Managing the Global Workforce free essay sample

But what does it really mean, and why is it important? Attracting and retaining talent has become a boardroom issue that is steadily climbing higher on the corporate agenda. The 2009 Ernst Young business risk report shows that risks associated with talent management broke into the Top 10 last year to become the seventh most important risk occupying corporate leaders’ minds. Talent management risk centers on the danger of losing key competencies (including members of leadership) that allow an organization to achieve its business goals. In response, companies are focusing on developing recruitment, training and retention programs to help ensure that needed skills are available in the future. At Ernst Young, we view talent management as an end-to-end process, linking a company’s mission, vision, values and strategy with the way it manages and develops its people. While other companies may de? ne talent management differently, we believe this end-to-end process encompasses every aspect of the employee life cycle and, therefore, use this de? nition as the basis of the concepts discussed in this report. We will write a custom essay sample on Managing the Global Workforce or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To gain a better understanding of the way companies outside of Ernst Young are approaching this challenge, we conducted the Ernst Young Global Talent Management Survey to answer the following questions: †¢ Do most companies integrate and align their talent management programs across the organization? Do companies run stand-alone programs or do they attempt to harmonize programs with each other and with the organization’s broader business goals? †¢ Do organizations with integrated and aligned talent management programs achieve superior business results compared with those whose programs are not? Are companies with international assignment programs losing key talent, skills and knowledge through inefficient career planning for repatriated employees? By failing to focus talent management programs specifically on these employees, do they lose valuable skills to competitors and waste their investments in their international assignees? Our experience strongly suggests th ree hypotheses: 1. The ability to align a company’s human capital (or people) processes with its overall business strategy, while fully integrating key elements of its talent management system, is an achievable goal rather than a theoretical or academic exercise. Sam Fouad Global Managing Partner – People Esther Hahm Co-author Human Capital Bill Leisy Co-author Performance Reward 2. Elevating talent management to a more strategic level yields indisputable business benefits. 3. Global companies must make international assignments part of their overall talent management program and include a focus on formal repatriation programs for returning expatriates. In mid-2009, we launched the Ernst Young Global Talent Management Survey to test these hypotheses and answer the questions posed previously. Our broader goal was to better understand talent management practices across different global regions, at companies of different sizes and in different industries. We received an overwhelming response from leaders at more than 340 global organizations — primarily senior executives — including CEOs, CFOs, COOs and vice presidents of human resources. Analysis of the survey data validated the hypotheses stated above. This report is a summary of our key ? ndings and observations, as it explores the value of aligning talent management programs with the overall business strategy. It also focuses on the importance of including international assignments in such programs and describes the relationship between talent management and ? nancial performance in companies. Talent management is about more than managing physical bodies that come to work each day. It is about managing human (or people) capital, a phrase that describes an intangible resource comprising your employees’ knowledge, abilities, capabilities and skills. Technologies, products and strategies can be replicated, but it is people who enable a company to innovate, differentiate and succeed. Harnessing that human capital requires elevating your view of talent management to a more strategic level. Forward-looking companies will regard these ideas as a starting point for building more effective talent management programs and for recruiting, developing and retaining your employees of choice. But this is not a one-size-? ts-all approach — your companies and your employees require a framework for building a strong human capital pool that meets the speci? c needs and challenges of your organization. Consider how the research ? ndings, observations and case studies apply to your organization. Managing today’s global workforce: elevating talent management to improve business 1 Overview Survey demographics and methodology Ernst Young LLP conducted an online survey among human resource, ? nance and risk management professionals, and C-suite executives from global Fortune 1000 companies. The aim of the survey was to provide further insight into how talent management programs and mobility assignments are being aligned and integrated across the enterprise. Our survey ? ndings are based on more than 340 responses representing a cross-section of some of the largest employers around the globe in a variety of industry sectors. Nearly one-third of respondents1 (32%) worked for companies headquartered in the US. Roughly one-quarter (24%) worked for organizations based in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 10% were headquartered in Australia; another 8% in individual countries like Canada, Brazil and China; and 7% in Japan. Most respondents were senior operations, ? nance or HR executives. The survey was conducted from July to September 2009. Why talent management holds the key to organizational performance A senior executive at a ? nancial services company recently stated that, if not for he employees, his company would be nothing more than a large building with bad furniture. While furniture and other features vary from one organization to another, the executive was correct: a business is only as good as its people. Given the recent economic downturn and its attendant workforce downsizing, you don’t hear this sentiment expressed as much as you used to. Nevertheless, as the global economy revives, bu sinesses that have kept in mind the importance of their people will be among the ? rst to rebound. These organizations have used downsizing more strategically than others, releasing employees who lacked the required competencies and keeping those whose skills ? t the company’s planned product or service offerings. They have understood that their people hold the keys to ef? ciency, competitive differentiation and success in the economic recovery. 1 Note: Percentages for all survey responses were rounded up or down to avoid using fractions when reporting ?nal data. In addition, not all survey respondents answered all of the questions in the survey and therefore, percentages may not add up to 100%. Foundations of talent management

buy custom Jamaica essay

buy custom Jamaica essay Introduction This research is based in Jamaica and it analyzes the global problem of racial discrimination. Racial discrimination refers to the act of showing prejudice or an offensive behavior towards a person who belongs to another race. In Jamaica, racial discrimination occurs when the white community shows a high level of prejudice towards the black community or vice versa (Stone 212). The main motive of racially abusing someone is the fact that the varied characteristics that each race has gives good reason for their discrimination. Racial discrimination is an act that can be seen in various forms. When the whites show open hatred toward the black community or when the blacks show open hatred to the white community, it is considered to be racial discrimination. Similarly, racial discrimination is evident when there is massive exploitation of a particular race by another race; it can also take the form of mass murder of a particular race by another race. Hate crimes or terrorism attacks launched against a particular race by another race is also considered as a mode of racial discrimination. In addition, racial discrimination can also be in the form of giving hate speeches against the other race or contesting for racial supremacy (Stone 212). Background Jamaica is an independent country which is in the Caribbean Island. The country is regarded as one of the members of the British Commonwealth Countries. Jamaica is regarded as the third biggest island in the Caribbean. Out of the diverse population in Jamaica, the Afro-Jamaicans compose a greater number of the entire population. As per the results of the census conducted in 1991, the entire population had about 90.5 percent of blacks, 0.2 percent of whites, 1.3 percent of Indians and 0.3 percent of Chinese. People from minor descents accounted for 7.3 percent of the entire population (Miles 42). Jamaica gained independence in 1962 and the great diversity of the population culminated into the framing of the Jamaicas motto which says: Out of Many, One People. The motto is supposed to mean that even though the Jamaican people hailed from different ethnicities or races, all of them should live as one united big family. However, despite the assertions of the Jamaican motto, racism has quickly crept into the nation. The white community, despite their small number, has increasingly become more racially superior over the blacks. This is considered as the biggest contribution to the modern day racial discrimination between the black and the white communities in Jamaica. The picture below shows the map of Jamaica (Miles 42). The Global Problem When people are separated through social partitions into classes with the aim of differential treatments, it is considered to be racial discrimination. In Jamaica, for instance, racial discrimination is so much evident in the workplace. Many employers belong to the white community, thus, when it comes to offering employment positions, the whites are given an upper hand over the black community. Alternatively, in the workplace, which is mainly dominated by the whites, the black people do not stand a good chance in terms of competing for bigger positions in the organization or getting better pay (Reilly, Kaufman, and Bodino 52). Similarly, in social institutions racial discrimination is very evident. For instance, in schools that are considered to belong to the white community, the black students do not receive a fair treatment and vice versa. Many teachers in these schools perceive the black students as criminal minded and thus they are blamed for all the bad happenings in the school. The policemen also portray a huge element of racial discrimination in case a black person is in the vicinity o a crime scene. Several of them have been arrested or suspected to have been involved in crime yet they are so innocent. In the hospitals, the white doctors are so reluctant to attend to the black patients; normally, they find a way of blaming the blacks for spreading the various contagious diseases (Reilly, Kaufman, and Bodino 52). The Jamaican Motto signifies the varied cultures that come from the multi-racial population and forms the basis of identifying the nation. In as much as the motto emphasizes on harmony and unity among the people, the countrys image is still soiled by increased cases of racism or discrimination with regards to color of the skin. Jamaica is a country that has a huge history in terms of coming out of slavery, yet the act of racial discrimination still proves to be an act of modern day slavery (Reilly, Kaufman, and Bodino 53). The wide gap between the rich white community and the impoverished black community has contributed in a huge way toward the existence of racial discrimination. Many whites employ the blacks as casuals or laborers in their farms. They perceive the blacks as well efficient in doing the dirty works which require less skills or training, thus, attracting a very meager remuneration. In the modern day Jamaica, a high number of the whites have recounted on how they have been treated preferentially in several social institutions, while at the same time, several blacks have recounted on how they have been treated harshly by their white counterparts in social places. These all happen because of the notion that the blacks are poor people and, thus, disadvantaged in the society. On account of this, the blacks have begun to fight back in order to prove their worth in the society. With the increasing cases of racial discrimination in Jamaica, the black people are the majorly affected. As a result, quite a number of them have resorted to actions such as bleaching their bodies so as to lighten their skin color. A majority of the blacks have succeeded in getting acceptance by the whites as a result of bleaching (Reilly, Kaufman, and Bodino 53). The conflict between the dark skinned and the white skinned has proved to be a major global catastrophe. It has disentangled the unity of Jamaica due to the fact that the whites perceive the blacks as their enemies while at the same time, the blacks perceive the whites as their enemies and their main stumbling block to triumph. In consequence of this, the gap between the whites and the blacks has increasingly widened and in certain towns the whites and the blacks do not see each other eye to eye. Racial discrimination has also found its way in politics, whereby a potential candidate for a leadership position can fail to clinch the leadership position because of his or her racial orientation. For instance, a black candidate who is vying for a political position in a region mainly dominated by the whites can find it very hard to clinch that position especially if the opponent is white (Reilly, Kaufman, and Bodino 53). Consequently, racial discrimination has also found its way into the religious field. The black people do not want to go to churches that are dominated by the white people and the white people are too reluctant to go to churches dominated by the blacks. This has caused the people to be divided along religious lines, thus, further fuelling additional tensions and pressures. Besides, racial discrimination is also evident in the field of sports whereby some games are set aside for the white community while other games are dominated by the black community. In games such as soccer, the blacks refuse to mix with their white counterparts, thus, the whites are highly prejudiced when it comes to getting a position in a soccer game. Actually, many sporting clubs are owned by the rich white people, and in many instances, the blacks find it very hard to gain membership in these clubs (Reilly, Kaufman, and Bodino 54). Solutions to the Global Problem Racial discrimination is a major vice in the society. Several measures have been put in place by various non-profit organizations with the aim of eliminating this vice. It is very beneficial when the racist activities are shut off completely so as to promote peaceful co-existence of the people in the society. Peace Corps is one of the non-profit organizations that preach peace and tranquility with the aim of eliminating racial discrimination. They hold the view that showing hatred toward somebody with regards to his or her racial origin is a sin and is contrary to Christian values. They further elaborate that every person should emulate Jesus Christ who never discriminated anybody and loved His enemies equally. Therefore, every person should change his or her heart so as to be friendly to the others; this aims at promoting peace and tranquility in the society. The Peace Corps, therefore, aim at fostering peace in the churches through preaching and conducting sermons with the belief t hat people will change their hearts (Peace Corps 2011). The United Nations, through UNICEF, have come up with a cause named International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day is observed on 21st March of each year. On such a day, there are various events or activities aimed at creating awareness that racial discrimination is a backward behavior and should actually be a thing of the past. In addition, people are reminded to observe and stick to their role of abolishing anti-racial behaviors in the society. The events and the activities that take place on this day aim at encouraging the people, especially the young ones to speak out in one voice, to battle racial discrimination, and to promote peaceful and friendly co-existence among the diverse population. Various United Nations leaders all over the world also speak out on this day and their messages is also aimed at promoting peace and harmonious existence by the members of the society (United Nations 2010). The World Bank has also contributed towards eliminating racial discrimination through funding various causes that aim at eliminating the vice. In Jamaica, the various movements that are spearheaded by non-governmental organizations so as to fight racism have been funded by the World Bank Group. The top management of the World Bank have also aired their voice against the rising cases of racism and called upon the various leaders to take the step to organize programs or activities that enhance peaceful co-existence among the diverse members of the society. A person should not, therefore, be looked down upon on the basis of his or her racial origin. According to Ashoka, the previous emperor of India, racial discrimination is regarded as a social evil and should be eliminated at all cost. Ashoka played a vital role in fostering unity among the people through his religion as a Buddhist. He developed several doctrines that were practiced by his followers regardless of their race. His teachings concerning racial discrimination pertained to how the vice could lead to war if it was left unattended to, thus, the fight against racial discrimination starts with every single individual. It is upon the individual to realize the magnitude of the problem and come up with quick solutions to counter it. No individual should look down upon the other because of his or her racial orientation (Krause and Knight 63). Conclusion Racial discrimination contributes to the moral decay of the society. When it is allowed to persist, much hostility and tension could arise among the warring members of the society. It is very beneficial to exist peacefully with all the members of the society regardless of their race. Various non-profit institutions have spearheaded programs in Jamaica to combat racial discrimination as a result of the urgency of the matter. Buy custom Jamaica essay

Computer Security and Biometrics Research Paper

Computer Security and Biometrics - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that due to recurrent technological developments, information and communication technology frequently diverts in new dimensions. The research and development in the context of information and communication technology is very effective. Moreover, the new and advanced form of technology has also facilitated vulnerabilities and threats to be more intelligent. Organizations require advanced protection and security from these threats and vulnerabilities. In order to protect information assets, organizations emphasize on implementing logical and physical controls to protect and secure organizational assets. Security issues can lead to many different aspects. For example, if the server containing customer data is breached, organization will lose its credibility and trust among the customer and that will result in business loss. Similarly, if a critical system is hacked by internal or external sources, organization’s financial data along with goals and objectives can be revealed to other competitors. For securing logical and physical threats, organizations implement firewalls to deploy packet filtering, eliminating viruses and malicious codes, intrusion detection system to continuously sense the behavior of the network, biometric systems for physical authentication of employees, incident response teams to recover the loss on immediate basis and IP cameras to monitor their critical information assets on the network. System Security As per (Dhillon 451), there are three types of controls that will address the three systems i.e. formal, informal and technical. Example of each one of these is illustrated as: Formal control: Modifying organization structure Informal control: Security awareness Technical control: Restricting unauthorized access Formal controls provide assistance to technical controls, as they govern and address issues of integrity in application and data that may lead to high risk and cost. Likewise, in order to govern formal controls, assignment of jobs and responsibilities is vital, as this allocation of duties and responsibilities will set alignment with business objectives. Formal controls are associated with management aspect that will deploy strategic security management practices. The security management will select employees from all departments of the organization where necessary. Moreover, the security management will address data protection legislations, security audits, regulatory compliance, legal and insurance issues, hiring criteria for employees, misconduct, risk assessment, incident management and response etc. Informal controls are associated with security awareness programs considered as the cost effective tool used to aware employees for ‘do’s and don’ts’ while accessing data or information resources. As risk environment is constantly changing, a comprehensive education and security awareness program is extremely important that will conduct periodic awareness sessions for new employees, or new technology or any relevant risk that needs to be addressed. Therefore, the security awareness program should be considered as a ‘common belief system’ (Dhillon 451). Lastly, the technical control that is not limited to authentication of a user along with assigning proper rights on an application or operating system. In order to apply confidentiality to data, encryption, hashing, encoding methods are adopted by organization. Likewise, smart card is the most popular one (Dhillon 451). Moreover,

Sports in Popular Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sports in Popular Culture - Research Paper Example From warring tribes to states, humans have always been placed in a situation where we are forced to compete. Sports have been increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the ancient Olympics up to the present century. Industrialization has brought increased leisure time to the citizens of developed and developing countries, leading to more time for citizens to attend and follow spectator sports, greater participation in athletic activities, and increased accessibility. The creation of sports activities is merely a means of allowing individuals to externalize their need for competition. This paper focuses on the competition, the social impact, and the economic value that sports have on society. Competition is at the very core of humanity. This is visible at various levels of the individual life style. Capitalism as an economic structure identifies the fact that resources are finite, and individuals must compete to accumulate as much as possible. While history has shown that other ideas on how the economy should function exist, the market place of ideas crowned capitalism the king. Beyond the economic infrastructure is the educational system. Students strive to be at the top of their class which is indicative of how competition penetrated the educational system. Competition seems to creative an incentive to become perfect. In terms of sports, individuals who compete on sports teams strive to perfect their skills in attempts to be the league leaders. Fans recognize this and rally behind individuals and teams that perform close to perfection. Fans seem to disassociate their identities from their normative lives and self identify with the team that they represent. Whether because of their hometown loyalty or because of a player, fans involve themselves in the competition and immediate choose sides. The ability to exercise choice within the sports community allows individuals to capitalize on their innate compulsion for competition. At the heart of the comp etition between fans is the loyalty to a certain team. This makes the competitive nature more volatile. This is due to the fact that some teams are better than others and fans continue to jump bandwagons. While each individual possesses the innate compulsion to compete, they have an even harder drive to be a winner. In fact, this lies at the heart of the competitive spirit. Success has been psychologically attached to winning. The more successful a team, the better their fans feel. Individuals tend to make emotional investments into sporting events, whereby the outcome typically draws an emotional reaction from the fan. Beyond the competitive nature of sporting events lies the social component. While some individuals feel the obsessive need to be competitive, others attend events and watch games because it involves a social component. When attending stadium events with tens of thousands of other individuals in attendance it makes the actual experience more involved for the individua ls. These events typically involve drinking and cheering which makes a great time for the fans. As Jean Jacques Rousseau explains, â€Å"man is a social animal.† This means that individuals are inclined to involve themselves in activities that allow them to socialize with their peers. This means that sporting events provide the perfect context. While this does position individuals to collaborate with their peers in cheering for the team of their choice, this does not always turn out to be so

Strategic Human Resource Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Human Resource Planning - Essay Example "The range of activities and themes encompassed by SHRM is complex and goes beyond the responsibilities of personnel or HR managers into all aspects of managing people and focuses on management decisions and behaviors used, consciously or unconsciously, to control, influence and motivate those who work for the organizations - the human resources" (Price, 2007) What Charmagne was considering was a combination of this and Issues-Based Strategic Planning, under which goals are prioritized. According to her, producing products with good quality corresponding to the specifications of the contract is more important than getting the larger contract. She is also carrying out a cost-benefit analysis which helps her predict that recruiting trained workers from the market in this short span of time means high costs for the firm. Probably even higher than the benefits that they will enjoy from the large contract. However, she is more concerned with delivering a good quality product rather than motivating Proper Corporate Strategic planning comes with proper analysis of all the different aspects of the scenario, its alternatives and the external factors affecting decisions. Charmagne's strategy is not based on impulse but has facts, figures and practical study to support her argument. And when she is challenging Brian, this strategic plan will help her put forward her points to him concretely and more clearly.

Online Auctions For Everyone On Ebay Business Essay

Online Auctions For Everyone On Ebay Business Essay EBay was launched in 1995 as an online platform that permitted efficient peer-to-peer trading in an auction format. (Daniels, John D., Radebaugh,Lee H., Sullivan, Daniel P., 2007) The online auction site provided a space on the internet for people to buy, sell, and trade any multitude of items from almost any category imaginable. As for the business itself, the beauty of it is that eBay has no inventory, storage, transportation or production costs associated with their product. The product is simply providing the environment on the web for people to auction their goods. The concept can be thought of much like an electronic garage or yard sale where for a small fee, people can post their items on eBay. The selling price for items posted is totally up to the individual and ebay just obtains a small percentage of the selling price after the auction is complete, usuall between 7 and 18 percent. (Daniels, John D., Radebaugh,Lee H., Sullivan, Daniel P., 2007). Therefore, eBays core compete ncy is simply matching buyer and seller together through an online platform. Initially, eBays strategy was to match up buyers and sellers collecting a small fee from each transaction, but the business grew quickly. One reason for the rapid growth was the fact that eBay was providing an outlet for items that were not very marketable by conventional store fronts. Additionally, the internet connect people from all over, making marketing virtually free. By 1999, eBays net revenues grew to $225 million and continued to grow to 3.2 billion dollars by 2004. (Daniels, John D., Radebaugh,Lee H., Sullivan, Daniel P., 2007) Up to this point most of the registered users of eBay resided in the United States but the site was accessed by people all around the globe. The presented eBay with the opportunity to expand globally as a means to increase their value chain. In order to comply with their company vision of creating the worlds largest global trading community and to help people trade, eBay had to expand into the global market by understanding and embracing a decentralized value chain. This meant attracting new registered users from foreign countries by creating largely independent country subsidiaries. For example, eBay began acquiring companies in foreign countries that were similar auction sites. This allowed eBay not only to gain those customers from the acquired company but benefit from the cultural acceptance of that particular company. Many of these foreign businesses operated in their native language making it easier for locals to conduct business with eBay. In time, eBay would change the names of these companies but not lose the customers because they adapted the acquired company to the core competency and company vision. This strategy opened new markets for eBay around the globe. It is important to reemphasize that eBays value chain is virtual mainly because there is no real product associated with their core competency. Value chain refers to the real work a business has to do in order to conceive, design, produce, market, and distribute a product and its support to the consumer. In eBays case, the Internet has circumvented real work for the alternative idea of the virtual value chain. Value is created through virtual networks, rather than through static, internally focused chains. (Daniels, John D., Radebaugh,Lee H., Sullivan, Daniel P., 2007) Ebays initial strategy involved matching up buyers and sellers. The final details of a transaction were totally up to the two parties involved and not eBay itself. Shipping and money transfer were the responsibility of the seller. Ebay began looking for ways to innovate and did so by purchasing the company PayPal which is used to transfer payments between buyers and sellers. Now, not only did eBay provide a medium for customers to conduct auctions, but they also provided a simple way to complete shipping and payment transactions. Again, this added feature is virtual in nature. Ebay still has no real resource involved but collects a fee on any transaction. Therefore the value chain in increased even more. Ebay began competing with other businesses offering mainstream products for sale on their auction platform. Whereas an auction normally posted an item for sale for a certain amount of time and the highest bidder won, mainstream products would be placed on auction with a reserve and a buy now price applied for those not wanting to wait out the time of the auction. The downfall to this is that if the reserve bid was not met, the item did not sell. Although this strategy is still active, more emphasis is now placed on eBays original strategy. Because individual sellers were overrun by fixed-price retailers they lost interest in the site and buyers began looking elsewhere to search for the less mainstream products upon which eBay built its business. In an article titled eBays New Strategy: What Was Once Old is New Again, author Matt Pace coined eBays new strategy as, Its out with the new and in with the old both in terms of corporate strategy and product mix. After failing to compete as a fixed-priced on line retailer with Amazon.com and Walmart, eBay decided to revert back to its original premise of an auction clearinghouse for used goods and collectables. (Matt Pace, 2009) Now that eBay is back to its core competency, what is the way ahead? Profits and growth were beginning to fall based largely on the fact that eBay had not successfully moved into some foreign markets. Because eBays platform relies on internet usage, many emerging economies were handicapped in the fact that most households do not have internet connections. When faced with this problem, eBay saw an opportunity to grow by moving into the telecommunications market. Ebay purchased the company Skype as a means to penetrate markets where computer access was limited but communications was not. According to Skype President Josh Silverman, communications is no longer just about voice; its now multi-modal: mood messages, chat, voice calling, multi-party calling, video calling and online screen sharing. Where and how we communicate is expanding to laptops, mobile phones, and flat panel TVs. Any connected computing device with the addition of software becomes a communication device. Skype continu es to add over 350,000 new account registrations per day all around the globe. (Jim Courtney, 2009) According to executives, the synergies of standalone businesses, eBay, PayPal and Skype have the ability to pursue new market opportunities and capture future growth. Working together, these three businesses can create entirely new opportunities for innovation and expansion, and redouble the strength of the companys leadership position (eBay-Inc, 2006) Ebay has continued to reenforce their position in their market by meeting new challenges head on. Tackling problems such as translational software and online security is a top priority. Ebay announced cooperation with Yahoo! on phishing and according eBays CEO, Meg Whitman, this will be our core competency over the next 10 years. The balance is tricky, but the company has dipped its toe in the social networking waters a few times, most recently on Tuesday when Skype partnered with MySpace to become the worlds largest voice network. (Wendy Tanaka, 2007) All of the challenges faced by eBay can be culminated in one small shift in their strategy for the years to come. The initial strategy of providing an environment for buyers and sellers to auction their items has morphed into seeking out new buyers and sellers to use their environment through added values in their value chain.

Decision-Making Model Essay

The human decision-making process has been described by the development of several frameworks. The alternative for the maximize utility of the decision is selected by a fully informed, as well as, knowledgeable decision maker in the Rational Model. A satisfactory decision alternative is sought by the decision maker due to the causes of time, information, and space constraints according to the Bounder Rationality Model. It is hypothesized by the Organizational Model that available procedures are used by the decision maker for the solution of problems of decisions in a continuously updated organizational memory. Conflicting values and interests are confronted by the decision makers in the Muddling through Model, and an incremental improvement in the outcome is achieved by the selection of alternative with minimal organizational changes. An intermeshing of problems, solutions, and decision maker interest are represented by decisions that are forced by social and political factors in an anarchistic environment according to the Garbage Can Model. The criteria are met best by the identification of alternative with the use of relationship that is made between the criteria, events, and alternative by the decision maker in the Classical Decision Theory Model. During the selection process, conflicting constraints can be confronted by the decision maker, as intangible or tangible criteria would have to be dealt in uncertain events. The situation is assessed, a single alternative is generated and evaluated, and alternative for a satisfactory solution of the problem is selected by the decision makers according to the Naturalistic Decision-Making Model. Outcomes of the decision-making process are focused by some of the proposed models like Classical and Rational Decision Theory formulations. A limited set of decision activities is highlighted by other models like Bounded Rationality Models and Naturalistic Decision-Making Models. A comprehensive and integrated view of decision-making has been offered by none of the proposals. In addition, not all the situations of the decision-making can be applied with any formulations of these proposals. For instance, operational and tactical decisions can be applied with the Organizational Model. However, strategic decisions cannot be applied with this model due to incomplete understanding of the problem, as well as, limited availability of the knowledge of the problem. In this regard, the most popular model of the human decision-making process has been the three-phase paradigm of design, intelligence, and choice by the Simon. Virtually, all other proposed frameworks have been implied by this most general paradigm. However, an implementation phase of the Simon’s formulation has been concluded with the expansion of such scrutiny. Reality is observed by the decision maker during the intelligence phase. A fundamental understanding regarding the existing problems, as well as, new opportunities is gained by the maker. In addition, the general quantitative and qualitative information is acquired by the decision maker for the addressing of different opportunities, as well as, the problems. In the design phase, a specific and precise model is developed by the decision-maker, by which, the discovered problems and opportunities are examined systematically. Decision alternatives, uncontrollable events, criteria, and numerical, as well as, symbolic relationships will be consist in this model. The ensuing choice phase constitutes of the generation of recommended actions from the evaluation of the specified alternatives by the usage of explicit models logically. The analyses and recommendations are pondered by the decision maker during the subsequent implementation phase. In this regard, the consequences are weighed, and sufficient confidence is gained in the decision-making process. In addition, an implementation plan is developed, financial, human, and material resources are secured, the plan is put into the action. After the implementation of the final choice, the new reality should be observed by the decision maker. In addition, intelligence, design, choice, and implementation should be regarded and followed by the decision maker. Moreover, the need for revisions at preceding phases might be suggested by the phase’s analyses. For instance, adjustments of the previous design might be necessitated by the analyses during the choice. Conceptually, individual or group decision-making is applied with the decision-making process in the same manner. In practice, the communication-intensive aspects of cooperative problem solving must be accommodated by the group decision-making. In addition, voting, ranking, rating, and other consensus-developing methodologies should be supported by the usage of structured techniques. Group and organizational collaboration support should be provided by the development of this consensus. Decision-making model can be operated by the use of a variety of measures. Outcomes are dealt by some measures, and process outcomes are involved by the others. Positive decision outcomes can include: Increases in returns, costs reduction, and increment in the flow of information are some of the examples of the gains in the performance of the organization. When the understanding of a person regarding a current problem, as well as, its solution is developed, the decision-maker’s maturity develops. In addition, the improvement of the general problem-solving skills also results in the maturation of the decision-maker. Objectively, recording can be done regarding the number of opportunities, problems, as well as, alternatives. Experts, as well as, person’s evaluations can assess such efforts and subjective assessments. In expert’s evaluations, practice would be observed by the experienced decision makers and the examinee’s efforts will be rated. In this regard, a structured rating form will be used for its support. The examinees are used by the directed self-examinations, and a facilitator is used for the purpose of guidance. In some decision-making situations, the improvement of the organizational performance becomes impossible due to the competition, internal restrictions, external constraints, and several other factors. Under these circumstances, the main decision outcome will be the learning, training, and various other beneficial side effects during the maturation of the decision maker. Process Enhancements in the ability of a person or group are involved in the process improvements for the implementation of the phases and steps in the decision-making process. Experts, as well as, person’s evaluations can assess such efforts and with the help of subjective assessments. In expert’s evaluations, practice would be observed by the experienced decision makers and the proficiency of the examinee during each phase and step of the decision-making process will be rated. In this regard, a structured rating form will be used for its support. The examinees are used by the directed self-examinations, and a facilitator is used for the purpose of guidance. The use of accounting tools is involved in the process tracing, in which, the decision aid is embedded for the recording, as well as, reporting of the actions of the examinee during the decision-making process. In addition, the process enhancements may be manifested through: The time that is needed during the structuring of the problem by the user is reduced in a hike in personal efficiency. In addition, in a given time period, the number of alternatives is increased during the evaluation of the user, which is also an example of the hike in personal efficiency. The time of the decision-making is reduced, and the amount of pertinent information is increased from the decision-making is an improvement in the personal productivity. Objectively, recording can be done regarding the time and number of evaluated alternatives. Expert, as well as, direct self-evaluations by the activity of an individual or group can assess the amount of pertinent information, wisdom, and knowledge, that is, subjective assessments. In any particular management situation, more importance might be given to the support for some phases, as compared with the support for others. The process should be improved for at least the relevant phases by a given aid in the decision-making process. The decision outcome and process measures have been summarized in the Table 1. In addition, the measurements have been obtained by the available approaches, which have also been summarized in the table. As such, a series of guidelines has been offered by the table for the operation of the decision-making process. For instance, the implementation phase of the decision-making process consists of confidence and commitment of the decision maker. The performance of the decision maker during these steps is measured by the process tracing, expert ratings, and directed self-evaluations, as indicated by the Table 1.

Moral Reflection

Everyday in our lives we are forced into making moral decisions about anything under the sun. There are situations that make such process difficult, and there are situations where the answer appears to be just right in front of our faces. I believe it would be difficult for anyone to decide on any ethical dilemma if he has no clear idea of morality.Personally, I am aware that of at least two ethical principles that guide me in my everyday ethical decision-making. These are utilitarianism and Kantian moral philosophy. utilitarianism holds that a person’s action would be considered morally right if it tends to promote happiness for the greatest number of people. Thus, utilitarianism as a moral philosophy places emphasis on the consequences of human action, rather than on the motives behind such action (West).On the other hand, Kantian moral philosophy, or more popularly known as the categorical imperative, is based on notions of obligation, necessity and reason. Kant believed th at morality consists in the choosing and doing proper conduct, and the proper action is dictated solely by rational considerations. Thus, Kant holds that subjective considerations, including emotions, should not be considered in moral decision-making (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy).I believe in both these theories and I use them both when I decide everyday ethical dilemmas. There are times when. I believe purely rational considerations should prevail, but there are times that I also consider subjective factors like emotions. I believe that both theories guide my actions and decisions, and both allow me to weigh various considerations in my mind.Nevertheless, I believe that Kant’s method in determining the right conduct is a better decision-making process, because Kant provded clear criteria for choosing. Kant provided this rule, thus:â€Å"So act, that the rule on which thou actest would admit of being adopted as a law   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   by all rational b eings. (Kant).†This rule is easier to follow since it does not fluctuate depending on my mood or subjective predilection, which could change in any day. It serves as a â€Å"true north,† which teaches all men how to think and decide moral dilemmas.One moral issue that deeply concerns me is euthanasia, or mercy killing. Euthanasia is defined as an act characterized by â€Å"the intentional ending of a patient's life by a physician, usually by lethal injection (Religion Facts).†Ã‚   Euthanasia is always being raised as an option where a person is with a terminal illness and slim chances of recovering. It is an important issue for me because I could easily imagine myself in the position of the sick person’s family, and I could imagine subjective feelings that would dictate either euthanasia or maintaining life support. In these kinds of situations, utilitarianism could support either position, as the decision would depend on the consequences of an action. On the other hand, Kantian philosophy could provide a more definitive answer, but such answer would definitely not consider emotions, because these are subjective factors that are not based on reason.Works CitedKant, I. The Metaphysics of Ethics. 1886.MacDonald, Chris. â€Å"Moral Decision Making — An Analysis.† 2002. 14 Feb. 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .Religion Facts. â€Å"Facts and Statistics on Euthanasia.† 14 Feb. 2008.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ;http://www.religionfacts.com/euthanasia/stats.htm;.The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. â€Å"The Categorical Imperative.† 2001. 14 Feb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008.;http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/categorical-imperative.html;.West, Henry R. â€Å"Utilitarianism.† Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 14 Feb. 2008.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ;http://www.utilitarianism.com/utilitarianism.html;.

Julian Abele

Julian Abele Julian Abele (born April 29, 1881 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the University of Pennsylvania University Archives and Records Center) is best known in Durham, North Carolina as the architect of the Duke University campus. The story of Julian Francis Abele is not rags-to-riches but a tale of hard work and dedication. In college Abele called himself Willing and Able. A brilliant and accomplished student, Abele became the first Black graduate of the University of Pennsylvanias School of Architecture. Although not Americas first architect of color, Julian Abele was one of the first prominent Black architects in America, finding success with the Philadelphia architecture firm led by Horace Trumbauer. The Duke University Chapel may be Abeles most famous building. Died: April 23, 1950 in Philadelphia Education, Training, and Professional Life: Institute for Colored Youth and Brown Preparatory School, Philadelphia1898: Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art1902: B.A. in Arch. - University of Pennsylvania1902-1903: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; worked for Philadelphia architect Louis C. Hickman while in school1903-1905: traveled to Western US, worked on a house for his sisters family, Elizabeth Rebecca Abele Cookcirca 1905: three years of travel in Europe and study in France1906: began work for Horace Trumbauer; became chief designer in 1909 until Trumbauers death in 1938. The Office of Horace Trumbauer continued under the leadership of its principals, Julian Abele and William O. Frank1942: Admitted to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Notable Buildings as Trumbauers Chief Designer: 1909-1912: James Buchanan Duke House, New York Cityc. 1912: Frank P. Mitchell house (Argentine Embassy), Washington, DC1915: Miramar (The George D. Widener Cottage), Newport, RI1915: Widener Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA1921: Whitemarsh Hall, Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania1925: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA1927: Central Library, Free Library of Philadelphia, PA1928: James B. Clews Residence, Long Island, NY1930: Perkins Library, Duke University West Campus, Durham, North Carolina1935: Duke University Chapel, West Campus, Durham, North Carolina1938: Duke University Dormitories, West Campus, Durham, NC1940: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University West Campus, Durham, NC At the turn of the twentieth century, many American architects made a good living building Great Homes of the Gilded Age. Horace Trumbauers commission to build a New York City estate for tobacco tycoon James B. Duke really paid off with the much larger projects at Duke University, where Julian Abele made his mark in architecture. Personal Life: 1925: Married to Marguerite Bulle, a French musician; three children, Julian, Jr., Marguerite Marie (died in childhood), and Nadia Boulanger. The marriage dissolved by 1936 when the younger Marguerite became involved with another musician. They never divorced.Julian, Jr. and Abeles sisters child, Julian Abele Cook (1904 - 1986), both became architects Duke University Architecture: In 1892 Trinity College moved 70 miles east to Durham, North Carolina and the Duke family began funding campus building. By 1924, the Duke Endowment was established and Trinity College transformed into Duke University. The original East Campus was renovated with Georgian-style buildings, after the Collegiate Georgian Architecture popular at other universities. Beginning in 1927 a West Campus was added, built in a Gothic-revival architectural style also popular at large, established Ivy League institutions. Architecture was used to bring students, faculty, and prestige to the new Duke institution - if it looked like a university, it must be one. The Philadelphia architecture firm led by Horace Trumbauer began the transformation of Trinity into Duke. Trumbauers head designer Julian Abele, along with William O. Frank, tackled the Duke projects from 1924 to 1958. The pià ¨ce de rà ©sistance of Abeles designs is the iconic Duke Chapel, which became the centerpiece of the West Campus. Collegiate Gothic style is a revival of 12th century Gothic architecture, with soaring ceilings, pointed arches, and flying buttresses. For Dukes Chapel, begun in 1930, Abele employed modern building techniques and materials to eliminate the need to buttress the walls. Steel trusses and structural Guastavino ceramic tile gave strength to the 210 foot structure, while local volcanic Hillsborough bluestone distinguished the distinctive facade of the neo-Gothic design. The Chapel tower, modeled after Englands Canterbury Cathedral, became a prototype for many of the future towers of Duke University. Olmsted landscape architects, from the prestigious firm founded by Frederick Law Olmsted, were employed to create a walkable campus, connecting the architecture with the surrounding natural beauty. If the intent of Duke was to rival the great universities of the northeast, this twentieth century campus, designed in part by a prominent Black architect, accomplished the task. In the Words of Julian Abele: The shadows are all mine. - commenting on the unsigned architectural drawings for the Gothic Revival Duke University Chapel, Duke University Archives Learn More: Out of the Shadows by Susan E. Tifft, Smithsonian Magazine, February 2005Philadelphia Area Architecture of Horace Trumbauer (Images of America) by Rachel Hildebrandt and the Old York Road Historical Society, 2009American Splendor: The Residential Architecture of Horace Trumbauer by Michael C. Kathrens, rev. 2012Duke University: An Architectural Tour by John M. Bryan, 2000Duke University: An Architectural Tour (The Campus Guide) by Ken Friedlein and John Pearce, 2015Friends of Julian Abele Park, Philadelphia, PA Sources: Penn Biographies, University of Pennsylvania University Archives and Records Center; Julian F. Abele, Architect, Free Library of Philadelphia; Biography and Projects from the American Architects and Buildings database, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia; Dukes Architecture, Office of the University Architect, Duke University; Black U.S. Architect Designed a Bond with Argentina, IIP Digital, Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State; Frank P. Mitchell House, African American Historic Places Database, National Trust for Historic Preservation; History, The Building at http://chapel.duke.edu/history/building, Duke University Chapel. Websites accessed April 3-4, 2014.

Censorship In Radio Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Censorship In Radio Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers HTML> HEAD> TITLE>Censorship In Radio/TITLE>/HEAD> BODY> Censorship in radio For the past several years Freedom of speech in America has had its meaning changed many times. Although the changes have gone unnoticed by most Americans, In the radio business they are felt day in and day out. radio personalities, programmers, and owners have to deal with this everyday but they too have no real idea what the Federal Communications Commissions idea of free speech is. You see the rule seems to change depending on who you are. If you are tagged by the FCC anything the broadcaster does or says is monitored and picked over and fined.( Howard stern. King Of All Media.165-166 ) The FCC has been picking on Howard Stern for years, they singled Howard for doing trash radio. But according to Stern other programs are saying or doing the same if not worse things than he is. Stern tells of when Geraldo said (Stern Miss America. 526-530.) in a show about the Mennendez brothers being molested for doing something wrong. Hell, Im not for child molestation, but if I knew anal sex . . . punishment, Id keep my room clean. Geraldo goes untouched. but Howard got fined for saying lesbians filled with lust. (Howard Stern. Miss America.519). That seems a bit more tame to me but since Stern is tagged he gets fined. The First Amendment states. congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech. This rule, over the years has changed to congress shall make . . . as interpreted by the FCC (king of all. 165) this makes no sense the word freedom, according to Websters Dictionary means the state of being free from constraints, possession of political and civil rights, unrestricted access or use yet, the FCC is in charge of what can and cant be said over the airwaves. The FCC is the god of the broadcasting industry, they do not have to answer to anybody they have all the power to do whatever they want. The basic rule for a deejay is that he/she may not use the seven dirty words, all know them and understand they can not use them, But what nobo dy knows is, what else cant a deejay say over the air. The rules are not documented. Most stations go by their own policy, And if their policy is wrong and something goes over the air that isnt supposed to they can get pulled ( off the air) or fined. Martin Espada is a person who got pulled from the air and his poem censored. ( all things censored. 20-22 ) Espada says, he wrote a poem for the radio program All Things Considered called imagine the angels of bread about an African American wrongly accused of killing a Philadelphia police officer. And with the heat the poem would have generated the program with some forceful help from the FCC type group called National Public Radio the poem was pulled and Espada was no longer allowed to read his poetry on the air. Now Espada was never fined from the FCC because his poem never made the air waves, but the real question is, If it had, would Espada been fined? probably not, Because so many deejays that do trash radio never even get looked at by the FCC Because they are not marked yet. This shows the hypocrisy of the FCC. I myself have lived in many different cities all across the United States and Ive listened to just about every local deejay in those cities and they are all pretty much doing the same thing as Howard Stern, yet no fines hardly at all, I watch television and see the same type of show, again no fines, Joe salzman writes about the hypocrisy of free speech. ( hypocrisy rules the air waves.) He points out that shows like Seinfeld, (In prime time when most kids are watching) can talk about Sexual intercourse, Masturbation, bodily functions, male and female sex organs, Impotence, homosexuality, and birth control methods. and people and the media love him. And a show like the Howard Stern Show.( in the morning, when most kids are in school.) talks about sexual intercourse, . .

PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH - Essay Example This is explained by the events preceding his maladaptive behavior. He is still morning his wife, who has recently passed on, and this situation leave him vulnerable to drugs and substance use. His social exclusion can aslo be explained by the fact that he has not worked for almost 30 years. As a result, he may have lost friends, especially due to his drinking problem. However, one of the main problems is that Jim lacks strong social bond. He is socially excluded; hence, he cannot share his emotional status with anyone. Due to post-traumatic stress disorder, Jim has become callous to social events and even forgotten about his personal grooming. Social exclusion has been associated with impaired self-regulation and cognition the victims become lonely, and can succumb to self-defeating behaviour (Taylor, 2007). This may include excessive drinking, become unhygiene, and even use illegal drugs. Social exclusion is conceptualized as lack of strong social bonds. The social ties are created with either one’s spouse, family members or friends. However, due to personality issues, a number of people do not have a large social capital or a circle of friends. Unlike most women who keep large circles of friends and strong relationships, men have less or no close friends (Taylor, 2007). women on the other hand use the established social bonds to express their negative emotions, hence may not experience health problems emanating from psychological triggers. Social exclusion, leads to feelings of isolation, loneliness, and estrangement. People are social being, and they thrive well in social interactions. If they cannot form strong social bonds, they are most likely to engage in self-defeating behavior such as excessive drinking. In Jim’s case, it is clear that he is experiencing social exclusion. However, Jim’s scenario can be understood by looking at the events that precede his current behavior. Death is a traumatizing event that can lead to depression and other

Case study for strategic management Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

For strategic management - Case Study Example Generally speaking, there are various strategies that Keurig Company has used to fuel growth. To mention, these strategies include introducing newer beverage categories, adopting newer distribution channels, using better brewer technologies and introducing new brands among others. To begin with, the company expanded its traditional Single Cup Brewing system to encompass the desires and wants of the customers. In other words, the company aimed at changing the consumer behavior through changing the way â€Å"that the company brewed and enjoyed coffee.† As such, the company expanded its consumer brands, used an effective distribution system and was excessively committed towards ensuring that there was incorporation of new brewing technologies and innovation. Notably important, Keurig’s external environment is filled up with factors which could impact the overall coffee industry. First, the existence of political instability in coffee production countries such as Ecuador and Venezuela due to governmental intent to increase coffee prices could affect the prices of raw material thus affecting the coffee industry as a whole. Equally, political forces may economic fluctuations brought about by the changes in coffee prices thus affecting both the suppliers and producers. Moreover, various cultures in the global context will prefer different types of coffee. For instance, whereas Americans would mostly prefer lowly concentrated coffee, the Europeans would mostly prefer smaller quantities of concentrated coffee. Thus, the different societal cultures would affect Keurig’s and other companies’ performance in the coffee industry. Consequently, the advancement of technology and innovation has impacted the coffee industry in various dimensions. For instance, due to the development of technology, Keurig managed to adopt a newer brewing Single Cup Brewing System