacked the knowledge needed to pull this off.The terrorist found out about the plans by watching telev ision and it mess that these terrorists outsmarted the Germans each time. The Germans knew that the demands of the terrorists were unreasonable and impossible, but there were no tactics used to save the lives of the hostages. Properly trained negotiators would not have allowed this particular crisis to go down the way that it did causing nine hostages to die. Trained negotiation's teams are now available to handle crisis situations in and outside of prisons and if things are done properly an event like the Attica Riot will continue to be a thing of the past.The crisis negotiator would be able to monomaniac with the hostage takers to get to the root of the problem, secure the hostages, and possibly end the crisis without fatalities. Prisons now act out crisis situations involving the taking of hostages in order to be prepared if a duplicate of the Attica Riot would somehow take place. The acting scene is a necessary part of training for Corrections Officers employed by the prisons. T he Germs used time which only delayed the killings of the hostages by the terrorists and at the end it shows that there was no way out for these innocent victims.

Agriculture of the Mayas and the Ancient Egyptians Essay

Agriculture is in the heart of any great civilization, which in turn, erects great empires. The origins of empires all stem down to smaller pieces of civilizations. It is responsible for feeding and sustaining the vastness of great empires. Of course, one has to find a suitable place to harvest or hunt for food. Agriculture differs from one civilization to the next but it is all essentially important. Egyptians were actually a population consisting mainly of farmers. Mayans were no exception – they focused on agricultural needs and therefore developed advanced technology in that area. Agriculture is made up of many factors like water, soil, or landscape. A civilization needs to know how to cultivate crops first off because there are many ways in which one can take a plant. Different tools can be used for different crops and that highlights the start of a civilization. Then comes hunting, which is unique to each culture since the land provides certain animals for food and it is up to the population to decide which animal is most preferred and should be hunted for the most. After farming and hunting animals, the civilization decides what foods are more preferable and next time they would go for those crops or animals. This brings the civilization to domesticate preferable animals and grow preferable crops. It is a mix of mother nature and the preference of the civilization. The Egypt civilization developed in one of the largest dry desert areas in the world – larger than the whole of Europe. It would have been a miracle if people could settle there. People were able to inhabit it only possible because of the Nile River which crosses an almost rainless desert from south to north carrying the waters of Lake Victoria more than 3000 miles to the Mediterranean Sea. In ancient times, Egypt settled in the last 700 miles of this waterway. The land of Egypt had a poor variety of plants – there were very few trees. The wild fig and the acacia was the only common forest trees and they grow in a isolated fashion. There are also fruit trees such as the date and dom palms and the fig tree. Less trees meant that wood was scarce as well. It was less convenient for Egypt. In the dry conditions of the desert, there was a barely any plants, herbs or vegetables. It is miraculous how the Egyptians formed a culture with this poor agriculture. On the other hand, Mayans lived in the land of Mesoamerica, which had plentiful trees and resources. In their land, the animals were abundant and the climate was favorable. However, the Mayans had a great population of people and this meant that they would need a lot of food. Sustaining this large population meant that good farming methods would be necessary. Farming methods play an important part in agriculture. Some civilizations are more complex than others. However, advanced technology does not always win in agriculture. Sometimes, the good old common sense method will bring more to the table than intense and vicious cultivation. The way people cultivate crops will also reflect in their tools and becomes part of their culture. Agricultural technology depends on the land. The civilization can choose to be hostile or gentle depending on how much resources is available. The Mayans had a enormous amount of resources, therefore, Mayan farmers were aggressive on the land. They took on a method of swiden (shifting cultivation), which means they took what they needed and left the land to nature. However, this abandonment of corrupted land was not productive because they would run out of resources. The Mayans probably sensed this because they later evolved into a intensive multi-crop cultivation. They started to take care of the land. In this effort, much labor was needed to sustain the massive cultivation of crops. This concludes that most Mayans were farmers and were in the workforce of mass cultivation. Egyptian farming methods were not very advanced. The Egyptians favored simplicity. The farmers would supply water to their crops by first making trenches on the Nile River, bringing it as close as possible to the fields and then establishing a draw-well. In the case of a perennial garden, water would be carried to the square growing-beds in pairs of pottery jars suspended on long wooden poles on the shoulders of men. Where there was fertile land, they grew cash-crops to be sold for profit abroad. Egyptian farmers also utilized animals in their farming. For example, farmers would use sheep to help them grow corn. Farmers would start by filling a small bag with seed and scattering it across the field. After it is scattered, sheep would be driven over the freshly sowed fields. This helps pack the seeds in the soil. Using this method, farmers were able to handle large fields. This method saved the farmers a lot of time. The Mayans and the Egyptians both had different farming method. Both methods were molded to provide goods to their civilizations. Neither method was more superior. Even though Mayans had more advanced methods, Egyptians had to use very primitive tools because of the land they lived in. This restriction probably caused Egyptians to go for more simple methods. However, one thing is clear – Mayans had a much more developed farming technology than the Egyptians. A civilization will show its true colors when it comes to the hunting of animals. After an animal is captured, the people can choose to kill it or breed it. If a civilization is violent, they will hunt and kill animals to handle their hunger. However, a civilization which chooses to domesticate animals have a greater sense of respect and patience towards the animals. This will prove that the treatment of animals will reflect on the civilization. Farming was not the only important factor in Mayan agriculture. In fact, Mayan agriculture started with the hunting of wild animals and the cultivation of wild crops. Hunting animals is important to agriculture because different tools were made to hunt different animals. The Mayans loved hunting. In a study, researchers found that over 8 months, peasant- hunters carried out a total of 175 hunting trips. Most hunting was done during the dry season (January-April). Mayans really depended on wild animals for food. Therefore, the violence was necessary for their survival. Egyptians domesticated more animals than they hunted. They held animals as sacred and saw them as companions. Upon all animals, the Egyptians respected the ox the most. The Egyptians dressed them up and talked to them like humans. They even gave cattle as sacrifices to the gods. This meant that the Egyptians did not depend on the animals for food. This is a good example of how domestication of animals reflects the attitude of the civilization towards animals. In comparison, Mayans were much more violent towards animals than the Egyptians were. The Mayans saw the animals as food while the Egyptians saw them as something holy. However, animals were more abundant in the Mayan world when compared to Egypt. It could very well be that since Egyptians realized that there was a scarce amount of animals, they should be held sacred. In the Mayan culture, since they saw so much animals and they were more violent than the Egyptians, they probably decided that it was a better idea to eat these animals than to take time domesticating them. Therefore, the Mayans incorporated more meat in their diet than the Egyptians. The average diet of different civilizations will decide which foods were more popular in the culture and in turn what foods would be grown or hunted. This makes a difference in agriculture because not all foods are taken from the wild. If a certain food is liked more, the civilization will work to preserve it through farming or domestication. This is only in the case when that food is less abundant in the land and the civilization truly cannot live without the specific food. The food that was gathered from farming and hunting made up the diet of the Mayans. The everyday diet of this civilization also resembled the type of agriculture they had. For Mayans, they were lovers of corn. Their diets consisted of mostly corn. This reflected in their agriculture because they cultivated mostly corn. On the other hand, Mayans ate other crops too but their diet remained intensively to corn, beans and squash. When it came to meat, Mayans favored turkey over everything else. Turkey was prized in the Mayan culture – they hunted wild turkey most of the time. Mayans also knew about spices because they used chili peppers to spice up their food. Chili peppers was prized almost as much as corn since it was the main spice the Mayan used. Chili peppers were mass cultivated just like corn. The Mayan diet would seem very close to a vegetarian diet. However, they were also intensive hunters and that meant their diets contained meat as well. All in all, the Mayans had a he althy and simple diet consisting mostly of vegetables. The Egyptians held animals sacred and therefore, most Egyptians were vegetarians. In fact, the ox was seen as such a sacred animal that the Egyptians allowed the oxen to have meals with them. They fed the ox like how modern people would feed their dogs. They had a diet of mostly barley and wheat. The dependence on these foods meant that barley and wheat were extensively cultivated. There were also other foods such as corn and date fruits, but barley and wheat were favored among all else. Mayans and Egyptians were very different when it came down to diets. They did not have much in common. However, their diets showed how it could change agriculture. The more they loved a certain food and depend on it, the more it was seen in the fields of the farmers. For Mayans it was corn and for Egyptians, it was wheat and barley. Because they favored it, it was grown more. The farming of certain plants were questionable because it was not seen in the Mayan or Egyptian diet. However, further research shows that some plants were only cultivated for their medicinal purposes. Medicine plays an important part in agriculture because it comes from the land. As people learn to use the plant more for medical use, they are contributing to the growing agriculture. Civilizations usually made medicine from their surroundings. It is interesting to discover how the surrounding land was used to provide medicine for the civilization. The useage of medicine has a large effect on what herbs or plants were grown because if it was essential to the civilization, there was a higher production of these plants. Mayan medicine contained food. Some were from odd sources. For example, chili peppers was not only a condiment for their food. It was actually used as one of the medicine. As mentioned before, chili peppers were one of the most cultivated plants along with corn. This is a perfect example of how medicine played a role in agriculture. The Egyptians did not have much knowledge for medicine. They were naive enough to believe that the cure for all illnesses could be found on a particular plant they called Dgam, or the olive tree. The greater number of medicine were of vegetable origin. They depended very much on the land for medicine. However, in some cases, there were rare instances when animals were used for medicine – for example, pig teeth, lizard blood and putrid meat were among the favorites of the Egyptians for medicine use. The Mayans and Egyptians needed medicine to take care of their inhabitants. However, the methods they used were both very simple. The Mayans and Egyptians used different plants since they had different needs. The Mayans relied on food sources like the chili for cures. The Egyptians relied on plants like the olive tree, which did not do much for medicine. The olive tree was more spiritually healing rather than physically helpful. In the scope of medicine, Mayans win over the Egyptians because their medicine was more powerful and scientific. Egyptians only based their medicine on spiritual beliefs of another power living inside their medicine. Agriculture consists of many different factors but it has essentially the same idea – the gathering of people working together to keep each other alive. This collectiveness is the beginning of a civilization. The mass cultivation of crops needs storage places and tools for efficiency. People need to build homes to accommodate the storage of food. Settling down means relying on a certain area for food. Agriculture is always going to lead to the start of a civilization. Mayan built their civilization somewhere where the food is accessible. The surplus of food happened to be corn – that became their main diet. Hunting turkeys was a preference because the agriculture of the land called for turkeys. They developed complex systems to tend to their farms. The Mayans were famous for their stone pyramids. They used the most abundant source of material they could find in the land and that is part of agriculture. The food, the land and the lifestyle that the Mayans had depended largely in part to their agriculture. Egyptians built their civilization on the harshest of environments. However, they were able to use the Nile River to their advantage. The abundant amount of water in the Nile made it possible for Egyptians to build a truly exotic empire. The Egyptians were famous for their sandstone pyramids. Their pyramids consisted of the desert sand and it was made possible only because the abundance of agriculture was there. The Egyptians used the land to their advantage by incorporating the Nile River in their farming systems. They favored wheat and barley because there was a lot of it. The land gave them what they needed and they built upon that foundation. The Mayans and the Egyptians were both very different in agriculture. The Mayans had the luxury of abundant food. Nature provided Mayans with trees, animals, crops and water. Nature was not so generous with the Egyptians. Their land is probably the direct opposite of the Mayan land. They did not have abundant food and they did not have much animals either. The climate zones were also completely different. The Mayans had warm temperatures and moist environments. The Egyptians had to go through harsh, hot sun and sand storms. Although the Mayans and the Egyptians seemed like they had nothing in common, there was a few things that were similar in both civilizations. First off, the Mayans and the Egyptians both had pyramids. They built it with the most abundant source they could find. Another thing they had in common was the workforce. They both had farmers who worked together to mass cultivate crops. The Egyptian workforce and the Mayan workforce was pretty impressive due to the fact that it was all focused on farming. In both cases, they believed that agriculture was important to a civilization. Agriculture can be many things. It can be the way people hunt for resources, grow resources and use resources. Agriculture can be summed down to the abundance of resources. Once a civilization has settled down, the most abundant resource will begin to show in their culture. The heart of civilization is agriculture and it is as important because it will build up a civilization.

Compensation system by zobaer

These HARM practices include human resource planning, recruitment and selection, induction, raining, performance appraisal, employee development, compensation plan, etc. This discussion has provided the opportunity to analyze the HARM practices of a business organization and to find out the facts which are creating barriers to effective HARM. – 90- Introduction Human Resource Management (HARM) Is a relatively new concept In Bangladesh. It was few years ago that this was considered as a part of the administrative functions of an organization.There was no individual identity for HARM. But as time passed people recognized the importance of HARM in organizations. They realized that HARM is to just to hire people. Apart form hiring, HARM has lots of functions which help an organization to gain competitive advantage (Islam, 2006). Effective HARM practices support business goals and objectives. That is why effective HARM practices are strategic. It can improve the performance of an o rganization by improving customer satisfaction, innovation and productivity.So from HER planning, recruitment and selection to training, performance appraisal, compensation, all practices of HARM are now considered as equally Important as any other aspects of the organization such as marketing, financing, etc. Literature Review Human resource management (HARM) is both an academic theory and a business practice that addresses the theoretical and practical techniques of managing a workforce. Synonyms include personnel administration, personnel management, manpower management, and industrial management (http en. Wisped. Erg). According to Non, Hollowness, Gerhard and Wright (2006), human resource management refers to the policies, practices and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance. They also say that many companies refer to HARM as involving ‘people practices'. HARM is the organizational function that deals tit issues related to people such as co mpensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training (Hatfield, 2006).According to Walked, a web based encyclopedia, HARM serves five key functions: 1) Hilling, 2) Compensation, 3) Evaluation and Management (of Performance), 4) Promotions, and 5) Management, Volvo. 10, No's. 3&4: Volvo. 11, No's. 1 & 2- 91 – of activities, and key among them is deciding what staffing needs the organization has and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these deeds, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring that the personnel and management practices conform to various regulations.Activities also include managing the organization's approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies (Manager, 2006). According to Winning, what necessary in an H ER Department are the functions and responsibilities which none else either wants or is capable of doing. From recruiting to orienting new employees, from writing Job descriptions to tracking attendance, and from instituting ND monitoring policies to monitoring benefits, there has been a need for an HER generalist to assist senior management in both establishing a structure to hold down costs of administration (Winning, 2005).The ultimate aim of HARM is to ensure that at all times the business is correctly staffed by the right number of people with the skills relevant to the business needs (Islam, 2006). Thus HARM is meant to unlock the talent, experience, wisdom and common sense of many within the organization by making work simpler, quicker, rewarding, safer and fun (http://www. Cell-team. Com). Research Methodology This research article is case study-based. Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd (SSP) does have a separate Human Resource Department.The major part of this case study is based o n face-to-face interviews with managers and executives, using a questionnaire. , which consists of view and opinions of those particular people, which might raise the question of bias. In some cases some of them were not able to provide concrete facts or fugues. In this case some assumptions had to be made. Interviewing the managers and executives of SSP has provided the primary sources of information. Furthermore, company brochures, documents, and the company website were the secondary sources of data. No survey method has been used in this regard.Finally, due to time constraints it was not possible to conduct extensive interviews and surveys which could make the research paper more informative. A case study is the fact' of any particular issues, the contents of which require an in-depth focus of the social sciences area to Human Resource Management Practices -92- understand its phenomenon on the basis of it being an individual problem (Leeds, 1997). One of the essential characteri stics of using the case study approach is that it focuses on ‘one instance of the thing that is to be investigated' (Denseness, 1998).The advantage of the case study over other methods is that it attempts to be comprehensive, and involves the researcher in describing and analyzing the full notes, ‘one of the advantages cited for case study research is its uniqueness, its capacity for understanding complexity in particular contexts'. Apart from generalization, other criticisms can be that the case study method is a less rigorous form of inquiry, based on the accumulation of information and there is a lack of discipline in what Smith (1991) described as the logically weakest method of knowing.Mitchell (1999) states that the basic problem in the use of case material is theoretical that case studies prove valuable in situations where existing knowledge is limited, often providing in-depth contextual information, which may result in a superior level of understanding. Furtherm ore, case studies prove advantageous when the focus of the study is not typicality but the unusual, unexpected, covert or illicit (Hartley, 1994).The objective of this study is achieved through one single case study which provides both depth and reliability (see, for example, Harris and Gabon, 1998; Marching and Harrison, 1991; Sturdy, 1992). This case study is selected for a number of reasons, data accessibility, establishment organization, size and contribution in the sector and so on. It is said that a single case study is not enough for research. However, a single case study can give a lot of depth in the research area (see, for example, Dollar and Quaked, 2005.Mullahs et al. , 2002). Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd – Company Overview In Bangladesh, Square today symbolizes a name – a state of mind. But its Journey to growth and prosperity has been no bed of roses. From the inception in 1958, it has today burgeoned into one of the top line conglomerates in Bangladesh. SS P is the largest pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh and it has been continuously in the first position among all national and multinational Sir Lankan Journal of Management, Volvo. 10, 3&4: Volvo. 11, NO'S. 1 & 2-93- companies since 1985.SSP is the manufacturer and marketer of finished pharmaceutical products, basic chemicals and agro vet products. Its products are manufactured in the form of tablets, capsules, suppositories, injections, liquids, drops, ointment, cream and powder, oral dry powder, inhalers and meter dose inhalers. SSP was converted into a public limited company in 1991. Currently the ales turnover of SSP is more than Take 622 core with 16. 23 percent market share having a growth rate of about 14. 91 percent. Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Ousted 11 percent growth in pharmaceutical formulation in 2004 and the company also introduced 43 new products during the period (December 25, The Daily Star- 2004). SSP has extended her range of services towards the highway of the global market. She pioneered exports of medicines from Bangladesh in 1987 and has been exporting antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products. This extension in business and services has manifested the credibility of SSP. SSP strives, above all, for top quality health care products at the least cost reaching the lowest rungs of the economic class of people in the country.They value their social obligations. They owe a responsibility to their shareholders and strive for protection of their capital as well as ensure the highest return and growth of their assets (http:// www. Squarer's. Com. Bad). According to SSP, their vision, mission and objectives are: Vision: [Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd] view business as a means to the material and social well being of the investors, employees and society at large, leading to accretion f wealth through financial and moral gains as a part of the process of human civilization.Mission: [Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd] mission is to produce and provide q uality and innovative healthcare relief for people, maintain stringently ethical standards in business operation and also ensuring benefit to the shareholders, stakeholders and Objectives: [Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd] objectives are to conduct transparent business operations based on the market mechanism within the legal and social framework with aims to attain the mission reflected by [their] vision. (http / www. Squarer's. Com. Bad). Human Resource Management Practices Supply Chain Department of Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd.Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd consists of several individual departments such as accounting & finance, marketing, sales, administration, human resource, supply chain, etc. All these departments are linked with one or more departments within the organization. For this research paper we have concentrated on the supply chain department of SSP. Throughout the research paper we will describe the HER activities related to this department and try to identify the problems a nd provide some recommendations to reduce or eliminate the problems. The supply chain department f SSP mainly works as the procurement department.It purchases all the needed raw materials, machinery and equipment, things needed for official work, food, vehicles needed for staff and management, etc. Thus all the purchasing actually takes place through the supply chain department. It is known as the supply chain department as it also maintains the suppliers outside of the organization on behalf of the organization. All the departments of the organization that need their necessary things send a requisition to the supply chain department with the consent of the department head. Then the supply chain department obtains the consent of theExecutive Director, Administration (DEAD) and contacts with different suppliers. It collects the quotations from the different-suppliers and decides from which supplier it will purchase the goods. The supply chain department not only deals with the local suppliers but also with the foreign suppliers (The structure of the supply chain department of SSP is given in the appendix). Key Themes While finding different human resource activities related to the supply chain department we have found that SSP does not have any specific human recapitulating program for the supply chain department.It does not follow any aroma labor demand forecasting and still did not take any initiative to determine the labor supply properly. So it still cannot measure whether there are more or less employees than what it actually needs. Sir Lankan Journal of Management, Volvo. 10, No's. 3 & 4: Volvo. 11, No's. 1 & 2 – 95 – While going through the recruitment and selection process we found that after the vacancy circulation lots of people submit their C.v.. So it is very difficult to sort these large numbers of C.v. and identify the person who can compete in the further steps of selection to fulfill the Job requirement.In the selection process the candidates only o through the written exam and interviews. The company does not provide any Job related problems for the candidates to solve. Thus it becomes very difficult to understand whether the candidates will be able to handle the Job-oriented problems in reality. While providing the Job description to the new employee the supply chain contact the HER department to make them know about these changes. Thus the HER department cannot know properly what a new employee is actually doing in the company and what his responsibilities are. SSP sometimes provides on the Job training and off the Job training.It has the capability to enhance the knowledge level f the employees to improve the skills and abilities of the employees. In the supply chain department of SSP there are no specific employee development processes. The employees are given promotions on the basis of their performance at the end of the year. But there is no practice of Job enlargement or enrichment or any other career development plan. The employees learn about the Job from the training program and sometimes learn from the mentoring of their boss. Thus the employees do not have any opportunity to develop their career through diversification.The employees of the supply chain department are evaluated only by self and the previous for performance appraisal. But the employees are not evaluated by other parties such as the suppliers, peers, etc. Even the feedback is not always provided to the employees properly. So it seems to us that the appraisal system is not consistent with the industry as now there are more strategic focused performance appraisal systems in practice. There are no specific reward systems for the employees' recognition except the promotions. They do not get any bonus or increment based on their performance.The whole compensation system for the employees of this department is quite sound though there is no Human Resource Management Practices regular practice of a specific non-monet ary compensation system such as recognition, praise, etc. To encourage the employees. The employee information system is not well organized. For some aspects of record maintenance an employee database is used and some other information of the employees is recorded manually by the file system. So sometimes there may be redundancy in data storing which is not cost effective for the company.Human Resource Planning The human resource planning process starts with a forecast of the people needed for the company and consists of goal setting and strategic planning and program implementation and evaluation (Non et al. , 2006). In the following part of the report we will discuss human resource planning in SSP in the context of its supply chain department. Human Resource Plan and Forecasting The human resource plan for the supply chain department is the same as that for all the other departments of SSP. The HER department prepares the plan at the end of the year.It collects the information fro m all the departments of the company about how many people they will need in the next year. The entire department's heads send the requisition with detailed information about what kind of person they need or their departments. Thus forecasting of future employees for the supply chain department is made in this way. Then human resource department takes the initiative for recruitment of those people, which we will discuss in the next segment of recruitment and selection. If the department needs more people at any time of the resource department.Except this forecasting part, SSP does not have any formal strategic planning. They did not faced any labor surplus problem so far. So they did not need to plan for reducing the labor surplus by downsizing, early retirement or any other techniques of laying off people (Personal communication, 2006). Sir Lankan Journal of Management, Volvo. 10, No's. 3 & 4: Volvo. 11, No's. 1 & 2- 97- Recruitment and Selection Human resource recruitment is the p ractice or activity carried out by the organization with the primary purpose of identifying and attracting potential employees.Selection is the process by which companies decide who will or will not be allowed into organizations (Non et al. , 2006). Thus recruitment is the process of getting a pool of candidates for the organization who can meet the requirements of a specific Job. After that selecting a person from those candidates is one of the toughest Jobs for an organization. In today's competitive business world it is very difficult to survive without potential manpower. Successful recruitment and selection can be expensive and time-consuming.But unsuccessful recruitment and selection can be a cause of the death of a business. SSP is one of the biggest employers in Bangladesh. Here we will discuss the recruitment policies and process for the supply chain department of SSP. Recruitment Objectives SSP needs such people for the supply chain department who can meet the needs of the organization to maintain the core business activities. Thus it searches for such people who are capable of doing the procurements and also maintaining the relationship with the supplier as a representative of SSP.Thus the objective of SSP is to hire a dynamic and outstanding person in the supply chain management area. Recruitment Policies Recruitment for the supply chain department in SSP is a Job of the human resource department. The human resource department finds a pool of candidates and along with the supply chain department selects the best person for the Job. Human Resource Management Practices -98- Recruitment Process for Supply Chain Department For the recruitment process JPL's supply chain department follows a very formal hiring process.Here the process is described briefly. The Assistant General Manager (GM) of the department fills up a requisition form with the Job position, requirements, criteria, Job description, and number of positions. It also clarifies why the depar tment needs a new person. Then the requisition is verified and approved by the HER Manager. The HER department publishes a circular in the newspaper for both the executives and non- executive level posts. It also publishes a circular in Job searching websites on the Internet (I. E. Boots) for the executive level posts.After receiving the C.v. from the candidates the selection process starts (Personal communication, 2006). Selection Process The HER department does a primary sorting of the C.v. and sends them to the supply candidates for a written examination. The HER department and the supply chain department make the question papers and conduct the exam. Both the HER department and the supply chain department check the exam scripts. The selected candidates from the written exam are called for an interview with the HER department and the supply chain department.Before going for the interview candidates fill a management application form with their personal information and salary expe ctations. Sir Lankan Journal of Management, Volvo. 10, No's. 3 & 4: Volvo. 11, No's. 1 & 2- 99- Sometimes the salary negotiation is done at the interview. The candidates selected from this interview are formally of selected for the Job. After that the selected candidates are sent for a medical check up. If everything is fine in the medical report then the appointment letter is given to the candidates with a set of instructions about the code of conduct of the organization (PersonalInduction and Probation Period for New Employees Induction refers to the process of helping people to make the transition into a new workplace, a new role or area of responsibility. It is considered to be a continuous process which generally starts with contact prior to taking up employment and proceeds through arrival, first days/weeks on the Job and generally up to the third month of employment. Induction is essential for all staff regardless of category or conditions of employment (http:// woman. Monish . Deed. AU).In SSP induction is the process of introducing the new employee to the organization. The HER department sakes the initiative to introduce the new employee to all the departments of SSP. A presentation is conducted by the department to let the new employee know about SSP in detail. Along with this an orientation program continues for 7-10 days to be familiar and linked with all the departments as the supply chain department is related to all other departments of the company. From six months after Joining the employee goes through a probation period.Within this time training is given to the employee. The employee tries to learn about his Job. After six months an evaluation of this employee is conducted by the GM. If the result is not satisfactory then the probation period is extended to another three months. After three months again a performance evaluation takes place. Then if the result is satisfactory the employee becomes permanent. But if the result is not satisfactory the employee's Job is terminated by the department with the consent of DEAD (Personal communication, 2006).Human Resource Management Practices -100- Job Description A Job description is a list of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a Job entails (Non et al. , 2006). Job descriptions are supposed to describe duties and performance tankards that are directly linked to organizational success factors established by the leadership, and for which it is willing to pay a salary (Moore, 2007). Thus it works as a guideline for an employee to accomplish his Job activities effectively. It also provides a standard for the supervisor of the employee to evaluate the employee's of the department.When an employee Joins this department the GM prepares a new Job description based on the company's Job description and the skills and abilities that the employee actually obtains. Then the Job description is given to the employee. The employee follows the Job description as a guideline for his Job. D uring performance appraisal the supervisors also use the Job description to compare the employee's actual performance with the required one (Personal communication, 2006). Training Training is a planned effort to facilitate the learning of Jobs related knowledge, skills and behavior by employees (Non et al. 2006). In SSP like all other departments the supply chain department also arranges for a training program. Training takes place here in different forms. These are discussed here briefly. Induction Training After Joining this department of SSP the new employees get a specific training for a period of six months. During this time they are taught their Job related activities. This training is conducted in two different ways. These are classroom training and off the job training. Sir Lankan Journal of Management, Volvo. 10, No's. &4: Volvo. 11, No's. 1 & 2- 101 – Classroom Training Classroom training is arranged by SSP. The supply chain department sends the list of the employe es who will need the training and the topics that the training should cover to the HER department. Then the HER department contacts JPL's faculties to conduct the training. Thus classroom training is provided to the employees. At the end of training the employees are evaluated through a presentation. If the training result is satisfactory then the employees' probation period comes to an end.Off-the-Job Training Off-the-Job training takes place away from the normal work situation which means that the employee is not regarded as a productive worker when training is taking place. An advantage of off-the-Job training is that it allows people to get away from work and totally concentrate on the training being given. This is most effective for training concepts and ideas (http://en. Wisped. Org). For this training purpose the supply chain similarly contacts the HER department. The HER department then arranges the training program with some outside organization to provide training.Sometime s even the employees are also sent abroad for training. Here also the employees are needed to make a presentation in front of the top-level management after the completion of the training. On-the-Job Training On-the-Job training is given in a normal working situation, using the actual tools, equipment, documents or materials that they will use when fully trained. On-the-lob training is usually most effective for vocational work (http:// en. Kipped. Org). The Assistant General Manager (GM) of the supply chain department conducts a training program once a year for all the employees of the department.This is arranged for a very short period of time such as two or three days. At that time he tries to find out whether any employee needs any extensive training program or not, based on his performance evaluation. If any training program is required for the employees he contacts the HER department to arrange the training program (Personal -102- Employee Development Development is the acquis ition of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that improve an employee's ability to meet changes in Job requirements and in client and customer demands (Non et al. , 2006).There are several methods for employee development such as, formal education program, Job enlargement, Job enrichment, Job rotation, transfer, promotions, etc. In SSP for the supply chain department there are no such employee development processes. The employees are given promotions on the basis of their performance at the end of the year (personal communication, 2006). There are no opportunities for the employees to have Job enlargement, Job enrichment, rotation, etc. Thus they cannot learn anything more than their own Job activities and developing a career.Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is the process through which an organization gets information on how well an employee is doing his or her Job (Non et al. , 2006). The central feature of any performance appraisal system is the establishment of objective s against which any assessment of the performance of the individual is based. The supply chain department of SSP conducts the performance appraisal for all the employees of the department. The HER department helps in this process. At first the employees are even the opportunity of self-evaluation.Later on the employees are evaluated by their reporting boss and the person supervising his boss. Thus all the employees including the GM and DEAD are evaluated. The MD evaluates the Idea's performance. For this evaluation purpose there is a specific performance appraisal form. Then the GM, DEAD and MD sit together to take decisions based on the employee evaluation. If any employee's performance is not satisfactory then they decide about how the performance of that employee can be improved. If any employee's performance is outstanding then he gets a promotion (Personal communication. 006). Sir Lankan Journal of Management, Volvo. 10, No's. 3&4: Volvo. 11, No's. 1 & 2- 103- Reward and Compen sation System The reward system of an organization includes anything that an employee may value and desire and that the employer is able or willing to offer in exchange for employee contributions. The reward system consists of a compensation and non-compensation system. Compensation refers to all forms of financial returns and tangible services and benefits employees receive as part of an employment relationship.Pay Structure Pay structure is the relative pay of different Jobs bib structure) and how much they are paid (pay level) (Non et al. 2006). The pay structure for the employees of the supply chain department of SSP is shown below. Basic Salary + Home Rent + Transport + Medical Allowance Other Benefits Besides the promotion an increment in the basic salary is granted for all the employees once a year to adjust with inflation. The employees get five bonuses in a year. They also have the provident fund facility.For the provident fund the company itself cuts 10 percent from the ba sic and the employees need to submit 10 percent from his own income. SSP also has a retirement plan for the employees. They take gratuity from the company after retirement. The company also provides the profit sharing scheme for the employees. The employees get some health care benefits at a discounted rate from selected hospitals and health care centers of Square. From now the employees will get health care benefits at a discounted rate at the Square Hospital.The employees can have their food from the office canteen free of cost. The employees of this department get cell phone facilities from the company. SSP has an official agreement with Grahame phone. The company provides the hand set to the employees with the Simi card. Besides, SSP also pays a fixed amount of the monthly ill of the employees Basic pay: Basic pay usually refers to the pay received without taking into account any additional benefits or bonuses, such as a car, medical cover, commissions, clothing, food etc. T als o refers to the amount of pay before taking any deductions such as tax off. Every employees of the organization has been provided a basic salary which varies according to their ranks. Compensation package are given on the basis of their basic payment Provident Fund: The Company's Provident Fund is a funded scheme. All confirmed and permanent employees are entitled to be members of the Provident Fund. The employee nutrition, equal to 10% of the basic salary, is deducted each month through the payroll. The Company's Provident Fund is a funded scheme.All long-established and enduring employees are at liberty to be members of the Provident Fund. In the Provident Fund Ledger, both the employee's and the Company's contributions are accredited to the individual employee's account. Gratuity Facility: Gratuity is a scheme to motivate people to serve for longer durations with the same employer. Anybody who has served an organization for more than 5 years is eligible for Gratuity. A portion of the employee's last drawn salary would be multiplied with he number of years of service and paid out when the leave an organization after years of service.This facility has been provided by the organization when an employee will leave from the organization. Bonuses: Incentive bonuses are a creative form of compensation that some employers offer their employees. Bonuses and cash incentives are a form of variable pay linked to individual, collective or organizational performance. Non cash incentives are also widely used such as; competency based pay, skill based pay, employee recognition and commission. 0 Festival Bonus: The bonus that is given on the eve of religious festival is called

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Are We Feeding the Poor People - Essay Example The underlying reason for this has to do with my understanding that the vast majority of this 47% of individuals that Romney indicated were dependent and â€Å"lazy† would ultimately love to have an opportunity to provide for themselves; however, they simply do not have the ability to do so. In such a way, the following analysis will be concentric upon describing this problem from a more nuanced perspective and analyzing this broad and differentiated group in terms of the responsibilities that citizens have towards their fellow citizens and the overall impact of providing services to those that are incapable of providing for themselves. Further, to understand the problem, it is necessary to know who comprises this 47%. According to Mitt Romney, the 47% represents those individuals within the United States that are not required to pay federal income taxes. The majority of these are the low-income households; most of which earn less than $ 30,000 a year. Of these, many are willing to work hard and earn a living; however, they cannot find full time employment as a result of the abysmal state of the economy. As such, they are trapped in minimum wage jobs; oftentimes working as part time employees. Not considering income taxes, these individuals can barely feed the families and provide for the basic necessities of life. As can be seen, expecting these very individuals to pay income tax would dis-incentivize engaging with the workforce and created a situation in which these very individuals would be worse off working several part-time jobs then they would be drawing unemployment checks and other forms of government welfare assistance. As can immediately be seen, simply categorizing these individuals as â€Å"lazy† is a gross exaggeration and misunderstanding of the labor force and how it works. The fact of the matter is that these individuals are not lazy and have instead chosen to work

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Human Resources - Essay Example Since the organizational set up of every collective human effort requires meeting the needs of the workforce, factors other than monetary benefits are of prime importance in the successful implementation of management plans. This essay focuses on a comprehensive evaluation of job satisfaction as a relationship with performance enhancement in workplaces from the perspectives of both employees and employers. According to studies, job satisfaction is related to a number of factors ranging from job productivity, stress levels, retention, absenteeism, and overall quality of life. To illustrate, according to the study by Colquitt et al (2011), satisfied workers are less prone to accidents at the workplace as compared to dissatisfied workers. Thus, the scholars managed to prove that accidents at the workplace are very closely linked to job satisfaction levels of the employees. Also, the study revealed that the connection can be the other way too. That means if there are less numbers of acci dents at a workplace, the employees tend to be more satisfied. Job Satisfaction and Performance Enhancement The more analytical as one goes with the experimental angle of job satisfaction, it becomes a point to remember that the neoclassical utilitarian approach in the community life demands higher amount of moral and emotional stability apart from the financial security for better performance. The economic angle of the organization is secured only with the continuous effort of the entire workforce with their result oriented attempt. Some studies related to the performance evaluation (Motowildo & Scotter, 1994) refers to the fact that behavioral patterns of the employees are the prime factors considered for the performance appraisal for comparative evaluation of the economic value of the work with the happiness of employees. Hence, it becomes a prime requirement of the business to keep the regular attendance of the employees. In a social point of view, the regularity of employees at workplace is a managerial achievement possible only with the right motivation and continuous appreciation of inter-personal relationships. A grownup individual is normally bound to several expectations at workplace and the community where he belongs to in various ways. The paramount ones among those expectations is the consistency to stay with the chosen career and the financial stability of the employee by doing the job. Some observations also reveal the factors supporting to the co-existence of the two elements – performance volume and job satisfaction – as a relationship with executive trials of the employers in meeting self-esteem needs of the workforce through the reduced implications of work pressure and reciprocal approach; and the new mechanism for implementing these factors based on interim meta analyses meant for ascertaining the satisfaction levels of employees (Lapierre & Hackett2007). Evidently, most people are driven by the passionate feelings of love, r espect, care and attention; these emotional factors usually reflect in the individualized performance patterns each day. In this regard, a badly tuned emotional treatment perceived by the individual can result in his inferior performance at workplace. Modern

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Project closing - Essay Example In Terry’s case, Power Point presentation contained technical information, and it was appropriate for engineering students (Rutledge & Mucciolo, 2001). To make an effective presentation, the speaker must be adequately prepared in advance. Terry could have known the audience well, their purpose of attending the meeting, and what they expect from the presentation. Slides are supposed to be few, short, and to the point. They should contain the key points that the speaker delivers quickly. Students are too busy to be bombarded with long-winded discussions. In Terry’s case, the slides were too many and did not contain all the information he was required to give. To choose an appropriate language of explaining technical concepts, Terry ought to have contemplated about his audience and their purpose of attending the meeting. The slides could be better if accompanied by pictures or graphics of the product (Davis, 2004). Questions always arise during a presentation, and the speaker must anticipate them. Terry ought to have explained to the group earlier that he would have the questions and answers session at the end of the meeting. Instead of being angry and defensive, he had to courteously say that the research had not supplied the answer to the questions. To have the students buy the idea, he had to make handouts of the presentation, distribute them to all to complement the presentation. They needed to have all the information instead of jumping to questions about information that was in the remaining slides. The project manager is responsible for solving problems, coordinating efforts related to lights and time signals, and requesting for questions. In this presentation, the manager could fill the remaining time with questions and discussion in order to stay on schedule. He could then adjourn the meeting by briefly summarizing the presentation and adding few last minute comments (Rafinejad,

Capital punishment and the death penalty Annotated Bibliography

Capital punishment and the death penalty - Annotated Bibliography Example They explain the stand of the church on the matter with supportive information from the bible. The author of this book discusses death penalty, providing an overview of its execution and a critically analysis this form of punishment with the question whether it is a fair solution or a moral failure. At some point, he looks at it as a government/state-sponsored killing and argues that it has a net brutalization effect of killing of more innocents. This book looks into the universal abolition of death penalty and the importance of abolishing it, evaluating it against human life (i.e. death penalty versus human life). It also looks into the families of both the condemned and the homicide victim. The author of this article tries to evaluate the forces that account for the legality of death penalty including social and political sources. By evaluating racial/ethnic threat theories, he explains why death penalty is present in some jurisdictions and absent in others. This article looks into two aspects of the question whether it is okay to implement death penalty: the ethical aspect and the epistemological one. That is, the morality of executions and the necessary burden of proof/the epistemological argument. This book critically evaluates capital punishment, which it presents as a form of punishment that follows the rule: ‘an eye for an eye’. It also offers statistical information on the support that death penalty receives from various regions. This article features the Council of Europe’s view on death penalty. The views are that death is not justice; death penalty is not a deterrent against crime; the justice system can and does make mistakes; human rights apply to everyone; and murderer should not be made into martyrs. The authors of this article attempt to answer the question whether capital punishment is morally required. They do so by narrowing down into the acts,

Hell Hath No Fury Like Medea Scorned Essay Example for Free

Hell Hath No Fury Like Medea Scorned Essay In Euripidess Medea, revenge can lead to destructive actions. This theme is a central part to the tragedy, mostly because it pops up time and time again. Euripides, through the use of motif, makes Medeas desire for revenge seem conceivable. Not only has Jason left her by marrying Creons daughter, but Creon has exiled her from Corinth because she â€Å"nourish[es] rancorous ill will toward [Jason and Creusa] whom [he] intends to protect† (Euripides 92). The protagonist is left with ultimately nothing and blames her misfortune on Jason. Throughout the play, Medea is described as a very determined and passionate woman who will stop at nothing to serve her sweet revenge. The death motif supports Medeas theme of revenge because it foreshadows her plans for vengeance. Medea shows the horror that can come when a person lets desire for revenge rule ones life. Death pops up very early in the play, when â€Å"death is [Medeas] wish† (87). She explains how she wishes death on herself, her enemies, and her children. She could â€Å"think of nothing but the death of three persons† (96). This foreshadows her plans for revenge because she eventually kills Creon, his daughter, and her own children, leaving Jason with nothing. Medeas plan for revenge starts with her children delivering a golden wreath and cloak that is cursed to burn the wearers body to death to Jasons new wife Creusa. This leads to not only the death of Creusa, but also her father, Creon. Although Medea has caused much damage and havoc, her vengeance does not stop there. She wants Jason â€Å"crushed, boneless, and crawling,† and she wants to sever all ties with him (119). She claims that â€Å"as long as [my children] live; I shall be mixed with him† (120). This brings her to her final and most destructive act of revenge: she kills her own children therefore leaving Jason with no wife or power. Ultimately, Medeas theme of revenge is supported throughout the tragedy and ends with Medea coming out victorious yet left with nothing to live for in her life. Death is brought upon multiple characters and is mentioned multiple times throughout the play. Euripides, by using theme and motif, sends a clear message that revenge can seem to control ones meaning of life and leave a person empty and with nothing except for a rancorous spirit. Medea ends with the protagonist exiting, carrying her dead boys with no home, family, or a reason to live. The protagonist’s need for revenge leads to irreversible destructive actions that not only leave Jason with nothing, but Medea as well.

Hiv Aids Media In Uk Health And Social Care Essay

Hiv Aids Media In Uk Health And Social Care Essay It is estimated that over 30 million people worldwide live with HIV leading to around 2 million deaths per year. In the UK HIV is one of the fastest growing illnesses and as of June 2010 there has been 26,262 new cases of AIDS diagnosis with over 19,000 HIV related deaths.  [i]   Despite various health and government campaigns designed to inform the public of HIV transmission and prevention in the UK; rates of diagnosis of the disease still continue to rise. This essays aims to understand if media campaigns are effective to induce a change in both prevention and the number of individuals who are willing to undergo testing? If this is not the case then what factors contribute to its current stigma? Finally, has the media been effective enough to change the publics perception to the disease in todays society compared to when it first hit the headlines? Through these arguments, conclusions and recommendations for future effective awareness and media techniques can be drawn. The History of AIDS in the media The media is considered to be the most influential tool having a direct ability to influence mass target audiences. This was made more powerful through the invention of the internet where information could be broadcast worldwide, allowing more people than ever to access information. Throughout the years, portrayal of HIV and AIDS through newspapers, television, radio, posters, leaflets and educational advertisements have had a direct effect on the way the disease is perceived by the general public. For example, when AIDS first hit the global headlines in the early 1980s it was displayed by the media as being a new, unknown disease with a direct link to individuals only involved in homosexual activity. This reflected a time where same sex relationships were frowned upon and how this taboo was seen to result in death. There were also cases of how infected blood transfusion products acted as a transmission route, this led to terms such as killer blood  [ii]  and labelling AIDS as a gay plaque  [iii]  . The early perception of the disease is shown through newspapers including influential and renounced broadsheets like The Daily Telegraph in 1983 with their main headline of Gay Plague May Lead to Blood Ban on Homosexuals. This was a paper which was targeted at many affluent people with a high degree of social status and education. In 1982 The Terrence Higgins Trust was formed, the first campaign of its kind. This charity group was dedicated in supporting, preventing and campaigning for greater public understanding of HIV. Through this new slant of providing a support frame work for infected individuals, charities started to focus on prevention, education and aiding the families of those affected. Through the growth of science and research more understanding was obtained about the disease and it was no longer a fear of the unknown but more focus on how transmission of the disease can be prevented. Hence this lead to government campaigns in the new millennia, educating the general population rather than inducing fear. The perception and stigma of HIV Today there is still a wide stigma which surrounds many cultures, religious and ethic groups. Landlords have evicted individuals with AIDS and the Social Security Administration is interviewing patients by phone rather than face to face.  [iv]  Dr David Spencer, Commisioner of Health, New York City The question lies in whether the media has been effective enough to overcome stigmatisation within the associated groups. An eye opening story of how AIDS has been portrayed through the media and its direct influence on discrimination and prejudice was shown by the case of Ryan White, a haemophiliac who became infected in 1984. As HIV was poorly understood at the time, many parents and teachers protested against his attendance, signing petitions to exclude him from campus even though scientists at the time knew that HIV was not transmittable through any form of casual contact. He worked as a paperboy and many people along his route cancelled their subscriptions in fear that the disease was contractible through newsprint. This shows the extent of how HIV was perceived and the fear of contraction, which instigated threats of violence and legal cases towards the family. When White was allowed to return to school in 1986 he was deeply unhappy. He had few friends and school policy required him to eat with disposable utensils, have a separate bathroom and his requirement to attend gym class was dismissed. How ever, the most shocking event came about when a bullet was fired through the Whites front room window and the family decided it was time to leave. He was later enrolled into another school and was greeted by the superintendent and a handful of students who were educated about the disease and who were not afraid to shake his hand. This shows the detrimental difference that education makes towards public perception and how prejudice and discrimination can be limited.  [v]   Hence through the array of inaccurate information, the fear of prejudice and discrimination has lead to stigmatisation. This has had an effect on the willingness of individuals to acquire HIV testing, and be open about a positive status despite the reduced visibility of the symptoms of the disease such as skin and muscle wastage. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has made discrimination within the workplace illegal for people associated with HIV and AIDS. However this does not combat the prejudice and stigmatisation an individual may encounter from their colleagues. Hence subtle discrimination is more common as it is difficult to tackle in comparison to open discrimination. These are the reasons why people choose not to disclose their HIV status, as for many people living with the disease the most hurtful prejudice that they may face comes from those to who they would normally turn to for support. Close family, friends and partners have been known to turn their back on people diagnosed with HIV. In addition, the sense of belonging that being part of a community provides can quickly disappear when that community appears to discriminate against you simply because of its own prejudice against HIV, this often leads to financial and further social difficulties. The media is therefore faced with the difficult task of changing peoples perceptions, of which there have been a few successful outcomes. EastEnders a popular UK television soap explored the issues of HIV and AIDS with regards to antiretroviral drugs, safe sex, prejudice and the difficulties that can occur in a relationship. The producers worked closely with The Terrence Higgins Trust throughout the story and it was found that after the characters positive diagnosis in 1991 this correlated with the highest peak in HIV testing requests  [vi]  . This was influential as the soap showed someone living with HIV as opposed to dying with the disease, and the storyline was so successful in raising awareness that a 1999 survey conducted by the National AIDS Trust found teenagers got most of their information about HIV from the soap.  [vii]  When the character died in 2004 campaigners suggested that he was killed too early as advancements in drugs were helping people live much longer a nd was not reflective of what was happening at the time. Lisa Power, head of policy at the Terrence Higgins Trust, stated that, one decent soap episode is worth a thousand leaflets in schools. That is why we would always go out of our way to help scriptwriters. TV and films can be very powerful.  [viii]  Ã‚   How the media has changed the perception of HIV /AIDS Horizon produced a BBC documentary Killer in the Village which showed the perception that the media had of HIV and AIDS back in 1983. Terms such as killer disease highlighted the fear of the disease by gay men who walk in its shadow. Even though the programmes aim was to provide information on this new cancer the way that the issue was dealt with showed the prejudice that even health care workers and politicians who tried to shed light on the subject held.  [ix]   Advertisements were steamed on TV warning viewers about contracting the disease which would lead to death. They were not based on educating the public but mostly warning of the dangers of the disease, this was perhaps due to the lack of understanding of the topic. This is clearly shown in one of the earlier T.V advertisements produced in Australia in 1987.  [x]  Here we see that AIDS has been given the face of the grim reaper, a metaphoric analogy showing that AIDS equals death. He is seen to throw a bowling bowl at his target the general public and they are seen to fall which is a symbol of death. Another advert produced in the US in the same year shows a vulnerable child lying in bed with the disease and with his last breathe reaches out to the public with the message DONT GET IT!.  [xi]   The later HIV and AIDS television campaigns have become the main source of education for the general public with information commercials showing links to help lines for more information. Marketers feel in order to sell their products to the teenage target audience they have to use sex to appeal to them, this is shown though clothing and perfume lines. Therefore it is evident to get teenagers attention about the dangers of unprotected sex, advertisements have had to be made more graphical and explicit. This is made apparent through later television campaigns as such produced by MTV in 1999  [xii]  where couples are seen to engage in intercourse in a relatable fashion and then the newly infected partner is shot by the infected one. This would have seen to be too controversial back in the 1980s. However towards the end of the commercial it shows a bullet being stopped by a condom, this analogy of how death can be stopped by wearing a condom adds a powerful element in getting the mes sage across. A recent advertisement campaign produced by the NHS in 2009  [xiii]  again showed couples engaging in risky sexual behaviour. Names of STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea were shown throughout the commercial however notably there was no mention of HIV or AIDS. For what possible reason has HIV and AIDS, which a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide appear to have been forgotten in recent campaigns? Perhaps the predominance of HIV transmission in the media in previous years had overshadowed more s common and less serious STIs, decreasing their awareness and allowing them to rise significantly. As a result, government and health authorities could be trying to draw greater focus to these, meanwhile dangerously oversighting the significant risk of HIV transmission in todays young population. In more recent times, the media has tried to make HIV and AIDS more relatable to the general public by using celebrities and figure heads. Celebrities with HIV and AIDS are not shown in a bad light but more of a lesson to be learned from. They have been seen as individuals who people look up to as role models and leaders, where people form an identification with them hence they can relate to these individuals including famous people such as Rock Hudson and Freddy Mercury who lost their lives to AIDS. One significant change that aadvertising has provided is promoting the use of condoms with slogans such as stay safe, use a condom  [xiv]  , highlighting condoms as an important factor in the prevention pathway. In March 2009, during the Popes visit to Africa the Pope denounced the use of condoms saying that the best way to be free of the disease was through abstinence. However, in November he changed his statement saying that the use of condoms to reduce the risk of infection is a first step on the road to a more human sexuality, rather than not to use it and risk the lives of others.  [xv]   The change in the perception of both the media and the public can be seen through the introduction of HIV dating websites and international conferences held for journalists to provide them with the latest statistics and different ways of educating the public. Conclusions and Recommendations HIV is on the increase and still continues to rise regardless of media attention. A press release from NAT (a UK charity designed to change societys view on HIV/AIDS) in November 2010 revealed that in the UK the number of HIV transmissions being diagnosed still remains high with no hint of a decline when compared to previous years. The HPA (Health Protection Agency) has revealed that although overall rates of diagnoses have shown a decline, this is largely due to fewer diagnosis been made in those infected overseas. Therefore greater intervention other than media is required to make people more aware of the disease. The stigmatisation surrounding HIV and AIDS still continues and this also acts as barrier for people to willingly undergo testing. They believe a diagnosis could have a knock on effect amongst their social, religious and cultural group if anyone found out about their positive status, therefore by not being tested traps them into a false sense of security which acts as a source of denial. Therefore in order to overcome this barrier stigmatisation needs to be removed, the only reason why this is difficult is because people see it as a punishment for immoral behaviour and still associate the disease with drug use and homosexual behaviour whereas currently it is heterosexual women who have seen the biggest rise in new infection over the last decade with 4,220 cases acquired heterosexually in 2008 in comparison to only 2,760 acquired homosexually.  [xvi]   In todays society, the majority of young people see contraceptions main function as protection against pregnancy, not against diseases. Especially since the first hormonal contraceptive pill was approved by the FDA in 1960.  [xvii]  It is readily available and free of charge to young girls, therefore the use of condom is deemed unnecessary in some young peoples eyes. Therefore the use of a condom should be deemed as essential in sexual activity, not to prevent pregnancy, but to prevent a fatal disease. A further reason for the increased spread of HIV in the UK, is 18-30s holidays. These holidays, promoted through advertisement in the media, encourage binge drinking and sex. It is seen as one of the main attraction of the holiday. However, a combination of these results in a high risk of HIV transmission. Being under the influence of alcoholic hugely affects ones perception of safety and decreases the probability of remembering, or caring, if a condom is used. This alone would increase the spread of HIV. One of the most popular countries for these types of holidays is Greece. Over the last decade, Greece has experienced an influx of migrants from countries in South Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Studies show that 12% of new infections between the years 1989 and 2003 occurred in immigrants.  [xviii]   the results suggest an increasing trend of HIV-seropositive migrants in Greece during recent years.  [xix]   Therefore, these alcohol -fuelled holidays can result in people from the UK becoming infected with the virus and increasing the spread once returning to the UK. Recommendations A. Research should be undertaken to map the current prevalence of HIV prejudice and types of HIV discrimination experienced in the UK, and Terrence Higgins Trust should establish a database of case studies. B. The Department of Health should ensure that their concerns about the role of stigma in HIV transmission and illness be met by, amongst other strategies suggested here, supporting projects to aid people with HIV in challenging prejudice and discrimination through positive role models, speaker and media work and support networks. C. The Government should enact agreed proposals to extend the Disability Discrimination Act to cover medical conditions from the point of diagnosis, rather than the onset of illness, in the next legislative session. D. Health promotion agencies producing information on sexual health and HIV should include, as appropriate, messages countering prejudice and discrimination both in the general population and within targeted communities. E. In addition to the Codes of Practice produced by the Disability Rights Commission offering guidance to the providers of goods and services about their legal obligations, the Government should legislate to tackle the discrimination encountered by people with HIV and other medical conditions when they access goods and services. F. HIV prevention information targeting Africans, Black people and/or asylum seekers should be produced but their messages and formats need to take into account the concerns of these communities around potential prejudice. G. HIV information providers to African people in the UK should produce materials which make clear their medical and legal rights if diagnosed with HIV In conclusion the requirement of good HIV information through TV, wind-up radios (e.g. in Africa), HIV issues in soap-operas which are most influential, accessible HIV tests, expensive counselling for those proving positive, safe-sex promotion, fewer sexual partners, decreased alcohol use to avoid risky behaviour, and good trials found circumcision helps prevent HIV transmission is necessary to continue and increase prevention campaigns thus providing further education about the disease process, its transmission and how it can be prevented. Hence the mainstay of management relies on education including promotion of safe sex, needle exchange programmes, screening of blood transfusion products and public awareness campaigns. Therefore the only real way of getting rid of any associated stigma is to find a cure for HIV.

Leadership Style Of Richard Branson And Steve Jobs Commerce Essay

Leadership Style Of Richard Branson And Steve Jobs Commerce Essay This essay is required to conduct a better understanding of leadership styles (transactional and transformational leadership styles) from researching on Richard Branson and Steve Jobs success, and discuss about different types of changes (incremental and radical changes) may occur in an organisation in order to learn change management methods can be applied to a real case (Virgin Group). Although both of the excellent leaders exhibit characteristics of both transactional and transformational leadership styles, this essay will identify Steve Jobs as a transactional leader and Richard Branson as a transformational leader with three reasons for each statement. Changes are inevitable for all kinds of organizations and business. This essay will share and identify six examples (incremental and radical) of changes for each leader (three examples each type). At last, this essay will discuss the concepts of change management and explain Kotters 8-Step Change Model by applying to a real case (Virgin Group). Transactional Leadership VS Transformational Leadership Good leadership is the key to the success of an organization. Transactional leadership is performance-oriented and transformational leadership is people-oriented. To be more specific, transactional leadership involves contingent reinforcement to monitor and justify followers performances by using reward and punishment, while transformational leadership tends to inspire and motivate the followers loyalty and concentration by leaders charisma. Steve Jobs as Transactional Leader Transactional leaders characteristic behaviours are: (Barbuto, 2005) Contingent Reward Contingent reward is actually a usual way that most of the managers use to motivate teams, create positive competition and improve effectiveness. Steve Jobs had the impressive ability to notice talent and active employees and allocate them to the right place within the company. Each year, Jobs took his top 100 people on a retreat. It is not only a reward as a vacation, but also an acknowledgement from STEVE JOBS! In my opinion, acknowledgements from successful genius would be the best reward for my hard working. Management by exception Transactional leaders take actions based on the exceptions (performance) of the employees. Steve Jobs categorised his followers as either geniuses or bozos, and quickly firing those who fall in the latter camp (Greene-Blose, 2012). Another characteristic of transactional leadership would be the desire for control which is typical Steve Jobs style. His favourite presentation tools were a whiteboard and a Magic Marker, which gives him fully control in the conference. After his reinventing Apple, Jobs had several weeks of product review sessions. Finally he run out of patience and shouted the team to stop, grabbed a Magic Marker to the white board and wrote down four words: Consumer, Pro., Desktop and Portable. Then he said:Here is what we need! (Isaacson, 2012) This is Steve Jobs, full of power and passion, who gave clear incentives and strategies to his followers with his wisdom and visions. Richard Branson as Transformational Leader Transformational leaders characteristic behaviours are: (Barbuto, 2005) Idealized influence Richard Branson has become a role model for his followers inside or outside of his Virgin Empire by his own passionate and fearless life style. With his own words, You want to create something you are proud ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ That has always been my philosophy of business (Branson), Richard Branson broke many world records such as the fastest recorded Atlantic crossing by boat, the first Atlantic crossing by hot-air balloon, etc. He proved that anything is possible to his followers and the rest of the world with real examples. (Ocker, 2008) Inspiration motivation Richard Branson is a visionary leader with dreams and relentless work attitude which make those dreams come true. At the early stage of Virgin Group business, he once said:I want Virgin to be as well-known around the world as Coca-Cola. (Branson) After decades of time, the brand of Virgin have become world well-known, and covers many different areas of business which Coca-Cola wound not dare to try. Those kinds of ambitions and courage ties his group together and close, and leads him to keep on improving Virgin Group services and productions. Individualized consideration Richard Branson business maxim is staff first, customers second and shareholders third (Locke, 2009). One of his most famous and interesting story would be the lawsuit against British Airways for its protracted libel actions and ended with a settlement of about  £600,000 total. After Richard Branson got the money, he divided it to all his employees for their hard working. On the other hand, the major reason of Richard Bransons business success is that he takes care of customers needs with innovations and consideration, such as placing a rubber ducky in each bathroom of Virgin-owned hotels in order to make guests feel ate home, putting Listening Posts in their record stores and allowing customers to listen to entire CDs before purchasing. (Richard Branson Virgin) In general, transformational leadership is considered more friendly and flexible way to organize a company, while transactional leadership is considered more tough and efficient. It is hard to say which one is better. All the good leaders all over the world (include the two above) have the characteristics of the both leadership styles., such as Steve Jobs charismatic characteristics and spiritual motivating speech skills (Transformational), and Richard Branson strict management ways on the lower level position in the organisation (Transactional). Transformational leadership does not replace transactional leadership but improves the effectiveness of transactional leadership from a different angle. (Bernard, Bass, Riggio, 2005) Incremental Changes VS Radical Changes Changes are inevitable in human lives as well as in business operations. Incremental change takes place over a long time period for development purposes, while radical change is more often triggered by a crisis or a business opportunity. There are several differences listed in the following table. Incremental Changes Radical Changes Reasons Business development Expansion Dealing with crisis Seizing a significant business opportunity Period Long period of time Short period of time Examples Improvement Such as TQM, new system implementation Revolutionary changes Such as restructuring, merger, take-over Approaches types May be small, slow, on-going May be onetime events, quick Respond and effect Hardly noticed by the management level Immediately adapt May cause resistance to changes Steve Jobs Incremental Changes Example1: Pixar In 1986, Steve Jobs bought The Graphics Group from Lucasfilm for $10 millions, changed the name to Pixar and started his career in animation manufacturing. With his visionary plans and technology support from his computer company NeXT, Pixar developed a software package called RenderMan (which has been widely accepted and used in filmmaking industry). RenderMan was implemented into the existing Pixar production line slowly. After ten years time, Pixar finally achieved an amazing success in the animation filming industry. It kept producing a series of animation films, beginning with Toy Story (1995), which led Pixars worth to over $1.5 billion. It took 10 years to implementing and perfecting the new software into production and transferring Steve Jobs leadership style into Pixars existing operation, and achieves a remarkable improvement at the end. This is an incremental change made by Steve Jobs. Example2: Digital hub strategy After Steve Jobs returning to Apple in 1997 as an interim CEO, he successfully brought Apple back to profitability with a amazing consumer desktop computer iMac. By facing negative predictions about proclaiming PCS would disappear within a couple of years, Steve Jobs continuously led Apple to keep on perfecting i products with the meaning of internet, individual, instruct, inform and inspire as the same way Apple always do. (Steve Jobs introductory 1998 iMac slide show) In 2001, Steve Jobs unveiled the Digital Hub Strategy to the public and in the next 10 years time he kept on launching a series of new products which extremely changed and led the trade of the whole world. (Kurian, 2012) There was an interesting event that Steve Jobs called himself as the iCEO of Apple instead of interim CEO humorously which entertained the public very much (Macworld San Francisco 2000). It was also a smart way to promoting i products while teasing with the board of Apple for rehiring him with the temporary executive position. This huge successful change took 10 years to be accomplished followed by Steve Jobs leadership piece by piece. It was a long period on-going process of implementing Jobs wisdom into Apple Company. Example3: Retirement from Apple Steve Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, but he kept on denying any serious problem. That is why everyone was surprised when Apple announced that Steve Jobs would not go on stage for the Macworld keynote in 2009, and he took six months off at the same year. Jobs finally resigned as CEO of Apple in 2011 but remained as the Chairman of the companys board, and he passed away after 6 weeks. (Kurian, 2012) There may be some radical changes involved fro restructuring purpose, but in general, Steve Jobs took care of his retirement carefully to avoid negative impact slowly for 3 years time. For instance, he distributed his responsibilities to other executives step by step, and before his final resign, he strongly recommended Tim Cook in written, that letter was released to the public lately. The whole process was carefully planned and implemented in a long time. In my opinion, it can be an incremental change. Steve Jobs Radical Changes Example1: Macintosh VS Lisa In the early 80s, Apple was creating a business-oriented computer named Lisa under Steve Jobs supervising, but later after that, Steve Jobs thrown out of the Lisa project because of his bad temper. He was so angry and decided to take revenge by developing a small project called Macintosh in order to destroy the sales of Lisa. (Kurian, 2012) It was a radical strategy. Macintosh had user-friendly interface (point-and -click) which inspired other computer manufactories and changed the direction of computer industry since then, but it was not welcome to the market then. At that time, IBMs PC was more compatible with its cheaper price. Because this action was taken rapidly without well planning and careful market researching, Macintosh project failed. Example2: Staging a Coup There was another revenge taken by Steve Jobs after his removal from Lisa project, he tried to stage a coup. As we all know, he failed again. (Kurian, 2012) It was a restructuring plan, and he took actions rapidly. But without endorsement from Apple board of directors and support from other colleagues, he got fired from his own company. Example3: Reinventing Apple By 1996, Apple rehired Steve Jobs as an informal adviser to the CEO. At that time, Apple was keeping on losing money and Steve Jobs staged another coup. He successes this time and became an interim CEO in 1997.The first thing he had done after his promotion is cutting off the production lines and focused on four products. This effective decision brought the lost confidence back to the Apple community (Kurian, 2012). In the meantime, Jobs took other actions such as announcing a new slogan Think Different and launched an amazing project which brought Apples resurgence lately, the iMac. (Edwards, 2008) Those actions and decisions above are radical changes (restructuring and redesigning the production processes). They were new strategies to the company for solving a financial crisis in a short time period. Richard Branson Incremental Changes Example1: Virgin Atlantic There are some unique features Virgin Atlantic has while other airways may not have can be considered as incremental changes. Such as, serving a cup of ice cream while passengers watching movies during travelling in order to provide a better service. Virgin Atlantic does not provide meals for short distance flight in order to reduce ticket price. This kind of services is provided for improving quality of service. Example2: Virgin Group Because Richard Branson received a lot of support from his family and friends during hi early period of business stage (borrowed money from his auntie and supported by John Lennon), the whole Virgin Group services can be considered as a long term process for implementing Richard Bransons plan of giving back to the society and helping those people who has ambitious but doesnt have opportunities. Such as, Virgin Money provides a set of formalised documentations help people who need loans. Example3: Eco-friendly efforts In 2007, Richard Branson launched Virgin Earth Challenge dedicating in to environmental issues. He made several decisions that supervised the whole world, such as a $25 millions prize for inventors who comes up with a viable solution for scrubbing carbon gases from atmosphere. He also pledged to reinvest all profits from Virgin transportation business over the decade into developing ecologically benign fuels. This kind of actions may not affect other Virgin companies, but it will improve Virgin Groups reputation, it is also a long time period project. Richard Branson Radical Changes Example1: Virgin Records Shop At the beginning, Richard Branson started his records business as mail ordering company in London, and it went well. After a postal strike, the mail order business was crippled. Richard Branson was forced to seek new outlets and he opened his first retail store in Oxford Street in 1971. This was a strategy for dealing with a crisis situation, and operated immediately. It changed Virgin Records business process and structure. Example2: Selling Virgin Music Group Selling Virgin Music probably would be the hardest decision Richard Branson has made in his whole lifetime. This decision was made in order to get money to take Virgin Atlantic back into private ownership. (Vinnedge, 2009) This change was forced by a financial crisis and included restructuring process. Example3: Closing Virgin Money U.S. Richard Branson launched a loan servicing company called Virgin Money U.S. in America in 2007, and began its withdrawal after 2 years (Lepro, 2010). Its social loans were transferred to Graystone Solutions. This time, Richard Branson misjudged the market and had to make the decision in order to limit the damage. Other reasons of this collapse might be the bad economy and different culture in America. This change included restructuring and take-over in a short time. Change Management in Virgin Group Story In 2007, Virgin Group announced the completion of its biggest challenge which brought over 10 million customers and 13,000 employees merger of NTL, Telewest and Virgin Mobile under the Virgin Media brand. It is known as the largest Virgin Company in the world. This operation took more than two years to complete the merger, and Virgin Group handled it carefully, especially on employees resistance. Reasons of employees resistance to this change Fear Mostly, employees fear comes from uncertainty about their career: whether they are going to loss their job, will they fit the new way or follow the new process probably? No faith in new process Comfort personal preference Lack of knowledge Lack of trust Strategies for overcoming barriers to changes Involving employees during the managing changes Establishing clear processes and procedures Establishing Clear Strategies Effective Communication with Employees Efficient Leadership Application Kotters Change Model Conclusion