Appex Corporation Analysis

Fastest growing high-technology company in United States Revenues grew 1600% between 1987 and 1990 As of April 30, 1990 – 172 employees: 153 salaried and 19 (Hourly compensated) Hire rate: 10 new people every month Cellular Telephone Industry High growth industry Roaming – 10% of total subscriber revenues Papers Products & Services CICS – 60% of the revenue IS -? 40% of the revenues – 75 customers, 250 markets in IS. S. , 34 markets in Canada Marketing: Cellular Business, Mobile Phone News (Magazines), Monthly Newsletter Challenges faced by Shirker Gosh when he joined Apex:Everybody did things on their own time, attitude towards customers: â€Å"We'll call you back† No formal business procedures Decisions -? Key Executives People had particular expertise, but everybody did anything people did whatever interested them Nobody had any sense of their JDK Structure – Informal & Fluid Employees – Focused, Committed, Hardworking Worked in clo se interaction, Responsive & Effective Innovative technical solutions Project based, Continued the structure when the projects increased Quick Cash spend and no Expense monitoring Atmosphere changing from Entrepreneurial to ChaoticFire-fighting every day, No underlying planned structure Anything a week away had no priority Operation Sequence: Brian (Ideas) C Michael (Reality) 0 Allen (Sales) Mark (Money) Attrition due to chaotic environment Customer Complaints: NO response, technical assistance requests not addressed Increased demand could not be handled Fall behind schedule, miss installation dates, failures in product development – No Information Flow No Financial planning, No recruitment planning Solution: System of Accountability and Structure, Defined areas of responsibility Innovative Structures:Circular Structure: Concurrent circle expanding out from middle circle. (Innermost) Senior executives C Managers & Employees (Functions) Customers (Environment) Non-hierarchical organization in which information flowed continuously and freely within organization and between the organization and the customers (environment) Failure: a. Employees could not relate and were completely unfamiliar b. New hires didn't know how to fit c. Power structure, Decision making power, Performance evaluation – all grey areas d.Completely geared towards responsiveness and planning oriented asks failed e. â€Å"A mentality developed that the customer was the enemy' Horizontal Structure: Traditional vertical structure transposed in sideways Failure: a. Employees unenthusiastic Need for Control through traditional hierarchical structure. Hierarchy kcal, Functional Structure: Functions organized as 5 teams: Sales/Marketing, Software Development & Services, Engineering & Technology, Operations, and Financier HER & Admit.Issues: How many distinct teams, Who should head, Responsibilities now and after growth Diagram: (which minimized the sense of hierarchy) Horizontal for f unctions reporting to CEO Gosh), displeased the board of directors Titles given informally, but people cared a great deal about the titles, desk locations – Start of Company politics Succeeded in focusing on completion of tasks System of accountability was in place Heads started creating sub-functions Popularization of teams Inhibited working relationships, increasing expenses Personalities arose, Standards set up by individuals rather than company policies The ‘Ego Box' Meeting Source of Authority: Functional, not managerial expertise Difficult to measure managerial expertiseNeed for broader functional expertise: Reshuffling, Hiring, Promoting and Demoting Emerging need of the company – Quality control instead of fire- fighting by the â€Å"great Band-Aid† people Paul Godsons: Product Teams, Functional teams informed about product happenings on a daily basis No system specified who had the authority to make which decisions Conflict between Product manager s and Operations Product teams did not know where their authority ended Senior executives attended meetings, but needed time for their main responsibilities No systems to set priorities about how resources should be allocated among the team Business Teams -? Intermediaries, representatives from Senior management, Authority in decision, resource allocation Shortcomings: a) More tail than tooth b) Escalating Infrastructure Costs c) Customer Focus Diminished d) Less concerned with Company goals, No P&L accountability, ‘Who-cares† Attitude Divisional Structure: 2 Broad Divisions: Inter Carrier Services (CICS) & Cellular Management Information Systems (IS) Operations: Utility functions that serviced both divisions HER.

Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

â€Å"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities†¦ because it is the quality which guarantees all others,† (Winston Churchill). There are several different ways t be courageous. Harper Lee, in her 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, uses courage as a main theme. Harper Lee demonstrates that if one can tell the truth, change or remain rooted in their morals, they are a minority among people who lack the ability to do so. In To Kill a Mockingbird there are different characters that show it takes a certain amount of courage to tell the truth. When Dolphus Raymond said, â€Å"You little folk won’t tell on me now, will you? It’d ruin my reputation if you did,† (Lee 227) after he showed the kids that is was Coke in his paper and not alcohol. It was to make the children feel better about the trial. He had the courage to tell the kids the truth, right when there was a whole lot of lying going on in the courtroom, and risked them spreading his story. Another great example is that Tom Robinson, during his trial, had the courage to tell the truth about why he regularly helped Mayella. When Mr. Gilmer asked Tom why he was so obliged to do Mayella’s chores for free, Tom ruined any chance he had of winning the case by answering, â€Å"I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ’em,† (224). Back in the 1930’s in the southern hills of Maycomb County, Alabama, where this story takes place, how dare a black man feel sorry for a white woman. The white citizens of the south believed that blacks were the lowest of the low. Lower than trailer trash, like the Ewells. What Tom said contradicted the mindset of the time and he died because of it. Not many characters have the strength to tell the truth, however some do and the make a world of change. Harper Lee, in To Kill a Mockingbird, shows the readers that having the ability to change is quite significant. Not everyone can, and change can take your life, shake it a bit and when it’s put back down you don’t know if it is for better or for worse. Scout always used to get into fights. One day, Atticus asked Scout to stop fighting. Scout loves her father very much and doesn’t want to disappoint him so she listened, no matter how much she got chided for it. When I committed myself to a policy of cowardice. Word got around that Scout Finch wouldn’t fight anymore, her daddy wouldn’t let her,† (92). It was courageous of her to change because fighting was a big part of her life and her peers were sure to tease her. Another character that exemplifies the courage to change is Mrs. Dubose. She was addicted to morphine but had the courage to change for the final hours of her life, even though she knew she would die soon no matter what. â€Å"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what,† (128). Mrs. Dubose had the courage to change and died content with herself. It’s clear that you need to be courageous to change because not many characters change in this story. Maycomb was born in ignorance and Maycomb continued to live in ignorance. The most courageous acts in To Kill a Mockingbird occur when a character is alone in their morals and remain rooted in those morals no matter what. Atticus is a perfect example of someone â€Å"sticking to their guns†. The reason that he gives his children as to why he is defending the black man, Tom Robinson is, â€Å"Before I can live with other folks, I’ve got to live with myself,† (120). A different example is at the end of the book, when Boo Radley kills Bob Ewell. Sherriff Tate sticks to his morals by reporting that Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Sherriff Tate told Atticus that if Boo was charged with murder, the attention he would receive from the town’s women would kill Boo. Another example of a character being steadfast in their morals is when Calpurnia, knowing that everyone is equal, takes Jem and Scout to the black people’s church. Some of the black folks weren’t very welcoming to the kids because they were white. â€Å"Lula stopped, but she said, ‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church ain’t it Miss Cal? ‘ Calpurnia said, ‘It’s the same God ain’t it? ‘† (136). These characters truly are minorities. That is when they shine and are model citizens of Maycomb County. Seems like being alone, fighting for what they believe in, makes them stronger. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is the characters that have the courage to stand out against racism and break the status quo of Maycomb County that are a minority among the characters that don’t. Courage is one of the biggest themes in To Kill a Mockingbird and only a special few are able to possess it. As Reggie White said, â€Å"God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight. â€Å"

Working in business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Working in business - Assignment Example This portfolio development had considered the Big five forces of personality development to understand the factors that are required for my own development. The reason for using Big five forces is that it has been identified as an integrated framework that allows in understanding about a person’s normal personality. Meta-analytical studies on the Big five forces have revealed that there are certain deviations in the conclusions reached by researchers. For instance, the work of Leung and Bozionelos (2004) have shown that extroversion, conscientiousness and emotional stability have a strong positive correlation with effective leadership qualities but same cannot be said about the other two dimensions that namely agreeableness and openness. From the results that have been obtained it can be argued that I have to develop on three main aspects of my personality namely neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness. Researchers have found out that development of neuroticism is directly related to development of emotional stability to handle stress. It has been observed that Extraversion is related to managing relationships with others in a smoother manner (Bartone, et al., 2009). Similarly, conscientiousness is related to being dependable and reliable for others. These findings are consistent with the findings of Judge & Ilies (2002) who had found that among the five factors of personality development it is extremely important to develop extroversion and conscientiousness. I am an efficient worker yet I tend to lose focus at times of high stress. This can malign my reliability and dependability to some extent. My personal experiences have shown that I need to improve my understanding of cultural differences in a better manner. There have been instances in my life where I have been unable to perform under levels of high stress showing that I need to develop on my neuroticism. I have found that when I am

Workers in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Workers in America - Essay Example It is noteworthy that this was the first national industrial labor movement in the United States. Originally, the movement was Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, which replaced the failed Garment Cutters Association of Philadelphia (Weir 20). Knights of Labor maintained a highest level of secrecy, as well as, fraternalism, and it was not until 1879 when the movement utilized symbols to call for meetings. Initially, the movement excluded bankers, lawyers, liquor dealers, and professional gamblers. In addition, women did not join the movement until 1882 when the membership had grown hugely. However, the movement declined in 1886 due to competition from other unions and internal disagreements. The Knights of Labor advocated political reforms. Notably, the movement championed for the levying of the graduated income tax. On top of this, the movement demanded the establishment of the national monetary system that did not have the banks as intermediaries. Similarly, the movement agitated the government to maintain the ownership of the telegraph lines and the railroads. Moreover, Knights of Labor wanted a new land policy that sought to benefit the settlers as opposed to the speculators (Brexel 22). In addition to the political matters, the movement raised grievances on the social issues. Knights of Labor advocated the abolition of the child labor and the contract systems on municipal, state, and national works. In addition, the national union championed for pay equality for equal work, and the establishment of the cooperatives in order to replace the repressive and archaic wage system that promotes oppression of the workers by the capitalist employers (Weir 21). Moreover, Knights of Labor agitated for health and safety of the workers in the building, manufacturing, and mining industries. The Wabash Railway strike was a significant strike,

Business Plan Final Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Business Plan Final Report - Assignment Example The report is prepared for developing and presenting a business plan for the launch of a new business. The business under consideration in this business plan is a bakery business which will be opened up in the form of physical stores in the food retail market of Canada. The report starts with a small discussion regarding what the business will be about and where it will be opened up. This is followed by an introduction that would help the reader of the business plan to understand the main goals of the business plan and act as a guiding section for the reader to keep a track of the whole business plan and its different sections. The report is written in clear and simple language with proper headings and subheadings provided in each section so that the reader of the business plan is able to understand every part of the report easily. Simple words and small well-constructed sentences have been used to make the business plan easily readable as well as easily comprehendible. The business plan includes a section for the analysis of the internal and external factors that may directly or indirectly impact the business. Apart from this, a thorough financial analysis has also been conducted to understand the financial scopes and performances of the Sweet Berry Baker Company in the next 3 years. Thus, the marketing, operational and financial requirements and constraints have been studied in detail while preparing this business plan. The business plan is prepared with the aim of attracting investments from different types of institutional and individual investors like venture capitalists, private equity firms, angel investors, banks and other financial institutions, corporate institutions, private investors etc. Also, the business plan would serve as a document for setting the initial operational standards, product and service requirements and features and the functioning requirements of the Sweet Berry

Ethics of the Sale of Body Parts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Ethics of the Sale of Body Parts - Essay Example So, what is the cross-section where these two areas meet? Is it ever ethical to, in effect, â€Å"sell† body parts? Blood and semen are bodily fluids that are donated for money—so what would make donating body parts that much more different? For one thing, the sale of body parts in the U.S.—or anywhere else, as a matter of fact—is ethically questionable, at best. According to Wilkinson (2003), â€Å"Many of the arguments [we will] address†¦apply equally to all body parts and, indeed, to all body products† (pp. 101). Legally speaking, the sale of body parts is strictly forbidden in the United States. According to Gunning and Holm (2007), â€Å"For example, property right in human body or body parts is forbidden in the United States† (pp. 169). This is for many reasons, one of them being that the idea of trading body parts for cash could lead to the poor and disadvantaged selling their body parts for money. Also, people might sell these bo dy parts wholesale, making the black market for body parts even greater. Section II. Five Ethical Issues Associated With the Sale of Body Parts Five ethical issues with regard to the sale of body parts—outside of the biomedical ethical standpoint—is that such a practice would be morally wrong, it would take away the human dignity of the sellers, it would take away the human dignity of the person whose body part would be taken, it would take away from the dignity of the doctors, and also create greed within the buyers. The mere practice of selling body parts would be wrong—not to mention the donation of an organ—in Judaism and Islam. The importance of the body being whole is emphasized due to the fact that going to the afterlife depends upon how one took care of one’s body. According to Holland and Johnson (1998), â€Å"For it may be thought that the human body has a significance that is incompatible with treating its parts as items for sale in a b ody shop or that such treatment is an affront to human dignity and respect for self† (pp. 192). Sellers’, doctors’, and recipients’ dignity would also be compromised. The dignity of the person whose body part would be taken would definitely be diminished by donating a body part for cash. According to Miller (2010), â€Å"It doesn't follow, though, that the sale of body parts is good for the parties or for the rest of us. Such sales—or gifts—might unduly alienate the seller from parts of his or her body that are and should remain so integral to [oneself]† (pp. 235). Section III. The Position of a Biomedical Products Engineer on the Sale of Body Parts, Using Two Ethical Theories (Utilitarianism and the Golden Rule) The two ethical theories that were selected were utilitarianism and the Golden Rule. Both of these ethical theories could both be applied to the pro as well as the con sides of the argument. With regard to utilitarianism, biom edical products can be used expediently for the greatest good of all. That may seem to endorse the sale of organs or body parts, but actually it doesn’t, therefore it shouldn’t be allowed. The sale of organs is actually prohibited for the good of everyone, because such sales would ultimately create a larger black market for body parts, and murders would skyrocket in number. Utilitarianism is generally regarded as â€Å"the greatest good for the greatest number.† Of course, utilitarianism does not always end up being the best deal out fo the bunch. According to Brandt (1992), â€Å"

Drug Store Drugstore and Pharmacy History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drug Store Drugstore and Pharmacy History - Essay Example One such elixir was labeled â€Å"Soothing Baby Syrup† designed to be a deterrent for the crying baby (Drugstore Museum, 2004). This formula actually met up with its promises, however the baby would become addicted to opium which was the main ingredient. The most significant problem with patent medicine is that the individuals developing and marketing these products usually maintained no solid educational or research credentials. Instead, independent entrepreneurs would establish unsupervised â€Å"compounding† facilities, where development of these elixirs and formulas would occur. These medicines were then advertised in many magazines, retail stores and sales catalogs. Even Wards and Sears devoted a great deal of catalog space for the sale of these products which brought both firms considerable profit from interested buyers. In fact, the 1900 census indicated that consumers all over the country spent a combined $59 million on patent medicines (eNotes, 2012). Comparatively, in today’s economy, this would represent expenditures of approximately 1.5 billion dollars (Friedman, 2010). Clearly, patent medicine was very big business both for the seller and the various retailers distributing these products. Right around 1905, many journalists began to publicize the potential health risks of patent medicines in order to inform the public. This was a very courageous activity since there were many people in society that not only trusted in these products, but also had much profit potential at risk because of this negative publicity. At the same time, major respected retailers were making significant sales revenues on patent medicine and had much power in society. However, these journalists worked as the catalyst for establishing the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 which established regulations in labeling of patent medicines to prevent fraud or inaccurate promises that could not be justified through the

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Final - Essay Example There were several aspects responsible for the ineffectiveness that was part of Decision Tech. one of the elements related to effective teams is that combination of people results in better and more efficient work while individualistic work is not as productive. In comparison, the employees within Decision Tech were simply busy in leg pulling, competing against each other and not trusting each other to function as a coherent and cohesive team. Team mates are supposed to nurture and help each other grow in order to be an effective team. However, in Decision Tech this was not the case at all, as most employees were busy with their own work to focus on anyone else. Each member was focused on making sure they could get ahead instead. This was a clear situation where the organizational performance was being jeopardized. The executive team was such that people would call them the staff within the organization. The main reasons behind this were that the executive body would fight against each other, not letting the other succeed. As a result, in most meetings, it was noticed that the executive team could not come to any mutual decisions successfully. Individually, each person was brilliant in his or her job and was working perfectly fine for the organization, however, collectively, they were not being productive as a team. The team had developed a culture of its own where it was hostile and silent in most cases and the team could not perform well due to these issues in the culture of the executive team. Most elements of the norming stage were not even reached where the team would tend to ignore differences and move towards cohesiveness. Instead, the team was primarily stuck in the forming stage where the team mates were still trying to adjust to each other and were more inclined to work independently than as a team. It was noted that the team had not reached all the four stages of team development at all. From the four stages of team development, the executive team at

Obligation Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Obligation Assessment - Essay Example The case is having a history which is stated below. Plaintiffs one and two were married during 1986 and wished to buy a weekend house which they were ready to procure if no excessive repairs were required. They had seen the house Nutford Farm House, Blandford, Dorset. Both the plaintiffs were happy with the house and wished to buy it. Mrs. Marrow conducted the survey on it and sent her report stating that there is no requirement for much repairs and stated some defects were seen in that house. The plaintiffs were willing to buy a house at a cost up to  £170,000, but were not ready to spend any more for repair. Depending and trusting the report forwarded by Mrs. Morrow, the couple decided to buy Nutford Farm House. The asking cost for the house was set at  £175,000, as there was another client ready to buy it offering a price of  £177,500 and the couple bought the property. The situation changed after entering for living in that house. The hide out stated as â€Å"overall dwell ing house to be sound, stable and in good condition† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.3) by Mrs. Morrow turned out to be a structure requiring much monetary expense for normal make up. The â€Å"eradication of wood borer in roofing timbers† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.3) was actually necessitating â€Å"the roof was due for renewal with felting, rebattening and retiling† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.4) and â€Å"minor works of eradicating continued dampness in ground floor walls† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.4) was actually shown as â€Å"the first floor timbers needed specialist woodworm treatment and refixing of firring pieces with extensive renewal of floor boarding† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.4) also with other works which were not mentioned in Mrs. Morrow’s report of survey. This indicates the fact â€Å"surveyors report negligently failing to disclose defects† (Stephen, Ralph & Bingham, 1991, p.1) whi ch should be trialled under

The Impact of Light Wavelength to Photosynthesis Lab Report

The Impact of Light Wavelength to Photosynthesis - Lab Report Example Nonetheless, our data did not support the hypothesis since the red light did not have significantly higher rate of photosynthesis among the three colors. Light is very significant to plants as it is the energy source that aids a chain of chemical reactions involve in the process of their food production called photosynthesis. With their light trapping photosynthetic pigments, plants collect light energy that then supports the production of sugar. The most important among several different pigments is chlorophyll which is responsible for green color of most plants (Light wavelength and photosynthesis) process we know as photosynthesis (Farabee, 2008). Sunlight as the primary source of light is converted to a usable chemical energy with the actions of green pigment chlorophyll. This process leads to the chemical reaction wherein water and carbon dioxide enter the cell of the leaf producing oxygen and sugar. With that leaves serves as solar collector full of photosynthetic cells (Whitmarsh). Light is a matter and an electromagnetic radiation which is a form of energy. The light that allows us to see is actually a combination of different wavelength and termed visible light. To separate these wavelengths the light must pass a prism making them all visible (Light wavelength and photosynthesis). ... This creates an electromagnetic spectrum of light between red as the longest wavelength while violet as the shortest (Farabee, 2008)The light energy that is transmitted and reflected is represented with the colors that we see while those that we cannot are those that are absorbed (Light wavelength and photosynthesis) Light is absorbed through substance called pigments. For most plants chlorophyll is the green pigment responsible for absorbing all wavelengths of visible light except green. As the pigment absorbs light energy, it triggers photosynthesis; thus making the effectiveness of different wavelengths of light generating electrons relative to the action spectrum of such chemical reaction. Methods The impact of light wavelengths on photosynthesis was determined by exposing the plant Dracaena to light of different wavelengths then measuring the decrease in carbon dioxide level. With a 60 Watts soft white light bulb with red, green and yellow light filters, wavelengths of 630 to 750nm representing red, 570 to 590 representing yellow, and 490 to 560nm representing green were utilized. Two treatments were done for each of the three wavelengths, each treatment with seven replicates. Each of the seven plants was placed in the CID machine and tested for CO2 level respiration. Each plant was initially tested for drop in CO2 after two minutes of light exposure and then final measurements were obtained within seven minutes. Thus had provides us the amount of change in the level of carbon dioxide utilization within five minutes interval. Results The data in Figure 1 shows that the change in level of carbon dioxide utilization differs among colors of different wavelengths. The control where in the sunlight serves as the source of light displays a mean of 160.71

Human Resource Outsourcing in India Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Outsourcing in India Essay This article attempts to discuss HRO in Indian context and the possible future of HRO in the Indian business scenario. Certain preparatory actions are also prescribed to effectively used HRO as a strategic business tool. HRO – HRM Architecture: Today, as we have moved into service – economy, dealing with knowledge and knowledge workers is very important as human capital has become a critical success factor for organizations. HRM is seen as a distinct identity, separate from Administration and Facilities section of the establishment. This can be clearly seen from the importance being given to HRM Architecture. In addition to the traditional roles for HR, over the years, in the IT and ITes sectors, distinct roles have emerged such as corporate HR, business HR, generalist HR, techno – functional HR, etc. The job holders in these roles are expected to give different â€Å"deliverables† as related to their functional aspects. It is pertinent to note that a 1998 survey by center for effective organization at university of southern California’s Marshal School of business shown that 79% of HRM managers describe themselves as â€Å"business partners† and 53% of line managers agreed that HR managers are now performing the roles of business partners. Thus, today HRM is getting well embodied into business functions such as marketing, finance or operations. This can be, in a way, considered as a starting point of HRO, because, from this, emerges the need for HR function to work smart for business results – whether by doing functions and activities all on their own, or by getting some of them done through outsourcing. Additionally, it also puts pressure on HR function to find â€Å"partners† who can â€Å"take over† specific transactions and processes at a lower cost. In this way, HR will get focused on â€Å"tangible† results (which was one of the complains against HR in the past). Thus, to some extent, it will help free up time for core-HR activities that result in improvements which positively influence the bottom line. A word of caution though that it may not â€Å"free up† time, and should not free up too much time. After all, HR is essentially a personal touch button of the organization and too much outsourcing might result in lack of personal touch and decreased human interaction which may frustrate the employees. HRO Evolution: HRO is always an evolutionary exercise for the organization. Initially, companies are reluctant to outsource, they prefer to do every act in the own backyard. As the organization grows in terms of its life cycle, slowly, â€Å"experimentation† phase will begin when they start outsourcing certain simple transactions or processes. Sometimes, they may even take a parallel run with the vendor. When the experience is positive and as they make progress, companies may make decisions to penetrate further into the HRO space. According to Everest Research institute’s annual HRO study, the most commonly outsourced HR functions include: †¢Pay roll †¢Benefits †¢Employee data management †¢Info systems †¢Contact centers. As the companies find that there are substantial benefits from outsourcing, they feel attracted to go in for deeper penetration. Thus, it is possible to categorize companies adopting different levels of HRO in their organization. (See Table 1) Table 1 LevelActivities OutsourcedType of HROBenefits 1Admin services, pay – roll, pension, PF mgt. , etc, temporary staffingTransactionCost efficiency 2L1 + training, new employee induction and executive searchProcess†¢Standardization †¢Cost †¢Replication of good practices 3L1 + L2 + campus hiring, online assessments, HR audits, employee surveys etc. Function†¢Quality †¢Cost, benchmarking etc. HRO in Indian Business The debate on HRO in India still hovers around the following questions: ‘Has HRO really arrived in India? ’ ‘Are we missing the HR outsourcing bus? ’ ‘Should companies outsource their HR functions? ’ We also seem to be aware that â€Å"The New Mantra is HR Outsourcing† In this maze of debates and arguments, some facts need to be cleared. â€Å"HR outsourcing in India has not seen the required momentum and is limited to trickle effect, with companies outsourcing a few selected, low end HR processes† – Says Anil Mahajan in an interview for an article on HRM. In India, most common outsource processes are related to training, pay – roll processing, benchmarks studies and legal compliance. Some HR consultants feel that in Indian HRO scene, quality is an issue. It is reported that some MNC’s wanted to outsource end to end HR solutions, but could find a suitable vendor and hence decided to set up its own outsourcing centre. While many experts in the field believe that there is a good scope for HRO in India, it is a fact that our present share in the global market of US $ 80 bn. is only a minuscule. Estimates show that size of HR outsourcing in India is about US $ 2. 5 – 3. 5 bn. But another study shows flat markets in HRO world wide between 2005 – 2007 but 2008 promises to be different! In the flat world of today, as India becomes more and more global in business and economy it will be a compelling need for companies to resort to outsourcing in the interest of survival and growth. Thus, even though, as of now, HRO in India has not caught up sufficiently time is right for making rapid strides to catch up and make best use of the opportunities presented by the wave of HR outsourcing. HRO as Double – edged Weapon: In India, we are fortunate to have the double advantage of HRO as we all know, HRO operates in an environment where there are abundant takers and abundant givers. HRO activities have two edges one as the service provider and another as a client who is outsourcing the process / transaction. At present many Indian companies are acting as service providers as a natural step, India with its vast millions of English speaking, trainable youth who are willing to learn and serve clients as and idle platform to take on the HRO wave. Thus, India may finally become the outsourcing centre for HR services. The growth in the HRO itself may trigger further developments. Any HRO companies may, in turn, begin to outsource some of their process to another service provider. Thus, a virtuous HRO business cycle may get activated. After all, â€Å"We Are All in Services Now† (Prof. James Teboul). According to him, the process, people and credibility are 3 key elements in the making of value proposition. People interaction may place a sort of limitation on HRO spreading without a human face! The basic tenet of HR philosophy should be that HRO must be implemented with utmost regard to â€Å"Human face† of activities being outsourced. This is because of the uniqueness of the HR issues. There cannot be a straightjacket solution for all human issues hence human interaction element needs to be always kept in mind and given a priority. We need to get over certain drawbacks as a community of employers in order to benefit from the HRO wave. If we have to shape up, good future we need to know aht we should to and what we should not so that our progress is never stalled. Hence, it is necessary to appreciate the barriers identified for the spread of HRO in our country. The following are some of the barriers identified in literature on the subject: †¢Cultural shift and top management thinking †¢Confidentiality and cost factors †¢Lack of awareness on cost-to-benefit equation of HRO †¢Quality of end results. A word or two about each of these barriers will clear the aspect. Cultural shift requires us to trust and be trusted. The two parties’ involved, namely service provider and client, need to trust each other not only about confidentiality but also about the capability to delay it. Many employers and top management feel that it is better to have own HR persons dealing with all the issues instead of outsourcing. Reasons may be many for such outlook, but there is a need to change in order to think professionally and ethically. If we can trust an advocate or a doctor or the tax consultant, why not HR service provider? Confidentiality and cost factors relate to the ability of HR service provider to handle information professionally and confidentially. Ethics both personal and corporate – play a great role. If we think proper work ethics can be created through good leadership, we need to develop and nurture such leaders appropriately. Lack of awareness among persons about cost / benefit equation needs to be overcome by education right from the top level to look at HRO as a hard core business option and to quantify the benefits correctly. Lastly, quality issues need to be addressed again through building a quality culture by following the total quality management (TQM) practices. Internal and external customer orientation among all and education and training for all on TQ practices and bring about improvement in quality. The Indian experience of TQM is quite satisfactory in this regard and there is a bright chance of success for improving the quality aspects of HRO. Preparatory Activities: While is it necessary to be clear about changes that we need to make on an individual or a company basis, it is equally important to focus on the preparations needed by us a community of service economy. For any service economy to grow, especially in the network era of today, there is a need for adequate preparation so that ultimately, the environment of business responds favorably to the needs of the market. In this regard, certain preparatory activities have to be undertaken immediately. The various activities for this purpose can be broadly classified as: †¢Infrastructural †¢Educational †¢Business/ operational †¢Social Under each of these, there are various elements that have to be taken under consideration. The following matrix will show these points clearly. As most of these items are self explanatory in nature, a detailed description of individual items is not done in this article. However, it has to be emphasized that these sub elements are very important contributions to the climate of HRO in a microeconomic sense. The elements given in the matrix are only illustrative and are not exhaustive. Preparatory activities needed for HRO Infrastructural / Technical †¢Telecommunications and network accessibility †¢Roads †¢TransportEducational – Training Related †¢Curriculum in colleges †¢HRO training centers †¢E Learning transactions / process Counseling centers Business Related †¢Performance parameters †¢Quality measures †¢Feedback †¢Relationships / Cultural sensitivitySocial †¢Quality of the work – Life balance †¢Stress management †¢Time management †¢Security at workplace Conclusion: In conclusion, it may be said that HRO is going to slowly but steadily beco me a part of business strategy. HR professionals will drive the initiatives of HRO, of course with support from top management. The time is now ripe for HRO to succeed in view of HRM being seen and treated as an important element of business resources in the service economy of today. Certain new roles have emerged which confirm this position. Though the Indian share of the revenue pie today is very small, there is a very good possibility of our riding high on the HRO wave that is round the corner. As a community, it is necessary to identify barriers and identify the changes or adjustments we need to make as individuals and companies. As HRO operates as a subset of BPO and overall business environment, certain preparatory steps need to be taken as a community in general. With all this, it is possible to ride high on HRO wave in the next few years.

Ratignolle’s delivery Essay Example for Free

Ratignolle’s delivery Essay The story commences with Edna Pontellior, her husband and family, spending their summer holidays on Grand Isle. Ratignolle who was presently pregnant that time and her family, was also there for vacation. Reisz, a great pianist, was also there for the holiday. Her playing of the piano awakens Edna’s concealed desires and passion. We are also introduced to Robert Lebrun who courts women in the summer season, in particular married women. Edna caught his picture. Robert persuades Edna to be true to herself by articulating her own needs and desires. They fell in love with each other and since she’s married this pointed him to detach himself from her and to look for his destiny in Mexico. Upset, Edna chose to put her desires before her family. In the course of realizing her true character, she paints and sketches and deserts her obligation as a wife and mother. She continued to be good friends with Reisz and Ratignolle. She has an affair with Alcee Robin, a womanizer, but is still feel warmth for Robert. She left her house and rents a tiny house that looks like a pigeon’s house. The leasing of the house was compensated by the little income she produces by selling her paintings. When Robert came back, Edna struggle to revive her relationship with him by telling him that she is an independent woman and not concerned with social mores. She plans to leave Leonce. When she went to Ratignolle’s delivery, Edna was told to reassess her decision as it will damage her two sons. She drowns herself after she found out Robert’s goodbye note that tells of his love for her and after realizing that she cannot go on with her life with Leonce. And being a divorcee in this society was unthinkable. Purpose: The purpose of the novel is to show how women are treated and to show how valuable a woman’s feelings are. It gives us a view of the demands of society and the needs of individuals. Women should be treated fairly and that they should be given the respect they deserve. It not about how you should live in the eyes of others, but how you live your life the way you want to and you know how much you deserve that kind of life. Main Characters: Mrs. Edna Pontellier is the main character in the book that awakens to a new life as she finds out her independence. She is the young wife of Leonce Pontellier and the mother of Raoul and Etienne. She falls in love with Robert Lebrun. Edna is honest about her feelings for Robert and of her disappointment with Leonce and the tradition of marriage. This is revealed in her dismissal of social principle and traditions which she felt have caged her. During the rest of the novel, she lives in New Orleans, wasted her time with Reisz, had an affair with Alcee Arobin, moves into her own small house, deserts her old life, and affirms her love for Robert. Mr. Leonce Pontellier is Ednas wealthy, traditional husband. Although he rarely shows his love through material things, he often shows his disappointment through rage. He perceives Edna to be reckless, and seek for help from Dr. Mandelet as to her moody temperament. â€Å"It would have been a difficult matter for Mr. Pontellier to identify to his own satisfaction or any one elses wherein his wife failed in her duty towards their children. It was something which he felt rather than perceived, and he never voiced the feeling without subsequent regret and ample atonement (8). † He went to New York for a business trip as Edna moves out and falls in love with Robert Lebrun. Robert Lebrun is the younger, attractive, teasing man with whom Edna falls in love with. Robert is a clean-shaven young man with the stand for of a bohemian and doesn’t care about the world. He smokes cigarettes because he can’t pay for cigars. He works in New Orleans as a clerk and visits his mother in Grand Isle. Even though he honestly loves Edna, he leaves her two times without following through on his feelings. â€Å"Robert spoke of his intention to go to Mexico in the autumn, where fortune awaited him (4). † In the end, he left a note that said: I love you. Goodbye, because I love you (132). Robert struggle to resist on his feelings for Edna because he knows it was not right to love a married woman. Thats why he left to Mexico. The insight of this caused Edna to drown herself. Adele Ratignolle is the personification of perfect womanhood from this era, mother of five children, and idyllic wife to Alphonse Ratignolle. She becomes a close friend of Edna while at Grande Isle and watches out for her friend in the ways of love. She knows the power of her own femininity and cautions Robert not to play with the old fashioned sense of feminism that Edna has. She exemplifies everything about femininity and womanhood of the last century. She is faithful to her husband, gives birth every two years, and embellishes herself with sumptuous outfits and jewelry. She dependent on her family, and is remarkable for her beauty. Mademoiselle Reisz is the unconventional single pianist who charms Edna with her Chopin Impromptu at Grande Isle. She is a close friend of Robert Lebrun, who writes to her asking for a performance of Chopin for Edna any time she desires. Reisz embodies everything that Ratignolle does not like being independent, carefree, a single life with no children, and a life overflowing with art. She brings out the subliminal feelings of Edna to Robert and to her independent spirit. She helps in Ednas view of life and love changes. Alcee Arobin is the young, charismatic, scandalous man who seduces Edna into his arms. He’s one of which Edna spends time with. He is a womanizer, gambler, and businessman. Raoul is one of Edna and Leonce Pontelliers sons. He becomes slightly ill making Leonce to shout at Edna for being irresponsible. Etienne is the other son of Edna and Leonce Pontellier. The Colonel is Ednas father who was an officer in the Confederacy in the Civil War. He like the parties, singing, dancing, and drinking at the Ratignolle parties and tries to influence Edna to come to his sisters wedding. He questions why Edna and Leonce do not spend more time together at night. Madame Lebrun is Robert and Victor’s mother. She manages the cottages in Grande Isle, and is friendly with Edna in New Orleans. Victor Lebrun is Roberts younger brother and the fortune of Madame Lebrun. He flirts with Edna and frequently tells her how beautiful she is. He also went to Ednas dinner and spends time with her in New Orleans. Conflict and Resolution: One of the conflicts in the novel is the married life and society’s prospect of men and women. It is a prejudice of gender roles in the society. Women did not have the freedom to do what they want because they are viewed as dependent to men and just to stay at home. The mother-women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels. (8) Leonce believes that Edna is not doing her womanly task and is an irresponsible mother. He believes women must be inclined to their children, household chores, and their husbands. And when Edna starts to show signs of independence, he lost his temper and was filled with disappointment and resentment. It relates to the novel as Edna looks for a source of income and eventually sells her painting to earn an income. And because of that, the consequence of the things she did was imposed to her child. â€Å"He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of her children. If it were not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it? (6)† Edna realized that she can’t portrays the person the society wants her to be and resolves that problem by changing the way she lives her life. Edna takes actions according to her own desire, with no consideration to Leonce. She goes out alone, visits friends by herself, and eventually annoys her husband. Leonce has trouble dealing with his wifes new free character and thinks her to be mentally uneven. Edna believes that she can be an artist and a lover and be independent. It was evidently clear that women were seen as property of their husband. This is illustrated from Leonce Pontelliers straightforward comments like â€Å"Looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage (2). † This was resolved when Edna left the house and when she eventually gave up and went to the ocean to drown than go back and enslave herself from the hands of her Leonce. Edna doesn’t want to depend on other people and doesnt want anyone to depend on her. She just wanted her independence, to be what she wants to be in her own way, and to not to give up her life and soul for her children. She wants to live her life for herself and to her affair with Robert. Edna admits to never belong to anyone again which in turn, brings her ahead of her time and out of the typical female of her time. Setting: The novel was set in 1899. This is the time when the Industrial Revolution and the feminist movement were starting to become known but were still outshine by the general attitudes of the 19th century. Grande Isle is the summer dwelling place for the Pontelliers and Ratignolles. They reside at the Lebrun cottages during the summer months. Edna and Robert meet and spend their time together while on Grande Isle. The Lebrun family owns the cottages at Grande Isle where the beginning of the story takes place. Madame Lebrun manages them and befriends Edna Pontellier. Next is at Kleins, it’s the hotel close to Grande Isle where Leonce Pontellier use up much of his time and money. The Carondelet Street in New Orleans is where Leonce Pontellier does much of his big business and bump into Robert Lebrun for quite a few times. The pigeon-house is Ednas new small home, where she has only one servant. This is where she paints, and finds freedom and independence. She sometimes visits her children at their grandmothers and goes back home to her independent, single life. She likes having time to herself, and knowing on her own when and where she wants to see other people. Edna and Robert rouse their relation by the ocean. Edna loves the water and learns how to swim, spending most of her time. Edna expresses her outlook of the beach, with the blue sky and ocean that makes her imagine of her youth. She talks of the view as a painter longing for a canvas to create an art. She then meets her end, while drifting deep into the ocean. Language Devices: The novel was full of symbolism where in each narrative section, there is a central and dominant symbol that adds meaning to the content and to emphasize some delicate point the author made. First symbol is the Art because it is a symbol of freedom and failure. It is through the progression of trying to be an artist that Edna achieved the utmost point of her awakening. She perceives art as a way of self-expression and of self-assertion. When Edna arrives, Adele Ratignolle is folding laundry. She abandons it to entertain her dear friend. Edna shows Adele her paintings and desires to paint Adele. She values her opinion greatly and hopes for positive feedback on her work. She humbly revels in Adeles overt appreciation of her painting. She gives her several as gifts, greets Monsieur Ratignolle and leaves, contemplating her life and her feelings for her friend. Birds are the major symbolic images. They symbolize the means to communicate and entrapment of women like the two birds in the cages. Flight is another symbol linked with birds because it acts as a place for awakening. The capability to spread your wings and fly is a symbolic theme that happens often in the novel like when Edna escapes from her home, her husband, her life and leaves for the pigeon house. Reisz address Edna for the need of having strong wings in artistic happenings â€Å"The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth (96). † Like these birds, Edna is ensnared by societys expectations of women, since she is not suited for the role of a mother and domestic wife. As the parrot talks with a language which no one knows, Edna convey her inner desires to flee from societys truss that stay silent and invisible to those around her. And like a newly emerged baby bird, she finds safety in the pigeon house, as she find out of her place in the world and fight against societal principle. In the last chapter of the story, Edna saw a â€Å"bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water (135). † Like the bird, Ednas wings are not strong and spirited enough to survive as a person fighting against societys advocate to be traditional. Edna is fully dressed when first introduced in the novel. Slowly over the line of the novel, she removes her clothes. This symbolizes the peeling of the societal rules in her life and her increasing awakening and stresses her physical and external self. Ednas dress counters the peripheral nature and it also opposes her inner nature. It signifies the partition between her and her surroundings and between her social character and her awakening nature. When she commits suicide, she was naked. She drops everything she has in her quest. The moonlight symbolizes the fight Edna has with the perception of sexual love and romantic love. At the end of chapter ten, subtle images of strips of moonlight (34) are introduced with strong sexual feelings. It suggests that this combination characteristically expect the problems Edna will have shaping the connection between sex and romance. The ocean is a sign for freedom and escape. Edna remembers the Kentucky fields in her childhood as an ocean, she learns to swim in the bay, and she then flee into the sea. The ocean is also a foundation of self-awareness, both an external knowledge of the growth of the universe and an inner obsession with self. The sound of the waves calls to her, console her throughout the novel, and proceed as a constant sign in the novel. Womens bodies are prone to moisture, blood, milk, tears, and amniotic fluid, so in drowning the woman is immersed in the womanly natural element. For Edna who had found freedom in the ocean, drowning brings her back inside herself. Sleep is a significant figurative pattern consecutively through the novel. Ednas seconds of awakening are often lead by sleep and she does a great compact of it. Sleep is also a mean of escape and patching up her worn out emotions. Another language used in the novel is a metaphor. The author uses metaphor to speak about the character of Edna towards the end of the novel. The author uses feelings to utter the feeling and entrapment that in the long run, lead to a lethal end. Describing Edna starts in a descending coil into the rebirth of her mind, to conclude in a sensual reawakening when Edna recognize what fear is, but also what strengths she had. The author assimilates a water pattern as a metaphor for Edna’s rebirth and sexual awakening. In Chapter 6, as Edna begins to awaken to her position in her world, the voice of the sea describes the start of a new world. The start of things, of a world especially, is necessarily unclear, muddled, and very troubling. â€Å"The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude: to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace (135). The sea is a dominant metaphor in the novel. The sea has stood for ancient chaos and danger. In Chapter 10, Edna swims out into the ocean, only to feel an unruly fear. The author also draws awareness to the sea as a source of life and new birth. Ednas learning how to swim present a point as she swims with dominated control towards the limitless in which to mislay her. The sea has opened up a new area of discovery for Edna. By the storys end, Edna had given in to the authority of self-discovery and self-actualization that was voiced by the sea. As Edna begins her final walk into the bay, the sea signifies new birth, as Edna go into the water naked in the open air (135) as susceptible as a newborn infant. By combining these water metaphors with diverse awakenings, the author constructs a link between the ocean and Ednas feelings. Sleep and wakefulness also serve as metaphors throughout the novel. For Edna, to be awake is â€Å"to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her (14). To be awake is to recognize. To be awake is to be open-minded. At times, the author makes the metaphor precise. Like having literally awakened from her sleep, Edna metaphorically awakens to the dramatic details of the world and asking How many years have I slept? The whole island seems changed. A new race of beings must have sprung up, leaving only you and me as past relics (43) As with the metaphor of the sea, the metaphor of wakefulness concluded in the last chapter. Edna did reflect and realized her essential seclusion from the old world, and her need to enter a new one, when she lay awake upon the sofa till morning (134). They are associated with restlessness, and unawareness with sleep that Edna avoided. She is, greeted by the sea to an untainted kind of sleep as the sea, like a mother comforting a sleepy child. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace (15). unaided in the sea, Edna will sleep the sleep of death but the story entails her to be more awake than those she left in the old world. Work Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Bantam Books. New York, 1992.

Challenges and Opportunities in the UK Labour Market

Challenges and Opportunities in the UK Labour Market 1: The Business dictionary defines the labour market as: The nominal market in which workers find paying work, employers find willing workers, and wage rates are determined. Labour markets may be local or national (even international) in their scope and are made up of smaller, interacting labour markets for different qualifications, skills, and geographical locations. They depend on exchange of information between employers and job seekers about wage rates, conditions of employment, level of competition, and job location. Although not as heavily regulated as many other countries, the UK labour markets are regulated in many different ways, these include protections against oppression and discrimination, enhance efficiency, attribute responsibility, improve health and safety conditions, offers security, cut costs relating to employee/employer opportunism, and encouraging behaviour from employees and employers by imposing costs and rewards. Employment regulations exist to provide flexibility to employers and job and financial security to employees. It is vital in reducing poverty, supporting growth and employment with equity. Some argue the UK is not regulated enough e.g. TUC has called for greater protection in some areas of employment and argued for measures to further support collective bargaining. Whereas, Employers have complained that increased regulation restricts flexibility, particularly in times of economic burden. For regulations to be effective they must be implemented well and enforced. Social partner institutions such as, the Arbitration and Conciliation Advisory Service (Acas), the Low Pay Commission (LPC), the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), and the UK Commission for Skills and Employment (UKCES) regulate and influence the labour market via intervention and enforcement, to improve practices within the workplace. Regulation can also exist in the form of accreditation, e.g. a licence is required to perform a particular service. The number of professionals within the UK continues to expand. In 2014 roughly 24% of workers were classified professionals. Regulation has brought an end to the closed shop, restricted the ability to strike, and trade union governance. Although employers complain about regulation, it is recognised that it provides them with a level playing field in the market place. The UK economy is recovering, all be it slower than before. Recovery has not been helped by financial problems within the Eurozone, impacting on export markets. However, employment has now surpassed pre-recession peaks in terms of jobs (2012) and hours worked (2013). More recently there has been an increase in the number of jobs at both the top and the bottom of the job market, with significant fall in skilled trades in the middle resulting in an hourglass labour market. Although long term unemployment has increased, the UK has been relatively successful at keeping people in employment; employment rate, generally increasing each year since 2012, climbing to 73.7% (ONS 2015). Unemployment rates have fallen, however those with low skill levels and the young being more harshly hit. Youth unemployment has fallen sharply, and stands at around 22%. (UKES 2014). Although it should be remembered that substantially more young individuals are staying on in education, and enter the labour market much later than in the past, as graduates. The number of self employed has continued to grow, equating to 83% of net gains in employment since 2007 (Ashworth et al 2014). However, earnings with this sector have also dropped considerably. In addition to the growing self employed, the UK has also seen a substantial increase in other less secure employment. Since 2010 there has been a 50% increase in temporary work, zero our contracts, and government training schemes (OECD 2013). Employment within administrative and secretarial roles, and low skilled manual roles, continue to decline in many industries as technology advances. The world is becoming smaller, and many tasks/roles becoming automated. Many employees will find it necessary to retrain to keep up with technology advances and the changes it inevitably brings. Technology enables change, cost savings, and investment. Employees can now work from anywhere in the country/world quickly and efficiently, with the Financial Services, Specialist Engineering, and I.T. being amongst the industries leading growth and all greatly dependant on technology. There has been an increase of higher skilled workers commanding higher pay, within some industries; these include advanced manufacturing, creative and digital sectors (HM Treasury, 2011). Evidence shows those with higher skills and qualifications are more likely to remain employed; high-lighting the importance of high skills on job market outcomes. Research shows a drop in real wages of roughly 2% each year since 2010. (UKES 2014). By the end of 2013, real wages were roughly at levels of a decade previous. Removal of the default retirement age and changes to pension schemes, has seen individuals working longer, putting pressures on employers to ensure their policies and practices relate to older employees, and older employees needing to constantly retrain to meet the demands of different roles across their working life. There has been a drop of 19,000 people on Government supported training programmes. Public sector employment has also fallen, with numbers at lowest levels since comparable records began in 1999. However there has been a significant increase within private sector. Although it still exists there has been a reduction in the gender pay gap. IFS research shows an average difference in womens pay compared to means is 18%. This increases again after women have children. Freedom of movement within an ever growing EU, in addition to an increase in migration from outside the EU, has brought a large number of migrants into the UK looking for work; the number of non-UK nationals employed in the UK grew from 986,000 to 3.22 million 2015) between September 1997 and 2015. Many of which are employed in low-skilled work. Women, people from minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and those aged under 25 and over 55 years are all more likely to be either unemployed or economically inactive (Brewer et al., 2012). More women in the workplace, with more part time roles, and family friendly policies available. 1971 37% climbing to 69% by September 2015. The number of employed has increased to just over 4.1 million between 1992 and 2013; those over-50 increasing by 3.2 million, under-25s falling by almost 800,000. By 2013 the number of over 50s increased to 29% from 21% in 1992. 16 to 64 year-olds with a degree or higher-level qualification increased to +20% in the last 20 years. 2014, approximately 24% of employees were classified as professionals in the UK. Goods and services traded globally, are now five times the value in 1980. 2: Employment relationships are both an economic exchange (agreement to give wages for work) and a power relation (employee agrees to accept the employers authority). The psychological contract (Rousseau 1995), relies upon reciprocal expectations between the employer and employee being met. If violated employees may become de-motivated, and inefficient. Organisations have a huge variety of methods available to them, which involve the employee in the decision making process, making them feel valued and motivated which in turn, supports both the traditional and the psychological contract, enabling a positive working relationship, innovation, and high performing teams, these include: Participation empowers and motivates the employee by involving them in decision making. Teams are also trusted to make decisions for themselves, and encouraged to take responsibility for the quality of their own work. Examples include project groups, whereby employees are delegated resposnisbility to make important decisions, suggestion schemes providing employees with a channel to make comments and put forward new ideas, delegation of responsibility to employees at all levels, particulalry those on the front line and multi directional decision making allowing decisions to feed not only top down, but upwards and sideways too. Employee participation is also sometimes referred to as Employee Involvement. Employee Involvement is the level of employee contribution. A one-on-one approach between employee and management. Employee is involved throughout the decision-making process, therefore encouraging employee ownership. Information is the methods used by organisations to communicate information to their employees e.g. newsletters, information pinned to notice boards, informal networking, emails, and a combination of cascaded briefings, face-to-face communication from senior management and employee representatives. Consultation is the process used by organisations toconsult both directly with their employees, via face-to-face upwards communication, or staff surveys for example, and indirectly via employee representatives. e.g. Joint consultation review issues deemed to be of common interest/ importance to all parties, at unionised/non-union workplaces, predominantly private sector Collective representation Predominantly in public sector and some large private sector businesses. Involves negotiation between employee representatives (unionised/non union) and senior management on pay and other conditions of employment. Partnership schemes employee representatives and employers stress mutual gains. Tackle issues via co-operation. There is a high commitment to sharing information. Employee forums groups of mixed groups unionised/non-union employees meet with managers to share information and consultation. Employees can have a significant influence on the outcome. Partnership working is where employers and employees and/or their representatives work collaboratively to make decisions and plan actions. Partnership can take shape in a formal agreement between an employer and a trade union, but it is also used to refer to a way of working in co-operation (Reilly, 2001). Employee relations today, includes both collective and individual relationships, with alternative direct and indirect channels for employee voice emerging, including communication and involvement via team briefings, staff surveys, project working groups, social media, joint consultation, collective bargaining etc. Although union membership within the UK has fallen since 1980s, and employment relations without the involvement of unions is the norm within some industries, collective bargaining still has a considerable influence on European labour regulations. Typically where an organisation is unionised a significant number of employees will be members. Unions will bargain on behalf of the employee, and/or intervene with disputes between employees and management. As they represent large number of employees they are much harder for management to ignore. They can also protect the employee from victimisation. Another major benefit of belonging to a unionised organisation is that management can be legally bound to take procedures more seriously. In addition, unions have the power to threaten industrial action. Trade unions are still a strong force, primarily in the public sector, and large private sector companies. The majority of working population however, do not have access to union representation. Some parts of the public sector do not recognise trade unions; impacting on collective bargaining, representation in grievance, disciplinary matters etc, within large parts of the private sector. Smaller firms use more informal relations for consultation, using intermediaries offering advice primarily on the internet and in publications. However, many small firms operate without procedures and as such can lead to inconsistencies in employment relations. Non-union consultative committees are becoming common place in private sector, filling part of the gap generated by the decline in collective bargaining; the consultation process giving access to management enabling dialogue. In redundancy situations where no trade unions is recognised, non-union employee representatives must be advised and consulted of redundancies of +20 employees is proposed within a 30 day period. Bryson found that direct voice makes a particular difference in union settings suggesting that more channels makes for an employee voice with more impact. Elgar defines employee voice as the ways and means through which employees attempt to have a say and potentially influence organisational affairs about issues that affect their work and the interests of managers and owners. With a mixture of direct and indirect consultation and communication methods leading to higher levels of commitment, job satisfaction and job discretion. Initially employee voice was firmly equated with trade unions and collective bargaining, but more recently is viewed as a broad range of methods enabling employees to have a say about their organisation; it can be via both formal and informal systems, direct individual channels or indirect collective representation (CIPD 2010). Mechanisms can include one-to-one conversation between employee and employer, email communication, work/project groups, social events, suggestion schemes, profit-sharing, employee consultative committees and trade union representation. Research generally supports the notion that employee voice is beneficial to the working relationship of both the individual and the organisation; where employees are allowed to express their views and opinions, put forward suggestions for improvements, they feel recognised and valued. Data shows employee,employer relationships improve as trust increases and employee engagement and in turn performance increases. (Morrison et al. 2011). Farndale et al. (2011), argues that employee voice enables employees to communicate their views, and creates the belief that their contributions are valued, creating a level of respect and trust for their managers. Employee voice allows employees to feel recognised, listened to and valued, conversely, if no mechanisms for employee voice exist, or employees believe their views will have little or no influence it is likely to affect their attitudes and relationship with management (Farndale et al 2011). Truss et al. (2006) argues that one of the major drivers of employee engagement is employees being able to feed their opinions upwards. Research therefore suggests that there is likely to be a link between employee perceptions of voice and engagement, and increased engagement is proven to increase performance. 3: Organisational misbehaviour is defined as any intentional action made by members of an organisation that defies and violates shared organisational norms and expectations, and/or core societal values, mores and standards of proper conduct. (Yoav Vardi and Yoash Wiener 1996). Misbehaviour can be both minor e.g. poor timekeeping, and major e.g. stealing company resources. It can be internal and external, with the main aim being to hurt/damage others or the organisation, e.g. mistreatment, disruption and theft. Misbehaviour usually occurs where an employee: feels that they have been unfairly treated, unclear of job role bullying and harassment in workplace lack of training lack of equality and choose to repay this perceived unfairness by mibehaving. Misbehaviour inevitably leads to more management controls. Conflict in the workplace can take many forms including: an employee becoming withdrawn from the organisation, two workers who are not getting on, employee representatives and management at stand-off, an employee with a grievance, rivalry between teams, or a lack of trust and co-operation between employees and management. Where conflict exists, an organisation may experience a drop in motivation and in turn a drop in productivity, increased absenteeism, and increased negativity on staff surveys, and a general change in behaviour. By listening to employee views can help identify conflict, and take action to prevent the conflict becoming a problem. If conflict is not managed it can lead to strike action or even tribunal claims; Intervention at an early stage by management is crucial. When negotiation cannot resolve a workplace dispute industrial action typically follows. The three main forms of industrial action are: strike action short of a strike work to rule, overtime ban, or go slow lock-out the employer stops employees from working Official industrial action is authorised by the trade union. Employees have a minimum level of protection. Employees have additional protection where the union has appropriately balloted its members. Unofficial industrial action is action which has not been endorsed by any trade union. There is usually no right to argue unfair dismissal, if dismissed whilst taking part in unofficial action. Some conflicts are extremely visible. e.g., a heated exchange between two employees, or a stand off between management and an employee representative, and may result in misbehaviour. Organisational misbehaviour is defined as any intentional action made by members of an organisation that defies and violates shared organisational norms and expectations, and/or core societal values, mores and standards of proper conduct. (Vardi and Wiener 1996). e.g unauthorised absence, pilfering or sabotage. Conflict that is ignored will frequently escalate Recent industrial action trends are: Increase in private sector strikes however public sector lost significantly more days due to large scale strikes A decline in collective conflict increase in individual conflict, including strike, grievance or disciplinary measures Significant drop in strikes since 1980s mainly due to reduced trade union density and collective bargaining, and partnership working with employers. (WERS) average days lost fell to 0.5 million by 21st century 1999 employment tribunal cases soared +100,000, peaking again in 2006/7 with 132,500 applications Pay is the principal cause of labour disputes with the exception of 2009/2010, principal cause was redundancy The number of ballots up to 650, from 484 in 2013. Increase in multiple claims. Majority relating to equal pay claims against local authorities due to 1997 national agreement to seek single status of pay across employees. It is vital that managers are trained to enable them to deal with conflict. To help managers handle conflict they should: be trained to recognise signs of conflict, handle difficult conversations, manage absence, mediation and negotiation skills speak to their employees and letting them speak freely investigate conflict situations, and give sufficient time to finding resolution encourage open communication and expression of views in meetings and appraisals for example recognise the importance of feelings listen to what their employees are saying identify development and training opportunities explain and include employees in planning treat all employees fairly ensure safe working conditions have clear procedures particularly discipline, grievance, dispute procedures, absence and bullying and harrassment to ensure consistency write mediation into contracts of employment and/or grievance and disciplinary procedures identify when outside help is needed Third party involvement Where a dispute cannot be resolved using negotiation, unions and management may agree to approach Acas to resolve the dispute using conciliation, via independent support and advice. 70% cases who used ACAS, were settled or withdrawn before proceeding to an Employment Tribunal. Conciliation is used when a potential or an actual claim has been made to an employment tribunal. An impartial, independent person supporting two or more people in dispute to resolve their differences. Parties are not required to come face to face, as can be conducted over the phone. Pre-Claim Conciliation(PCC) saves time, money and stress. It promotes a quick solution for the employer and employee which may help to avoid a permanent breakdown in the relationship. Mediation is the most widespread form of conflict resolution. It is a form of early intervention and involves an impartial, independent person, or trained employee supporting two individuals/groups reach resolution, and maintain working relationships. Mediation does not make any judgments or determine the outcomes. They use appropriate tried and tested techniques to get people talking and listening and help determine the underlying causes of the problem. The mediator will try to get the parties to compromise and protect their working relationship for the future. The plus side of this method is, it can improve communication between parties, get them talking again when relationship had broken down, it is without prejudice and is flexible so resolution can be tailored to fit. However, the downside of this method includes, success is determined by how competent the mediator, it may not protect legal rights, and is relient on employee full co-operation and good faith, if pertinent parties are missing the process is weakened. Arbitration is a dispute which is settled by an independent person who considers everyones point of view and then issues a decision which is binding. An employee who believes they have been unfairly dismissed, has a complaint under the flexible working regulations, may have their complaint heard by an independent arbitrator who is appointed by Acas, if both sides agree. The plus side of this process is, it is completely confidential, it is formal and therefore minimises bad faith, it is quicker than the courts as there is less backlog, and the process is much shorter and therefore much less expensive. On the downside, success is dependent upon the arbitrator, right of appeal is limited, and confidentiality is not suitable in all disputes. Government has hi-lighted the importance of mediation in the workplace and extended the use of conciliation in-order to encourage the resolution of workplace disputes. 2012/13, over half of the cases (22,630) referred to PCC were resolved with less than a third progressing to tribunal (Acas, 2013). References ACAS. (2008). Conflict_at_work. Available: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/f/j/Acas_Research_Conflict_at_work_03_08-accessible-version-July-2011.pdf. Last accessed 25.09.16. ACAS. (2014). Managing Conflict and Resolving Individual Employment Disputes in the Contemporary Workplace. Available: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/6/9/reframing_policy_paper_FINAL.pdf. Last accessed 25.09.16. ACAS. (2016). Disputes and conflict in the workplace. Available: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1662. Last accessed 25.09.16. ACAS. (2014). Workplace Dispute Resolution and the Management of Individual Conflict . Available: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/q/a/0614-Workplace-Dispute-Resolution-Thematic-Review.pdf. Last accessed 25.09.16. Alessandra Sgubini, Mara Prieditis Andrea Marighetto. (2004). Arbitration, Mediation and Conciliation: differences and similarities from an International and Italian business perspective. Available: http://www.mediate.com/articles/sgubinia2.cfm. Last accessed 25.09.16. Anne Sharpe. (2014). Early Conciliation. Available: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4018. Last accessed 25.09.16. CIPD. (2012). Managing employee relations in difficult times. Available: https://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/managing-employee-relations-in-difficult-times_2012.pdf. Last accessed 25.09.16. CIPD. (2015). Employment Regulations and the market. Available: https://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/employment-regulation-and-themarket_2015.pdf. Last accessed 25.09.16. CIPD. (2010). Voice and engagement: how does collective consultation contribute? . Available: http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/5149_Voice_and_engagement.pdf. Last accessed 25.09.16. Craig Holmes and Ken Mayhew. (2012). The Changing Shape of the UK Job Market. Available: http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/The-Changing-Shape-of-the-UK-Job-Market.pdf. Last accessed 25.09.16. DifferenceBetween.com. (2014). difference-between-employee-involvement-and-vs-employee-participation. Available: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-employee-involvement-and-vs-employee-participation/. Last accessed 25.09.16. Rees, C., Alfes, K . and Gatenby, M. . (2013). Employee voice and engagement: connections and consequences. Available: https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/files/23168236/postprint_IJHRM_2013.pdf. Last accessed 25.09.16. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/labor-market.html https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/employment-regulation-and-the-labour-market_2015_tcm18-10238.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/343448/The_Labour_Market_Story-_An_Overview.pdf http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/2014/08/The-Changing-Shape-of-the-UK-Job-Market.pdf www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/social-trends/social-trends-41labour-market.pdf https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/23/gender-pay-gap-average-18-per-cent-less-uk-women http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/427.pdf http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/427.pdf https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/files/23168236/postprint_IJHRM_2013.pdf http://www2.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/333391D9-A8E3-4AC7-A4E1-50B8ECE66E38/0/9781843982685_sc.pdf Bibliography CIPD. (2014). managing-an-age-diverse-workforce. Available: https://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/managing-an-age-diverse-workforce_2014.PDF. Last accessed 25.09.16. CIPD. (2016). employment-law-developments. Available: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/employment-law-developments.aspx. Last accessed 25.09.16. Hempsons. (2016). official-or-unofficial?. Available: http://www.hempsons.co.uk/official-or-unofficial/. Last accessed 25.09.16. Office for National Statistics. (2016). Employment and Labour Market. Available: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandmarket. Last accessed 25.09.16. UK Essays. (2015). https://www.ukessays.com/essays/commerce/union-and-non-union-forms-of-employee-representation-commerce. Available: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/commerce/union-and-non-union-forms-of-employee-representation-commerce-essay.php. Last accessed 25.09.16. https://www.oecd.org/dac/povertyreduction/43280231.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a08a9eed915d3cfd00085c/RAND_WR957.pdf

Kubla Khan and Ode on Grecian Urn Essay -- Comparative, Coleridge, Kea

Although both â€Å"Kubla Khan,† by Samuel Coleridge and â€Å"Ode on Grecian Urn,† by John Keats are poems originating from the poets’ inspiration from historical figure, the two poems convey different messages through their respective metaphors. While Coleridge emphasizes on the process of creating a Romantic poem, Keats expresses his opinion about art by carefully examining the details of the Grecian urn. In â€Å"Kubla Khan,† Coleridge expresses his desire to use the inspirations from nature to create his own â€Å"Paradise† of poetry (54, p.1634). In the first stanza, Coleridge creates an exotic oriental garden, where the trees, gardens, hills, and the â€Å"Alph† river, together present the beauty of Mother Nature (3, p.1633). Here, the poet carefully observes his surroundings, as the nature will serve as the source of inspiration for his poetry. The â€Å"pleasure dome† (2, p.1633) in line two has two functions, one representing the creation of human beings on earth, and the other being the foundation of Coleridge’s poetic paradise. As the clash between nature and humans takes place in the second stanza with a â€Å"woman wailing for her demon-lover† (16, p.1633) the poet calls upon nature for his inspiration, represented by the powerful activity of nature. The energy of nature is released in forms of â€Å"a might fountain† (19, p .1633), â€Å"rebounding hail† (21, p.1633), or â€Å"dancing rocks† (23, p.1633) and eventually the natural disasters will accompanied by man-made destruction as â€Å"Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war† (29-30, p.1634)! Coleridge on one hand reinforces that man and nature are inseparable and one the other uses the energy of nature to represent the spontaneous spurring of emotions in the poet’s mind. In the third stanza, all o... ...storal† (45, p.1848). The urn’s eternity only exists artistically and does not reflect human life because only the urn â€Å"shou remain† forever (47, p.1848). Keats contrasts the ephemeral nature of human life with the longevity of the urn. In last two lines, Keats declares, â€Å"beauty is truth, truth beauty† (29, p.1848) embodying both sides of his perspective. By establishing a relationship between beauty and truth, Keats acknowledges that like truth, the beauty of the Grecian urn is unchangeable and that the ability accept reality is beautiful. While Coleridge describes the process of creating Romantic poetry and encourages poets to use the combination of nature and imagination in this process, Keats is more focused on reality and is well aware of the limitations of the Grecian urn. With the poets’ admiration of nature present in both poems †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ to be completed.

The Affect of National Culture on Human Resources Essay -- Human Resour

INTRODUCTION In today’s business environment, the complexity of international business has increased and international competition has been highlighted as an essential element for multinational firms (MNCs). Thus, in order to gain competitive advantage, various resources are utilized, such as financial capital, technology location or human resource (HR). Moreover, HR could be seemed as one of the most important resource which has also become a focus of attention of senior managers in MNCs. As suggested by MacMillan(1984), MNCs can gain competitive advantage through use of HR practice, such as training, compensation, socialization, selection, performance appraisal and career development, as long as other firms are unable to duplicate their efforts easily and quickly. However, while HR practices and policies are performing across countries, culture would be a key point. Culture can be defined not only at the national, but also at the group, organizational, and even international level. All t hese cultures have certain effects on the choice and efficiency of HR policies and practices. Between national and other types of culture, therefore, need to be divided clearly because national culture makes a unique contribution to understanding HR policies and practices. Therefore, there is no doubt that national culture is a key factor on HR practices or polices, as a functional activity in international business. In this paper, the role and effects of national culture in HR will be discussed firstly. And then the potential problems that MCNs may have if they do not consider national culture as a key factor in HRM success. In the final stage, the solution of those problems will be presented in this paper. THE ROLE OF NATIONAL CULTURE IN HU... ...aeger, A. M. (1986) ‘Organization development and national culture: Where's the fit? , ‘ in Academy of Management Review, Vol. 11, Iss. 1, pp. 178-190. Hill, C.W.L. (2005) International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace (5th ed.), New York: Mc Graw-Hill/Irwin Hofstede, G. (1993) ‘Cultural constrains in management theories,’ in Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 7, Iss. 1, pp. 81-93. MacMillan, I. C. (1984) ‘Gaining competitive advantage through human resource management practice,’ in Human Resource Management, Vol. 23, Iss. 1, pp. 241-255. Punnett, B. J. & Ricks, D. A. (1992) International business, Boston: PWSKent. Schuler, R. S. & Jackson S. E. (1994) ‘Convergence or divergence: Human resource practices and policies for competitive advantage worldwide,’ in International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 5, Iss. 2, pp. 267-99. The Affect of National Culture on Human Resources Essay -- Human Resour INTRODUCTION In today’s business environment, the complexity of international business has increased and international competition has been highlighted as an essential element for multinational firms (MNCs). Thus, in order to gain competitive advantage, various resources are utilized, such as financial capital, technology location or human resource (HR). Moreover, HR could be seemed as one of the most important resource which has also become a focus of attention of senior managers in MNCs. As suggested by MacMillan(1984), MNCs can gain competitive advantage through use of HR practice, such as training, compensation, socialization, selection, performance appraisal and career development, as long as other firms are unable to duplicate their efforts easily and quickly. However, while HR practices and policies are performing across countries, culture would be a key point. Culture can be defined not only at the national, but also at the group, organizational, and even international level. All t hese cultures have certain effects on the choice and efficiency of HR policies and practices. Between national and other types of culture, therefore, need to be divided clearly because national culture makes a unique contribution to understanding HR policies and practices. Therefore, there is no doubt that national culture is a key factor on HR practices or polices, as a functional activity in international business. In this paper, the role and effects of national culture in HR will be discussed firstly. And then the potential problems that MCNs may have if they do not consider national culture as a key factor in HRM success. In the final stage, the solution of those problems will be presented in this paper. THE ROLE OF NATIONAL CULTURE IN HU... ...aeger, A. M. (1986) ‘Organization development and national culture: Where's the fit? , ‘ in Academy of Management Review, Vol. 11, Iss. 1, pp. 178-190. Hill, C.W.L. (2005) International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace (5th ed.), New York: Mc Graw-Hill/Irwin Hofstede, G. (1993) ‘Cultural constrains in management theories,’ in Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 7, Iss. 1, pp. 81-93. MacMillan, I. C. (1984) ‘Gaining competitive advantage through human resource management practice,’ in Human Resource Management, Vol. 23, Iss. 1, pp. 241-255. Punnett, B. J. & Ricks, D. A. (1992) International business, Boston: PWSKent. Schuler, R. S. & Jackson S. E. (1994) ‘Convergence or divergence: Human resource practices and policies for competitive advantage worldwide,’ in International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 5, Iss. 2, pp. 267-99. The Affect of National Culture on Human Resources Essay -- Human Resour INTRODUCTION In today’s business environment, the complexity of international business has increased and international competition has been highlighted as an essential element for multinational firms (MNCs). Thus, in order to gain competitive advantage, various resources are utilized, such as financial capital, technology location or human resource (HR). Moreover, HR could be seemed as one of the most important resource which has also become a focus of attention of senior managers in MNCs. As suggested by MacMillan(1984), MNCs can gain competitive advantage through use of HR practice, such as training, compensation, socialization, selection, performance appraisal and career development, as long as other firms are unable to duplicate their efforts easily and quickly. However, while HR practices and policies are performing across countries, culture would be a key point. Culture can be defined not only at the national, but also at the group, organizational, and even international level. All t hese cultures have certain effects on the choice and efficiency of HR policies and practices. Between national and other types of culture, therefore, need to be divided clearly because national culture makes a unique contribution to understanding HR policies and practices. Therefore, there is no doubt that national culture is a key factor on HR practices or polices, as a functional activity in international business. In this paper, the role and effects of national culture in HR will be discussed firstly. And then the potential problems that MCNs may have if they do not consider national culture as a key factor in HRM success. In the final stage, the solution of those problems will be presented in this paper. THE ROLE OF NATIONAL CULTURE IN HU... ...aeger, A. M. (1986) ‘Organization development and national culture: Where's the fit? , ‘ in Academy of Management Review, Vol. 11, Iss. 1, pp. 178-190. Hill, C.W.L. (2005) International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace (5th ed.), New York: Mc Graw-Hill/Irwin Hofstede, G. (1993) ‘Cultural constrains in management theories,’ in Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 7, Iss. 1, pp. 81-93. MacMillan, I. C. (1984) ‘Gaining competitive advantage through human resource management practice,’ in Human Resource Management, Vol. 23, Iss. 1, pp. 241-255. Punnett, B. J. & Ricks, D. A. (1992) International business, Boston: PWSKent. Schuler, R. S. & Jackson S. E. (1994) ‘Convergence or divergence: Human resource practices and policies for competitive advantage worldwide,’ in International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 5, Iss. 2, pp. 267-99.

It’s Time to Crack Down on Police Brutality Essay -- Argumentative Per

It’s Time to Crack Down on Police Brutality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Police brutality has become a widespread and persistent problem in the United States.   Police brutality occurs when a law enforcement officers use excessive or unlawful force while on or off duty.   "Established: A Pattern of Abuse" is an article in The Humanist, written by Barbara Dority.   She states, "Thousands of individual complaints are reported each year and local authorities pay out millions of dollars to vicitms in damages and lawsuits" (5).   Dority also describes some of the types of abuse that officers have done.   "[They] have beaten and shot unresisting suspects; they have misused batons, chemicals sprays, and electro-shock weapons; [and] they have injured or killed people by placing them in dangerous restraint holds" (5).   There have been many cases throughout the country where police officers have been far too brutal and someone has been injured or killed.   There have been many hundreds of cases like this and many peop le are wondering when it will end or even if it will end.   Most citizens of the United States agree that it is wrong and needs to be reduced if not eliminated.   So it all comes down to one question: what can be done about it?   Unfortunately, prosecution has not been sufficiently effective in stopping the brutality.   Police forces throughout the U.S. should be made more accountable for their actions. The greatest problem that has developed from police brutality is that the guilty officers are not punished, which leads to another incident of abuse.   Authorities should give more effective punishment to officers who abuse citizens.   Such punishment would help prevent abuse from happening again and again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In an anonymous Economist article c... ...gainst New York cops since 1993, only 180 officers have been disciplined, most of them with just a lecture or the loss of a vacation day" (26).   Officers need to be treated like citizens when it comes to that type of crime.   They should be sent to jail and just saying sorry should not let them off the hook.   They may be law officers, but they are not gods and they should have to face the consequences of their actions as all good citizens must.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sources Cited    Dority, Barbara.   "Established: A Pattern of Abuse."   The Humanist. 59.1 (Jan. 1999):5. Lacayo, Richard.   "Good Cop, Bad Cop."   Time.   150.9 (1 Sept. 1997):26-31. Lewis, Edward.   " Policing the Police."   Essence.   28.7 (Nov. 1997):14. Anonymous.   "Excessive Force."   The Economist 348.8076 (11 July 1998): 32.