The Role Ofreligion And Morality In Cats Cradle Essays -

The Role Ofreligion And Morality In Cat's Cradle As an author, Kurt Vonnegut has received just about every kind of praise an author can receive: his works held the same sway over American philosophy as did those of Jack Kerouac or J.R.R. Tolkein; his writing has received acclaim from academics and the masses alike; and three of his books have been made into feature films. Society has permanently and noticeably been altered by his writing. Through accessible language and easily-understood themes, Vonnegut has created works subtle, engrossing, and familiar. His main method for doing this is by exploiting a theme with which everyone is familiar and about which everyone has his own opinion: religion. Not many people are more qualified to explore this theme than Vonnegut. He was born in 1922 on Armistice Day (November 11), a holiday celebrating peace, in Indianapolis. His family was moderately wealthy until the onset of the Great Depression, when they lost everything. In 1944, Vonnegut's mother committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Soon afterwards, he joined the army and fought in the Second World War. Vonnegut was captured as a POW and kept prisoner in Dresden. Soon after his capture, Dresden, an entirely civilian town, was bombed heavily. Vonnegut survived the bombing, came home, and became a writer. His first book, Player Piano, received very little notice at the time it was written, 1952. When he published Sirens of Titan in 1959, it also was largely ignored. In 1969, Vonnegut published Slaughterhouse Five, which was an immediate commercial and academic success. Slaughterhouse Five's success brought attention to his other works, and though Vonnegut was not as popu lar after the ?60's, he continued to publish successful books (http://www.duke.edu/~crh4/vonnegut/). Vonnegut's works have been classified as ?science fiction?, but that hardly does them justice. His works are significantly influenced by that genre, but contain strikingly relevant commentaries about contemporary American society which set him apart from other science-fiction writers. His use of science fiction draws a humorous contrast between the all-important significance of the nature of the universe and of reality, and the insignificance of human life and society. All of his works emphasize the enormous forces acting on his characters, not the least of which is fate. As his writing progressed and matured, this stylistic nuance became more and more evident. In his book Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut describes his own style by means of Tralfamadorians, an alien race for whom time is nonexistent, and whose literature reflects this: Each clump of symbols is a brief, urgent message describing a situation, a scene. We Tralfamadorians read them all at once, not one after the oth- er. There isn't any particular relationship between all the messages ex- cept that the author has chosen them carefully, so that, when seen all at once, they produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep. There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time (88). Indeed, Vonnegut has dismissed temporal continuity in his writing, and has thus eliminated suspense. Characters are often aware of their own inevitable destiny, as in The Sirens of Titan, and are helpless to stop it from coming to pass. Vonnegut makes it clear that modern society is much like this - people can see where they're headed, but are too powerless or apathetic to prevent it. In his book Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut mocks people's mindless, apathetic acceptance of their fates by portraying a situation in which unimaginably powerful forces toss around people desperate to escape them. He presents ?civilization's attempt to commit suicide (Hocus Pocus, 72)?, the atomic bomb dropped at Hiroshima, and ends the book with all of the water on earth freezing as the result of a substance called ?ice-nine?, and thus civilization successfully committing suicide. Ironically, the man who created the atomic bomb also created ice-nine, a man not diabolically evil, but merely absent-minded. In this, Vonnegut portrays not only the amazing influence the forces of the universe have on us, but also the influence a select few of us have on the forces of the universe. In Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut describes an amazingly

The Third Estate During the French Revolution

The Third Estate During the French Revolution In early modern Europe, the Estates were a theoretical division of a countrys population, and the Third Estate referred to the mass of normal, everyday people. They played a vital role in the early days of the French Revolution, which also ended the common use of the division. The Three Estates Sometimes, in late medieval and early France, a gathering termed  an Estates General was called. This was a representative body designed to rubber-stamp the decisions of the king. It was not a parliament as the English would understand it, and it often didnt do what the monarch was hoping for, and by the late eighteenth century had fallen out of royal favor. This Estates General divided the representatives who came to it into three, and this division was often applied to French society as a whole. The First Estate was comprised of the clergy, the Second Estate the nobility, and the Third Estate everyone else. Makeup of the Estates The Third Estate was thus a vastly larger proportion of the population than the other two estates, but in the Estates General, they only had one vote, the same as the other two estates had each. Equally, the representatives who went to the Estates General werent drawn evenly across all of society: they tended to be the well to do clergy and nobles, such as the middle class. When the Estates General was called in the late 1980s, many of the Third Estates representatives were lawyers and other professionals, rather than anyone in what would be considered in socialist theory lower class. The Third Estate Makes History The Third Estate would become a very important early part of the French Revolution. In the aftermath of Frances decisive aid to the colonists in the American War of Independence, the French crown found itself in a terrible financial position. Experts on finance  came and went, but nothing was resolving the issue, and the French king accepted appeals for an Estates General to be called and for this to rubber-stamp financial reform. However, from a royal point of view, it went terribly wrong. The Estates was called, the votes were had, and representatives arrived to form the Estates General. But the dramatic inequality in voting- the Third Estate represented more people, but only had the same voting power as the clergy or the nobility- led to the Third Estate demanding more voting power, and as things developed, more rights. The king mishandled events, and so did his advisors, while members of both the clergy and the nobility went over (physically) to the Third Estate to support their demands. In 1789, this led to the creation of a new National Assembly that better represented those not part of the clergy or nobility. In turn, they also effectively started the French Revolution, which would sweep away not just the king and the old laws but the whole Estates system in favor of citizenship. The Third Estate had therefore  left a major mark on history when it effectively gained the power to dissolve itself.

Italian Neo Realism and the Movie Rome Open City Review

Italian Neo Realism and the Rome Open City - Movie Review Example 45-87). This paper discusses Italian neo realism and its portrayal in the movie Rome Open City in a concise and comprehensive way using the sources mentioned in the list of Works Cited. Adair (pp. 45-87) discusses that the liberalization of the economy and the relaxation of political controls coincided with the Italian entry into the Second World War in June 1940 on the side of Germany. The situation in Italy, by 1940, was one of ideological and political uncertainties, and in part, for these reasons, of artistic possibilities. Armstrong (pp. 78-99) discusses that De Sica's I bambini ci guardano/The Children Are Watching Us (1942) and Visconti's Ossessione/Obsession (1943), variously regarded as the 'first' neo-realist films, and perhaps, the 'first' anti-fascist ones, were produced by private companies with State subsidies and State approval. And, Rossellini's 'Fascist' war trilogy, made as war propaganda between 1941-1943, was described by him as 'neo-realist', as much neo-realist as his antifascist Roma citta aperta/Rome Open City (1945). If the issue was ideology or economy, the Fascist Party or the interests of industry, it was the latter not the former that prevailed (Armstrong, pp. 78-99). By 1943, Fascism was no longer supported by Italian capitalism. On the contrary, it was pushed aside. Fascism had become a danger. It was no longer a protection against social disorder, but the cause of disorder, no longer an instrument for economic development, but a hindrance to development. The class that had helped brings Fascism into being, now acted to eliminate it. Mussolini was overthrown by a coup within the Fascist leadership encouraged by conditions created by the Allied military advance, and not by the 'people' (Armstrong, pp. 78-99). He was replaced by an officer in the Fascist High Command, Marshal Badoglio. The dates of Italian neo-realist cinema roughly correspond to the fall of Fascism in 1943 up until the consolidation of the first postwar Italian government under the Christian Democrats (Dc) around 1951 [the Dc came to power in 1948]. But the features of Italian neo-realism are not at all clear (Armstrong, pp. 78-99). Neo-realism was a tendency more than it was a definite aesthetic. Some films were more neo-realist than others. None were ever purely neo-realist. Neo-realism was an ideal toward which certain films approached in varying degrees of closeness. What is most important is to indicate the conditions that made neorealist cinema possible, then impossible, rather than to attempt to define it. The dominant cinema in Italy in the 1930s--the cinema associated with Fascism--was a commercial genre cinema. Most films screened in Italy came from America, nearly 80 per cent; most Italian films were modeled on American ones. It was logical that Italian films took American ones as their model. The Italian industry, with help from the Fascist State, sought to reconstruct itself and prosper (Munsterberg, pp. 673-76).

Claires Antiques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Claires Antiques - Essay Example It should be noted that as the company currently has a level limited of resources, only one of these alternatives will be chosen. To aid in the decision making, this presentation will utilize a Net Present Value (NPV) analysis to the projected cash flows of both projects. Considering that cost of capital may vary from Claire's antiques expectations, we will also employ sensitivity analysis to look at the value of the two alternatives' NPVs in different cost of capital. We will further assume that the risk-based cost of capital is 10% and that the project has a tax rate is 40%. Also, the company will be using straight line depreciation method to adjust the book value of the facility. Another assumption is that, the company will be using either North or West Warehouse for five years, after which the facility will be sold in cash in its book value or salvage value. Also, this presentation assumes the depreciation expense is not yet included in the presumed annual fixed costs. NPV is used in capital budgeting to analyze the profitability of an investment or project. NPV is the difference between the present value of cash inflows and the present value of cash outflows (Net Present Value 2006). If the NPV is positive, the investment is accepted. In contrast, negative NPV means that an project is not profitable. The evaluation of the alternatives begins with the laying out of the expected cash flows. In an NPV analysis, cash outflows and inflows are further discounted to take into account the time value of money. After that, the NPVs of the two options are compared. Based on the data given by the private firm, North Warehouse will have the following cash flows for 5 years: 1. advertising expense of $140, 000 in year 0 2. sales revenue in year 1 is $650, 000 and will grow at an annual rate of 7% 3. contribution margin is 55% of the total revenue 4. annual fixed cost is $100, 000 5. $1, 500, 000 investment in facility 6. estimated salvage value of $125, 000 7. yearly depreciation of $275, 0001 Table 2 shows the discounted cash flows from the first alternative. Please note that the figures in black are inflows of cash while the figures in red indicate the opposite. Total Cash outflow and outflow for the fiscal year are discounted using the present value factor. Table 2. Cash Flows of Option 1: North Warehouse Option 1 or using the North Warehouse yields a positive NPV of $7, 181.00 utilizing a risk-adjusted cost of capital of 10%. Evaluation of Option 2: West Warehouse Based on the data given by the private firm, North Warehouse will have the following cash flows for 5 years: 1. incur an advertising expense of $150, 000 in year 0 2. sales revenue in year 1 is $900, 000 and will grow at an annual rate of 8% 3. contribution margin is 45% of the total revenue 4. annual fixed cost is $120, 000 5. $1, 700, 000 investment in facility 6. estimated salvage value of $120, 000 7. yearly depreciation of $316, 0002 Table 3 shows the cash flow/inflow of Option 2 which is the West Warehouse. Based on the cash

Assessment and Decision Making in Nursing Essay

Assessment and Decision Making in Nursing - Essay Example It can be stated that decision making is one of the chief elements of the nursing work which is quite significant to comprehend since organisations discover cost effective ways for the purpose of delivering quality healthcare (Boblin-Cummings & Et. Al., 1999). Clinical decision making is also termed as clinical reasoning, clinical inference, clinical judgment as well as diagnostic reasoning. However, the authors Hardy & Smith further suggest being careful regarding their interchangeability when others are making use of the same activity. Clinical decision making can be explained as the procedure through which informed judgment can be made regarding the treatment that is necessary for their patients (Hardy & Smith, 2008). Legal Consideration And Ethical and Moral Conflicts In Respiratory Nursing A respiratory nurse has to deal with the patients suffering from lung diseases. The respiratory nurses are supposed to effectively work with the patients belonging to all the ages in order to promote good health of the lungs. The patients who are suffering from adverse lung conditions need to be placed on ventilators or served with oxygen machines so that they can be assisted with breathing (Rafferty, n.d.). It is to be mentioned that most of the times the ethical responsibilities of the respiratory nurses conflict with the legal considerations in providing such care services. For instance, the role of the respiratory nurses is quite complementary to that of the respiratory physicians. In the recent times, with the widening of the scope of the respiratory nurses, independent clinical decisions in the provision of care and medical management of the respiratory patients is being made by the respiratory nurses. The main responsibility of the respiratory nurses lies in taking clinical de cisions and in performing the requisite technical skills. However, the ultimate responsibility lies with the respiratory physicians (Rafferty, n.d.). For the development of the rules and the regulations regarding the drugs to be prescribed to the patients by the respiratory nurses without the references of the medical doctors, there is not any legal or professional barriers until and unless such rules and regulations meet the legal requirements and is supported by consultant medical staff. In this regard, it can be mentioned that such administration of the drugs for the patients need to have a legal, managerial as well as social support and needs to be accepted practise (Rafferty, n.d.). There are various legal responsibilities that the respiratory nurses are supposed to possess. The respiratory nurses who have obtained registration needs to ensure that their practices and conducts at nursing are according to the standards that has been set and thus meets the legal requirements. It can be stated that the registered respiratory nurses are held responsible for their own action most of the time. They are further responsible for participation in the activities through which the quality could be improved. It is the duty of the registered nurses to evaluate their practices on a continuous basis

Agency Theory Versus Stewardship Theory Accounting Essay

Agency Theory Versus Stewardship Theory Accounting Essay Jensen and Meckling (1976) defined an agency correlation as a contractual set-up under which the business owner or the principal engaged a manager or the agent to execute some service on his behalf and may usually entail some decision making exclusively by the agent. The agency theory revolves on the basic proposition about humans, which deals with principals and agents as self-oriented focusing on exploiting their personal advantage (Corbetta and Salvato, 2004; Chua, Steier and Chrisman, 2006). Shleifer and Vishny (1986) explain the agency context in which the financiers needed the agents specialization to obtain maximum returns from their funds, meanwhile the managers since they do not have enough capital on their own would utilize the finances of its principal. Agency theory described managers as opportunistic (Wasserman, 2006) by seizing its optimum advantage for his appointment and role as the mover in the firm for its own benefit, at the expense of the principal (Shulze, Lubatk in Dino, 2003). Both parties goal is to gain that personal advantage in every way possible with the least outlay and expenditure. These expenditures are defined as agency costs (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). This is the total of cash outflows made by the principal for its organization be it in budget proportions, auditing, or employee honorariums; the expenses incurred by the agent for income generating projects and the marginal loss due to the decline in the expected income of the principal as caused by the resulted deviation of motives between the agents resolution and the main goal of the principal to obtain maximum returns from its investments. Thus, high conflicting of interests between the principals and agents that resulted from information asymmetry is the main statement in an agency theory (Davis, Schoorman and Donaldson, 1997). Asymmetry of information between the two parties is displayed when the manager align his capabilities with the expected outcome, result and rationality of the princip al (not knowing his own abilities) leads to satisfying decision-making on the part of the principal while this is an example of adverse selection for the agent (Karra, Tracey and Phillips, 2006). More often than not, this leads to a number of non-satisfactory overall performances of the manager which will in due time lead to the destruction of the firm and the reputation of the agent (Jensen, 2004). As well as for the principals, their incapability of selecting candidates that acts appropriately in all circumstances are proofs of adverse selection. The outcome always entails an ambiguous job description on both parties. Nevertheless, there are still some factors that the agency theory fails to point out, other than motivational or self-gratitude. These maybe are the intrinsic inability or low ability, poor knowledge on business and misinformation of agents that resulted in their failure to deliver high performance for their principals (Davis, Schoorman and Donaldson, 1997). Moral hazard as described by Chrisman, Chua and Litz (2004) is another agency problem confronted by the corporate governance. Its another kind of opportunism which includes utilizing, seizing and assuming all extra benefits from a delegated authority to rule in behalf of the principal. Since it is difficult for the principal to monitor agents, this authority is undeniably has a chance of being abused or misused by the managers. This problems solution is to adapt a good monitoring system and internal self-governance by the principal which entails agency cost (Eisenhardt, 1989). As discussed by Berle and Means in 1932, a company does not behave based with the conventional model in which the agents must act in the best interest of the owners of the firm. Most likely as a consequence, the principal then would guarantee that the managers would act in their best interest. The idea of formulating a contract is relied upon by the agency theory to align the motives of both parties concerned. The goal is to balance the intention by allocating maximized values for shareholders and added incentives and benefits for the managers. Committee audits and performance evaluations by the board may act as effective authority tool for monitoring and scrutinizing potentially opportunistic agents (Mustakallio, Autio and Zahra, 2002). This internal governance system as a solution to ensure the compliance of the agents bounded by the contract will simultaneously be given to a non-executive sect who will be composed of auditors, supervisors and other structural arrangements. This non-executive part of the ownership structure serves as the middle man interconnecting the principal and the agent having a role in monitoring, thereby extending an enormous effect in the change or variation in control (Denis, 2001). In relation to corporate governance, legitimate actions against deceits and other modes of fraudulence may provide some fortification on the part of the principal. Economic analysis suggests that incorporating these solutions to the firm may considerably eliminate opportunism. But there are still factors that need to be considered in this special structure of the firm that is created for internal governance of which other forms of opportunism may arose in those entrusted with responsibility to check on the managers of the firm. The study made by Yermack in 1999 suggests that the board particularly its composition as an authority to monitor managers has an effect on the governance mechanism. The study on the effect of small board of directors in a company got the significant result that there is a positive correlation of this small size to greater market valuation of a company. Meanwhile, Hannifa and Hudaib (2006) stands with the result of Yermack showing results based on more than 300 companies listed in Malaysia which proposed that a large board is less efficient in auditing the performance of the managers compared to a smaller one. Moreover, this huge composition of the board is quite expensive for the companies to maintain in terms of honorariums, commissions and compensation. But in terms of profit and company growth, the large board may seem to be of importance because of the diversity in experiences, knowledge and accountability. Nevertheless, the study made by Guest in 2009, showed a strong result on the non-relation of the large board size to the firm performance however they also robustly imply that they dont suggest to restrict large boards to obtain a better firm performance. All these efforts executed by principals to avoid agency problems, minding the fact that there are still managers that wont deliver exactly what theyre expected to, entails agency costs as discussed. Often, the goal of the principal is to minimize agency costs and focus on profit even if not in growth. Here comes the conflict of organizing the principal-agent relationship (Shapiro, 2005) wherein the idea is exemplified but the measures are often inadequate, thus the alignment of the interests of the principal and manager is hardly ever absolute. A control-oriented firm is then considered necessary under agency theory which suggests that agents will not act to take full advantage of the returns to the principal if and only if systematic self-governance mechanisms are implemented in the firm to protect the shareholders interest (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). Stewardship theory In 1993, Block believes that firms implementing stewardship by front-running service instead of self-interest are those that are most effective in corporate governance. He believes that both the firm and individual needs will be greatly achieved by establishing trust-relationships and treating subordinates as partners. Preston (1998) added a definition of Stewardship Theory to exemplify humane duties owed to all partners that recognizes the importance of a systematic fit of corporate governance considering the elements of its environment. Hosmer in 1996 identifies the need to augment the economic and social responsibilities in governance by recognizing the moral and ethical issues inherent in the stewardship theory. The managers role in stewardship theory is to maximize the potential of the firm and to pursue long-term wealth acquisition with organizational and individual desires best accomplished by assessing collective ends (Hosmer, 1996). The goal is on assuming accountability and responsibility for the organizational community. The model of a manager should be as a steward whose behavior is ordered and organizational; whose collectivistic behavior is of higher reverence than individualistic, self-serving conduct (Albanese, et al 1997). They exemplify that man being intelligent makes rational, not irrational decisions, unlike agency proposers who dispute stewardship. Stewardship theory view employees as assets of the firm as the agency did but they differ in their treatment of the human natures motivation and ability of control. A true steward is driven by his need of self-actualization, growth and achievement without being opportunistic and self-interested in his performance (Mejia et al., 2001). Stewardship ideology proposes that corporate governance structures should exercise advanced authority and prudence. (Davis et al, 1997) .The proponents discussed that high-level of authority and discretion is attained when the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) also assume the position of Chairman of the Board. Stewardship principle argues that the issue is whether or not the ownership structure assists and facilitates in the management achievement of high corporate and firm performance. When the CEO is also the chairman of the board, the organization will be facilitative of this objective letting them assume apparent, clear and objective role expectations and authorize and empower higher and greater management. Thus, stewardship theory is not centralized on self-motivation through own financial gain, but the assumption of two roles as the chairman, at the same time as the manager of the corporation will produce superior results and maximized returns to the shareholders than separation of the roles of the chair and CEO as exemplified by the agency theory. Duality of these roles is considered a functional from in stewardship perspective. According to Fama (1980), being an effective steward of their firm, CEOs and managers are also effectively managing their own assets and careers. Stewardship, however, has its own set of limitations and gaps. Since it is trust-based relationships, it assumes underlying informal agreements and not most of the time, the functional logic or prà ©cised obligations (Mejia et al., 2001). Some authors ( Habbershon, 2006; Miller and Miller, 2005) argue that altruism mainly a compliment of stewardship might be influential in establishing an enormous network for the firm in its early stages, as employing a wide network of trustees or of relatives in cases of a family corporation (less concerned on their specifications) minimizing agency costs compared to a non-family member (Mejia et al., 2001).However, in the long run as the firm becomes more established, the need for well adept and professional managers arise to cope up with the competition thereby expect an increase in the agency costs. In essence, the organizations over all environment systems influence the inclination of managers. In an organization which houses the philosophy for self-actualization and involve employee-owners association, managers are inclined towards the stewardship perspective. Furthermore, collectivist behavior and non-power distance cultures encourages stewardship principles (Davis, Schoorman and Donaldson, 1997). Agency Theory vs. Stewardship Theory Agency theory concentrates primarily on the association between the principal and the agents in corporations, having a formal and contractual nature of relationship however with the presumed goal indifference and incongruence of interest (Sharma, 1997). Meanwhile, Stewardship theory is involved mainly in analyzing the importance of the co-existence of trust-based relationships along with agency relations in firms (Corbetta and Salvato, 2004). The stewardship approach, which encompasses commitment and trust to shared goals and desires exhibited by the principal and the manager alike, aligns the interest of the two parties (Albanese, Dacin and Harris, 1997). In 1997 Davis, Shoorman and Donaldson provided two key points that differentiated the Agency and Stewardship theories. These are the motivation and power comparison. In an agency type, the manager is motivated by personal interests and extrinsic rewards. In the stewardship, the manager is motivated by the human need for intellectual growth, achievement, and self-actualization, and by intrinsic rewards. In an agency theory, the power is institutionally directed while in the stewardship, it is based on personal ability and power to run the particular organization. Davis, et al (1997) argue that the two theories are not mutually exclusive but create a link between agency and stewardship relationships. Clearly, the stewardship theory provided a room for the failures and gaps in the agency theory. A manager of a firm may choose what type of inclination he is up to particularly in decision making as long as these three assumptions are supplemented. First the decision must be mutually agreed upon by both the principal and the agent. Secondly, it will always depend on the situation, and third objective is the expectations of the parties involved. Basing on the result of their study of 22 matrices on the possibilities of the actuations of the principal and agent, the agent can either opt to perform in an agency or in a steward fashion, and so can the principal. There can be four possibilities of outcome in the governance using the link between agency and stewardship and depending on the choice of the concerned parties. Two of which are a concrete exa mple of the agency theory where both have selected to uplift their self-interests and a true stewardship principle which maximize organizational performance. Other two possibilities of outcome which will result in one party taking advantage over the other and one recourse to injustice will result to low performance on the other party. When the principal acts as the steward and the manager acts as an agent, and on the other hand when the principal becomes opportunistic and the manager acts as a steward, which could pave the way for the frustration and declined feelings of self-worth to the aggravated party. The study on the relationship of these theories is very broad, thereby some wouldnt agree to the findings of Davis. According to Albanese, Dacin, and Harris (1997) there is a distinction between agency theory and the agency problem of divided self interest. They discussed that stewardship simply refined and advanced agency theory, it does not present an alternative. Eisenhardts (1 989) review shows that agency theory was continually developed and is studied thoroughly with the incongruent self-interests of the principal-agent as the fundamental supposition. Summary The agency model and stewardship model of the firm provide two different angles for understanding the governance of a firm, its decision making, its internal relationships, and its external relationships. This review advocates that the principal or manager acting as a steward, and employing people with similar expectations, is more in line with the traits needed for an organization to succeed like proper motivation, personal and company growth and self-actualization, thus increasing the potential for maximizing the performance of the firm. Moreover, the advantage of the stewardship model over that of the agency is that it presents managers an organized different array of motivations which could potentially include the interests of all relevant firm movers (Preston 1998).

Family and Medical Leave Act Essay -- essays research papers

Family and Medical Leave Act   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Family and Medical Leave Act was enacted by Congress on February 5, 1993, and it is public law 103-3. This law allows for a person to leave work in certain situations without losing his/her job. An eligible employees must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and at least completed 1250 hours of service. An employee is able to leave work for up to 12 weeks for any of the following reasons: the employee expects a baby in his/her immediate family, the employee expects an adopted child in his/her immediate family, the employee has to take care of an ill family member which includes spouse, parent or his/her own children, and/or the employee has a serious medical condition which makes him/her unable to carry out his/her job function. The employee has to provide legitimate certification stating the reason of the leave (e.g. doctor’s note). The law states that the employer does not have to pay the employee. Therefore, depending on the employer, the employee might or might not get paid. Some employers might require the employee to use up his/her vacation, sick or personal days. Others compensate the employee for the duration of absence, while some employers do not compensate at all. However, in all circumstances, the employee does not lose his/her position, benefits, pay and seniority in the company/organization. Also, during the time of leave, the employee is still protected under his/her health plan (DO...

Louis Vuitton Strategy Essay

LVMH is the world’s leading luxury products group. The strategy of LVMH is based on combining LVMH fashion and leather goods. Net sales have grown 57% in the past two years. In 2001 LVMH had a strong earning growth in a slumping economy. This was due to the strength of the Louis Vuitton brand, which is the world leader in luxury goods and benefited the younger brands from the synergies that developed within the business group. Each company could focus on their core business design and marketing while they benefited from shared financial and technical expertise. Each one is moving toward its objective and improving sales. Mr. Carcelle made strategic plans to establish the organizations overall goals. LVMH’s goal is to grow faster than their competitors. The logic of acquiring several companies over a short period of time was based on the internal growth of LVMH. They had a strong support of brand image; they are number one in the world with 50 brands and have a strong presence in all luxury sectors. They have a good geographical balance and control over distribution. The strategy was based on the constant and sustainable growth of multi brands. Carcelle’s thought is what happened for the Louis Vuitton brand can and will happen for his new smaller brands. Carcelle is in for the long run and understands the time lines. LVMH is building up design teams and continue to expand and renovate their worldwide store network. They continue to invest in advertising and promotion while making the capital expenditures required to increase production capacity and meet the strong demand for their produc ts. Yves Carcell is charismatic and a visionary leader. He has the ability to create and articulate a realistic, credible, and attractive vision of the future and improved upon the present situation. He is often at his desk well before dawn, but before sitting down to an early morning meeting in his Paris office, Carcelle, 54 invites a visitor to step on to the balcony and watch the sun rise over the Seine. â€Å"Isn’t it beautiful?† he asks with a delighted grin (Business Week-online June 17, 2002) His twenty years working in sales and marketing for consumer goods companies made him the logical  person to preside over LVMH fashion group. Carcelle is a fierce defender of his brands and it is said that he bawled out a French government official attending a Vuitton store opening in Bangkok when he spotted her carrying a fake Vuitton bag. That certainly shows attention to detail. Carcelle is fluent in English, Spanish, and French. His experience and charm make him as comfortable talking with shop managers and designers as he is conducting high powered business negotiations with CEOs. He oversees LVMH’s most valuable portfolio of brands. He must also keep tight control over a global network of factories and stores, without snuffing out the creative spark that gives the luxury business its luster. He was responsible for bringing in new designers to spiff up Vuitton’s styling and expand the product line, while terminating franchise agreements so that LVMH regained exclusive control of retailing. Carcelle’s leadership has been effective. Last year, fueled largely by Vuitton, the fashion group accounted for nearly 30% of LVMH’s $10.8 billion in sales, and more than 80% of its $1.4 billion operating profit. (Business Week-online June17, 2002)

Impacts of Wireless Technologies on Education Essay

Abstract Education is can be defined as a reflection of the development of a society and as the foundation stone of the bright future of a nation whether 1st world or 3rd world has undergone drastic changes in the last fifty years. The advancement of the education sector is due to the fact that people have become creative and very innovative and are coming up with various technologies that are creating impacts in all spheres of life and education is no exception. Mind blowing wireless technologies are being developed every year geared to making living easier and more comfortable. Wireless technology has greatly revolutionized the field of education and its importance in learning institutions is noticeable and cannot be ignored. With the introduction of wireless technologies in education system it has become easier for teachers to impart knowledge and for students to acquire  the knowledge. Thus the use of wireless technology has made the process of teaching and learning enjoyable. The aim of this term paper is to explore the importance, the negative and the positive impacts of wireless technology in the education system. The positive impacts of technology on education have been phenomenal; actively using wireless internet and computers and wireless devices such as mobile phones as an effective means of establishing communication has seen educational institutions being able to deal with many issues that were previously not handled with ease due to long distances and geographical limitations or lack of adequate training technologies. Technology has also negatively impacted the education sector for example by creating poor teachers students relationship, as teachers just like students find it easier to share and circulate study materials by using wireless internet as a communication tool. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 5 Importance of Wireless Technology in Education Institutions The need to introduce wireless technology at an early age in life shows the importance of this technology in schools. Since wireless technology is being embraced as a way of life presently and it certain to be the future way of life, it is therefore good if students can obtain knowledge of the technological changes as early as possible. Children learn faster and can adapt to changes relatively easily. If children are trained during their school years, they have greater chances of becoming experts in technology at a later stage in life. Introducing wireless technology early to students is always beneficial in the long run. Since wireless technology is bound to be a part of their future, it is best to introduce them to it during school life as otherwise they will have to struggle learning it later in life. It is advisable to give them a basic idea of the wireless technological changes. The inclusion of wireless technology in the process of learning makes learning an enjoyable activity, thus inviting greater interest from the students. The vast knowledge from all around the world can be better brought about for the students and can be better adapted by them. The administration processes  which involve the official procedures of school can be simplified by the means of wireless technology. School records (the information about all the students and the teachers as well as other school employees) can efficiently be maintained by means of the advanced digital wireless technology such as a digital library system. A digital library system holding school records or a website can be maintained effectively through wireless technology IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 6 Importance of Wireless Technology in the Classroom The importance of using wireless technology in education system especially within the classroom setup is as explained below; Active Participation Students learning through technology use the wireless internet to search for information. They then make their own decisions regarding the information i.e. whether it is relevant or irrelevant. Students have control over how to use or present this information. Thus, one of the main benefits of using technology for classrooms is that unlike a classroom led by a teacher, where students passively receive whatever information the teacher is providing, in tech savvy classrooms, students are active participants. In-depth Knowledge By using the wireless internet technology, obtaining information on all kinds of subjects has become very easy. A student sitting in his classroom can learn how people in a small village in Africa live life. Thus, Internet is a kind of digital library which is at the disposal of a student with just a click. A student can acquire in-depth knowledge on any subject using this vast resource and acquire diverse knowledge in the process. Real life work experience The use of wireless technology in the classroom offers experience to students similar to the working environment such as working in an office. In the wireless technology savvy classrooms, a teacher acts as a facilitator who sets project goals for the students and provides them with the necessary resources and guidelines to reach those goals. The student themselves makes decisions with regards to the design choices, the information they want to use and display, the resources that they will use. In addition, currently, students themselves are very tech savvy IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 7 and may sometimes even know more than the teacher himself. So, there is a constant exchange of information between the students and the teachers. Such an environment prepares a student to work in business organizations in the future. Increased motivation Studies have shown that there is great importance of integrating wireless technology in the classroom. When students are taught through slide shows or by showing digitized films, it makes the lessons very easy and interesting for them. It helps in their learning, at the same time motivates them to attend school every day. Thus, another importance of technology in schools is that it brings down the drop-out rates. Technical skills Students using wireless technologies on a daily basis develop an understanding of the various wireless tools and software. This kind of education prepares the students and makes it easier for them to learn about the various software applications in future. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 8 Importance Of Wireless Technologies On Education Wireless technology plays a vital role in every sphere of life and education is no exception. The advent of this technology has deeply impacted the educational sector and also changed the way we live by impacting different facets of life and redefined living as a whole. Wireless technology has automated many boring manual tasks and also made it possible for many complex and critical processes to be carried out with ease and greater efficiency. Wireless technology has revolutionized the field of education and this importance in schools cannot be ignored. It has made it easier for teachers to impart knowledge and for students to acquire it. The use of wireless technology has made the process of teaching and learning enjoyable. Below are some of the importances of wireless technology. Wireless Technology has made student life easy Student  can use wireless technology to help them express themselves more clearly i.e. they can use much more than just pen and paper to express themselves or present what they have learned. They can use software to make presentations and projects. This makes them more interested in the subject and leads to better retention of information. With technological aids, they can make easy-to-remember notes and a creative presentation of the information they have acquired. It won’t be wrong to say that application of wireless technology has made a student’s life easy. It’s easier for students to carry a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) than carrying big fat books to school. More so an iPad is less bulkier than a pile of notebooks or an eBook reader much lighter than a book. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 9 Wireless Technology has made it easier to store information Wireless gadget that come with extended internal memory or Micro SD cards have enabled better and more robust storage of information. If you weigh chalk, board, books and notebooks against wireless technology, you find that wireless technology can substitute for any and all of these. Wireless technology has replaced chalk and board; the teacher can even use gadgets that can even do the talking sometimes while the teacher takes a step back and lets the presentations ‘speak’. Gadgets such as digital libraries require no physical space and students and teachers sitting in different parts of the world can access the same library at the same time. Compacted memory devices have replaced notebooks and a keyboard and computer mouse are the new writing devices. What may have required hundred pages of a book can be compacted into a tiny memory chip. It can take hours to write, but it takes only seconds to type. Sharing and storing data has become much easier, owing to wireless technology. Wireless Technology has enhanced easy access of information The Internet is a huge information base that can be used an effective tool for acquiring knowledge. Users of the web just key in queries to search engines and are presented with thousands of search results. There are several websites and web directories that offer information on literally  everything in the world. And all this is just a few clicks away. Both teachers and students can benefit from this. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 10 Wireless Technology has eliminated space and time constraints Online education and distance learning have given a new dimension to education and higher learning. Even if students are geographically far away from each other, they can be a part of one classroom virtually i.e. not physically but virtually. Many educational institutes offer online courses, which eliminates time and space constraints in acquiring education. Universities offer online educational programs wherein students can interact with their teachers over the Internet, access reference material from the University website and earn degrees online. Wireless Technology has enhanced teaching and sharing Wireless technology has made education has become more collaborative. With surplus information so easily available to students, they can be a part of the process; they don’t need to remain at the receiving end. Owing to the use of technology, subject experts can come together to formulate courses, design assessments and better the process of teaching. Students who have relocated to different parts of the world are able to seek advice from experts spread across the globe through the use of technologies such as the mobile telephones. Wireless Technology has enhanced teaching Wireless devices offer an interactive audio-visual medium. PowerPoint presentations and animation software can be used to present information in an interactive way. Owing to the audiovisual effects, this way of teaching invites greater interest from students. The method is equally helpful for teachers. Projectors and screens facilitate simultaneous viewing of information by a large number of students. Addressing systems using microphones and speakers make it possible for teachers to reach a larger number of students simultaneously. These teaching aids have led to improvements in student attendance and their attentiveness in class. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 11 Wireless Technology on mutual impact Currently, wireless technology is a part of school and college curricula. Considering the wide range of applications of wireless technology, it is thus necessary for everyone familiarize themselves with this technology. Considering the advantages of Internet technology, it is important for each of us to gain basic knowledge of Internet access and web research. We live in a technology-age and hence, it is important for us to be up-to-date with the latest inventions in the field. With education, we acquire knowledge of the functioning and use of different pieces of technology. And with the application of technology, we can educate ourselves better. This is the impact technology and education has on each other. Education boosts use of technology and technology aids education. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 12 Impacts Of Wireless Technology On Education Technology brings positive or negative impacts depending on how and for what purpose it’s being used. Positive Effects of Wireless Technology on Education Talking in a positive sense, the impact of wireless technology on education has been phenomenal. Using wireless internet and digital computers as en effective medium to establish communication between schools, teachers, students and parents; educational institutes have been able to handle many issues that were previously not handled with ease due to geographical limitations or lack of adequate training technologies. Enhanced Teaching and Learning Technological developments like digital cameras, projectors, mind training software, computers, PowerPoint presentations, 3D visualization tools; all these have become great sources for teachers to help students grasp a concept easily, as learning has become fun and enjoyable for students. They’re able to participate more in the classroom and even teachers get a chance to make their classes more interactive and interesting. The importance of wireless  technology in schools can be understood from the fact that it empowers the educational system and produces better students. Reduced Drop Out Rates Technology has also contributed to the decrease in dropout rates, improvement in student attendance and enhancement in their learning abilities. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 13 Confidence Booster Students being exposed to wireless technological wonders like digital computers and mobile phones, WI-FI internet and learning to operate. This helps them create their own special world and this gives them a feeling of being special. This makes them believe that they stand strong in global competition. Increased Cooperation Amongst Peers A majority of teachers have stated a very surprising fact that introducing wireless technologies in classroom has increased peer to peer interaction. Many students who’re comfortable in handling digital computers come out to lend a helping hand to students, who face problems in working on computers or any other wireless device. The importance of technology in the classroom goes beyond computers and Internet. Increased Knowledge Students who sincerely complete their assignments by referring to the surplus of information available on the Internet are able to develop good analytical and research skills. By referring to a large number of resources, a serious student utilizes his or her common sense and judgment skills to choose the best material and use it as an advantage to complete the project. By getting exposed to numerous ideas for their assignments and the creative ways to finish them, students develop excellent research abilities. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 14 No Geographical Limitations Wireless technologies have made it possible for the adoption of online degree programs offered both locally and  internationally. Students don’t have to be present physically in the classroom to acquire degree. Distance learning and online education has become an integral part of the education system nowadays. These online courses can be of great advantage to those students who are far away from these institutions of higher learning. Negative Effects of Technology on Education Poor Teacher – Student Relationship Wireless technologies don’t encourage strong teacher-student relationship. Students using wireless technologies tend to behave badly towards their teachers especially when it comes to communication since there are not one on one. Teacher – student interaction is something that is vital to understand intricate topics. The trend of blackboards wherein, teachers post online notes, lectures, assignments and other information has cultivated the habit of skipping college lectures amongst students. The use of the internet has made students disorganized and impatient. A lot of copying and pasting of information is done so that they can finish their assignment. Use of the school’s library is no longer relevant as searching for information from books or even online library facilities seems to be an overwhelming task for students. Its been observed that students are not productively utilizing technology for their growth. Students also don’t seek the teacher’s advice on difficult questions or about a difficult subject. IMPACTS OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 15 Increasing Incidents of Cheating Wireless technological developments like graphing calculators, high tech mobile phones, high tech digital watches, mini cameras and similar equipment have become great sources to cheat in exams. It has now become easier for students to write formulas and notes on graphing calculators, with least chances of being caught. Lack of Focus Short Message Service (SMS) or text messaging has become a favorite pastime of many students. Students are seen playing with their cell phone, iPhones day and night, right from crossing a street, or driving and very often even between lectures. Students being everconnected to the internet world have View as multi-pages

Topic Clusters What They Are (And How They Can Boost Your Traffic)

Topic Clusters What They Are (And How They Can Boost Your Traffic) What do you think when you hear â€Å"topic clusters†? Your initial thought might not be â€Å"the future of SEO and content strategy.† That’s okay. It’s probably not the first thought your competition has, either. And that’s where the opportunity lies for you and your brand. In this post, we’re going to cover exactly what topic clusters are and how you can leverage them for your brand. A few key benefits here include: Higher rankings, traffic, and conversions. Greater authority with your audience. Improving the results from every piece of content you publish around a given topic. It’s time to take your  content strategy and keyword research  to the next level. What Are Topic Clusters (And How Can They Boost Your Traffic)?Download Your Free Topic Cluster Keyword Research Template Building effective topic clusters requires careful planning and thoughtful execution. With so many different moving pieces in the process from idea to implementation, you’ll likely find yourself looking for help along the way. With these free templates, you’ll be able to create everything you’ll need with ease. Download this bundle now and you’ll get: A Topic Cluster Keyword Research Template to store your topical ideas and keyword data. A  Marketing Calendar Template to plan out all your content. A Latent Semantic Indexing Infographic explaining how to use secondary keywords to create content that thoroughly covers a complete topic. Grab your freebies quick, and then let’s get down to learning. What Are Topic Clusters? A topic cluster is a group of interlinked web pages. They’re built around one piece of pillar content targeting a broad topic, linked to several related but more narrowly-focused pages. Seem complicated? It’s more simple than it sounds. Here’s a visual guide to what a topical content cluster might look like: For further explanation, watch this excellent brief video from Hubspot: Why Are Topic Clusters Important? Once upon a time, marketers could win by targeting a single keyword per page. Now, targeting entire topics is the key to success. There are a few primary reasons for this: Personalized search has made keyword rankings more fluid. Since Google tailors search results to individual users, keyword ranking positions are harder to calculate across the board. Search engines are better at understanding semantically related concepts. Advanced search algorithms are now better at understanding when multiple search terms are actually about the same thing. This means a piece of content targeting one keyword may rank for several other related terms. Google (and other search engines) want to provide users with authoritative and trustworthy results. One way to show your authority to people and bots alike is to consistently create useful and accurate content around a topic, rather than one-off pieces targeted to particular keywords. Here's why (and how) you should target topics over keywords:Collectively, this means sites that feature multiple pieces of content thoroughly addressing a given topic will generally outperform those with fewer, less authoritative pieces. As a result, the implications of this for marketers are clear. You need to be focusing on the big picture (and that means thinking topics). The benefits to this approach are numerous, too. Here are just a few: They keep audiences on your site. If you have tons of content related to your visitor’s interests, they’ll be more likely to stick around (and potentially purchase from you). When one piece does well, every interlinked page does better, too. Creating content around a topic often improves the search rankings of other similar content that’s already on your site. In some cases, this can lead to owning multiple SERP positions for a single keyword. They help bring in more traffic. As a result of increased rankings, you’ll bring in more visitors. And as we’ve established, they’ll be more likely to stick around on-site. This builds a positive feedback loop of increasing traffic and conversions. Sounds too good to ignore, right? That’s because it is (and fortunately, we’re here to show you how to achieve these benefits yourself). Recommended Reading: The Most Massive SEO Copywriting Guide That Will Make Your Traffic Soar What Do Real-World Topic Clusters Look Like? It’s easier to emulate something you can actually see, right? So, let’s take a look at two examples of sites applying this principle so you can learn from their approach. Example 1: Jeff Goins Guide to SEO Jeff Goins is a highly successful writer and marketer who understands how to present content in a way readers and search engines love. His beginners guide to SEO is a great example of this. First, we’ll look at the URL of his pillar content. It’s targeting a nice, broad topic (SEO guide): The body content is crisp, concise, and well-written. It summarizes the main topic and touches on some basic high-level questions a reader might have: Then, at the bottom, he has internal links to several pieces of related content targeting narrowly-defined subtopics around his pillar content: Each of these pieces of sub-content is internally linked to one another, too: Example 2: Moz Beginners Guide to Content Strategy The Moz brand is synonymous with search engine optimization and content marketing itself. They’ve spent years establishing themselves as a leading industry authority. So, it’s no surprise to see them utilizing topic clusters effectively on their site. Take a look at their Beginner’s Guide to Content Strategy. It’s similar to the example from Jeff Goins above. Instead of being a series of interconnected blog posts, though, it’s built with a collection of pages directly on their website. The first page targets a simple question: â€Å"What is content marketing?† That’s a common query. Using Moz’s own Keyword Explorer, it looks like it gets a decent amount of search volume: The page is comprehensive (over 2,000 words- while word count doesn’t matter too much, it does indicate this is an in-depth piece). It also links to other relevant pages that help answer the searcher’s question: Near the bottom, each page in the guide makes it easy to navigate to the next one (the internal link in the button also shows search engines that each of these pieces are related): At the very bottom, you can easily access every chapter in the guide. Again, those internal links help show search engines these are all connected, with topically relevant keywords on each page covering an entire subject (content marketing): If you read the title of each chapter, you’ll notice each one tackles a different piece of one core topic. Many of those pieces also ranks well in organic search. Here’s an example of a search for â€Å"content ideation† (which is chapter 5): This illustrates a clear benefit to building dense topic clusters: when one piece succeeds, it pulls up the rest of the cluster with it. When one piece in a topic cluster succeeds, it pulls up the rest of the cluster with it.Getting Started: Selecting Topics Let’s get down to business and figure out how you can build topic clusters yourself. The first step is to identify topics that are relevant to your brand and audience. These could include: Problems your audience faces. What do your potential customers need help getting done? What you want to be known for. What topics do you want to be the Internet's top authority on? Things people use your products for. What do customers buy your product to accomplish? These are a few simple examples. Brainstorm Topics Like a Genius If you need to generate tons of ideas fast, try our simple three-step brainstorming process. Here’s how it works: Gather your team and spend ten minutes writing down as many ideas as you can think. Don’t worry if those ideas are good (yet). Just get them out there. Spend another ten minutes scoring those ideas. Nominate one team member to gather everyone’s responses and read them aloud (while keeping the original contributor anonymous). Then, have everyone on your team rate each idea on a three-point scale. 3’s are awesome ideas you need to act on, 2’s are okay (but need some work), and 1’s are duds. Spend the final ten minutes of your meeting narrowing down unanimous 3’s. These are your very best ideas and the ones that should get top priority for consideration. This process will consistently yield tons of great topics in a short amount of time. Recommended Reading: The Best 30-Minute Content Marketing Brainstorming Process Next, Start Doing Keyword Research If we’re targeting topics, does that mean keywords no longer matter? Not at all. Keywords remain as important as ever. When it comes to building out topic clusters though, the key is to create multiple pieces of content with different keyword phrases that all revolve around one central theme. To do that, we’ll need to select a core keyword topic for our pillar content, and several related terms for other pieces of supporting content.

Business and Commercial Awareness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business and Commercial Awareness - Essay Example Our objective as the marketing department is to make sure that this project will be successfully implemented to provide present and future opportunities for Eagle Nest Inc. to generate more revenues. 2. Impact on your department As it is well known, it is the responsibility of the marketing department to gather as much information about the market as possible. This information is crucial as it helps the organization to compete with other organizations providing similar goods or services (Hiebing et al, 2011). To obtain necessary information my department will need to undertake several market analyses. We will also need to identify a competent team of marketing consultant and retail shopping planner to assist us with marketing implementation. Due to venturing into new markets we will need to adjust our policies and. We will need our hotels to have a competitive advantage in the new mark. The best way to achieve this is by using cost leadership and product differentiation (Kumar & Phro mmathed, 2005).The project will actually strain my department due to the large area of operation but I believe it is necessary and that it will yield good results. 3. Time plan To ensure success in marketing all members of marketing departments like sales, marketing communication, customer service, product or service development, internet and research must work together (Luther, 2011). For this to happen a proper time planning should be done. Stephenson &Thurman (2007) suggests that if a marketing calendar is designed it can help in coordinating marketing activities as well as marketing ideas. All the activities of this department will be undertaken simultaneously for the first six months. These activities will include research, rebranding, publicity, and promotions. The reason for undertaking them simultaneously is because they are interconnected and they depend on each other. As Luther (2011) state, it is important to be cautious when selecting an advertising agency and to do this we have to undertake some research. 4. Links and dependencies For effective implementation of this project, this department has to collaborate with several other departments. The finance department will be providing as with the necessary fund and will also be assisting us with the budgeting and drawing our financial plan. This department will be monitoring the use of funds allocated to my department since they are mandated as account department. We will also work hand in hand with the human resource department, which will be providing us with staffs and training necessary for project implementation. We will also depend on the procurement and logistics department to provide us with the necessary materials for publicity. 5. Mile stones Some market research will have to be completed before other activities begin. We will have to complete test marketing in the first month of operation. This know the degree of success of our business undertakings (Boone & Kurtz, 2011).We must have compl eted publicity before the completion of the construction and renovation process which is expected to take about six months. We should also have been designed the marketing approach we will use before this time. We should also make sure that we have the necessary staff to undertake marketing and make sure that they are well trained to be able to handle the new

Humen Resourse Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Humen Resourse Management - Assignment Example There are countless challenges that may face the store. Working as the manager of the store that sells computer equipment and accessories, it is crucial to monitor employees so as to make sure that they are conscious of their situation. After four months, it is clear that there are some personal challenges that most employees face. One of the main issues is the ethical behaviour exhibited by the personnel. The morals of the employees is seen as being low, which means that some of the things they do behind the back of the manager and fellow employees may be questionable. In management, this may be a particularly problematic issue. It is vital for all employees to value their contribution to the organization (Matiza, 2013). By failing to realise that their actions may be negatively impacting the organization, they are helping bring down the company because these actions may be done in the presence of customers. If the above happens, employees and the establishment run the risk of pushing customers away with certain behaviour, which may not be deemed as professional. Another issue that faces employees in the store may be the absence rate of employees, which appear to be on the rise. To address this issue as a manager, it is possible to get to the root of the problem by asking around about the health history of all employees. This can give an insight into what might be the problem that each employee faces and if it can be controlled. Moreover, by making the workplace a more accommodative place, it is likely to decrease the hazards that workers are exposed to, increasing the overall performance (Matiza, 2013). Question 2 There are certain practices within HR that are related to the case presented. One of the main practices of the department involves creating a work environment that benefits both the organization and individuals working in the store. It is vital for all managers to create a positive working environment, which allows individuals to thrive and ultimately contribute towards the business’ success (Matiza, 2013). The most effective policy may border on promoting collaboration between employees. This may work toward guaranteeing togetherness in the workplace, which fosters an environment that is positive and allows the growth of both individual and business. The positive work environment can improve employee relations that may allow all employees to develop a culture of commonness. The second most important aspect of HR practice would be the issue of appraisals. It is crucial for organizations to have a formal appraisal system where the manager can learn more about the employees in the establishment (Matiza, 2013). Failure to have such a system in place may work toward promoting a culture that is not aimed at the organization’s success. Performance appraisals are especially crucial. This is because they may act as motivators for all employees when there is the prospect of promotion or performance-based pay. Among the functions of HR, there is