Riordan Corporate Compliance Plan Research Paper

Riordan Corporate Compliance Plan - Research Paper Example The company has grown in operation and thus, its growth comes with many risks and liabilities (eCampus, 2005). This is because with the expansion, it will increase its capital base, resource base, and customer base. Location in different regions around the world such as China also implies that the company will be faced with different international rules and regulations that it will have to comply with. Therefore, with all these risks, the company requires a concrete risk management plan that can be used to ensure that any perils and hazards facing the employees and management of the organization are well handled. Risk management in the organization will require involvement of a number of persons in the organization (Hopkin,  2010). This implies that the internal environment of the organization will have to be keenly assessed in order to identify the major areas that can lead to risks in the company (COSO, 2004). The objects that have been set in the company will also be keenly asse d in order to identify ways in which the risks might lead to failure of achieving the set objectives. In addition, both internal and external events that might lead to occurrence of the risks in the company will also have to be identified. Once such events have been identified, the risks will then be assessed and analyzed. Policies and control actions will also be identified in order to find the effective risk responses. Information will also be very important in the risk management plan. This is because; information will be used to learn more about the risks and ways of managing them. On the other hand, information has to be accompanied by communication. Once the relevant information about the risks has been identified, it has to be effectively communicated to the rest of the employees. In addition, Riordan Manufacturing will have to establish clear communication in order to ensure effective risk management (COSO, 2004). For instance, in the case of enterprise liability, the compan y has to ensure effective relationships with the community, in order to ensure that it minimizes its liability. After effective communication has been identified, the company will then have to monitor different sections of its operation that will require change or modification in order to ensure proper risk management (COSO, 2004). Enterprise Liability Enterprise liability refers to the responsibility that the organization has to its actions towards the public. The enterprise liability of Riordan Company involves many individuals such as the authorities responsible, the society, the employees and the management of the organization. Riordan Manufacturing is liable for a number of issues resulting from its operations (eCampus, 2005). For instance, the company is liable for any kind of pollution that it causes to the public. Since Riordan Manufacturing is a Company dealing with plastics, it might cause pollution to the environment through the gases that it emits. Therefore, this might cause a risk to the company’s operations since; higher authorities dealing with environmental conservation could sue the company. This is a risk that can only be managed by ensuring that the management of the organization communicates to the employees effectively about applying the right production methods. Employees in the company could also be trained on how to recycle waste products produced by the company (Hopkin,

Individual Study Guide Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Summary Essay Example for Free

Individual Study Guide Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Summary Essay Complete the simulation, Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing, located on the student website. Write a 1,050- to 1,450-word summary in which you address the following for each of the three major phases in the simulation: The situation Your recommended solutions, including why Your results Summarize the different marketing components addressed in this simulation by answering the following questions: What is the relationship between differentiation and positioning of products or services? Is the repositioning of the product in the simulation as you had expected it to be? Explain why or why not. What is the effect of the product life cycle on marketing? What effect did the product life cycle have on the product in the simulation? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.Complete the simulation, Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing, located on the student website. Write a 1,050- to 1,450-word summary in which you address the following for each of the three major phases in the simulation: The situation Your recommended solutions, including why Your results Summarize the different marketing components addressed in this simulation by  answering the following questions: What is the relationship between differentiation and positioning of products or services? Is the repositioning of the product in the simulation as you had expected it to be? Explain why or why not. What is the effect of the product life cycle on marketing? What effect did the product life cycle have on the product in the simulation? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Self Appraisal for Career Development

Self Appraisal for Career Development Introduction Professional development is essential to career progression. Since todays working environment is becoming increasingly more complex, professionals face the challenge of managing the knowledge of multiple disciplines and systems and the ever changing interrelationships between them. There are a range of methods for managing professional development and it is important from both a professional and personal perspective to ensure that efforts are effective. The report below includes some of the methods used by a section manager who works for Selfridges department store. Task 1 Personal and Carrier Development Self Appraisal Self appraisal is an essential part of the Performance appraisal process where the employee able to gives the feedback of day to day activities by himself or his views and points regarding his performance. Usually this is done with the help of a self appraisal form where the employee rates himself on various parameters, tells about his training needs, if any, talks about his accomplishments, strengths, weaknesses, problems faced etc. Most of the performance management systems use self appraisals as one of its key processes. The main benefit of the self appraisal system is that even though it is not formal in every organisation, it provides an excellent foundation to the employees performance review. On the other hand it allows the management to understand the employees impression about the organisation and take decisions of his or her career progress. However there are some limitations in this method as well. Primarily it doesnt help employee to create an influential brand for him or herself that will stick in the mind of the boss. Employee needs to use the appraisal process to influence the boss to think about him or her in terms of the key capabilities/attributes that make him or her special and effective. Self Appraisal for a Sales Assistant Job information Employee: Michael Didenko Company: Selfridges Department store Position Title: Section Manager Review Period: three months from induction Office: London Oxford street branch Department: Mens Section: Mens Products Report to: Department Manager (Roger Newell) Job descriptions and responsibilities There are four main areas included in this role. Firstly Sales and provision of service which includes Receives and approaches clients, Leads a sales discussion, continues to ask questions to discover customer needs and receives complaints or is involved in it. Secondly Receipt and processing of goods where responsibilities of receiving and storing of goods involves as well as management of inventory. Thirdly, concluding of sales transactions which include Making the cash point and system ready to use and managing the point of sale system and most importantly the management of employee activities including the leading of team towards greater performance, recruiting, allocating work tasks, supervising, motivating and liaising with other managers. Specify ways that you feel you met or exceeded job requirements and any reasons why. Can be satisfies as the questioning of customers in order to determine the needs of customers came up with positive feedback. Store managed to create special customised services using the findings of myself. Became the section of the department which has done highest sales in two consecutive weeks after two months of starting job. I feel that our sections customer service in a good level as for the last three month period I have received no complaints but 11 mentioned compliments. Specify the ways that you feel you did not meet job requirements and any reasons why. Sometimes it feels hard to meet up company promotional policy due to personal marketing attitude. Still not excellent in inventory due the large variety. In what specific areas would you like to improve your job performance? Inventory Management techniques Presentation skills Quality of the retail management Team working List the steps you would like to take to improve your preparation for future opportunities. Get involved in the performance workshops Use the company training and development criteria effectively Learn retail management independently What job-related goals would you like to accomplish in the next 12 months? Get excellent inventory management skills. Trained to become a Department supervisor. Soon after finish the degree, get selected to the company graduate scheme. List additional items you would like to discuss. Would like to know about the goods ordering system for the entire deparmrnt and womans department of the company as a career development. Sample Curriculum Vitae Personal profile Young, dynamic BA Undergraduate seeking a career leads to management and administration. Good team worker who enjoys learning via experience. Keen to develop skills in all aspects of life and will work hard to achieve the desired goals. Able to work on own initiative or as part of a team and can deal with administrative duties competently. Employment record 2008 To Date: Selfridges Department Store Section Sales Manager Keeping up with key trends and have the confidence to suggest alternatives as well as maximising sales of cooperating brands. This is a great opportunity for Dealing with merchandising standards and deliveries, embracing teamwork, effective communication and supporting the retail management team. 2005 2008: Marriott Hotel, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire Front Office Colleague Managed and provided front of house services including reception, meeting room hospitality and key administration functions in a fast moving environment. This position has given a great opportunity to deliver the highest levels of customer service and professionalism to employees and visitors. 2003- 2005: Fenwicks Ltd, Brent Cross, London- Customer Service Advisor Served at the frontline, represented the service and brand values to an excellent and consistent level for the customers. Had an excellent knowledge of maximizing sales potential through the effective day-to-day management of the relationship with customers from initial sales enquiry, through to order and delivery. This position has greatly developed my communication skills and how to deal with customers efficiently and accurately. Educational Qualifications 2008-2010: BA (Hones) Business Management University of Sunderland The course covered an in-depth study of management theories and practice. In addition over the three year period it emphasises abilities to organise, monitor, control and develop best practice in the management of organisations whilst providing a thorough understanding of the business environment. Major study areas include, Managing Projects Marketing Strategies Strategic Management of People Financial Management Contemporary Developments in Business and Management Strategic Management Additional Skills Excellent experiences in Team work since the college period. Good communication skills through oral and visual presentations. Remarkable computer skills, including information management. Good at being responsible since college. Experienced in several social fieldwork and Charity Work Interests, Activities Other Information Member of the Cancer Society in UK. Member of the College swimming team, prefects guild and athletic squad Enjoy travelling, music and time out with friends as opportunity for new experience and meeting new people. Personal Development Plan DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE STAGES INVOLVED PROPOSED ACTIONS TO BE ACHIEVED BY RESOURCES REQUIRED Supervisory/section management skills  · Authority  · Responsibility  · Delegation  · Communication  · Time management Increase the management skills in order to ease the decision making process, actions can be taken as use training courses, delivering training to other staff, professional reading and shadowing management staff. 1 year * Organisational training scheme * Skills audit with the help of Department Manager * Other learning resources * Management Meetings Promotional Knowledge  · Sales and marketing  · Pricing  · Promotion  · Customer service  · Product and environment Can use training courses, consumer analysis, marketing analysis, management programmes, delegate with the staff on marketing perspective and knowledge of the similar sections 6 months 1 Marketing / Promotional Policy 2 Professional marketing courses 3 Customer feedbacks 4 Training modules Inventory knowledge  · First in first out  · Last in first out  · Average cost Training courses, understanding organisational statements, always involve in stock calculation, one to one discussions with higher management and knowledge of the ordering and sales of the section. 6 months 5 Stock management courses 6 Income and cash flow statements 7 Inventory policy 8 Order document 9 Stock calculation documents Interpersonal skills  · Communication/Interview skills  · Relationships  · Personal impact  · Conflict management Training courses, start of the day team talks, extra activities, build up strong relationships with supervisors and staff and be passionate. 3 month 10 Self Appraisal 11 Training courses 12 Professional reading materials Task 2 Evaluate Progress Evaluating progress is essential to staying on target. The Evaluation results and information gathered during the formal review process is used by many organizations to create new action plans, identify best practices, and set new performance goals. Most of the organisations urge its employees to have personal or pre structured evaluation reports in order keep track of their progress. In this way employees can simplify their way forward on achieving planned targets. This procedure work well in Selfridges and sample evaluation plan for the section manager in mens department is given below. Skill Evaluation Revision Management Skills Section manager development programme is completed and found very effective. Delivering the training to the staff found slightly difficult as very experienced workers have more skills than young managers. Other sections management is very helpful. Need to have more briefings. More management training will provide successful background. Aim: Assist to become the best department consecutively. Promotional Knowledge Market and consumer analysis is undergoing successfully. Yet it is still hard to make a impact on the overall promotions. Ideas of the sale staff and the theories of the marketing staff clash often. More marketing knowledge needed as a section manager. Regular sales promotions will be needed in the section. Aim: To make mens products section more popular in the whole store. Inventory Knowledge Inventory knowledge is increasing slowly but steadily. It seems that this problem is more personal due to the new arrivals and the amount of variety. Stock control is successful so far. Need to concentrate harder. Revising inventory reports will be helpful. Aim: Reduce wastage level of the section to a minimum. Interpersonal Skills Personally satisfied with the time relationships and the conflict management although if try harder can gain maximum out of the more experienced workers. Professional management course is undergoing. Communication should is not directed to the correct receiver several times. Have to maintain a clear communication policy. Team effort should be maximised. Aim: Create one of the best teams of the entire chain. Above evaluation plan is a single review of the ongoing processes depending on the personal development plan. Carrying out a regular reviewing process will assist to enhance the overall output in order to reach the set objectives. Some of the methods can be used are given below. Regular Observations Monthly action plans Weekly customer questioners Staff questioners at least at least every three months Progress reports Annual health checks There are many methods that different organisations use. Given examples above the once that Selfridges regularly use. Task 3 Interpersonal and Transferable Business Skills Problem recognition Lack of Motivation among the employees of Mens products section can be identified as one of the leading problem of the department. If this condition is not reasonably identified and solved properly, it can be spread to the other departments of the store and made an impact on the competitive advantage of the whole company. Analysis After recognising the problem, before finding the solution it is wise step to analyse the background of the problem. There are many reasons to the of motivation in the department. The company is well known for the employment of young energetic people, however there are many experienced people working among them from a long period. Most of this people are almost elderly people and some of them are working as supervisors. Comparing to the young and new starters these experienced people has high knowledge but lack of motivation due several reasons such as, Being unable to see future reward Lack of need Being indifferent Not having plans and Feeling depressed After carefully analysing the reasons it is clear that these matters of should be answered correctly in order to reduce the division of the team and motivate every single employee to gain a sales increase. Solutions In some companies the new starters have lack of motivation due to low ability although in Selfridges it can be clearly seen that the problem is among the well experienced staff. This is surely a major threat however solutions are not that hard. The most important step is to create enjoyable working conditions. This has to be done by the management with the close involvement of the staff. Some social events can bring up the whole department together and can renew the relationships among them self. Creating small sub groups within the department with a mixture of old and new staff and empower them as well as reward the groups will bring the motivation in to a new level. At the same time experienced staff should be rewarded at every possible time to boost up their working energy and to give a good example to the new starters. On the other hand the management should admire these experienced staff every time while setting up goals for them to lead the new staff. This can be seen as a recr eating a team to increase the productivity. Communication within the department In any organisation People have a basic need to know what is going on around them. Employees need to feel comfortable that their managers will share relevant information with them about the company, and about their performance and position within the organization. Having a properly described communication plan with clear channels will make this whole effort much easier and important information will pass easily. The communication strategy within the mens products section is fairly clear in Selfridges and normally exert in three levels within the section managers role. Communication between the section staff and the section manager and supervisors Link between the other section managers Departmental level and higher level management communication. At the first level communication mediums are much straight forward and sometimes informal. Most of the day to day businesses delivered verbally or orally between small groups of members of the staff. Majority of these messages are face to face and section manager is always clear about the actions. It is much easier because the communicated messages can be always adjusted at this level and therefore can be delivered effectively. Section manager uses his interpersonal skills to create an excellent social and work background to facilitate the smooth running of the sections aspects. On the other hand, the second level which connects the fellow section managers and line managers together is not simple as the first one. Although the members of this level share similar characteristics among them there are situations that communication may fail due to the different responsibilities. However again at this levels more face to face and telephone methods are used to communicate which makes easier environment to get linked. Thirdly the department and higher level management communication is different from both of the levels above. At departmental level oral and written communication levels are used more regularly because of the distance between the parties are low. Very high communicative and interpersonal required at this level but different from the first level because the section managers interpersonal skills level represent the entire sections reputation within the department. Communication within the other departments and the higher management will be happening under one way or two way systems most of the times. This Part of the procedure is much formal than any other level therefore very high and clear interpersonal levels will be needed. Time Management Every minute spent in mistaken or incorrect way is a time that effects negatively on the productivity. In any company managing the time of its tasks is a major requirement, as carefully planned schedule will ease the day to day and future responsibilities. In addition managing the time effectively will reduce stress levels of the employees, improve their well-being, and increase focus on the job and productivity. Yet many people in the section managers position often run out of time due the low time management skills. Some of the points given below can be used as good time management strategies. Create a Monthly Schedule Asses and plan the work load each week Adjust the plan everyday Evaluate the plan regularly By looking at above four strategies it might feel that monthly schedule will not be enough to plan and assist the companys strategic objectives. However by planning the time monthly basis and braking down to smaller tasks will help to keep track record easily and concentrate on every responsibility. Task 4 Self Managed Learning Learning Learning at Work gives the opportunity to individually alter a route to a more recognised level using the tasks that complete as part of the current role, so both the person and business benefit. It is an important professional experience which uses a unique framework and work-based projects while giving the chance to interact with other work colleagues unlike academic learning. Learning benefits the section mangers position in many ways. Some of them are, Assessing current work practices and relevant industry experience Evaluating personal, professional and career objectives. Identifying the strategic directions and priorities of the employer Negotiating your own learning plan Organising work-based projects Recording progress and achievements All these benefits can be achieved by using three different methods of learning experiences which are, Learning from the current job Learning through experience and Learning through skills and knowledge Learning Cycle and learning Styles Traditionally, learning has been associated with reading books, attending courses and lectures, etc. However in this fast moving world it has been realised that , learning should be more durable and lifelong and therefore much logical systems should be used. Learning cycle can be identified as an illustration of a engaging and integrating learning methods so that it affects not only thinking but also the behaviour. Many philosophers have explained many learning cycles although the one that David Kolb published in 1984 the most popular. Kolbs learning cycle is illustrated below and explained. Kolb identifies four different stages of the learning cycle as below. Concrete Experience The cycle starts with doing something in which the individual, team or organisation are allocated a task. Key to learning therefore is active participation. Reflective Observation In this stage the person who actually on the learning cycle stepping back from doing and reviewing what has been done and experienced. Abstract Conceptualisation At this stage the learner makes comparisons between what they have done, reflect upon and what they already know. Active Experimentation The final stage of the learning cycle is when the learner considers how they are going to put what they have learnt into practice. In other words it is a way of planning. According to Kolb different people naturally prefer a certain single different learning style. Furthermore he identifies four different styles as below. Diverging Divergers take experiences and think deeply about them, thus moves away from a single experience to multiple possibilities. Assimilating Assimilators greatest strength lies in the ability to create theoretical models. Ideas and concepts are more important than people and require good clear explanation rather than practical opportunity. Converging Converger likes finding practical uses for ideas and theories, evaluating consequences and selecting solutions. Again this type of learner does not prefer interpersonal situations or people connections, instead they like technical uses. Accommodating This learner uses trial and error rather than thought and reflection. He is good at adapting to changing circumstances and get on well with the people. Honey and Mumford styles of learning illustrate the same actions as above however the names they used are different. The similarity can be given as below. Activist = Accommodating Reflector = Diverging Theorist = Assimilating Pragmatist = Converging Presentation Using the Personal Development Plan The presentation slides given below is an explanation of the development objectives given in the personal development plan. In other words they can be identified as the learning tasks which lie among the learning styles. These presentation slides are very useful to submit progress to the higher management and delivering training to the staff. Conclusion Professional development is an important and very useful part of a managers career. Managers must be aggressive and focused in their objectives for professional development. In addition it is their duty to keep the reputation of their position by using different learning systems that are already available. Carefully managed professional development process can be identified as the key aspect of any managers career. The report undertook above was an independent document of a section managers personal and professional development criteria. Bibliography David Kolb, Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development (1984), FT Prentice Hall Grainger, P., Managing People: Your Self-development Action Plan (1994), Kogan Page Parsole, E. Coaching and Mentoring: Practical Methods to Improve Learning (2000), Kogan Page Hayes, J. Interpersonal Skills at Work (2002), Routledge (NY) HNC/HND Course Book http://books.google.co.uk/books?client=firefox-ahl=en http://bsspdl.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/kolb-learning-cycle-2/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_styles http://labspace.open.ac.uk/file.php/3228/E838_1_Section11.pdf http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9215/guide.htm www.businesslink.gov.uk www.selfridges.com

Affirmative Action :: essays research papers

In its tumultuous, nearly 40-year history, affirmative action has been both praised and pilloried as an answer to racial inequality. The policy was introduced in 1965 by President Johnson as a method of redressing discrimination that had persisted in spite of civil rights laws and constitutional guarantees. "This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights," Johnson asserted. "We seek†¦ not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result." Focusing in particular on education and jobs, affirmative action policies required that active measures be taken to ensure that blacks and other minorities enjoyed the same opportunities for promotions, salary increases, career advancement, school admissions, scholarships, and financial aid that had been the nearly exclusive province of whites. From the outset, affirmative action was envisioned as a temporary remedy that would end once there was a "level playing field" for all Americans. By the late '70s, however, flaws in the policy began to show up amid its good intentions. Reverse discrimination became an issue, epitomized by the famous Bakke case in 1978. Allan Bakke, a white male, had been rejected two years in a row by a medical school that had accepted less qualified minority applicants—the school had a separate admissions policy for minorities and reserved 16 out of 100 places for minority students. The Supreme Court outlawed inflexible quota systems in affirmative action programs, which in this case had unfairly discriminated against a white applicant. In the same ruling, however, the Court upheld the legality of affirmative action per se. Fueled by "angry white men," a backlash against affirmative action began to mount. To conservatives, the system was a zero-sum game that opened the door for jobs, promotions, or education to minorities while it shut the door on whites. In a country that prized the values of self-reliance and pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps, conservatives resented the idea that some unqualified minorities were getting a free ride on the American system. "Preferential treatment" and "quotas" became expressions of contempt. Even more contentious was the accusation that some minorities enjoyed playing the role of professional victim. Why could some minorities who had also experienced terrible adversity and racism—Jews and Asians, in particular—manage to make the American way work for them without government handouts? Liberals countered that "the land of opportunity" was a very different place for the European immigrants who landed on its shores than it was for those who arrived in the chains of slavery.

Describe and Evaluate Milgrams Agency Theory

Milgram’s agency theory basically states that you the state of mind you are in determines if you’re obedient or not. He argued that normally we operate in the autonomous state, where you assert control over yourself and what we do. An example of this is when faced with danger, most people will turn away to try and avoid conflict. Even if you decide not to walk away, this is still the autonomous state because you’re deciding what to do. There is also the agentic state which says you are subconsciously acting as an agent to some authority figure and that you do what they tell you because you feel as if you are an agent of that person.An example of this would be during the trial of Nazi’s Adolf Eichmann said, â€Å"I was just following orders to kill Jews†. This clearly illustrates that he only did what he did, followed orders, because he was told to and he felt like an agent to Adolf Hitler. Milgram also posed the idea of something called moral strain . This is when you obey an order although it goes against your morals, you feel that what you are doing is wrong but you have no choice. An example of this is in the study of obedience carried out by Milgram.The participants objected to shocking learners by saying that they wouldn’t do it and consistently standing up to avoid it, but still carried on anyway. The first strength to Milgram’s study is that his theory has practical application. Practical application means it can be applied to explain real life behaviours. An example of this is during the trial of Nazi’s Adolf Eichmann, he said, â€Å"I was just following orders to kill Jews†. This shows he was in the Agentic State because he saw himself as an agent of Hitler when helping him to complete the Final Solution.Another advantage is that in Milgram’s study of obedience the study had experimental validity. This is when the experiment is carried out so well that the participants believe that it is real. One participant, Fred Pozi, showed physical signs of distress indicating that he thought he was actually harming a man. He stood up multiple times during the experiment, was holding his head in his hands and was nervous laughing throughout the experiment. This indicates moral strain because he did carry out what the researcher asked, but this behaviour clearly shows that he was under stress and unhappy with what he had been asked to do.There is also evidence to support this theory which serves as a strength. In his theory of obedience Milgram found that 65% of participants went to 450 volts and 100% went to 300 volts. From this he concluded that American men would obey an authority figure even if they harmed a stranger. As the participants obeyed the authority figure it shows that they were acting as agents to help the researcher with his study, this illustrates the agentic state. On the other hand there are disadvantages to Milgram’s study as well, for example; Mil gram’s study lacked ecological validity.Ecological validity is when the study takes place in an environment that is familiar to the participants. The experiment took place in a lab and Fred Pozi, a plumber, would be more comfortable in a house or bathroom. As he was not in his natural environment his behaviour might have changed because of it. This will therefore reduce validity because he would not be behaving in a natural way. Another disadvantage to Milgram’s study is that he deceived his participants. He did not tell them what the study was actually researching and there for broke ethics.However he did perform a full debriefing at the end of the study which rectified the problem. There is an alternative theory to the Agency Theory called, The Social Powers theory. The Social Powers theory states that authority figures use reward power to gain obedience. Reward power is when an authority figure uses a reward to get the person to obey. For instance when a parent says if you do your homework you can go to your friends house. The Social Powers theory says it is power and not the mental state of someone that leads to obedience, Milgram’s theory is incomplete.

How far does Source A prove that Haig did not care about the lives of his men?

Source A is a piece of text written by Haig just before the battle of the Somme (July 1916 to Nov 1916), It explains that in Haig's opinion the nation has to accept the losses of warfare. He believes that however well an army is trained and led they will have to bear sacrifices. This is true but not to the extent of the Somme where the allies alone lost a massive 620,000 men. Haig wrote this extract a month before the first attack suggesting that he knew there was going to be a large amount casualties. This also implies that he hadn't made much of an effort to change the tactics and save the lives of men but lazily chose to prepare the nation of heavy losses. In this extract, a stubborn side of Haig has been unleashed with his mind concentrating only on the victory of the battle, no matter what the costs. For example Haig states † a nation must be taught to bear losses† and â€Å"no of skill will enable amount of victories to be won, without the sacrifice of men's lives† giving us the impression that his determination for victory would stop at nothing. Before arriving at a conclusion to this question, we must consider Haig's background as well as his current position. Sir Douglas Haig had had a long military career fighting in many battles and wars including the Boer War where he had served in the Cavalry. During his 40-year career he had lost many comrades and it is probable that certain toughness will grow inside him and he will learn to forget about the sadness of death. We must also remember that Haig is the General of the Allied Forces, he will want to be portrayed as a tough man ready to take tough decisions. We also know Haig is a religious man. Would a religious man send a man to his death without caring? In the end I think ‘care' is too strong a word. From the evidence above I conclude that Haig sent men to their deaths, because he personally and honestly believed himself to be doing the right thing to succeed in victory. Haig did care, but he was an old fashion general using old fashion method to succeed in a modern war. Study Sources B & C: Which one of these sources do you trust more? Sources B and C are both brief extracts from accounts of the battle of the Somme. Haig wrote source B on the day before and during the first attack. He states â€Å"the men are in splendid spirits† and we wonder how men could be in such â€Å"splendid spirits† when they are living lives in a trench, probably suffering from trench foot and feeling homesick. This makes us wonder if Haig has actually visited the men in the front line, because he will find that the â€Å"spirits† of his troops are not as â€Å"splendid† as he described. Also when Haig states â€Å"the barbed wire has never been cut so well† we know that from Private George Coppard (Source C) account that the barbed wire was one of the main reasons for such a high casualty list on the first day, if anything the wire as a result if the bombardment, was â€Å"in a worse tangle than before†. Haig's statements are hugely contradicted by Coppard whose attitude towards the Generals â€Å"who told them that the artillery fire would pound such wire to pieces† suggests to us that the morale of the men was not as high as Haig had expected. The phrase also tells us that the wire was not cut to allow troops the break through to the German line. This is enough for us to question the reliability of Source B. However, if Source B is unreliable, the question must then be asked why would a top British General make such statements. The reasons could be many, amongst which one could include that Haig could have been poorly informed, for political reasons, or simply to keep morale up both at home and on the front. There are also many reasons why Source B is not accurate; amongst the most important evidence are the many eyewitness accounts and the simple fact that the British Army suffered more than half million casualties throughout the battle. It could be argued that Coppard's interview is the experience of one man through out the 15-mile line of the Somme. However, whereas Haig would gain credibility and keep his job by lying, it is unlikely that Coppard would want to tarnish the memories of his late comrades by lying about the real incidents of the Somme. Factually, the evidence supports Coppard's case. The facts tell us that there were over 55,000 casualties on the first day. Haig claims it was a successful attack† whereas Coppard describes the â€Å"hundreds of dead†. The evidence supports Coppard when he claims that the wire was not completely cut whereas Haig states, â€Å"the wire has never been cut so well†. Coppard's purpose in doing the interview was probably to reveal the truth and horrors of war and possibly to make sure the mistakes of war are never repeated. Haig's purpose in writing Source B was probably political and to maintain his position. So I conclude that Source C is more reliable as it relates to the proven facts. Study Sources D & E: These two sources are not about Haig and the battle of the Somme. How far do you agree that they have no use for the historian studying Haig and the battle of the Somme? Sources D and E are both made to amuse the audience. Source D is a comical TV series of life in a trench. However, Source E is a piece of antiwar propaganda and even though it has been made to amuse, it shares the same point of view as the Director of ‘Blackadder' (Source D) about Field Marshall Haig and his drinks cabinet. I think a historian studying Haig and the Somme would find Sources D and E of considerable use. They both show popular ideas of Haig, one at the time of the event and the other 60 years later. As a television series, Source D would present views that the majority of the people agree with in order to boost it's ratings. This suggests that the majority of people agree that Haig was a poor leader. The series ‘Blackadder goes Forth' shows both side of war; life in the frontline trenches and then in the General's headquarters. This will give a historian an insight to the conditions of the trenches and that of the headquarters. However, Source D was made 60 years after the war so the director must have made it using sources such as E and other possibly accounts. Source E also shows how men were kitted out and how poorly training would have prepared them for the reality of the war they were about to fight. This is useful as it shows how much thought they gave to the training and equipping of his troops. I think both sources are relevant to a historian studying Haig as they show the view shared by many people, which is always important. Source E also tells us that the whole of the nation did not support the war propaganda and it gives a historian an insight to Britain during 1914-1918. Study Sources F,G & H: Do Sources G and H prove that F is wrong? Source F is an extract from a recent book called â€Å"British Butchers and Bunglers of World War†. The tone of the title is derogatory, particularly towards Haig. The book centres on the popular view, that Haig was a bungling old general. The book, like many written, is based on opinion rather than on fact. Whilst the book probably contains statistical evidence, the success or failure Haig's battle strategy is to an extent based on opinion. The writer has not taken into consideration that WW1 was the first type of war to be fought in trenches and with machine guns. I think it's unfair to blame Haig (who had been trained as a cavalry officer) for not having developed a successful strategy. The author has also forgotten to mention had Haig not reacted at the Somme, the French would have been taken at Verdun and the German army would have overwhelmed the British. Source G is an extract from the â€Å"German Official History of the First World War† which surprisingly contradicts Source F. Unlike many other sources, this extract compliments the British for their victory. Source G is telling us that the victors of the Somme were given a great morale boost for the future. It also meant that the Germans had lost all of their experienced soldiers, which weakened the German front line. It seems as though the Germans are praising Haig, unlike Source F. However, this source may also be questioned given that at the time of writing the Germans were paying massive reparations to the allied forces so they might have felt if they could keep in good terms with the allies, they may be able to clear some of the debt. However this is unlikely. Source H was written by a British general 57 years after the battle of the Somme. Because of the amount of time between the battle and the time of writing, it is possible that that of others has influenced his memory. Especially if he had risen to the rank of General, he would have been in an environment where Haig was respected, as his superiors were followers of Haig. However whilst this has some merit, it is more likely that the General as a military person could appreciate more Haig's strategy. He begins by saying that the German armies were broken by the â€Å"courage an resolution of Haig's armies, which had complete confidence in the leadership of their commander†. This completely contradicts Source F which claims Haig was a terrible commander. In conclusion whilst Source F repeats a popular view of Haig, I believe that Sources G and H does prove F wrong as it was written one by a fellow general with military training and from German point of view which had no reason to be bias. Study Source I & J: Why do you think that sources I and J differ about the Battle of the Somme? Sources I and J are both comments made by Lloyd George during and after the Battle of the Somme. Even though the sources have been written by the same man they completely contradict each other. It is almost as if the extracts were written by different men. Source I is part of a letter written by Lloyd George to Haig after his visit to the battlefields during the battle of the Somme. Lloyd George seems to be congratulating Haig on the battle plans. He seems sure that battle is going in their favour yet it was still another month until the battle ended. There are various reasons why Lloyd George did not write what we would have expected him to write. Firstly, Lloyd George would have wanted his General to be confident in his actions; he would have to encourage him. Secondly it would be stupid to start a quarrel with your General during a battle and bad for the morale of the troops. Source J is an extract written by Lloyd George in the 1930's. He is now 14 years later criticising Haig claiming that at the time of his visit he was confused by the cavalry in No mans Land. Now 14 years later and with no need to encourage Haig he speaks freely. However it may also be that at the time of writing Source I he did not see the faults in the British line up and is in Source J lying to try to stop any blame falling on him as Secretary of War. Study all the Sources. â€Å"Haig was an uncaring General who sacrificed the lives of his soldiers for no good reason† How far do this sources support this views. I believe that these sources do not go far to support this view. This is based on the following: – Sources A and B written by Haig himself, perhaps shows his deficiencies as a modern day leader not necessarily an uncaring butcher. Source C written by written by a private in the army, whilst giving a realistic picture from the trenches could not possible see the overall strategy. Sources D & E whilst relevant in promoting the populist view, again are biased. Sources F, a recently written book, again follows the more popular view and is a better titles to sell books. Sources G is probably the most unbiased view given that it was written by the enemy with little to gain. This source perhaps gives the biggest insight into Haig's strategy. Source H again does not support the view of the question, and was the only sources written by a fellow general who has been trained in warfare. Sources I and J both written by Lloyd George, highlights the difficulty in coming to any conclusion. He contradicts himself and argues convincingly for and against, proving that the question, even with the benefit of hindsight, is a difficult one to answer. How far does Source A prove that Haig did not care about the lives of his men? I think source A completely suggests that Field Marshal Sir General Haig did not care about the lives of his men because after one day of fighting the Germans on the 1st of July 1916 in the Battle of the Somme, over 57,000 British troops had been killed. The British only gained 750m. The next day Haig still continued with the same tactic even though a large amount of the army had lost their lives the day before. After suffering such heavy losses Haig still sent men out to their death every day. In source A Haig himself writes, â€Å"The nation must be taught to bear losses†. In every war there are losses but by writing this Haig gave no indications of just how many men he thought the nation would loose. I think Haig didn't care how many men were killed as long as his main objective to relieve pressure on the attack of Verdun was completed. â€Å"No amount of skill on the part of the higher commanders, no training however good, on the part of the officers and men, no superiority of arms and ammunition, however great, will enable victory to be won without the sacrifice of men's lives.† In the two books the World of War and Modern World History, both books suggest that one of Haig's chief subordinates Sir Henry Rawlinson was against the idea of a large offensive even before the Battle of the Somme begin. Rawlinson suggested that the British should concentrate its operations on the Western Front by launching a series of small discreet attacks. Inexperienced British troops would gain experience from these attacks while they could use the British industrial strength, which was now fully mobilised, to beat the Germans. Instead Haig went against the suggestion by launching a great offensive followed by a massive tightly controlled infantry attack. â€Å"No amount of skill on the part of the higher commanders†. I think Haig's deputy Rawlinson did have a lot of skill. He had good tactical idea but Haig choose not to use them. â€Å"no training, however good, on the part of the officers and men†. Rawlinson suggested small attacks to give the British troops experience. â€Å"no superiority of arms and ammunition, however great will enable victories to be won. From the Modern World History book it says, â€Å"Many of the shells supplied to the allied gunners were of poor quality. There was certainly a vast bombardment but many shells were not powerful enough to destroy the defensives or simply failed to go off†. â€Å"The nation must be prepared to see heavy casualty lists†. I think this is giving the same meaning as the first sentence in source a â€Å"The nation must be prepared to see heavy causality lists†. Haig had used the same tactic at another battle where he had been General. The Battle of Neuve Chappelle, which happened during 1915. The method used was to continuously bombard the enemy with shells for weeks. The barbwire would be cut then the British would attack using infantry. The method failed at the Battle of Neuve Chappelle but Haig used it again at the Battle of the Somme but on a much bigger scale risking more lives. Using a method of attack that has failed shouldn't have been tried if it was going to risk so many men's lives. Haig had been involved in other wars before the 1900's when there wasn't any planes or tanks available. When they were available for Haig to choose he decided not to use them and instead use older tactics. In Source F a modern historian has written, â€Å"The principal that guided him was if he could kill more Germans than the Germans could kill his men then he would inevitably at some time win the war†. This to me does not sound like the opinion of a General who cared about his men. Haig was more interested in winning a battle of attrition. In Source B Haig writes about the troops before the attack and he says how everyone is so confidant. â€Å"The men are in splendid spirits†. He also says how well the barbwire was cut. The second extract in Source B is again written by Haig giving us the report after the first day of the battle. â€Å"Very successful attack†¦the battle is going very well†¦The Germans are surrendering freely†. From what we know the battle wasn't very successful and is known as one of the worst British battles. If the attack had started at midnight on the 1st July and carried on for 24 hours that would mean that 2375 British troops would die every hour and 1 soldier would die every 1 second. The battle didn't go on for 24 hours though so the losses per hour would have been greater. Haig ordered his men to walk across no-man's land because he thought that there wouldn't be â€Å"even a rat alive† in the German trench. The Germans who had burrowed 12 meters underground were unaffected by the shelling and as the British were walking across and getting tangled in the masses of barbwire the Germans simply used a machine gun. This disaster could have been avoided if they had just run across. The tactics of the battle were good in theory but each one failed in some way. * There would be a huge military bombardment and mines would devastate the Germans positions. The bombardment didn't devastate any of German positions. * The Germans barbwire would be cut. The barbwire wasn't cut. It was simply thrown up into the air and it landed in a tangled mess. * The British troops would be able to walk across no-man's land. The British troops got caught in the tangled barbwire and were mowed down by the German machine guns. * The British would carry heavy packs and trench repairing kit. Each solider carried 66lb of kit, which was half the men's body weight. It was difficult to get out of the trench, move fast or even to get down or stand up quickly. These tactics sounded good but there were lots of faults. The Germans knew about the attack and were ready for it. Haig overestimated the ability of the artillery. The German's trenches were on higher grounds then the English's trenches so the Germans had a good view of anyone attacking. The German trenches had been there since 1914 and the German soldiers had not been idle. They had prepared the trenches well for the attack and fortified them with concrete. The Germans had barbwire stretching 30 meters wide all over the western front.

Argumentative Speech on Human Cloning

Argumentative Speech on Human Cloning Argumentative Speech on Human Cloning Human Cloning speech: Human cloning involves the creation of a generically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to the reproduction of human tissues or cells or to the monozygotic multiple births. The ethics of cloning is usually a controversial issue. The term cloning is normally used to refer to artificial human cloning (Almeder 1). Human cloning practices normally raise concerns that are related to ethics. There are those individuals who argue that the practices are not whereas there are also those who are for the practices (Pinon 507). Ethical views against Human Cloning There are those individuals who argue that human cloning destroys the unity of parenthood and marriage. Issues like divorce, contraception, vitro fertilization, and extramarital sex ends up affecting the unity of families. Human cloning can create another problem to the unity that normally exists in Christian marriages. This is because the clone with be denied the chance to feel the love of parents (Sherlock and John 573). There are also those people who argue that cloning human beings will turn them into commodities (Sherlock and John 573). This is because the cloning subjects are referred to as things. A cloning child is a technological project. The child is normally subject to quality control. Treating a person as a thing has become common in our societies. This practice is destructive and immoral. Cloning a child will lead the child being treated as someone’s asset or commodity and not a human being. This is because the child will be perceived as made and not born hence the child might not be treated with respect (Pinon 507). The cloning of human beings is also dangerous. There has only been one success in sheep cloning. This was after failing for 276 times. Cloned human embryos have been killed in research laboratories (Pinon 507). Consequently, genetic screenings are normally undertaken together with cloned tissues from human. Any embryo that does not pass is normally killed. Due to this, many people argues that cloning has negative aspects to human beings (Sherlock and John 576). Another ethical issue with regards to human cloning is that, it is an assault to human procreation (Pinon 506). Assisted reproductive technologies are affronts to human dignity. This is because cloning leaves does not prove human procreation. It is a completely artificial reproductive technology (Pinon 506). Cloning is also a violation of the conjugal union dignity (Sherlock and John 576). In normal circumstances, a child is a sure proof of love the parents bestows on it. The influence and the indication of God’s love is destroyed when a child’s life is created in the laboratory (Pinon 506). Those who are involved in cloning human beings may also be played God. This is because it is only God, and only Him who is our maker (Sherlock and John 576). Those who are engaged in researches to find ways so as to clown human beings will be practicing God’s work. Religious leaders do not agree with cloning as they believe that a human being can only be made by God and not fellow human beings (Sherlock and John 576). Arguments for Human Cloning There are also those individuals who argue that human cloning is not unethical or a bad practice. They argue that cloning can be used to counter infertility and/or genetic diseases. They argue that human cloning can be a solution for those individuals who have infertility problems because they can be able to get children through the process. Those who are infertile can be able to get preferable donors eggs. They also argue that the process is a little different from the birth of identical twins. Cloning has also been argued that it meets deep human desire to reproduce. Those who advocate for cloning of human being also argue that what matters is how the child is treated after birth (Pinon 510). If you need a 100% original argumentative speech essay written by professional writers contact and buy a speech online on any topic you need!

Social Commentary of Lord of the Rings essays

Social Commentary of Lord of the Rings essays A Social Commentary of J.R.R. Tolkiens Lord of the Rings I will admit, I am the type of person who will see a movie before I will have read the book. Hollywood finds most of their juicy stories from classic novels; just recently The Count of Monte Cristo was in the theaters, and numerous classics have been reproduced as pop culture versions to attract a bigger audience. But I must admit that I am grateful to have taken EN250, The Epic Hero, because I will be able to see the rest of The Lord of the Rings having already read the novel. Though when I tried to research for this paper, I saw that J.R.R. Tolkien has created a huge following from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and his other fine masterpieces. There is at least one Website dedicated to the story in almost every country. The people behind marketing are making a fortune selling items from toys and books. There are also authors who have devoted their whole lives interpreting the plot and conceiving themes from the story that would relate to our time. But I believe that t heyre way too many people spending way too much time on this epic. Granted it is brillant, but when I read that J.R.R. Tolkien was a racist and a male chauvinist, I thought that maybe those people are taking themselves too seriously. Also, when an author writes for pure fiction, then it should interpret as fiction, not misrepresenting Tolkiens personal beliefs. Personally, I am not the type of person to get so intimately involved in literature. I have many favorite books, and I do appreciate their value to help stimulate imagination. Though I should point that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings from a purely fictional stance. He wrote The Hobbit based on the bedtime stories he told from his children. Tolkien was a devout catholic, and his religious beliefs are very visible in the story. But there are many elements that w...

Asthma Essay With Conclusions

Asthma Essay With Conclusions Asthma is one of the major chronic respiratory conditions which alter the respiratory function of the body. The World Health Organisation or WHO (2012) defines asthma as a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterised by frequent episodes of breathlessness and wheezing. This difficulty in breathing is caused by the swelling and constricting of the airways. Exposure to allergens, pollutants, cold air, infection and exercise can increase the risk of asthmatics having an attack (Funnel, Koutoukidis and Lawrence 2009). This essay will discuss on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, medical management and clinical manifestations of asthma. It will also cover the client education needed to provide for those with asthma, asthma’s risk factors and its prognosis. According to the National Asthma Council of Australia or NACA (2006) more than 2.2 million Australians are suffering from asthma. This essay will therefore also describe how asthma impacts on its victims and their life style. Kaufman (2011) describes the pathophysiology of asthma as a pathologic condition which affects the lower respiratory tract by narrowing the airways as a result of epithelial damage, excessive mucus production, oedema, bronchoconstriction and muscle damage. In asthma the cells in the epithelium layer can be destroyed and peel away, making the respiratory tract more susceptible to allergens and infections, thereby contributing to airway hyper-responsiveness (Kaufman 2011). Asthma also triggers the development of mucus cells and mucus glands. This increases mucus production, thus forming mucous plugs which can obstruct the airways (Monahan et al. 2007). Airway oedema is another change that occurs in the respiratory tract due to asthma. It involves the dilation and leaking of capillaries in the airway walls which limits airflow (Kaufman 2011). Monahan et al. (2007) add that increased capillary permeability and leakage can obstruct the airways due to swelling. They also explain t hat the inflammatory agents such as histamine, tryptase, leukotriences and prostaglandins act on smooth muscles of airway walls and cause bronchoconstriction which restricts the airflow to alveoli. Brown and Edwards (2012) write that wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and cough are the most common clinical manifestations of asthma. They can occur especially at night and in the early morning and can vary from person to person. It is not necessary to have all the symptoms at once as different symptoms can occur at different times. According to NACA (2006) frequent cough, feeling weak, wheezing after exercise, shortness of breath and sleeping difficulties can be early signs of asthma while severe wheezing, continuous cough, rapid breathing, anxiety, chest pain, blue lips and fingernails are the symptoms of severe asthma attacks. Diagnosing asthma can be done by obtaining a detailed history, performing physical examinations, pulmonary function testing, and laboratory assessments (Ignatavicius and Workman 2010) According to Ignatavicius and Workman (2010) it is important to ask patients about any experiences of having shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness, wheeze and increased mucus production as well as about their smoking habits and any family history of asthma. The same source write that physical examinations can be performed by listening to the patient’s chest for any wheezing sounds and observing respiratory effort by assessing the respiratory rate and examining whether the patient is using any accessory muscles to breathe. They add that the shape of the chest also needs to be examined, as a barrel-shaped chest can be a sign of prolonged asthma. In addition, the oral mucosa and nail beds need to be examined for any bluish tinge (Ignatavicius and Workman 2010).

The Great Siege of Gibraltar 1779-1783 Dissertation

The Great Siege of Gibraltar 1779-1783 - Dissertation Example The battle tactics play a crucial role in enabling one side to win and other to get defeated, therefore for any army, it is essential to ponder in detail about the battle tactics to gain victory. British side used such battle tactics that made them accomplished while the battle tactics of French side were lacking due to which, they were defeated. In this paper, we will study the battle tactics of the Great Siege of Gibraltar in great detail as to find the reasons why the Great Siege of Gibraltar was unsuccessful. Background Gibraltar is an offshore territory of United Kingdom, which is located at the south of  Spain and  on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula. The name of  Gibraltar in fact  derives out from the Arabic  Jabal-al-Tarik (mount of Tarik) since capture of peninsula by the leader of Arabic fighter troops Tarik (Falkner 68). Spain wanted to capture Gibraltar from Britain due to commerce reason between America and Europe. At the start of the dispute both side agreed upon signing an agreement with mutual understanding at Spanish royal palace. Britain foreign minister was also favouring peace full agreement between two nations but agreement was not approved by the British parliament. Both countries declared war on 23 October 1739, with each other just after the beginning of war of Jenkins' Ear (Mann 214). Both sides decided to make trenches near the Gibraltar for gaining information about enemy. One squadron of Britain army was already stationed there. Britain ordered Admiral Vernon was ordered to sail from Portobello and join the squadron. Many years passed but hostilities did not break. King Phillip 5 of Spain died in 1746 and his successor again tried to negotiate the issue with Britain. British parliament showed seriousness in resolving the trade issues. British parliament also wanted to lift British embargo on Spain. Unfortunately, the king died and next king ever wanted negotiations with Britain (Mann 215). The new king signed family compac t with the king of France in 1761. France was already at war with Britain in 1761. Because of this new development, Britain declared war with Spain and captured colonial capitals of Havana and Manila. Finally, Spain was able to get back the cities of manila and Havana in exchange of Florida that was captured by Spain. This agreement took place under a treaty in 1763, known as â€Å"treaty of Paris† (Falkner 73). Then the peaceful years started and both France and Spain decided to wait for favourable situation and launch attack on Britain for gaining the lost territories. After the outbreak of American war of independence, France and Spain supported American rebels to defeat Britain in that war. France and Spain signed a treaty in 1779 the treaty is known as treaty of Aranjuez. According to the treaty, both France and Spain will support each other for gaining their lost territories from Britain. Spain declared war on Britain in June 1779 and France also supported Spain to secu re Gibraltar. Gibraltar was vital link in British control over the Mediterranean and wanted a quick capture of it for going on an all-out war against the Great Britain. The great siege of Gibraltar was among the longest sieges that are fought in the history of the world. France and Spain wanted to take hold of Gibraltar during the American War of Independence but their attempt remained unaccomplished. It was a joint effort by France and Spain and the

Develop an ethics program for a company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Develop an ethics program for a company - Essay Example s regard, the government also puts in considerable amounts as donations to the non-profits that help the government in rendering public services and other socially-relevant works. There are many issues involved when doing non-profit work but foremost among them is the proper and accurate handling of donated funds. This means there should be proper accounting and audits of where the funds were spent and whether these funds achieved their intended purpose. When government funds are involved, then more reason for a consultancy firm to have a code of ethics adopted as early as possible. This should ideally be put in place before any of the criticisms from various stakeholders get loud enough (especially coming from politicians) to severely impede the effectiveness of these non-profit organizations to do their work. It can only mean the consultants will not deal with non-profits which have questionable dealings and other activities which do not jive with their stated public service mandate. There are practical and great reasons why a code of ethics should be put in place and primary among the reasons is that it is very easy to misrepresent the organization in the name of supporters, donors or the beneficiaries (Horton & Roche, 2010, p. 79). If funds are misused, credibility suffers. Management consultants follow their own code of conduct when dealing with clients. In particular, a consultancy firm that deals mostly with non-profit organizations which derive their funding mostly from government donations must pay close attention to how these funds were obtained from the donating government agency and how proper the disbursements were. This paper talks on the broader responsibilities of management consultants and will discuss on the ethical aspects of providing consultancy services to government-funded non-profit groups. My three-member company will adopt a code of ethics built along the following line, namely: Client Services – all employees of the consultancy

IT Security. Epworth Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT Security. Epworth - Assignment Example The storage of information is at times prone to intrusion from the foes. It is at this point that the persons using the database have to ensure that there is utmost security of the stored information. Other trends in IT include such things as the use of wireless LANS (Stewart, Tittel and Chapple, 2011). This is one of the developments that are in IT. IT comprises of many contentious issues like the use of suites of security technology, reputation risk, online awareness and the wireless LAN technology. Task1 (Reputational risk) The chief officer for security at Epworth is the person concerned with the security of the firm’s information stored in the database. His claims that the system is robust against reputational risk are a heap of lies. This is because the database of the Epworth organization is accessible to any web server. The web server can directly access the web where the health care firm stores information concerning to the employees and the patients. This direct access is the one that makes me defy the fact that the reputation of the patients is safe. Secretive patient’s information storage occurs in the database (Honey, 2009). Therefore, the security officer’s remarks are not true. Current observations show that the fact that the database is accessible to all employees of the Epworth health care .This accessibility is the key to hacking of necessary information concerning the organization (Neef, 2003). ... An IBM analyst has recommended to Epworth a suite of security technologies aimed at database compromise and data loss prevention at a cost of $40,000 per year. This would ensure that the database information is free from falling into the hands of the enemy. Therefore, it would be beneficial to implement the suite because of different reasons. One of the reasons is the fact that the database information is exceedingly necessary to any firm. The cost of installing the prevention mechanisms may be high but the benefits are many (CDTM, 2007). Epworth would have the assurance that the security of information pertaining to their patients and workers is safe. Purchasing a licensed copy of the security suite is also particular because the firms can assure their patients that their details are safe. The other reason as to why this is necessary is that the cost of replacing the lost information would be more than the cost of installing the security kit (Whitman and Mattord, 2010). The installa tion of database security is necessary because the process of coming up with new details about patients is costly. Contacting and informing the patients about their account numbers and providing new cards would be exceedingly tedious. The last reason for the installation would be the fact that database compromise is up to 25%. Task 3 (online training of employees) If Epworth were to bestow me with the task of conducting online employee awareness, this would be a go ahead for the firm. On-line employee awareness and training course for safeguarding sensitive patient information is a practice that any firm requires. This would ensure that the employees are aware of the requirements

Global Strategy of ZAK-Squared Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Strategy of ZAK-Squared - Case Study Example Individual business division managers could analyze their market, make local decisions based on their analysis and funnel this information up to the corporate level. These divisions could also gear their business to their environment and its demands. Throughout the history of 3M, communication was of the utmost importance. At all levels of management as well as front line workers, there were a number opportunities such as retreats, councils, The Annual Technology Fair, as well as internal encouragement to maintain contact with other division employees. This mode of organization forced 3M to restructure time and time again. Breaking apart divisions and redefining policies and procedures. The Technical Council (numbering 80 people by early 1990) allowed the heads of its increasingly dispersed labs to meet on a regular basis. This was encompassed from the workings of the Technical Forum that was created in the early 1950s that was formed by "senators" that were drawn from the practicing scientists and technologies in each of the 80 3M US-based lbs.

Low Cost Strategies of QuickFlight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Low Cost Strategies of QuickFlight - Essay Example QuickFlight has no formal HR department and any room for staff development and training; this is something that the organization should look into, considering the increase in size will need an integration of forces. The expertise from Gone can help the organization streamline a strategic HR policy, including the personnel from QuickFlight as well to ensure proper representation of all stakeholders. To solve this problem, the organization should practice effective communication strategies in the company. In times of change management, effective communication plays a vital role in the success of the changing processes. Proper information dissemination to all stakeholders, equal intake for solutions from them would help the policy makers to gain knowledge from the valuable expertise of the Human Capital. In order to capitalize on the diverse features of both the organizations, the human resource should be encouraged to work in teams and work their way out of problems. Job rotation is an other management development that helps to train employees and provide them with exposure to the entire organization. All these activities will introduce a high sense of commitment in the employees towards the newly formed organization and will help fill the gap between the two cultures (Raymond, 2000). Â  With the addition of call center labor in the organization, the company should embark on formal training procedures to train the employees to boost their sales through call center bookings. Training and development in this area are bound to help the employees boost the sales; also, recognition for the hard work that they put in is important. Clearly, compensation that is being awarded can work as an incentive, along with recognition. Therefore, to reduce turnover and boost sales, the company should introduce a basic pay for all, adding performance-based rewards, depending on the sales that the personnel makes.

IT Security. Epworth Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT Security. Epworth - Assignment Example The storage of information is at times prone to intrusion from the foes. It is at this point that the persons using the database have to ensure that there is utmost security of the stored information. Other trends in IT include such things as the use of wireless LANS (Stewart, Tittel and Chapple, 2011). This is one of the developments that are in IT. IT comprises of many contentious issues like the use of suites of security technology, reputation risk, online awareness and the wireless LAN technology. Task1 (Reputational risk) The chief officer for security at Epworth is the person concerned with the security of the firm’s information stored in the database. His claims that the system is robust against reputational risk are a heap of lies. This is because the database of the Epworth organization is accessible to any web server. The web server can directly access the web where the health care firm stores information concerning to the employees and the patients. This direct access is the one that makes me defy the fact that the reputation of the patients is safe. Secretive patient’s information storage occurs in the database (Honey, 2009). Therefore, the security officer’s remarks are not true. Current observations show that the fact that the database is accessible to all employees of the Epworth health care .This accessibility is the key to hacking of necessary information concerning the organization (Neef, 2003). ... An IBM analyst has recommended to Epworth a suite of security technologies aimed at database compromise and data loss prevention at a cost of $40,000 per year. This would ensure that the database information is free from falling into the hands of the enemy. Therefore, it would be beneficial to implement the suite because of different reasons. One of the reasons is the fact that the database information is exceedingly necessary to any firm. The cost of installing the prevention mechanisms may be high but the benefits are many (CDTM, 2007). Epworth would have the assurance that the security of information pertaining to their patients and workers is safe. Purchasing a licensed copy of the security suite is also particular because the firms can assure their patients that their details are safe. The other reason as to why this is necessary is that the cost of replacing the lost information would be more than the cost of installing the security kit (Whitman and Mattord, 2010). The installa tion of database security is necessary because the process of coming up with new details about patients is costly. Contacting and informing the patients about their account numbers and providing new cards would be exceedingly tedious. The last reason for the installation would be the fact that database compromise is up to 25%. Task 3 (online training of employees) If Epworth were to bestow me with the task of conducting online employee awareness, this would be a go ahead for the firm. On-line employee awareness and training course for safeguarding sensitive patient information is a practice that any firm requires. This would ensure that the employees are aware of the requirements

Low Cost Strategies of QuickFlight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Low Cost Strategies of QuickFlight - Essay Example QuickFlight has no formal HR department and any room for staff development and training; this is something that the organization should look into, considering the increase in size will need an integration of forces. The expertise from Gone can help the organization streamline a strategic HR policy, including the personnel from QuickFlight as well to ensure proper representation of all stakeholders. To solve this problem, the organization should practice effective communication strategies in the company. In times of change management, effective communication plays a vital role in the success of the changing processes. Proper information dissemination to all stakeholders, equal intake for solutions from them would help the policy makers to gain knowledge from the valuable expertise of the Human Capital. In order to capitalize on the diverse features of both the organizations, the human resource should be encouraged to work in teams and work their way out of problems. Job rotation is an other management development that helps to train employees and provide them with exposure to the entire organization. All these activities will introduce a high sense of commitment in the employees towards the newly formed organization and will help fill the gap between the two cultures (Raymond, 2000). Â  With the addition of call center labor in the organization, the company should embark on formal training procedures to train the employees to boost their sales through call center bookings. Training and development in this area are bound to help the employees boost the sales; also, recognition for the hard work that they put in is important. Clearly, compensation that is being awarded can work as an incentive, along with recognition. Therefore, to reduce turnover and boost sales, the company should introduce a basic pay for all, adding performance-based rewards, depending on the sales that the personnel makes.

The Enthalpies of Combustion Essay Example for Free

The Enthalpies of Combustion Essay Standard enthalpy change of combustion is the energy change that occurs when 1 mol of fuel is completely burnt in oxygen under standard conditions. However, it is impossible for substances to be burnt under standard conditions. The enthalpies of combustion are different depending on the number of carbons and hydrogens in each substance. For example, the enthalpy combustion for methane is -890 kJ mol-1, however the enthalpy change of combustion for ethane or propane will be greater because more bonds are involved and therefore more bonds are broken and made. All combustion reactions are exothermic because energy is given out to make bonds. Figure 1: Exothermic reaction Before you start doing calculations for enthalpy change of combustion you firstly need to balance the equation. For example: Methane CH4 (g) + 2O2 (g) 2H2O (g) + CO2 (g) Also it is important to note when making a combustion reaction balanced equation that the state symbols for all the substances are gaseous even water. Moreover, it is only in a combustion reaction that you use halves in an oxygen molecule. An example for octane is: C8H12 (g) + 12.5O2 (g) 8CO2 (g) + 9H2O (g) Method for the enthalpy of combustion for various alcohols 1. Set up a tri pod and place tiles around it. 2. Fill up a metal calorimeter with 200 cm3 of water and place on the tri pod. Also, place a thermometer on the container. 3. Record the reading on the thermometer of the temperature of the water. 4. Weigh the spirit burner containing the alcohol you are going to use and again record the reading. 5. Place the spirit burner containing the alcohol under the tri pod and quickly as possible take the lid off and light a match on it. 6. Wait till you will see a 15 degree increase on the thermometer. 7. When you see a 15 degrees increase, place the lid back on the alcohol and stir the water well with the thermometer until you see there is no change in temperature. 8. Weigh the alcohol and record the reading. Also record the reading of the temperature after it has increased. 9. Repeat steps 1-8 for all different alcohols. Results obtained from experiment Methanol Ethanol propan-1-ol Butan-1-ol Pentan-1-ol Enthalpy change of combustion (kJmol-1) 379.80 1071.23 1332.62 1715.82 2110.04 Enthalpy change of combustion = (1/moles of alcohol burned) x enthalpy released during the ex. True results of alcohols that should be obtained Methanol Ethanol propan-1-ol Butan-1-ol Pentan-1-ol Enthalpy change of combustion (kJmol-1) -890.30 1559.70 2219.70 2876.50 3509.10 From the results I obtained I can make a conclusion that the results were not very close to the true, this is because the experiment could not done under standard conditions like the other and therefore because of that some heat was lost to the surrounding. While I was carrying the experiment I realised that a black substance began to form underneath the colorimeter (container where the water was put in and heated up) which was carbon, meaning there was incomplete combustion. This therefore effected the results I obtained because the combustion experiment was not complete. Evaluation Experimental errors In any experiment, errors are made which are unavoidable. We can work out the errors of the equipments that were used in the experiment to find out which has the most effect. It is then best to convert these errors in to percentages because it is easier to see which has the most effect on your results and which has the least percentage error. Percentage error = error / reading x 100. A balance has a precision error of 0.005. Next I will turn it to a percentage error. The balance was used to weigh the spirit burners of the 5 alcohols before using it in the experiment and after it was used to heat the water up. Methanol Ethanol propan-1-ol Butan-1-ol Pentan-1-ol Initial mass of spirit burner / g 198.56 188.80 180.66 212.75 189.62 Percentage error/ % 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.002 0.003 Methanol Ethanol propan-1-ol Butan-1-ol Pentan-1-ol Final mass of spirit burner / g 197.41 188.16 180.09 212.08 189.08 Percentage error / % 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.002 0.003 Looking at the results above for the percentage errors, I can conclude that the balance did not effect the results I obtained as it gave me a small percentage error that was less than 1%. This ensures me that the measurements of the spirit burners that I obtained using the weighing balance where very accurate. Procedural errors * A thermometer was placed on the colorimeter and when reached to 500c and recorded the highest temperature by siring until there was no increase in temperature. * Keep lid on spirit burner to endure the alcohol did not evaporate to obtain a accurate measurement of the mass of alcohol combusted. * Draft exclusion made using insulating tiles. This is so less heat and temperate near the spirit burner that is lighted is relatively kept constant and not effected by air coming from window or heat from radiator.

Role of Psychological Contract in Starbucks

Role of Psychological Contract in Starbucks The concept of the invisible contract can also be expressed as psychological contract which entails the unwritten employment relationship between the employer and the employee. It is an unspoken set of beliefs usually hidden or remains invisible, held by both parties which co-exist with the written contract of employment. The psychological contract is used to refer to the perceptions of what both employers and employees have regarding their business relationship based on what they are to give and receive from each other respectively. This concept can be traced back to Ancient Greek Philosophers as well as social contract theorists like John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. Kotter (1973) describes the psychological contract as an implicit contract with specifications of how both the individual and organisation are meant to behave in their employment relationship. The psychological contract is an abstract relationship between employers and employees driven by their perceptions of values. According to Cluterbuck (2005) value has three core meanings and they are value as respect, value as worth and value as beliefs. Value as respect refers to the perceptions of the employees towards the organisation with regards to how the employee feels about working with that particular organisation. If the employees feel that they are contributing positively to the organisation and if these efforts are being recognised by the organisation, the hidden orientation becomes successful. Value as worth on the other hand refers to how the employers and employees create added value for each other through reciprocal rewards. For example, the organisation providing Good pay and providing training and development opportunities for the employees while the employees in turn add value to share holders in order to raise capital. In this proposal various psychological aspects will be described in the context of organization and also its employees and also the appropriate methodology for this research will be discussed for the further completion of the investigation. 1.1 Research Question What is the role of the invisible contact or psychological contract between employers and employees in Starbucks coffee in City East District? 1.2 Key Aims This research seeks: To compare the Old and New Types of the Psychological contract To explore the opinions of a selection of Starbucks Coffees employees and their managers about their side of the psychological contract. To evaluate the assumptions both employers and employees have towards the concept of the psychological contract. To explore how psychological contracts can be enhanced to increase competitive advantage in supermarkets. To examine the changes in the psychological contract over the years, the reasons for the changes and the influence the new contract is having over both employees and the organisation. 1.3 Background of the Company: Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States, followed by nearly 1,000 in Canada and more than 800 in Japan. Starbucks sells drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, other hot and cold drinks, snacks, and items such as mugs and coffee beans. Through the Starbucks Entertainment division and Hear Music brand, the company also markets books, music, and film. Many of the companys products are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks-brand ice cream and coffee are also offered at grocery stores. In May 1998, Starbucks successfully entered the European market through its acquisition of 65 Seattle Coffee Company stores in the UK. The two companies shared a common culture, focussing on a great commitment to customised coffee, similar company values and a mutual respect for people and the environment. CHAPTER 2 2.0 Literature Review This chapter highlights the major arguments surrounding the concept of the psychological contract. The psychological contract is unwritten and therefore it is merely implied but could be explicit to some extent but not necessarily allow for agreement to the parties involvement. It can differ from individual to individual as well as from various organisations because individuals have various perceptions even with the same terms and conditions it still varies amongst individuals. The concept of the psychological contract can be traced back to Ancient Greek Philosophers and social contract theorists like John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. William Morris described Love of work as a Man at work creating something which he feels will exist because he is working at it and wills it and is therefore exercising the energies of his mind, soul and body (Morris 1870). 2.1 Definitions of the Psychological contract Agyris (1960) has been given credit for bringing to limelight the concept of psychological contract. He describes the psychological contract as a set of practical and emotional expectations of benefits that both employers and employees have of each other. Kotters (1973) defines the psychological contract as an implicit contract between an individual and his organisation which specifies what each is expected to give and receive from each other in the relationship. Morrison and Robinson (1997) on the other hand describe the psychological contract as an employment belief about the reciprocal obligations between that employee and his or her organisations where these obligations are based on perceived promises and are not necessarily recognised by agents of the organisation. According to Schein (1978) the psychological contract was described as a set of unwritten reciprocal expectations between the individual employee and the organisation. According to Goddard (1988), the way psychological contract is managed will determine how successful an organisation will become. The psychological contract entails what both parties to the contract (i.e. the employer and employee) expect from each other based on their employment beliefs and values. 2.2 Types of Psychological Contract Rousseau (1995) describes four types of psychological contract. The first type is the transactional which is short term and there is very little involvement of the parties, employees are more concerned with compensation and personal benefits rather than being good organisational citizens (Robinson et al 1994). The second type of psychological contract is the relational, which is a long term type focuses on more emotional factors like support and loyalty rather than on monetary issues like pay and compensation. The third type is the hybrid or balanced which aims at long term relationships between employers and employees as well as specifying performance requirements. The fourth type is the transitional contract which according to (Rousseau, 1995) does not offer any form of guarantee because of the ever changing nature of the organisations environment. Short Term Long term Transactional (ex. retail clerks hired during Christmas shopping season) Low ambiguity Easy exit/high turnover Low member commitment Freedom to enter new contracts Little learning Weak integration/identification Balanced (ex. high involvement team) High member commitment High integration/identification Ongoing development Mutual support Dynamic Transitional ex. employee experiences following merger or acquisitions) Ambiguity/uncertainty High turnover/Termination Instability Relational (ex. family business members) High member Commitment High affective commitment High integration/identification Stability Table 1: Types of Psychological contract (Rousseau 1995 Pg 17) The psychological contract is an abstract relationship between employers and employees driven by their perceptions of values. According to Cluterbuck (2005) value has three core meanings and they are value as respect, value as worth and value as beliefs. Value as respect refers to the perceptions of the employees towards the organisation with regards to how the employee feels about working with that particular organisation. If the employees feel that they are contributing positively to the organisation and if these efforts are being recognised by the organisation, the hidden orientation becomes successful. Value as worth on the other hand refers to how the employers and employees create added value for each other through reciprocal rewards. For example, the organisation providing Good pay and providing training and development opportunities for the employees while the employees in turn add value to share holders in order to raise capital. There must also be a sense of equilibrium her e so the parties involved feel a sense of fairness. There are two main types of psychological contract and they are the Transactional and Relational Psychological contracts. The transactional focuses on short term and specific monitory agreements with little involvement of the parties where employees are more interested in good benefits and compensations. The relational psychological contract on the other hand is a long-term contract that focuses on support and loyalty rather than on monitory issues, it is a more emotional contract. Rousseau (1990) categorisation of obligations as relational or transactional is shown below (Table 2) Employer Obligations: Transactional Employer Obligations: Relational Employee Obligations: Transactional Employee Obligations: Relational Advancement Training Notice Overtime High Pay Job security Transfers Loyalty Merit Pay Development No competitor support Extra role behaviour Support Minimum Stay Source: Rousseau (1990) Table 2: Categorisation of employer and employee obligations as Transactional or Relational 2.3 Changes to the Psychological contract The concept of the psychological contract has led Academics to carry out a vast and in-depth research on the subject matter. The concept of the psychological contract has changed over the years and this chapter will describe its changes. Holbeche (1998) noted that the old psychological contract existed before the 1980s where employment was guaranteed as long as employees continued to perform their best at work. The change occurred from the 1980s to the present as a result of emergent challenges to corporate strategies which were being influenced by economic turbulence. There was an urgent need by organisations to adopt change to deal with economic downturns and as a result of this most organisations began the process of downsizing and began to focus more on their core business and outsource other peripheral activities. These business strategies were required for organisational development and they challenged the old psychological contract that was based on Job security and moved focu s to a new contract that is based on employability. According to Hiltrop (1995), the psychological contract that gave job security and job stability to the relationship of both employees and employers has dramatically altered in the past two decades. He further stresses the change in nature of loyalty and commitment with the emphasis changing from long term careers to current performance. Rousseau (1995) acknowledges these changes by stating that contracts were previously transactional in nature but with the emergence of the bureaucratic era they developed to become relational. The old psychological contract was based on a reciprocal obligation of both employer and employee where employees provided loyalty to employers and employers gave Job security. Various factors led to the change in the psychological contract and they include amongst others the recession in the early 1990s as well as the effects of globalisation. This resulted in a change from the old psychological contract to a new contract. Individual offered: Organisation expected: Loyalty Loyalty In-depth knowledge of organisation Staff with a deep understanding of how the business functioned Acceptance of bureaucratic systems that defined the individuals rate of progress Willingness to build a career slowly through a defined system Willingness to go beyond the call of duty when required Individuals who would put the organisations needs before any outside interests Individual expected: Organisation offered: Job security Job security Regular pay increases Regular pay increases based on length of service Recognition for length of service Status and rewards based on length of service Recognition of experience Respect for experience Table 3: Adapted from Pembertons model of the psychological contract (1998) Table 3 represented above describes the characteristics of the old psychological contract where the organisation provided job security and rewards based on length of service and the employees provided loyalty and commitment on their part. Sparrows (1996) interpretation of this new contract is outlined in table 4 below: Change vs Stability Continuous Change Culture Performance based reward Development Employees for self-development and increasing their employability. Emphasis on development of competencies and technical skills Rewards Paid on contribution Promotion Criterion Performance Promotion Prospects Fewer chances of promotion due to essentially flat organisational structures focus on sideways moves to develop a broader range of skills Relationship Type Transactional rather than relational; no job security guarantees Responsibility Accountability and innovation encouraged Status Fewer outward symbols Trust No longer seen as essential. Emphasis on engendering commitment to current project or team. Table 4: Adapted Sparrows new psychological contract (1996) These changes occurred against a background of economic hardship; redundancies were widespread, unemployment increasing and government focused on reducing trade union powers. The outcome was a more vulnerable and wary workforce. The economic climate forced companies to examine cost reduction as a means of sustaining or increasing profits. Human resource policies were cost effective rather than paternalistic. Staff were increasingly seen as resources who were useful for a specific role and either adaptable or replaceable when that role ended. The new contract is based on the offer of the employer to provide fair pay for the employee as well as providing opportunities for training and development. As a result of this, the employer can no longer offer Job security and as such has weakened the amount of commitment employees have to offer. Atkinson (2002) suggests that the new contract focuses on the need for highly skilled flexible employees who have little or no job security but are highly marketable outside the organisation. Bagshaw (1997) states that, in this new Psychological contract, individuals need to commit to five key areas which have both short term and long term views. They are Continuous learning, Team working, Goal setting, Proactive change management and Personal advocacy and networking (Bagshaw 1997 pg 188). He further argues that if these key areas are focused on, the employees will be raising their values of future employability. Furthermore, the common dialogue between the two parties with similar interests in mind will establish commitment and loyalty. The reasons for such changes were described by Herriot and Pemberton (1997) as the Restructuring and continuous change of organisations led to increased feelings of inequity and insecurity and as a result, motivation was affected negatively. Hall and Moss (1998) demonstrate the shifting of the psychological contract using three stages of adaptation. The first stage, they described as the trauma of change state and they argued that a lot of organisations go through this stage. The second stage they described as adapting to the new contract where they estimated a 7-year period may be needed in order to fully adapt to the new contract stressing its not a linear process and as such it is possible to fall back to previous states. The third stage is described by Atkinson (2002) as the point of gradual change and continuous learning, valuing the employee and offering loyalty to employees based on performance and development. This stage seeks to avoid the trauma of the changing contract by offering fundamental respect for the individuals involved. Hall and Moss (1998) argue that changes to the psychological contract are possible without going through the first and second stages if handled appropriately. Atkinson (2002) further develops two concepts that emerge from long term management of the contract. The first is that organisations that are successful will provide opportunities and resources to enable individuals to develop their own careers through a relational approach. The second is that organisations will need to be more effective in renegotiating contracts and minimising risks of violating contracts (Rajan, 1997). This is because violating contracts will have negative impacts on employee attitudes and motivation. 2.4 Employer and Employee Perceptions Shore and Barksdale (1998) describe a productive employment relationship as one in which a degree of balance in perceived employee-employer obligations exist. This degree of balance suggests a mutual supporting relationship in which employees offer their skills and organisational commitment in return for rewards from the organisation. Winter and Jackson(2006) argue the need to consider both employer and employee perspectives, they suggested that it will enable investigation into the perceptions of mutuality of both parties and through this process, evaluate how well the employer has fulfilled his obligations to the employees and vice versa. Rousseau (1995) states that psychological contracts are formulated in the minds of the individuals and as a result reflect individual beliefs shaped by the organisation in regards to exchange terms between the employee and the organisation (Winter and Jackson 2006). Rousseau (1995) stresses the need for a link between the employees promises and obligations towards the organisation and that of the employer towards the employee. This is because of the differences in perceptions of both employers and employees of what constitutes the conditions of a reciprocal exchange agreement (Winter and Jackson 2006). Above describes the employment relationship of both employer and employee with transitions employees are likely willing to make and what they are able to offer in return. Herriot (1998) describe the process of contracting and negotiating between the employer and employee with a need for organisations to discover individual or group wants and match them with their own wants and offers through negotiation. Holbeche (1998) describes what employers perceptions of employees obligations are, as: Employees will take responsibility for managing their own careers Be loyal and committed Be dispensable when they are surplus to requirements Be adaptable and willing to learn new skills and work processes Holbeche (1998) further suggests the main components of employee expectations as: To be more employable in exchange for job security For organisation to support career development in return for loyalty For high skills and expertise to be recognised and duel rewarded According to Armstrong and Stephens (2005), a positive psychological contract is strongly linked to higher employee satisfaction, better employment relations and higher commitment to the organisation. They further suggest how performance management processes can help clarify the psychological contract and make it more positive through: Defining the level of support to be exercised by managers. Providing non-monetary rewards that reinforce the messages about expectation. Providing a basis for the joint agreement and definition of roles. Providing financial rewards through schemes that deliver messages about what the organisation believes to be important. Shields (2007), states, trust has been discovered to be a critical factor in employee behaviour and outlook. He further argues that when the level of trust between employers and employees fall, employee commitments and satisfaction deteriorate as well as motivation and effort. Guest and Conway (1997) outlined the following set of practices as having the most positive influence on employee work attitudes and behaviour and they are: Job security Training Opportunities High Pay Open communications Employee involvement programs According to Turnley et al (2003), psychological contract breach results in a number of negative results which include, lower levels of employee commitment, increased cynicism, reduced trust, reduced job satisfaction and high turnover. 2.5 Employee Motivation and the Psychological Contract Employee Psychological contracts are defined by Flannery (2002) as the important additional component to an employees job description which makes the job worth doing and reflects the main source of employees motivation. These contracts are part of what motivates employees to be productive at work and enables them to give their all at work. Shore and Barksdale (1998) discovered that employees reported higher levels of commitment, lower levels of turnover and higher organizational support when their employment relationships with their organisations were fulfilled. Rousseau (2004) suggests three ways in which employees design their own psychological contract. First, through their career aspirations, employees make different commitments to the organisation based on whether they view it as a long term employment possibility or a short term one which they need to move on to attain better opportunities. Employees with a stepping stone perspective tend to adopt transactional contracts while employees with long term employment possibilities tend to be more relational in contract nature. The second determinant is the personality of the individual, employees that are highly neurotic will tend to adapt more transactional contracts because they tend to reject actions by organisations to build relationships while conscientious workers on the other hand who possess great value for duty are more likely to have relational contracts. Thirdly, Rousseau states that employees who have negotiated special arrangements that are not usually available to others usually believe they relational contracts. This is because they have negotiated for opportunities for training and development which are special arrangements and a feature of relational contracts. A survey conducted by Guest and Conway (1997) on The Motivation and effort of employees discovered that the more motivated employees had a more positive psychological contract which presupposes that employees who are satisfied with their jobs and committed to their organisations report higher levels of general motivation so also do those with a positive psychological contract (Guest and Conway 1997). It was also discovered that attitudes have the highest influence on reported levels of motivation. Osteraker (1999) suggests there is a link between values and needs stating that individual needs, influence motivation and those needs determine how individuals will behave. Osteraker (1999) further stresses that values and attitudes can change over time due to a change in the organisation such as downsizing and restructuring. 2.6 Culture Hofstede (1984) suggests that different cultures imply different mental programming that controls activities, values and motivations. Therefore, organisational commitment is a psychological state that characterises the employees relationship with the organisation (Kong 2007). Culture is described as consisting of a system of values, attitudes, belief and behavioural meanings shared by members of a society (Thomas et al 2003). According to King and Bu (2005) employees of different cultural traditions and socio-economic environments are more likely to have very different perceptions on employer-employee relations. The type of psychological contract that individual employees will form with their employers is influenced by the personality traits, societal values and cultural norms of that particular individual (Raja et al 2004). This further implies that individual personality traits and cultural norms could provide a system that will explain why employees facing similar work environment and work conditions may form very different employment relationships with their employers (Zhao and Chen 2008). These norms, values and beliefs provide a framework that will determine the way individuals behave and act accordingly. Individualism is defined by Gould and Kolb (1964) as an emphasis on ones self as separate from the others and an end in itself. The individual is independent and self reliant believes in self development and competition. In collectivism, the self often overlaps with a group. The main focus is on cooperation with a group, interdependence, social norms with the group comprising of the m ain unit of social perception with individuals viewed as embedded in a universe of relationships (Lebra 1984). According to Thomas et al (2003) individualism refers to the tendency to be more concerned about consequences of behaviours of ones personal goals through viewing oneself as independent of others while collectivism on the other hand refers to view oneself as interdependent with selected others with consequences of behaviour for the group as a whole and group interest. Research carried out by Zhao and Chen (2008) discovered, that individuals with an individualistic cultural value tended to form more transactional psychological contracts while people with a collectivism cultural value formed more relational contracts. It was discovered that collectivism motives tend to avoid differentiation and focus on relational contracts while self motives were more transactional in nature. This goes in line with research conducted by Lee (2000) where it was discovered that relational contracts are more likely related to behaviour in work groups in Hong Kong than in the United States. 2.6.1 Culture, Personalities and the Psychological Contract Rousseau (1995) outlines the two most important influences of employees psychological contract and they are both the organisational influences and employees personal dispositions. According to Tallman and Bruning (2008), the way employees interpret information from their employers, their observations of actions and activities in the workplace, together with their personal dispositions are theorised to create idiosyncratic contract attitudes in the minds of employees. Additionally, if management understand the factors that influence the development of employee psychological contracts, they may be able to manage these contracts more effectively (Tallman and Bruning 2008). Research carried out by Raja (2004) established a link that connected several facets of employee personality to their psychological contracts. Their research examined personality traits, including extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism and the extent to which these personality constructs related to employees choice of a transactional and relational psychological contracts. People high in neuroticism have poor job attitudes and they are unlikely to give of themselves other than what is necessary to maintain their jobs (Tallman and Bruning 2008). Kichuk and Wiesner (1997) further argue that people high in neuroticism are fearful, angry and functions as poor team performers with poor attitudes towards change. Neuroticism has been found to be negatively related to self-esteem and locus of control (Judge et al, 1998). These findings suggest that employees high in neuroticism will develop obligation attitudes that reflect low job commitment and an unwillingness to take initiative in their work. The outcome of Raja et al (2004)s research was that neuroticism was positively related to transactional contracts and negatively related to the relational psychological contracts. Relational contracts are dynamic, involving, emotional and prolonging contracts in nature while transactional contracts are short term contracts with little close involvement of the parties (Rousseau 1995). These findings suggest that neurotic employees reject actions by organisations to build relationships with them and as such are focused on instrumental needs such as good pay and benefits. Raja et al (2004) found extraversion positively related to relational contracts and negatively related to transactional contract indicating extroverted employees are willing to engage in long term relationships with their organisations. This is line with the research conducted by Judge et al (1998) that discovered that extroversion has been related to high job performance, job satisfaction, team performance and low absenteeism. 2.7 Psychological Contract Violation Psychological contract violation has been defined as a failure of the organisation to fulfil one or more obligations of an individuals psychological contract (Robinson and Morrison 1995). They further make a distinction between breach and violation, stating that the breach is the identification that the organisation has failed to fulfil one or more obligations within ones psychological contract. Robinson and Morrison (1995) further emphasise that the breach could be relatively short term and as a result individuals could return to their normal stable psychological state or it could alternatively evolve into the full contract violation. Violation on the other hand is the more personalized emotional state that follows from the belief that the organisation has failed to uphold its part of the psychological contract. Rousseau (1989) describes the contract violation as a broken promise that calls into question respect and codes of conduct which increases intensity of responses. Robinson and Morrison (1995) suggest that the beliefs by employees that obligations and promises have been unfulfilled by the organisation will lead the employees to most likely report a reduction in perceived obligations to their employers, lower job satisfaction and lower citizenship behaviour. Additionally, psychological contract violation reduces organisational commitment and increases cynicism (Robinson and Prior research conducted by Robinson and Rousseau (1994) reveal that contract violations frequently relates to promotion, compensation and training and development where the employees feel that the organisations has not fulfilled their side of the promise. CHAPTER 3 3.0 Research Methodology There are two types of research method Quantitative Method Qualitative Method Quantitative Method All research will involve some numerical data or contain data that could usefully be quantified to help researchers question and to meet objectives. Quantitative method re