Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Operations Management - Essay Example Operation management is the function of managing core activities such as creation, production, distribution and delivery of the organisation’s goods and services (Chase, and Aquilano, 1977). This management of organisation is associated with the conversion of labour and material into goods and services efficiently to maximise the profits of the organisation (Gaither, 1984).Managing of operations appropriately is important for organisations in order to ensure high productivity, and customer satisfaction (Krajewski, Ritzman, &Malhorta, 2007). 1.2 What will be discussed in this case study?(Synopsis) This case study will provide an extensive knowledge regarding the operational problems being faced by the hospital; Riyadh Medical Hospital. This case study will be focused on highlighting the critical operational problems such as Supply chain management, Inventory management, Waste and lean management; and Quality management Along with these critical problems, the case study will pro vide an overview of the structure and growth that are relevant to these essential areas of operational management.The elements mentioned above will be separately investigated to evaluate the importance of each of the operational management issues. ... spital.The operation management deals with managing core activities from the conversion of labour and material to goods and services (Apte, Maglaras, and Pinedo, 2008). This would allow us to better understand the issues related to operation management at Riyadh Military Hospital. This case study addresses the major operational management issues such as supply chain management, inventory management, waste and lean management and quality management at Riyadh military hospital. Each of the issues mentioned are a hurdle for the hospital to work effectively and efficiently. This case study helpsto analyse and provide recommendation to improve the understanding of these problems. The concept of operation management would be used to understand the information and the problems associated with the management at Riyadh Military Hospital. The supply chain management issue wouldhelp in learning more about the importance of supply chain in a hospital and how can the supply chain management affec t the overall performance of the Riyadh Military Hospital. Similarly, the inventory management issues will highlight the importance of keeping balance between the required inventory and the amount of inventory at hand. The excess inventory in a hospital can lead to unfavourable situations as it reduces the capacity of the organisation and the value perceived by the customers reduces. On the other hand, the waste and lean management issue would highlight the importance of processes that are aimed to reduce the waste and improve the efficiency of the hospital. Lean management is aimed to transform the processes radically and to reduce the cost of the processes(Schemenner, 1984). The last but not the least operational management issue; quality management, would highlight the importance of

DIAGEO --Ethical Issues Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

DIAGEO --Ethical Issues Business - Essay Example Diageo was the first global drinks company to sign up the nine principles of the United Nations Global Compact for dedicated efforts in social and environmental responsibility. Diageo has its own codes and policies, which are reviewed after certain gaps, and go beyond local and national governing laws. The company is fully dedicated and focused on the interests of all its stakeholders whether consumers, employees, or shareholders. Major ethical issue with Diageo is that it sells alcoholic drinks, which are not positively accepted in society norms as a healthy sign. Responsible drinking is a big ethical issue and challenge for the company to market its product and advertise drinking to inculcate the feeling among consumer to drink responsibly. Employee Volunteer Activities Diageo’s employees are its brand ambassadors. Their volunteer activities come and are covered under the company’s Employee Alcohol policy. Employees are expected to comply with company’s programs and policies. They have a responsibility to behave and assist line managers, complying with applicable laws, regulations and Diageo code of business conduct. They are supposed to comprehend all these and relevant policies of employment. Employees are given training to understand the governing laws. They are supposed to ask for guidance on any matter they think will pose risk to the code, law or regulation.

Employee Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction Research

Employee Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction Research 1.0 Introduction Every human being has satisfaction and dissatisfaction for certain things. So, employees will have own satisfaction and dissatisfaction for the management team in the company. Employee satisfactions define as how happy for workers are with their job and working environment and dissatisfaction mean the employees not happy with the management or working and environment. Employee is very important for the organization. It is because if without labor, the production line cannot function well and it will lead to loss for the organization. The company that I was interview is SPK wholesale stationary Sdn Bhd and the employee that I was interviewed is Yee Jeun Fui and he was the information technology consultant in the company. Previously SPK were not having any system related to technology for example, bar code system and CCTV system. After Yee Jeun Fui was worked there in year 2009, bar code and CCTV system was installed in the company to get more convenience quality and all the transaction was record by computer system. Besides, the security for the company was also improved because CCTV was installed. 2.0 Body 2.1 Satisfaction 2.1.1 Position Provided The IT consultant mentions that the position provided by the company is satisfied for him. It is because the company gives the all authority about IT for him and then he will feel like he has the power in the company and this is better when compare with previous company. It is because previously he was worked at a computer shop and the shop only provided technician position for him. The opinion of our group is giving higher position and authority to the employee is important. It is because when giving higher position and authority can lead to satisfaction for the employee and then the more efficiency work will come out. For example, the SPK Company was already set up computer system and records all the transaction by using computer and currently is better than earlier, because earlier is using hand writing to record the transaction and now the work is more efficiency. 2.1.2 Holistic Concern Besides, company concern for their employees family was also important and it will also lead the satisfaction for the employee. If a company care about holistic concern for their employee then the employee will me more loyalty for the company it is because the company will giving a feeling to their employees about the company care for human relationship and not too tie follow the rules. The IT consultant giving real example and saying that in year 2009, his grandfather was pass away, and the company was also allowed him to take emergency leave even though that time, he just join the company for few month only. Besides, when his sister registered married in last year, the company also allowed him to take leave to attend for his sisters registered married. According to this two cases, shown that the company care for employees family. 2.1.3 Benefit Furthermore, the company also giving the benefit for employees likes Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Perkerja (KWSP), reward those who are done excellent job as an encouragement to encourage them to improve. Some benefit for the company giving KWSP is make sure their employee after retirement still can maintain their lifestyle. Besides, the company also invite their employee join a trip to have a holiday in oversea. This not only can enhance the relationship between each other and also can learn new knowledge from the trip. 2.2 Dissatisfaction 2.2.1 Salary The information giving by the IT consultant, the salary giving by the company is not reach for his expectation. It is because he needs to cover his petrol fees and the company office is far away from his house. So it means that, he needs to drive all the way from Kulai to Skudai to work every day and the company didnt give the subsidy for his petrol fees. The opinion of our group is salary must be given depends on the requirement of the employee like depend on their capacity level or academic level. For example, company can set their introductory salary for the new employee and depend on their level. Moreover, the transport fees also should be given by the company to fulfill the employees satisfaction then only the turnover rate in the company will become lower. 2.2.2 Stress According information giving by the consultant, the SPK Company is setting up franchise business. In year 2010, one new outlet has been opened in Kulai and it name as V-STAT stationary retailer shop. At the time, before open the new shop, the consultant has to rush up his work to inspect overall process of the new shop. For example, he has to inspect the decorate process; set up a computer system with can link to headquarter and recruit new employee. During the period, he was felt stressful to all these work, because he only was an IT consultant and the work giving by the top are too much. Those work given by the superior let him felt stressful and unsatisfied. Stress is invisible pressure, some of company just wants to achieve the goal set and never concern for their employee by giving more tasks and the task given was out of range. Therefore, the employees will be in stress situation and the work done become lack of quality. So, superior must given task to an employee according to their ability then only the dissatisfaction of employee will not happen. 2.2.3 Poor working environment condition The information given by the IT consultant, sometimes when he working in the office, he does not know what was happened outside, overwhelmingly more important, sometime he cannot distinguish night or day. It was because the working environment does not have window. Besides, the working area was also too narrow and the air conditioning was also not enough in the office. The observation of our group the poor working environment condition was an unhealthy part. It is because the working environment condition leads to employees feel the work was rough boring and doing aimless work. 2.2.4 Location The IT consultant provided the information that the location also will cause dissatisfaction to an employee. It is because the IT consultant lives in Kulai and every day need to drive car to his work place. Some more, he also had to fetch one of the worker of the company to work, it become a responsible for him. For example, sometimes he has urgent work to do; he had to arrange the transport for the worker, sometime he asks his friend to help. On our group opinion, location can cause dissatisfaction of an employee. It is because the location was causes some cases. For example, the IT consultant has to wake up early every morning in order to catch to work. Moreover, the transportation also was a reason. 2.2.5 Too much overtime and working hour Based on the information given by the IT consultant, too much overtime and working hour given by the company. Normally the working hour for him is 8.30a.m. Until 6.00p.m. But because of his superior want to get more business that is students business, his always had to do overtime until 7.00p.m it is because student back home from school on 6.45p.m. So, by this reason lead him to feel dissatisfaction. The opinion of our group, too much overtime will lead to dissatisfaction for an employee, even though the company will pay extra salary, but money is not everything for human being. For example, the relationship of family cannot measure by money and it is important for every human being. 3.0 Conclusion In conclusion, satisfaction and dissatisfaction of employee is an important part to determine success of the company. If a company within high turnover rate, the employee in the company might not be able to perform well it is because lack of trust and understanding of each other by contraries which is low turnover rate, the company can more easily achieve the goal. So every company or organization must try to meet the satisfaction of every employee in order to get better work. Question 2: What are the remedies an organization can undertake to rectify the dissatisfaction of its employees? 1.0 Introduction In an organization, employees always have satisfaction and dissatisfaction on their job. When dissatisfaction happens it can influence on employee working performance, efficiency and attitude on their work. And it will directly cause to the organization. Dissatisfaction because of the employees is not pleased on the organization, so the employees will feel unsatisfied and not happy with the organization. It will cause loss and not good for the organization. 2.0 Body 2.1 Not be respect and trust Employees need to be respect and trust by the upper management. If not it can let employees feel dissatisfaction with the company. Because that, the company are giving too many task and pressure to them, so they will feel unsatisfied and unhappy on the work. And this will cause the employees leave the company. For overcome this factor, company can organize some activities that employees wish to want. As for what activities should organize, employees should given the chance to voice out their suggestions. Here are some of the activities that suggested by the employees that we have interviewed, which are co-diner or outing with colleagues or company, and family gathering together. They just want to get together with their colleagues or friends, enjoy with them in the absence of work and without pressure. As an upper management, they should always try to accept employees ideas. This is a very good way to resolve the dissatisfaction of employees. This is because employees feel that they are respected by company once their opinions or ideas are accepted by company. 2.2 Lack of skills and knowledge Furthermore, some employees feel that working for the company will not lead to the kind of future they want. This means that, although some employees do not like their own job but are still forced to work on that due to the lack of skills and knowledge. Whats more, employees will feel boring or listless during working if they are not interested with the job that they in. By this, the sales might be drop. Thus, company has to know what their employees needs are in order to rectify the dissatisfaction of employees. Firstly, company should make a better recruitment and selection. As we mentioned that, training is available for employees in this company. Therefore, employees will learn and know more skills and knowledge than previously after they have been trained. For example, an organization can try for a new strategy, which is switching the employees from one section to another section once three months or half year. With good skills, employees can easily switch from one part to another part. By this, they not only will not feel tired or bored to their job, but also interested in their work. The most importance thing is they have put the right resource to the right position or area. In addition, company can give their employees the opportunity for promotion according to their performance. For example, if an employee helped company by increasing sales or solve the problems faced, this particular employee should given an opportunity for promotion. The company should give their employees a chance by offering them position or status together with power. Of course, they should be the one who possess the quality that is needed. 2.3 Company policy Company policy is one of the reasons that lead to dissatisfaction of employees. Moreover, some employees are dissatisfied with their immediate supervisor whom provides a not enough role model as they doing nothing while others are busy and tired in doing job. This can be considered as a serious problem and must be rectified as soon as possible. For example, you ask yourself; will you happy if your immediate supervisor assigned all the work for you and after that, they just sit there and doing nothing? In this case, company should give warning to that particular supervisor. Additionally, company should let them know that its important to let people follow you willingly. You should have the same side with your people if you wish to follow by them willingly. Once people are willing to follow you, this means that dissatisfaction has been resolved. 2.4 Lack of Supportive team Lack of team spirit and level of cooperation among employees is one of the causes of dissatisfaction of employees, which means that they are desire to work together with the others. There might be a situation that a group of friends work in different section. And, they feel that its not very satisfied as they have no chance to work together. Normally, people will enjoy their work if they are work together with friends. In addition, lack of cooperation or team spirit between employees could bring an effect to a company due to miscommunication between employees might happen, and, might lead to some bad things happen. This is because there might not close to each other due to the lack of cooperation. When there is something happen, people will tend to blame each other. To resolve this dissatisfaction, the company has to creating a supportive team environment to support their employees strengths and help them overcome their weaknesses. Further more, the employee will be more teamwork in working with colleague and less conflict happens, it will lead the company become more successful. 2.5 Too much of Overtime and working hour Too much of overtime or working hour too long will also can be dissatisfaction on the employees. This happen because of they had to spend most of time on work and less with their family, and it will let them cannot gather and some more only meet their family member few time in a week, so it will let them be not satisfied. Normally, people are more towards to personal individual interest and they are family oriented. Dissatisfaction of employees can be caused easily because of they do not have much chance to gather with their family, outing with them, or co-diner with them. Therefore, company should let their employees to balance up between their family and work, which is called holistic concern. Show holistic concern to the employees and their family, it would give employees be satisfied with the company and they will more loyalty to the company. 2.6 Poor welfare provide Company welfare is defined as realized that the employee is the most important resource, the company have many beneficial development programs for their employee. Not only salary is important for the employee, the welfare are also very important for them. So, if the company is provided poor welfare for the employee, the employee will be not satisfied and they might transfer to others company. Because of that, the company is not support them for some necessary needs. To solve this problem, the company can provide better welfare to the employee. For example, provide transport, health care, give them to continue their further studies and buy insurance for them. They can be satisfied by these elements because the company are sincerely and show support on them. So, the employees will willingly to stay and continue work in the company. 3.0 Conclusion In conclusion, dissatisfaction is a very serious problem that faced by the employees and it directly caused to the company. The company must be take action to rectify this kind of problem, because employees is the main power working for the company, if they feel unsatisfied with the company, they will leave the company or no mood to work. Therefore, the company must find out the remedies to rectify the dissatisfaction faced by the employees. References Organizational Behavior, Hiriyappa, B, 2009, New Age International, Viewed 20/03/11. Work Values and Organizational Behavior, Stashevsky, Kolowsky Sagie, December 2002, Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, Viewed 20/03/11. Managing Organizational Behavior, Sims, Ronald. R, June 2002, Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated, Viewed 21/03/11. http://books.google.com.my/books?id=zb0cItqvLJUCpg=PT315lpg=PT315dq=holistic+concernsource=blots=IoDnL6htIFsig=2m8_eWjEKbTYgjSE72JnJuJgWT0hl=enei=-7qITf6jEMymrAe45K3RDgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=5ved=0CD4Q6AEwBA#v=onepageq=holistic%20concernf=false, Viewed 22/03/11. http://www.techrepublic.com/article/creating-supportive-engaging-work-environment-helps-fight-employee-burnout/5035231, Viewed 22/03/11. Bibliography Organizational Behavior, Hiriyappa, B, 2009, New Age International, Viewed 20/03/11. Work Values and Organizational Behavior, Stashevsky, Kolowsky Sagie, December 2002, Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, Viewed 20/03/11. Managing Organizational Behavior, Sims, Ronald. R, June 2002, Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated, Viewed 21/03/11. http://books.google.com.my/books?id=zb0cItqvLJUCpg=PT315lpg=PT315dq=holistic+concernsource=blots=IoDnL6htIFsig=2m8_eWjEKbTYgjSE72JnJuJgWT0hl=enei=-7qITf6jEMymrAe45K3RDgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=5ved=0CD4Q6AEwBA#v=onepageq=holistic%20concernf=false, Viewed 22/03/11. http://www.techrepublic.com/article/creating-supportive-engaging-work-environment-helps-fight-employee-burnout/5035231, Viewed 22/03/11.

Religion and the Energy Crisis Essay -- Natural Resources Essays Paper

Religion and the Energy Crisis When faced with the daunting specter of world energy issues and environmental crisis, it is natural to focus on finding solutions to our problems of sustainability and pollution. Before jumping into a frenzied search for solutions, however, it is necessary to take a hard look at precisely why we care to solve this problem in the first place. This is a much broader question, rooted in culture, philosophy, ethics, and religion. How we as a species deal with our spirituality has a great impact on our obligations to each other, to the world we live in, and to future generations. Looking at the potential harmfulness of the energy crisis, it is remarkable that more people are not concerned about changing lifestyles and conserving resources. Our high rate of growth and energy production are causing widespread climate change, poisoning our air and resulting in the extinction of species. Humanity cannot continue to consume energy at the present rate given the limited supply of fossil fuels and the consequences of pollution, yet there seems to be a problem in cultivating widespread public concern for these issues. Even if the average American does not know the specifics of the matter, most everyone is aware of global warming, dying species, and the fossil fuel problem, so the lack of motivation does not stem from ignorance. There is some other factor contributing to the motivation problem, one that goes much deeper into human nature. The basic problem faced in cultivating concern about the environment is one of selfishness. In our modern secular society people are encouraged to be self serving, seeking individual success. They are valued for what they are able to accomplish for themselves, with t... ...n. Islamic Teachings in Brief. Ed. Sayyid Khadim Jusayn Naquavi. Tans. Muzhgan Jalali. Iran: Ansariyan Publications, 1990. Tucker, Mary Evelyn. "Confucian Cosmology and Ecological Ethics: qi, li, and the Role of the Human." Ethics in the world religions. The Library of Global Ethics and Religion Vol. 3. Eds. Joseph Runzo and Nancy M. Martin. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2001. 331-345. Ward, Keith. "Religion and the Possibility of a Global Ethics." Ethics in the world religions. The Library of Global Ethics and Religion Vol. 3. Eds. Joseph Runzo and Nancy M. Martin. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2001. 39-62. Wright, Dale S. "Practices of Perfection: The Ethical Aim of Mahayana Buddhism." Ethics in the world religions. The Library of Global Ethics and Religion Vol. 3. Eds. Joseph Runzo and Nancy M. Martin. Oxford: Oneworld Publicatiosn, 2001. 219-233.

Determinants of Germany’s Economic Robustness Essay

Exports account for more than one-third of national output and the Germany’s strong export performance in goods or merchandise is also denoted by the term Exportweltmeister (world champion exporter). However, analysis of German’s economic history demonstrates that the country did not face constant growth throughout the years. It also had to face moments of recession just like other countries and its own past (reunification) appeared to have been a cause of German’s slow growth at times. Following are figures of German’s GDP throughout the last 3 decades which will help us to emphasise our statement. While the decrease in the year 1990s can be associated with the unification and the costs involved, that of 2010-2011, can be associated to the global recession that the world experienced then. Yet, even in the recession marred years, the German economy managed to stay stable as the world sixth largest country in terms of GDP (2009. ) Now, against the background of fragile global recovery and the intensification of the eurozone crisis, Germany has recorded strong GDP growth and a declining trend in unemployment. What’s the secret of such a robust economy? Referring to Germany, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said in December 1989 at a Strasbourg summit â€Å"We defeated the Germans twice! And now they’re back†. Although this statement was related to politics, it appears to be relevant in the economic context as well. As such, our study will consist of analysing more in details the secret behind this particular success or consistency and will also involve comparison of countries which also have more or less the same pattern of Germany but still cannot reach their level of development to underline what are those parameters which make Germany so unique. Current Situation Germany’s economy is holding up better than expected amid the Eurozone’s debt crisis, as robust demand from outside of Europe has helped offset weak activity on the continent. Several other factors contribute to Germany’s solid macroeconomic position. Germany is the only major advanced economy which had lower unemployment rate in 2012 than it had in 2007. The level of German GDP has increased by a cumulative 5. 8% since the beginning of 2010, compared to 2. 3% for the eurozone. The monetary conditions set for the entire eurozone by the ECB are accommodative for Germany given the strong cyclical position of its economy. As a consequence of safe-haven capital inflows, yields are also at extremely low levels. Furthermore, Germany has a strong net external creditor position and a large, albeit gradually declining, current account surplus. The German financial sector has stabilised since 2009 and liquidity is abundant in the current environment. However, meeting Basel III requirements will remain a challenge for German banks in light of modest profitability and still a high leverage. Since mid-2008, German banks have cut their total eurozone exposure by â‚ ¬332bn, a 30% fall, of which â‚ ¬187bn was withdrawn from Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, a fall of 44%. Despite this fast pace of deleveraging, the quality of the remaining assets may well deteriorate further as the recession deepens in the periphery. In its semi-annual economic outlook, the German central bank raised its forecast for domestic GDP growth this year to 1. 0% from 0. 6% in the December outlook due to better-than-expected first quarter growth that was largely the result of strong exports to emerging markets. The upward revision brings economic activity near its potential growth rate of 1. 25. Growth in 2013 is seen at 1. 6%, down 0. point from December’s forecast due to a statistical correction resulting from the revisions for this year. The Eurozone crisis â€Å"may have left its mark, but the good structural condition of Germany’s economy and the robust global economy have maintained the upper hand,† Still, the outlook remains â€Å"highly uncertain,† with risks stemming â€Å"overwhelmingly† from external factors. While weak Eurozone g rowth in the debt crisis has already been factored in to the forecasts, Germany’s export-driven economy would be vulnerable to a â€Å"noticeable weakening† of conditions outside of Europe. Germany remains exposed to the systemic component of the crisis. A significantly deeper recession of its large eurozone trading partners could also push Germany into recession with negative repercussions for the fiscal stance as well. Furthermore, additional sizeable contribution to eurozone bail-out funds, on top of the EFSF guarantees, could push German debt level above 90% of GDP, close to the upper limit Fitch generally considers consistent with a ‘AAA’ rating. Materialisation of these risks would put downward pressure on the rating. Germany has all the ingredients of a declining public debt path. The economy is growing, budget deficit is moderate and nominal interest rates reached record low levels. Nevertheless the longer track record serves as a warning sign. Despite the fiscal rules of the eurozone, the debt/GDP ratio had increased to 83% by 2010 from 55% in 1995. During the 13 years of monetary union, the German debt ratio declined in only five years and has been above the 60% reference value since 2003. PROBLEM STATEMENT The problem that leads us to undertake this research is simple. Observing the amazing performance of Germany in the international market even in the period of recession, one wonder how this can be achieved by them while the others are still struggling. It becomes apparent that there must be some particular reasons behind this success. Research Question/Hypothesis H1: There is something unique that make Germany successful in the international market. H2: There is a relationship between the implementation of new economic policies with the economic performance of Germany H0: There is nothing unique about Germany’s success. They work on the same policies as other countries. OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OVERALL OBJECTIVE By this study, we hope to underline the policies that led Germany to success and from this knowledge, have a better understanding of the strengths and weakness of a business environment. Overall, we aim to have clear knowledge about impact of business environment on performance of business undertakings. In the long term, we can use the technique used in this research to analyse any business environment before setting up of any business firm. Also, we can advice other developing countries about implementing those policies which could benefit them considering their own business environment and also be on their path of development just like Germany. This research can be considered as a tool to determine business opportunities as well. SPECIFIC AIMS Understand the parameters that made the economy very strong in the market How is that amidst the gloom Germany continues to be the engine that drives the Eurozone economies, and also helping to bail out a few? How does the robust, high-tech manufacturing sector continue to be the export champion? What role do the academic system and â€Å"Deutsche Tugenden† play in the success? What is the special Trade School training system that creates highly skilled technical workforce? Take into considerations other macroeconomic indicators particular to Germany Understand how one can take advantage of the strengths and weakness prevailing in its environment * Have valuable and actual knowledge of economic concepts BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE 1. (Raymond J. Ahearn and Paul Belkin; the German Economy and U. S. -German Economic Relations 2010) By most standards, post-war West Germany registered impressive economic performance in the first decades of its existence. But beginning in the mid-1990s, the German economy has been on a much lower growth path, averaging about 1. 5% of GDP per year. Unemployment has also risen steadily. These trends, which have been exacerbated by a steep 5% decline in German GDP growth in 2009, raise questions about the long-term vitality and strength of the German economy. A number of factors help explain Germany’s declining growth rate. One factor has been the high cost associated with integrating the formerly communist East German economy into the Federal Republic since reunification in 1990. A second has been the growing cost of Germany’s generous social security and welfare programs and associated regulations which some believe may undercut incentives for work and entrepreneurship. A third is an economy that is more geared towards exporting than domestic investment and consumption. With declining economic growth and rising expenditures on social protections, Germany faces significant budgetary and resource constraints. A prosperous German state remains critical to both the U. S. and European economies. Difficulties Germany may have in regaining a stronger economic position are important concerns, affecting the U. S. -German partnership’s ability to mutually address and manage a range of bilateral, regional, and global challenges. The report therefore elaborates on these themes in three parts: the first section examines Germany’s economic performance in historical perspective and assesses some of the domestic factors that may be contributing to Germany’s less than optimal performance; the second discusses the reform challenges facing Germany’s political leaders; and the third section evaluates a few salient U. S. -German economic policy differences and strains that seem to be influenced by Germany’s weakened economic situation. 2. Financial System Stability Assessment, report prepared by the Monetary and Capital Markets and European Departments and approved by Jose Vinals and Antonio Borges, June 20, 2011; results in the following main findings: The main findings of the FSAP are: * The German financial system is recovering from the global crisis, yet low profitability hampers many banks’ ability to build stronger buffers against the shocks that could hit the global economy and especially Europe; * Structural reforms are overdue. The Landesbanken require thorough restructuring and probably downsizing, but the imperative to loosen constraints and strengthen banks’ commercial orientation is more general; * The standard of financial sector regulation and supervision is high. The crisis showed that more timely information, additional on-site supervision, and follow up through forward-looking supervisory action are needed; and * The framework to manage financial crises has been enhanced significantly, particularly with the introduction of a new bank resolution regime. Deposit protection schemes need to be rationalized, and Germany should actively help efforts to develop mechanisms to deal with cross-border crises. Very interesting report, but emphasises on the financial sector of the country and its current scenario only. 3. Talking about articles with reference to the German’s secret for economic robustness, there are various available were the authors aim to point out these parameters which made Germany so powerful in today’s market. As such, an article from www. guardian. co. k goes on saying: â€Å"Germany invested heavily in its Bavarian science and technology base, identifying future growth sectors and building clusters of excellence to attract investment†¦ it’s still â€Å"making stuff†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ While the British focused on becoming lawyers and money men, Germany continued to respect engineering and making things (not just money)†. Mr James Dyson, Author of Ingenious Britain, did not agree that this par ameter was the cause behind the German success and responded to this statement by saying â€Å"In your coverage of the German success story, not a word has been printed on the German â€Å"housing market†. It is as if this were detached from the overall economic and cultural formula. Is it not a fact that Germany has a large, affordable rented sector with secure tenancies that deters a quick- housing-buck mentality? Does this housing culture not sustain investment in proper wealth creation (ie manufacturing) and thereby reduce the cycles of property boom and bust? † Well, Mr Olaf Plotner the dean of executive education at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin and author of Counter Strategies in Global Markets in his post in Forbes magazine also shares his views about the reasons to justify the German’s success. He goes on saying: â€Å"cooperation between unions and employers plays a major role in the success of German industry. But that’s just one part of a much bigger picture†¦ German businesses have been able to avoid the focus on the short-term shareholder that dogs so many large companies elsewhere because of an ownership structure that seems unique to Germany†¦ the companies give importance to uniting ownership and management. † As of now, we have already different views from different people as they all try to explain the German success. Well, these views are not the only one. According to Mr Richard Anderson Business reporter for BBC News, â€Å"Germany is a country whose inhabitants work fewer hours than almost any others, whose workforce is not particularly productive and whose children spend less time at school than most of its neighbours. But still, the German economy is so powerful†¦why? † Mr Anderson structured is study under three main headings. Euro bliss †¦. Germany has benefited greatly from the euro; Germany adopted a much weaker currency than would otherwise have been the case†¦ This has provided a terrific boost to German exports, which are cheaper to overseas consumers as a result†¦. Just as important are the relatively low levels of private debt†¦ German companies and individuals refused to spend beyond their means†¦ Germans are uncomfortable with the concept of borrowing money and prefer to live within their own means. â€Å"In German, borrowing is ‘schulden’, [the same word for guilt. ] There is an attitude that if you have to borrow, there is something wrong with you,† Labour reforms †¦the Social Democratic government was able to use its close ties with labour unions to push for moderation in wage inflation. The reforms laid the foundation for a stable and flexible labour market. While unemployment across Europe and the US soared during the global downturn, remarkably the jobless number in Germany barely flickered. German workers were simply willing to work fewer hours, knowing that they would keep their jobs because of it. Job skills And in Germany, there is fewer stigmas attached to vocational training and technical colleges than in many countries. Research Gap The read reports do not seem to treat with the actual factors behind the success, hence we believe into scope for our research. Since in these articles, the German economic history I study but then related to other topics just like in the case of US-German relationship or the study of the German financial markets. True that these reports will help us in our study and can be used as a basis, they surely permit us to look at the German’s economy from a different point of view. Most of reports seem to elaborate a lot on the negative features of the economy, not that we intend to ignore the negative features but what we are trying to do here is to explain how despite these features, Germany is able to hold such a position in the global market. Specifically we want to pinpoint the special policies which allow this achievement and propose economic models to other developing countries in order to permit them to also achieve such a miracle. Thus, reading the articles, we can see there are already numerous parameters that each of authors believed to be the one behind the success of Germany. Our study will therefore constitute in analysing these factors and comparing the performance of Germany with that of other countries which also have this factor. We will also try to analyse the impact that the implementation the each factor had on the economy of the country. To emphasize on the relevance of this research, we can another article by in the New York Times which states: â€Å"Germany had the formula right all along. † Hence, our study will be directed towards analysing all the various aspects that made the formula right and try to make it right in our business environment as well! In fact, a diagnosis research is one which is directed towards discovering what is happening, why it is happening and what can and is to be done about it. It aims at identifying the causes and helping to arrive at possible solutions. Diagnostic research probes into the reasons `why? and goes beyond the problems. Our research is directed towards giving us in-depth knowledge about the reasons which made Germany successful today and we are interested in knowing which of these can be used by other nations as well. Our study will be divided into the following chapters: Chapter 1: here we will deal with the introduction to the study and the aim and purpose of the same. The subject background will also be studied in this step. We intend to trace the economic history of Germany in this section from World War II till today; macro and micro economic variables will be explained and we can propose an elaboration on the economy theory that is followed by the country. Chapter 2: will be dealing with review of books, articles, research papers and journals published with respect to the topic and identification of the research gap. Chapter 3: will elaborate on the research design. Here the parameters that we aim to use in our research will also be defined. As such, the parameters that we wish to study are as follows: 1. GDP, 2. Debt to GDP ratio, 3. Unemployment, 4. Household debt, 5. Inflation, 6. Commodity price swings 7. Foreign trade – imports/exports, net surplus, 8. Social spending, 9. Education, 10. Healthcare, 11. Pension funds, 12. Manufacturing vs. agrosectors, 13. Private ;amp; Public undertakings, 14. Patents 15. Innovation, 16. Mittelstand 17. Housing prices, 18. Real estate, 19. New firms reg. 20. Firms winding up, 21. New investments, 22. Banking, 23. M ;amp; As abroad, 24. Fuel prices Chapter 4: the data collected will be analysed and interpreted I this chapter Chapter 5: appropriate findings can be drawn from the data processed and conlusion will follow Population and Study Sample Our study will require interaction with economic experts and other industry-related experts who will give us insight and information about the various policies that are prevailing in Germany and their impact on the economy. Sample Size and Selection of Sample Here, we can select purposive sample and we will require snowballing as a technique as well since our study is very particular and one expert might put us into contact with another of his colleagues. Sources of Data The main sources of data will be secondary but experts’ insights in terms of interviews will constitute our primary data also. Collection of Data The secondary data will collected by visiting websites, reading books, analysing research papers, articles and other thesis. The primary data is collected by mean of interview. Data Analysis Strategies They will be use of regression analyse the percentage change that the implementation that each parameters did on the economy They will also be use of correlation to analyse the data from other countries which implemented each particular parameter. First, we will have to analyse each of these parameters in the German environment and then compare the German performance with other countries’ which have the same potentiality.

Professional School Counselor: Personal Experience

Maria's professional school counselor, how would you assist her with issues that have personal, emotional, developmental, cultural, and spiritual/religious ramifications? 0 Specifically identify strategies, programs, and practices that advocate for social Justice and academic success for Maria. 0 Identify how you would use collaboration and consultation to work with students, teachers, parent's, and community agencies to reduce the recent increase in teenage pregnancy at your school. Briefly, compare and contrast the three models of consultation presented n the Reform text , and identify the model that you would apply it to address the issue of teenage pregnancy in your school and why? 0 What are the ethical and legal considerations in this case? As Maria's professional school counselor, I would assist her with her issues with various ramifications by having one-on-one counseling sessions to learn more about her, her culture, her worldview, and her current decision making process.I u nderstand that she may be having a hard time dealing with the obstacles life has put in her path by being pregnant, losing her parent's, being new to the U. S. And school, and not knowing what decisions she will make. After getting to know Maria better, I would counsel based on the information I gathered from her, along with the help of various resources to help her deal with the issues we addressed. A strategy that could advocate for social Justice and academic success for Maria would be using a scientific approach as proposed by Sue (1998).I would start by forming a hypothesis about Maria. I would then do dynamic sizing, which in this situation I definitely would want to exclusively work with Maria. This is important because it helps me to not stereotype Maria and embrace her culture at the same time. Lastly, I would do research on Maria's culture and consult with a colleague who may have the same culture, or is bilingual to help make the process smoother. I would look into gettin g her into and SSL class as soon as possible to ensure I am advocating for the successful completion of high school against the odds that Maria face.The recent increase in teenage pregnancy is definitely an issue I would like to address. Through elaboration and consultation with parent's, teachers, and the community, I would propose having assemblies twice a year on teenage pregnancy and premarital sex and the risks the student is taking. I would get with the health department and see if I could get a nurse to lead the program and become the guest speaker as well provide alternate meaner of protection when it comes to sex.I am aware that I would not be able to change the decision of whether or not the students have sex, but I would be sure that they are well educated on the consequences and repercussions f the act. The assembly would be scheduled where the female and male students attended separately so there would not be any discomfort. The assembly would be mandatory. The three mo dels of consultation in the Reform text is triadic-dependent model, the collaborative-dependent model, and the collaborative-interdependent focus of concern, which is the client.In this model, the consultant provides services indirectly to the client through the consultant's work with the consulate. The counselor works in direct contact with the student (223). The collaborative- pendent model is the consultant engages the knowledge and expertise of the consulate regarding the student's and the system's strengths and weaknesses, the contextual factors that influence the student, and the student's reactions to previous interventions (p. 227).The collaborative-interdependent model emphasizes an interdependent problem-solving process in which family members, educators, counselors, youth, and members of the broader community contribute as equal participants (p. 228). Triadic-dependent and collaborative-dependent consultation oodles are helpful when seeking change for an individual client or family or for a single organizational system related to normal development problems. The collaborative-interdependent is used for problems that are more complex.I would use the collaborative-interdependent model when it comes to addressing the teenage pregnancy in my school because this gives the students a wealth of professional and community members that they are able to seek help from that goes beyond the schoolhouse and home. Ethic and legal considerations for this case with Maria would definitely be confidentiality. I would have to find who her legal guardian is because I would try to get her to let them know she is pregnant if she had not already.I would also need to make sure she is getting the correct medical attention and vitamins that she needs while she is pregnant. I would not push the issue of citizenship, but if she addresses it, we would look into the situation to ensure that there are no issues when it comes to delivering her child. Reference Reform, B. (2011). T ransforming the school counseling profession. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Animal Testing1 essays

Animal Testing1 essays Medicines, household products, food, and basically everything involved in the life of an average person has to under go a form of testing before it is legal to be placed on a shelf and if available to the public. The same tests are performed on every medical procedure that is introduced to surgeons. Since the only way to directly mimic the human body is to use it itself, scientists were forced to find the closest and best alternative. That is where animals were introduced to the medical profession. Experimentation on animals date back to as early as 500 BC, making this form of medical validation one of the oldest known to humans. It is not only one of the oldest but one of the most informative. Scientists use animals in medical research to study how the body works and how to diagnose, cure, and prevent disease. Researchers also use animals for tests to try to protect the public from dangerous chemicals, (Day, 13) such as those included in detergents, bleach, and other household products. When live animals are used in experimentation, this practice is called vivisection. Animals are used in many instances because their bodies often react in a similar way to Although animals have been used in medical research for numerous years it was not until the early 1920s that it became more prominent. It was at this point that the introduction of using live, un-anesthetized, animals to study toxic effects on an increasing array of drugs, pesticides and food additives was introduced. After this great advance in medical research the results of using animals grew with leaps and bounds. In 1970 this process peaked with the use of millions of animals. Since then, according to the USDAs Animals Welfare Enforcement, 1,267,828 animals were used for medical purposes in 1998, which is more than a 50 percent decrease since 1970. Although this is a drastic drop in ...

An apple is better than an orange Essay Example

An apple is better than an orange Essay Example An apple is better than an orange Essay An apple is better than an orange Essay An apple is better than an orange. Do you know that fruits are the best friends off healthy body? An apple and an orange can help a person to have a healthy lifestyle. Apples and oranges are two delicious fruits. These fruits look the same, but the truth is that they are different. A person can analyze three main aspects to understand why an apple Is better than an orange: health benefits, flavor, and color. These three aspects convert an apple In the best choice for a person. A person s health Is very Important thats why a person should consume an apple dally. An apple Ingestion benefits are many. An apple Is rich In vitamin C. Also an apple contains an element that prevents aging. Eat dally an apple prevents sclerosis. An orange instead only provides a high level of vitamin C but it is not as complete as an apple. The taste of an orange and an apple are completely different. An apple has a sweet taste. While proving an orange can be a sour experience. The apple flavor is lovely, makes that a person wants more than one apple. Maybe a person doses t like an orange s flavor because it is citric. Its flavor can be distasteful for many people. But an apples flavor can be mystical and pleasant for a person. An apple is more colorful than an orange. An apple can be red, green or yellow but these three colors are beautiful. The red color of an apple makes a person can think in love or passion. Also a red apple is a symbol of temptation. While a yellow or green orange is totally common. Green or yellow orange does not attract peoples attention. A beautiful color can attract the attention of anyone. In conclusion an apple and an orange can look the same. Of course both are delicious fruits but these are very different. The healthy benefits that an apple has, an orange has not . An unique apple s flavor, orange never can has. Finally the color that falls In love Just the apples has. For these three reasons Is that apples are better than oranges

Differences Between Probability and Statistics

Differences Between Probability and Statistics Probability and statistics are two closely related mathematical subjects. Both use much of the same terminology and there are many points of contact between the two. It is very common to see no distinction between probability concepts and statistical concepts. Many times material from both of these subjects gets lumped under the heading â€Å"probability and statistics,† with no attempt to separate what topics are from which discipline. Despite these practices and the common ground of the subjects, they are distinct. What is the difference between probability and statistics? What Is Known The main difference between probability and statistics has to do with knowledge. By this, we refer to what are the known facts when we approach a problem. Inherent in both probability and statistics is a population, consisting of every individual we are interested in studying, and a sample, consisting of the individuals that are selected from the population. A problem in probability would start with us knowing everything about the composition of a population, and then would ask, â€Å"What is the likelihood that a selection, or sample, from the population, has certain characteristics?† Example We can see the difference between probability and statistics by thinking about a drawer of socks. Perhaps we have a drawer with 100 socks. Depending upon our knowledge of the socks, we could have either a statistics problem or a probability problem. If we know that there are 30 red socks, 20 blue socks, and 50 black socks, then we can use probability to answer questions about the makeup of a random sample of these socks. Questions of this type would be: â€Å"What is the probability that we draw two blue socks and two red socks from the drawer?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What is the probability that we pull out 3 socks and have a matching pair?†Ã¢â‚¬ What is the probability that we draw five socks, with replacement, and they are all black?† If instead, we have no knowledge about the types of socks in the drawer, then we enter into the realm of statistics. Statistics help us to infer properties about the population on the basis of a random sample. Questions that are statistical in nature would be: A random sampling of ten socks from the drawer produced one blue sock, four red socks, and five black socks. What is the total proportion of black, blue and red socks in the drawer?We randomly sample ten socks from the drawer, write down the number of black socks, and then return the socks to the drawer. This process is done five times. The mean number of socks is for each of these trials is 7. What is the true number of black socks in the drawer? Commonality Of course, probability and statistics do have much in common. This is because statistics are built upon the foundation of probability. Although we typically do not have complete information about a population, we can use theorems and results from probability to arrive at statistical results. These results inform us about the population. Underlying all of this is the assumption that we are dealing with random processes. This is why we stressed that the sampling procedure we used with the sock drawer was random. If we do not have a random sample, then we are no longer building upon assumptions that are present in probability. Probability and statistics are closely linked, but there are differences. If you need to know what methods are appropriate, just ask yourself what it is that you know.

PEST(LE) Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PEST(LE) Analysis - Essay Example The above acquisition enabled the entity to have access to Safeway’s massive resources. This allowed Morrison to add its outlet and capture additional clientele. The acquisition was a strategic step that sought to kick-start its expansion across England (Morrison 2012). Safeway had stores in southern England and Scotland. This was a strategic acquisition since the Safeway gave Morrison a chance to challenge the supremacy of its competitor in the Southern region and Scotland subsequently kick-starting Morrison’s expansion strategy. The acquisition increased the quantity of Morrison’s stores. Consequently, the entity could avail its products to the southern regions. The entity also sought to increase its profitability by increasing its operational efficiencies. Morrison evaluated the profitability of it stores and disposed those that were reducing its profitability and overall efficiency. Operational efficiency is vital in retail businesses. Operational efficiency ensures that an entity capital is put into profitable activities. Therefore, the entity disposed off some of its stores. This allowed the entity’s management to focus on stores with potential to bring in additional clientele (Morrison 2011). Morrison further terminated its venture with British Petroleum (BP). Morrison had entered into a venture with BP. The venture allowed the entity to create open stores on BP’s petrol stations. ... The expansion of the entity did not only entail increasing its sales but also increasing the value the entity offers to the clients. Additionally, it sought to improve its procedures ensuring that they can handle its undertaking appropriately. Proper management and efficiency were catalysts to the expansion of the entity. The management ensured that the entity could attract additional clientele through marketing (branding) and maintaining an ideal corporate image (Morrison 2010). PEST Analysis This is a technique, which enables an analyst to evaluate the position of an entity in relation to certain factors, which determine the fortunes of an entity. The factors include political, economic, socio-cultural and technological factors. Political/legal Factors Morrison conforms to the company act, which contains provisions that elaborate the formation and operation of such an entity. If the entity infringes any of the clauses of this law, then the entity would face numerous legal consequen ces. The entity initiated its operations in the agricultural sector. Consequently, considerable portions of the entity’s products are from the agricultural sector. Such products face numerous laws as authorities endeavour to protect the citizenry. The entity has to ensure that its food products meet the required health standard. The health sector has instituted numerous laws, which seek to secure the safety of the citizens. Additionally, the entity faces countless laws pertaining to the sale of alcohol. The entity was labelled reluctant in the implementation of laws pertaining to sale of alcohol. As such, the entity was instructed to demand identification documents from individuals purchasing alcohol

Organizational stucture, processes, and functions Essay

Organizational stucture, processes, and functions - Essay Example This is, however, the focus but other areas of investment is the upper economic class whose products are a little expensive and attracts the interests of them all in the market through the packaging size and manner (Ajami, 2006). Executive Summary DJ Company is established in consideration of the different requirements that people have in order to conduct their daily lives with ease by spending according to their ability. The company will have its headquarters in the city of New York considering the ease of transport within through railway, air, connection to water, roads and through air, but also, it will have other offices and stall in other parts of the world. The company will have a strong networking system that will link different centers in the various parts of the world where it will have stall and offices and will establish a reliable system through which customers will receive services like online purchase of products. The company will put into consideration the need for eff iciency in supply of consumer products in the world and the focus on low-income earners who may not have a lot of money to spend on very high cost products. Through this, the DJ Company will supply diverse products and services to, majorly, middle class population observing the quality standards needs as well as making the products affordable. Projected Budget Items Year one Year two Targeted (Amount in million US Dollars) Actual (Amount in million US Dollars) Targeted (Amount in million US Dollars) Actual (Amount in million US Dollars) Income Sales Shares Partnerships Others Total Spending Products Labor Warehousing and transport Offices and systems Others Total Balance 2435 4550 750 2500 10,235 800 900 750 500 250 3200 7,025 4300 5500 1200 3000 14,000 1600 1500 1200 600 300 5200 8800 2435 4550 750 2500 10,235 800 900 750 500 250 3200 7,025 The budget will be outsourced from partnership and other acquisition of loans from different companies as well as the sale of shares of the com pany to any interested individuals. This will ensure that all that the company requires will be provided and this will foster expansion to other parts of the world and consequently increasing productivity and profitability of the DJ Company. The company will spend a lot of money on offices and systems because in many parts of the world, it will start in rented places before it obtains its own premises in the specific operational locations (Kanki, Helmreich & Anca, 2010). Personnel Listing DJ Company will have its five major departments, which will be led by executive officers that will manage different plans of the company for the success and profitability of the company. These departments include the executive, budget office; office of IT, human resource and marketing and under their respective officers, the departments will facilitate the progress of the company as whole through designing of organization strategies to meet the various departments (Bhattacharyya, 2009). To facilita te adaptability and profitability of the DJ Company in different places in the world, the company will have other personnel that will enhance business activities in those specific areas of operation. Among the personnel, include the branch managers who will be situated in various points of operation and

Role of Organizations in the Profession of Nursing Research Paper

Role of Organizations in the Profession of Nursing - Research Paper Example American Association of Critical Care Nurses is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, which represents the interests of more than 500,000 nurses who vehemently work toward the objective of providing care for acutely ill patients. The essence of the AACN mission statement is that â€Å"AACN drives excellence because nothing less is acceptable†. At the same time, its vision statement reflects that â€Å"AACN is dedicated to creating a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families where acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution† (Ebright , 2010). I choose the AACN for this assignment because the organization exemplarily operates its critical care and it has won many awards for its excellence including The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Membership requirementsThe AACN offers six various membership options including active membership, affiliate membership, student membership, emeritus membership, international digital membership, and retired or disabled membership. The membership requirements are different for different options. The annual subscription rate also varies in accordance with the type of membership option chosen. History and demographicsThe AACN was established in 1969 and the first intensive care units (ICUs) were introduced in 1950s with intent to provide improved care to critically ill patients. The improved technological applications have assisted the AACN to place itself on the world’s top position.’s top position. Presently the organization has the power of over 80,000 members. The AACN members include 89% male and 11%female. Similarly, Caucasians constitute 78% of the AACN members. The current trend shows that the member strength of the organization increases day by day. Priority agenda items The AACN website says that â€Å"our patients, our nurses, our units† are the main priorities of organization. The scope of the AACN is to provide quality hea lthcare to its members by establishing a sustainable and healthy worksite environment. The AACN encourages effective leadership so as to promote worksite environments, which are â€Å"respectful, healing, and humane† (American Association of Critical- Care Nurses, 2011). The AACN works with other organizations to vie with common nursing care issues and establish a professional nursing practice. The modern trends indicate that the organization gives great emphasis on ambulatory care centers by employing more nurses in this sector. The increased vacancy rate of AACN indicates that the organization will suffer troublesome nurse shortage issues in the coming years unless it recruits adequate nursing staff immediately. Hence, the AACN has recently implemented a variety of programs for meeting its nurse staffing requirements. The main focus of the organizations is to meet the needs of its members whose family includes individuals who are acutely and critically ill. In addition, the AACN specifically emphasizes and advances nursing education through technology as the organization greatly promotes patient safety and improved care. Likewise, the organisation offers extensive payment concessions to its existing members, who completed a specific membership period,

What is freedom of speech and why, if it all, is it a good thing Essay

What is freedom of speech and why, if it all, is it a good thing - Essay Example Freedom of speech is a right that is cherished all over the world. However it is quite limited or nonexistent in some countries or regions and this has resulted to constant struggle to expand or attain it. Currently, Middle East and Northern African countries like Bahrain and Libya respectively, are undergoing revolutions that aim at liberalising people from decades, if not centuries, of infringement of human rights one of them being freedom of speech. Although these current cases have received huge media, political and humanitarian attention, struggles of this nature happened in the western countries for people to enjoy the freedom currently enjoyed here. Freedom of speech is heavily attributed to the European enlightenment which revolved around numerous historical, socio-political and intellectual transformations. This enlightenment resulted to every person being regarded as a rational being who is in a position to make sensible decisions at will. The state has the obligation of cr eating conditions that facilitate the enjoyment of such liberties within the confines of set laws in consideration of general state of peace. This paper looks into what constitutes freedom of speech and why, if at all, it is a good thing. An individual’s right to freely present their views if discontented with the status quo and when they wish to see changes happening is referred to as freedom of speech (Feinberg 1994). Freedom of speech is increasingly becoming a benchmark of creativity and advancement of societies and countries at large. It is difficult for people to express their creativity and bring forth innovation where freedom of speech is hugely curtailed. The basic reason behind this is that a society deficient of freedom of speech limits people’s willingness to offer their views and explore choices to situations facing them. Speech in this understanding basically translates to the message that one is transmitting or intending to convey. In the last four decad es freedom of speech has gained correlation with freedom of press with increased roles of the media. Looking into the US laws for example, The Congress is disallowed from making legislation that hinders ‘†¦ the freedom of speech, or of the press’ (Feinberg 1994). Based on the definition offered above, freedom of speech threatens governments’ actions hugely making it a highly likely target for curtailment. A good scenario lies in the events occurring in the Arab World where citizens of countries are holding persistent demonstrations demanding for resignations of their presidents/leaders and cabinets while seizing government property like oil fields in Libya. This shows that speech needs to be protected at all cost in order to ensure societal transformation and coherence with the changing times. There has been wide debate as to whether some forms of speech need to be prohibited. This debate for years has led to development of various principles that assist in elaborating the above statement. The Harm Principal is one which originated from enlightenment thinkers. They argued that a person has the right to express their opinion or convey a message as long as in doing so no one is harmed. This principal came about as a result of British-American constitutionalism and it is well portrayed in the United States constitution where, as briefly stated earlier, Congress is to make no law that is based on respect of religious establishments or that which abridges freedom of speech or press (Warburton 2001). The French Revolution also brought with it a law that states that a person shall not be discriminated against based on their opinions and religion as long as these are in line with public order and the existing laws. A notable thinker, John Stuart Mill stated that freedom is important towards realisation of truth and that suppressing opinions is tantamount to infallibility (Schauer 1982). He also stressed that even if an opinion seems untrue it may still hold some degree of truth therefore its suppression will hold the little truth in it. However,

Organizational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organizational Culture - Essay Example An initiative to innovate is not enough to make an organization innovative, on this basis; organizations must have certain characteristics that would encourage innovation. One such characteristic is having a clear mission, objective, aim and strategy. These organizations normally have a relevant and unique strategy that motivates their employees to be innovative. For example companies such as Google, Facebook, and Apple have a clear strategy, which are well communicated to their employees, and they relentlessly follow these strategies. For example, one of the strategies and aims of Apples is to create sleek and beautiful telecommunication technologies, which are easy to use . Looking at this vision and strategy, it is very clear what then objective of the company is, and employees of the organization will therefore strive hard, for purposes of developing high quality technology that satisfies this strategy. Another characteristic of these organizations is that they are market leaders on whatever business field that they engage in. This is because the companies under consideration use their innovative products for purposes of achieving the strategic goals of the organization. However, it is important to understand that market leadership does not always translate to being profitable. Take for example a company such as Amazon, which has always been innovative from the beginning, establishing standards that regulate the e-commerce. However, the company was able to become profitable after a considerable number of years.

Changes in attitudes towards sex Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Changes in attitudes towards sex - Assignment Example As a result of the growing influence of media on the society, American family system has been affected in a variety of negative ways. The collective effect of changing attitudes toward sex has been of weakening the family as the building block of the society. American society is becoming increasingly approving of the gay rights. For every man who gets married to a man, at least two otherwise heterosexual couples, and the whole families associated with them are destroyed. A positive effect of these changing attitudes toward sex is that sex education today has become more of a need than a choice. More people can be educated on the risks of unhealthy sexual behaviors. A negative effect, however, is that more educated people advocate in favor of abortion associating it with women’s liberty and freedom, thus increasing the rate of abortions in the country (Aulette, 2010, p. 215). Overall, circumstances have become conducive for increase in the premarital sex amongst

Organizational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organizational Culture - Essay Example An initiative to innovate is not enough to make an organization innovative, on this basis; organizations must have certain characteristics that would encourage innovation. One such characteristic is having a clear mission, objective, aim and strategy. These organizations normally have a relevant and unique strategy that motivates their employees to be innovative. For example companies such as Google, Facebook, and Apple have a clear strategy, which are well communicated to their employees, and they relentlessly follow these strategies. For example, one of the strategies and aims of Apples is to create sleek and beautiful telecommunication technologies, which are easy to use . Looking at this vision and strategy, it is very clear what then objective of the company is, and employees of the organization will therefore strive hard, for purposes of developing high quality technology that satisfies this strategy. Another characteristic of these organizations is that they are market leaders on whatever business field that they engage in. This is because the companies under consideration use their innovative products for purposes of achieving the strategic goals of the organization. However, it is important to understand that market leadership does not always translate to being profitable. Take for example a company such as Amazon, which has always been innovative from the beginning, establishing standards that regulate the e-commerce. However, the company was able to become profitable after a considerable number of years.

Enron Analysis Essay Example for Free

Enron Analysis Essay Think about the demand for the three popular game consoles: Xbox, PS3 and Wii. Explain the effect of the following event on the demand for Xbox games, and the quantity of Xbox games demanded, other things remaining the same. a) The price falls b) The price of a PS3 and a Wii fall c) The number of people writing and producing Xbox games increases d) Consumers income increase e) Programmers who write codes for Xbox games become more costly to hire f) The price of an Xbox game is expected to fall g) A new game console is developed and marketed that is a close substitute to Xbox ) Increases b) Decrease c) Increase d) Increase e) Decrease f) Decrease g) Decrease 2. Read Oswald, A (2001) â€Å"Economics that matters: Using the Tax System to Solve the Shortage of Human Organs† Kyklos Vol 54 (2-3), 379-81, available from the subject eLearning website and discuss his proposal for reducing deaths due to the shortage of organs for transplant. In your discussion, use terms such as supply, demand, quantity supplied, quantity demanded, and draw demand/supply diagrams to clarify your discussion. The supply of organs from organ donor’s does not meet the demand of organ’s. There is a huge shortage of donors, which poses a massive problem. In a perfect world, the quantity demanded would meet the quantity supplied and the market for organs would be in equilibrium, as in the following graph: Oswald suggests that a tax bracket/incentive could bring supply and demand closer together. As in the UK, the quantity of organs demanded is 6000 and the quantity supplied is only 3000. A tax incentive will be an economic cost, yet the benefits are great and may cancel out the extra cost to taxpayers.

Strategic Workforce Planning and Employment Decisions

Strategic Workforce Planning and Employment Decisions Strategic Workforce Planning involves analyzing and forecasting the talent that companies need to execute their business strategy, proactively rather than reactively, it is a critical strategic activity, enabling the organization to identify, develop and sustain the workforce skills it needs to successfully accomplish its strategic intent whilst balancing career and lifestyle goals of its employees. Strategic Workforce Planning is a relatively new management process that is being used increasingly to help control labour costs, assess talent needs, make informed business decisions, and assess talent market risks as part of overall enterprise risk management. Strategic workforce planning is aimed at helping companies make sure they have the right people in the right place at the right time and at the right price Through Strategic Workforce Planning organizations gain insight into what people the organization will need, and what people will be available to meet those needs. In creating this understanding of the gaps between an organizations demand and the available workforce supply, organizations will be able to create and target programmes, approaches and develop strategies to close the gaps. Steps in Workforce Planning 1. Environment Scan ENVIRONMENT ÂÂ  SCANNING ÂÂ  is a form of business intelligence. In the context of Workforce Planning it is used to identify the set of facts or circumstances that surround a workforce situation or event. 2. Current Workforce Profile Current State is a profile of the demand and supply factors both internally and externally of the workforce the organization has today. 3. Future Workforce View View is determining the organizations needs considering the emerging trends and issues identified during the Environment Scanning. Future View is often where the different approaches identified above are applied: Quantitative futuring: understanding the future you are currently tracking to by forecasting; Qualitative futuring: scenario planning potential alternative futures in terms of capabilities and demographics to deliver the business strategy. 4. Analysis and Targeted Future Qualitative and quantitative futuring creates the content for an organizational unit to analyse and identify critical elements. As the critical elements are identified the Targeted Future begins to take form. The targeted future is the future that the organization is going to target as being the best fit in terms of business strategy and is achievable given the surrounding factors (internal/external, supply/demand). 5. Closing the Gaps Closing the gaps is about the people management (human resources) programs and practices that deliver the workforce needed for today and tomorrow. The process is about determining appropriate actions to close the gaps and therefore deliver the targeted future. There are 8 key areas that Closing the Gaps needs to focus on Resourcing, Learning and Development, Remuneration, Industrial Relations, Recruitment, Retention, Knowledge Management, Job design. Strategy Development Develop strategies for workforce transition. Basic Information to Include in the Workforce Plan: List specific goals to address workforce competency gaps or surpluses (may include the following): Changes in organizational structure Succession planning Retention programs Recruitment plans Career development programs Leadership development Organizational training and employee development Understand how the legal and organisational frameworks for employment of staff Evaluate the current legal requirements influencing a HR plan Describe a process for recruitment and selection of new staff (external candidates) that complies with current legislation and organisational requirements Ans2 Human resources are the participants as also the beneficiaries of economic development process. In that, human resources figure on the demand as well as the supply side of production of goods and services in the economy. On the demand side, goods and services produced are used by the human beings to alleviate poverty, improve health, generate better living conditions, enhance general educational levels and provide better facilities for training. Utilisation of goods and services thus leads to an improvement of quality of human resources. On the supply side, human resources and capital form essential ingredients of production systems which transform natural and physical resources into goods and services. Complementarily between human resources and capital is so close that optimal increases in output and hence optimal economic growth is not possible through increases in one of them either human resources or capital at the cost of the other. ÂÂ  Some growth of course can be had from the increase in more conventional capital even though the labour that is available is lacking both in skill and knowledge. But the rate of growth will be seriously limited. It simply is not possible to have the fruits of modern agriculture and the abundance of modern industry without making large investments in human beings. There is an optimal ratio of human resources to capital which has to be maintained to reach the attainable rate of economic growth. Given the endowment of capital and other material resources, human resources could accelerate the production process and hence economic growth. At the same time, unprecedented growth in human resources, disproportionate to the pattern of accumulation of capital and other material resources could hinder development. Rate of growth in human resources, in turn, is determined by the two dimensions of human resources: Quantity and Quality. Quantity of human resources is determined by variables such as: population policy, population structure, migration, and labour force participation. Quality of human resources, on the other hand, is influenced by the status of variables like: education and training health and nutrition, and equality of opportunity. In this Unit we will take into account the two dimensions of human resources: Quantity and Quality in context of HRP in general and also in tourism. 1. QUANTITATIVE DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING Human resources viewed as the productive power of human beings constitute only one of the two parts of population of any economy. The other being the human beings without any productive power. Population Population of a country, in a generic sense, is taken as constituting the totality of all human beings of the country. The concept of population, viewed in this manner, appears to be very simple. However, in reality, the definitions used vary not only from country to country but even within a country depending on the purpose of enquiry. Broadly, the definitions of population used may be categorised into de facto and de jure. A de facto (or present-in-area) concept involves complete count of all persons residents and non-residents alike physically present in the country at the time of enumeration. A de jure concept necessitates complete count of all persons considered to be normal residents of the country, irrespective of where each person is located, at the time of the census. Strict conformity to either of these concepts is not possible because of difficulties in enumeration like: nationals living abroad, nomadic population, inhabitants in extremely remote areas, and population in disturbed areas. Added to this, are the administrative difficulties logistic, financial and human of recording everyone at the same time. There is thus a degree of inaccuracy in the census of population of any country. The greater the number to be counted and/or the larger the area to be covered the larger is the degree of inaccuracy. Human resources being an integral part of population, growth of human resources is naturally dependent on the growth of population. Population growth, in turn, is determined by three factors: Population policies, population structure and migration. a) Population Policies In terms of State intervention in population planning, it is useful to distinguish between population influencing policies and population responsive policies. The former are anticipatory in nature and operate through the demographic sub-system by influencing factors primarily responsible for population growth such as fertility, marriage and mortality. The latter are essentially reactive in character which are often implemented through the socio-economic sub-system to accommodate or adjust to observed demographic trends with the help of programmes like health, nutrition, education, housing, transport network expansion and employment promotion. In an over-populated economy, sufficiently robust population influencing policies along with appropriate population responsive policies (complementary in nature) might be the optimal population policy framework. In any case, understanding the structure and pattern of growth of population is essential for evolving an appropriate combination of population influencing and population responsive policies towards achieving an optimal population policy framework. b) Population Structure Population is a dynamic concept. Consequently, structure or composition of population at any point of time reveals two things: First, it is the result of interaction in the past among factors causing population growth. Second, it reveals the potential for future growth in population. In so far as population growth is concerned, there are two aspects of population composition which are most important: Sex composition and age composition: i) Sex Composition The principal measure of sex composition is the sex ratio defined as the number males per 100 females. In other words: Number of males in the population Sex ratio = ÃÆ'- 100 Number of females in the population One hundred is the point of balance between males and females. A sex rate above 100 denotes an excess of males. Likewise, a sex ratio below 100 indicates an excess of females. In general sex ratios tend to range between 95 to 102. Heavy war losses, heavy migration and local social considerations such as female infanticide may upset the sex ratio. In any case a sex ratio outside the range of 90 to105 is to be viewed with suspicion. Starting point for all population projections is the projection of female population on whom crucially the number of births will depend. Higher the female population, higher will be the number of births and hence the higher will be the population growth. Sex composition thus indicates the potential future growth in population. ii) Age Composition Age composition is the distribution of population by age groups usually five year age groups. Age composition at any given point of time is the result of past trends in fertility and mortality and is also the basis for establishing future trends. In the computation rate of growth of population, future births are usually computed by applying five year age specific fertility rates to the women of child bearing age (10 to 49 years) at the midpoint of each five-years time interval. Data on age composition is also useful in the computation and analysis of labour supply. Economically active age-group is considered to be 15 to 65 years. Population in the age group crucially determines the extent and composition of labour force. c) Migration Age and sex composition are indicative of only the natural growth in population. Another factor which causes changes in population is the net migration. If the net migration is positive, the population grows at a rate faster than that indicated by natural growth. On the contrary, if the net migration is negative it causes decline in the rate of growth indicated by the natural growth. Movements from and to other regions within the country are termed as out-migration and in-migration, respectively, and these movements together are known as internal migration. Data on internal migration are useful, when it is intended to analyse population changes at provincial level or some other administrative level. Internal migration is a function of the inter-regional and inter-sectoral rates of growth and wage differentials. Movement across national boundaries causes changes in the population at the national level. The effect of international migration on the national population is measured by the rate of net-migration defined as: Total immigrants Total emigrants Rate of net migration = ÃÆ'- 1000 Mid-year population Rate of population increase at any point of time equals the rate of natural increase plus the rate of net migration. Labour Force Participation Population change as such do not cause changes in human resources. Rather it is the change in the economically active component of population which affects growth in the human resources. In terms of economic activity classification, population may be divided into workers and non-workers. Worker is defined as a person whose main activity is participation in economically productive work by his or her mental or physical presence. Work involves not only actual work but also effective supervision and direction. Workers thus defined, others in the population are considered as non-workers. For the purpose of elaboration non-workers may be categorised as: full-time students, persons engaged in household duties, infants and dependents doing no work, retired persons and renters living on rent on an agricultural or non-agricultural royalty, beggars, vagrants and others with unspecified sources of income, inmates of penal, charitable and metal institutions, unemployed but available for work, and others. Labour force or economically active population is that segment of the population whose function is to produce goods and services demanded by the whole population. Usually, those aged 15-64 years are considered to be in the productive age-group. However, not everyone in the productive age-group is effectively in the labour force. According to the accepted definition, labour force comprises all persons of either sex who furnish the supply of labour available for the production of economic goods and services including: employers, employees, self-employed persons, and those engaged in family enterprises without pay. In other words, labour-force may be defined as comprising workers and non-workers in the productive age-group who are unemployed but available for work. Labour-force participation rate is then defined as Labour force Labour force participation rate = ÃÆ'- 100 Total population Tourism In the case of international or domestic tourism it is not just the labour force that participates in the production of goods and services but the entire host population of the destination has a role to play. This is because besides the economic activity, attitudes of the host population matter a lot in creating an environment which is tourist and tourism friendly. There are destinations where the population plays host to tourists numbering four times more than its own numbers and each and every member of the population has some role in this regard a friendly smile too has a role. Many countries and destinations have earned a brand image in hospitality. Hence, human resource planners lay stress on creating tourism awareness including dos and donts vis-Ã  -vis tourists for the entire host population. Moreover, there are destinations where, quantitatively speaking, the whole population is involved in tourism both, directly as well as through indirect employment. But beyond a point, i t is the qualitative dimension that matters and converting quantity into quality is the real challenge in HRD. While the quantitative dimensions assist in the analysis of human resources in terms of numbers, qualitative dimensions facilitate assessment and analysis of the productive power in human resources. For example, four hundred drivers may be available to a tourist transport operator but he may find only 20 out of these which meet the quality standards in relation to driving skills required for handling tourist coaches. i) Education and Training Education and training are the most dominant dimensions affecting quality of human resources in terms of knowledge and skills. Education and training serve both individual and social ends. To an individual, it has both vocational and cultural significance in achieving economic emancipation and social up gradation. To the society, education and training are means which make possible to take advantage of technological changes as well as furthering technological progress. Depending on the methods of imparting knowledge and skills, education and training may be classified into two types: Formal and Informal. Formal education and training, which is imparted through schools and colleges, emphasises transfer of knowledge. Informal education and training such as on-the-job training and hereditary training lays stress on transfer of skills, i.e., practical application of knowledge. Education and training as a means of human resources planning involve critical choices, as no country can have all education and training. Rather, it is essential to identify priorities in education and training, emphasise programmes which have high priority and tone down or even discard programmes with a low priority. As far as development of education and training is concerned there are six choice areas which are critical: Choice between levels of education such as primary, secondary and higher education. Choice between quality and quantity in education and training. Choice between science and technology on the one hand, and humanities and liberal arts on the other hand. Choice between market forces and incentives to attract people into some occupations. Choice between the aspirations of individuals and needs of the society. ii) Health and Nutrition Health and nutrition status constitutes one of the most important indicators of quality of human resource, as they contribute significantly to building and maintaining a productive human resource as well as improving average expectation of life and quality of life. There are three determinants of health status: Purchasing power of people. Public sanitation, climate and availability of medical facilities. Peoples knowledge and understanding of health hygiene and nutrition. Education, health and nutrition are inter-linked and they complement each other in the process of human resources development. iii) Equality of Opportunity Investments in human resources development do not always ensure proportionate development of all sections of population. In the absence of deliberate policy intervention, there are bound to be discriminations. We can say that there are three distinct forms of discriminations which are relevant to developing nations: Social discrimination may take either the form of sex discrimination or discrimination among different social groups or both. For example, a few years back the air hostesses of a particular airlines petitioned in the court because their retirement age was earlier than of their male counterparts. The court upheld their petition and now the retirement age of both male and female air hostesses is same. Economic discrimination takes place largely among groups of population belonging to different economic strata classified in terms of either income generating assets. Regional discrimination can be in the form of either discrimination between rural and urban population or discrimination among population belonging to different regions. These three forms of discriminations individually and/or jointly lead to inequality of opportunities of varying degree among different sections of population. Discrimination of any form causes differential access to education and training, and health and nutrition. This in turn leads to differences in quality and productivity of human resources belonging to different segments of the population with the privileged benefiting the most and under privileged being deprived of their due share in the development process. Opportunity costs of discrimination are very high, as it leads to many social and economic evils apart from retarding the pace of economic development. It has been demonstrated that the national output can be further expanded by improving the average level of productivity of each individual through appropriate social and economic policies directed towards equality to opportunity in the fields of education and health. Tourism has long been recognised as a tool for economic growth and development. However, it can be beneficial to the host economies when it creates jobs for the locals. Here qualitative dimensions of HRD become an important factor for education and training of local population as per the requirements of responsible tourism development. The dimensions, attributes and distribution of population the product of whose labour adds to national wealth constitute human resources. They are thus, the participants and beneficiaries of economic development. The demographic profile, migration and mobility and participation patterns in economic activity determine the quantitative aspects of actual and potential human resources. Investments in education and training, health and nutrition, and social welfare and quality promote quality of human resources through enhanced labour productivity. While quantitative and qualitative dimensions only regulate supply of human resources, the other aspect of human resources planning namely the demand for human resources crucially depends on the functioning and flexibility of labour markets. Labour market analysis is a principal instrument of human resources planning, as it helps identify skill shortages and also enables a diagnosis of market failure to match labour supply with demand. To facilitate labour market analysis, there is a need for a comprehensive and regularly updated labour market information system. 1) The variables for determining the quantitative and qualitative dimension of human resource planning are: Quantitative Population policy, Population structure, Migration, and Labour force participation. Qualitative Education and training, Health and nutrition, and Equality of opportunity Understand the effect of the organisation environment on staff Discuss Assess work life balance issues and the changing patter of work practices Importance of HR PLANNING in ÂÂ  organizations. Each Organisation needs personnel with necessary qualifications, skills, knowledge, experience aptitude . Need for Replacement of Personnel ÂÂ  Replacing old, retired or disabled personnel. Meet manpower shortages due to labour turnover Meet needs of expansion / downsizing programmes Cater to Future Personnel Needs Nature of present workforce in relation with Changing Environment helps to cope with changes in competitive forces, markets, technology, products and government regulations. Shift in demand from ERP to internet programming has increased internet programmers i) quantify job for producing product / service ii) quantify people positions required ii) determine future staff-mix iii) assess staffing levels to avoid unnecessary costs iv) reduce delays in procuring staff v) prevent shortage / excess of staff vi) comply with legal requirements In organisational development, succession planning is the process of identifying and preparing suitable employees, through mentoring, training and job rotation, to replace key personnel within an organisation if they leave. All employers need to consider the issue of succession planning to ensure that no part of the business is at risk should a particular member of staff leave the organisation. With good succession planning, employees are ready for new leadership roles as the need arises. Moreover, when someone leaves, a current employee is ready to step up to the plate. In addition, succession planning can help develop a diverse workforce, allowing decision makers to look at the future make-up of the organisation as a whole. Develop a succession plan for internal replacements, and if you will need to hire, think about the type of person or skills you will need so that if the situation arises you have already done some of the groundwork. In your succession plan you may wish to consider: staff interchange where employees swap jobs within the organisation in order to have experience in multiple positions; formal or informal mentoring ÂÂ  arrangements; coaching of staff; identification of suitable professional development activities for high-performing staff; making agreements to introduce flexible working arrangements; creating forward-thinking internal promotion policies; supporting staff to take increased responsibility; the allocation of higher-grade duties or assignments. Understand the grievance, discipline and dismissal process Identify the process to be followed in a grievance situation Describe the stages of a discipline issue that results in dismissal Explain the role of ACAS, Employment tribunals and other external agencies that could be involved in grievance, discipline and dismissal processes Process Steps There are four main grievance process steps: discovery, conciliation, internal review and arbitration. A summary of what happens at each of these step appears below. Click on a link here, or at the bottom of the page, to see a full discussion of what happens at that step in the grievance process. Discovery The date when the grieving faculty member (grievant) discovered, or reasonably could have discovered, the circumstances leading to the grievance. Conciliation The informal, confidential effort to resolve the grievance between the faculty member and the Board at the lowest possible administrative level before a formal grievance can be filed. This effort is normally assisted by a FA-appointed campus conciliator. Internal Review Hearing An informal meeting scheduled by the college president, or the presidents designee. The president listens to the grievant, the responding administrator and their representatives as they address the allegations contained in a timely Notice of Grievance that has been filed with the District. The president writes an Internal Review Hearing decision regarding the Notice of Grievance allegations. Arbitration Hearing A formal hearing before an arbitrator chosen from a list of seven possible candidates supplied by the State Conciliation Service. Legal counsel represents both parties and all testimony by witnesses is under oath. After reviewing evidence, testimony and argument briefs from both parties, the arbitrator renders a written decision that is binding on both parties. Disciplinary and grievance procedures provide a clear and transparent framework to deal with difficulties which may arise as part of their working relationship from either the employers or employees perspective. They are necessary to ensure that everybody is treated in the same way in similar circumstances, to ensure issues are dealt with fairly and reasonably, and that employers are compliant with current legislation and follow the Acas Code of Practice for handling disciplinary and grievance issues. Disciplinary procedures are needed: So employees know what is expected of them in terms of standards of performance or conduct (and the likely consequences of continued failure to meet these standards). To identify obstacles to individuals achieving the required standards (for example training needs, lack of clarity of job requirements, additional support needed) and take appropriate action. As an opportunity to agree suitable goals and timescales for improvement in an individuals performance or conduct. To try to resolve matters without recourse to an employment tribunal. As a point of reference for an employment tribunal should someone make a complaint about the way they have been dismissed. Grievance procedures are needed: To provide individuals with a course of action should they have a complaint (which they are unable to resolve through regular communication with their line manager). To provide points of contact and timescales to resolve issues of concern. To try to resolve matters without recourse to an employment tribunal. The legal position The statutory procedures for handling discipline and grievance issues introduced in October 2004 were widely criticised andÂÂ  were repealed in their entirety with effect from 6 April 2009. (Those in Northern Ireland should note that the Employment Act 2008, which repealed th statutory procedures, is not applicable there the Department for Employment and Learning has published detailed guidance From 6 April 2009 the important provisions governing discipline and grievances at work are to be found in: The Employment Act 2008 The Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2008. Numerous other pieces of legislation cross refer to discipline and grievance issues. Some important examples include the: The Employment Rights Act 1996 as amended The Employment Rights Dispute Resolution Act 1998 The Employment Relations Act 1999 The Employment Rights Act 2004. Employers own disciplinary, grievance and dismissal procedures and the Acas Code of PracticeÂÂ  are essential to ensure that good dispute handling behaviour is adopted. The role of the Acas Code of Practice The Acas Code of Practice Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures was revised to reflect the removal of the statutory procedures andÂÂ  a new version1 came into force on 6 April 2009. CIPD endorses the Code. Following it is crucially important for employers: an employment tribunal will consider whether the employer has followed the Code and, if they have not, then the tribunal may adjust any awards made by up to 25% for unreasonable failure to comply. In situations where the trigger event occurs on or after 6 April 2009, an employment tribunal will considerÂÂ  whether the employer has followed the Acas Code and, if they have not, then the tribunal may adjust any awards made by up to 25% for unreasonable failure to comply. CIPD members can find out more on the content of the Code, the legal aspects of this topic and likely future developments from our FAQ on Discipline and grievances procedures in the Employment Law at Work area of our websi