Operations Management (please refer to uploaded file) Essay

Operations Management (please refer to uploaded file) - Essay Example On the other hand, a service supply chain deals with the intangibles due to which little physical inputs are required. Even the number of suppliers in a service-based supply chains are limited to an extent. Raw materials required by the internet service providers are limited to only offices and servers. The costs incurred by the service supply chain are less as compared to the product supply chain (Veronneau and Roy, 2009). Logistics is essential in product-base supply chain as the manufacturing industry highly depends on the transportation of physical goods from one destination to another. If the raw materials are not transferred from one place to another, the supply chain will be broken which halts the operations of the company and the company is forced to use different modes of transportation; land, sea or air. Furthermore, the cost of logistics is quite high depending on the size and weight of the raw material that is being moved (Min and Zhou, 2002). On the other hand, for a service industry logistics is irrelevant as the industry directly deals with the intangibles. The cost incurred by the product-based industry for logistics are utilised by the service-based industry for upgrading servers and for maintenance (Veronneau and Roy, 2009). This upgrade and maintenance allows enhancement in the speed and communication between the clients and the internet service providers. In a traditional product-based supply chain, finished goods are those products that have been completely transformed from raw material to products that are ready to be sold (Simatupang and Sidharan, 2002). For Coca Cola Company, a finished good represents a chilled bottle of coke ready to be served to the customers to meet their demand. In a service industry, a finished good represents quality service to the clients. This means that the customer should be satisfied with the internet

Evolution of reading and writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evolution of reading and writing - Essay Example It is factual that ancient periods were characterized by people who had no knowledge regarding reading and writing. It was a state of utter ignorance where nobody ever pictured the development of the highly sophisticated forms of reading and writing. As such, the advancements realized today are a product of continuous and new developments that have lasted for more than a thousand years. The nature of reading and writing differs from one geographical location or society to the other. However, it is worth noting that there are some fundamental steps that have characterized all these developments. For instance, in the earlier days, convectional signs or pictures is what was used to express ideas. This however changed over time and was replaced by phonetic writing. Later development gave way to syllabic writing before alphabetic writing eventually took over (Schmandt-Besserat 43). The origin of writing and thus consequent evolution cannot be traced back to one particular place. Instead, historical studies indicate independent emergence of these skills in different regions of the world. Some studies suggest the Egyptians and Sumerians as the first people who developed the writing skills. Despite of the variability, the researchers noted that Sumerian writing depicted Egyptian influence and vice versa. This study further suggests the need to document their agricultural data as the drive behind this development. In addition, other factors such as need to annotate dealing in trade activities and government taxes were significant in influencing the development of reading and writing. The early records from Syria show the use of clay tokens which were shaped differently to represent agricultural products. In this case, each shape indicated different products and further marks were added to provide further means of distinguishing products of the same kind. This system went on for some long period before being replaced with three dimensional hollow balls. This also never l asted long as they were small and handier to use and so they were substituted with two-dimensional tablets at around 3100 BC curved to represent the products. This was also cumbersome since it required one to curve as many drawings as the number of products were (Martin 66). Further Advancement simplified the whole process by allowing individuals to only specify first the number and then indicate the object. This marked the inception of scribes who kept record of units inform of lines drawn using the stylus tip and tens by pressing the stylus bottom on a tablet. The shape of the product counted followed this. For instance in a case of 43 amphorae, one would indicate: OOOOIII followed by only one amphorae shape. This was another significant step forward and was made even better as new system allowed different signs to indicate goods and numbers (Schmandt-Besserat 34). In around 300BC another development in writing and reading skill realized the introduction of new sings that drifted from indicating the usual objects to indicate sound also called phonograms. This was a reaction to the growing need to solve the problem related to writing names of persons. Cuneiform derives its name from the idea that it used signs that were similar to small wedges. In this form of writing agricultural goods and domestic animals were drawn using conventional signs while wild animals drawing conformed to the distinctive characteristics of each animal. However, a problem

Skilled Workers Shortage in China: Causes and Effects

Skilled Workers Shortage in China: Causes and Effects In this chapter the researcher will present the theoretical foundation for this dissertation. This review aims to investigate and examine extant literature on the following research questions: Research Question 1: How great is the shortage of skilled workers in China? Research Question 2: How do such shortages in skills affect the working of multinational corporations? Research Question 3: How do multinational corporations, with the use of talent management practices and tools, retain skilled workers, including managerial and executive staff, in China? Information for this literature review has been obtained from a range of secondary sources including books, journal and magazine articles and other media publications, both in online and physical form. Talent management is a comparatively new development in HR theory and practice and much of pertinent and associated literature on the subject exists in the form of publications in various periodicals. Shortage of skilled workers in China is presently attracting a significant amount of concern and material on the subject has been sourced from different articles authored by Chinese and Western experts. The various aspects of the studied subject matter have been taken up in sequence in the interest of coherence and continuity of thought and discussion. 2.1 Shortage of Skilled Workers in China The shortage of skilled workers, whilst of recent origin, is assuming grave dimensions. The Chinese economy has been growing at an astonishing pace for the last two decades (Barbosa 2010). Such phenomenal economic growth has propelled the country from the ranks of the poorest of the poor to the position of the second largest global economy (Barbosa 2010). Having crossed Japan in the GDP rankings in August 2010, the Chinese economy is now second in size to only that of the USA (Barbosa 2010). With it being widely accepted that access to cheap and skilled labour has played a predominant role in the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic performance, the emerging shortages in availability of skilled workers is becoming a serious matter of concern (Powell 2009). Experts feel that the problem, whilst manageable until now, is increasing in various dimensions and can become a serious challenge to the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic growth in the foreseeable future (Powell 2009). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Various domestic  media reports  put the labour supply gap at around a million people in Guangzhou and neighbouring cities such as Dongguan, legendary centres of Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s export boom in the past three decades. Numerous assembly lines and construction sites are sitting idle while anxious employers have raised salaries by more than 30% but still canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t attract enough applicantsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. (Hong, S. 2010) The current shortage of skilled workers in China is due to the emergence and interplay of a range of factors (Trading Economic 2010). It is in the first place indisputable that sharply accelerating economic growth in China has created enormous demand for skilled workers (Trading Economic 2010). The Chinese economy has grown in size from an annual GDP of 990 billion USD in 2000 to 4900 billion USD in 2010 (Trading Economic 2010). The last decade has seen the entry of numerous multinationals in the country and the establishment of thousands of local and foreign owned production units (Blanchard 2007). Such production units are now being established in different geographical areas making it easier for workers to obtain gainful employment near their houses (Blanchard 2007). The Chinese government has also in recent years embarked upon developing the economic and physical infrastructure of numerous inland and hitherto neglected provinces (AsiaNews.It. 2006). Airports, roads and housing in upcountry regions are receiving strong investments (AsiaNews.It 2006). Such investments are creating thousands of jobs across the country and reducing migration of workers to zones with strong manufacturing activities (AsiaNews.It 2006). Experts also feel that low wages in the manufacturing sector, along with long working hours and difficult working and living conditions are forcing many workers to give up their jobs in manufacturing units and return to work on their farms (Rein 2010). The Chinese governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s decision to reduce taxes on agriculture has also helped in reinforcing such attitudes (Rein 2010). The Chinese government has constantly placed emphasis upon development of agriculture and providing of adequate food supplies for the rural population, who constitute 727 million people (Rein 2010). A continuous supply of positive policies, like the elimination of onerous taxes and powerful market intercession, have enhanced rural incomes and made farming rewarding in comparison to skilled jobs in some manufacturing organisations (Rein 2010). China implemented its one child policy in 1979. This has resulted in the development of an ageing population (Hong, S. 2010). The median age of the country, at 33 years, is closer to that of the USA, the UK and the countries of Western Europe, rather than to its southern neighbour India, which has a median age of 26 and whose economy is also growing rapidly and with a swiftness that is second only to that of China (Hong, S. 2010). The ageing population is leading to lesser numbers of people joining the workforce every year and consequentially to restrictions on the availability of skilled workers (Hong, S. 2010). The impact of an ageing population is being felt intensely in manufacturing centres like Shanghai, where people above 60 are expected to constitute practically 30 percent of the total population in another 10 years time (Hong, S. 2010). The numbers of people in the 15-19 age groups in the country have reduced by approximately 17 percent, from 124 million in 2005 to around 10 3 million today (Hong, S. 2010). Academic policies in China have in recent years paid greater attention to academic performance and have neglected imparting of high level vocational training and skills training to people (AsiaNews.It 2006). Many universities have failed to understand market demands and mechanisms in the designing of their courses (AsiaNews.It 2006). Only 200 of the 20,000 vocational schools in the country are aiming to produce skilled workers and technicians with good skills (AsiaNews.It 2006). Such circumstances have added to the reduced availability of skilled workers in the manufacturing sector (AsiaNews.It 2006). Rein (2010) states that the younger Chinese unwilling to work any longer in factories. They are much too buoyant about their work prospects and perceive no compulsion to work for comparatively low wages at long distances from their families (AsiaNews.It 2006). The increase in the number of college and university graduates from just about a million in 2000 to 6 million in 2010 has reduce d the pool for potential skilled workers (AsiaNews.It 2006). Even workers with low skills prefer to stay nearer home in interior provinces like Sichuan and Hunan, rather than relocating to manufacturing centres like Guangdong to work for remuneration that is being increasingly perceived to be insufficient (AsiaNews.It 2006). The shortage of skilled workers is being felt intensely in the export regions of the country like the Pearl River Delta as also the Yangtze River Delta. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“It was officially reported that the city of Shenzhen, on the Hong Kong border, alone faced a labour shortage of about 300,000 workers this year. In Guangdong province, the government said factories were short more than 500,000 workers; and in Fujian province, there was a shortage of 300,000à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. (AsiaNews.It 2006) Surveys, conducted a few years ago, revealed that technicians constituted only 4% of the total numbers of skilled workers, even as organisations needed at least 14% technicians in their labour force (Peoples Daily 2004). Personnel who are most in demand include skilled workers, technicians and marketing staff. Such shortages appear to be greater in case of enterprises where skilled workers were not trained adequately (Peoples Daily 2004). Business organisations are also finding it difficult to attract and retain employees in different administrative and managerial positions (Peoples Daily 2004). It is ironical that the country that is widely considered to be the largest reservoir of cheap and skilled workers is now actually hard pressed to find and retain skilled workers as well as supervisors and managers at different levels for its own needs (Peoples Daily 2004). 2.2 Impact of Shortage of Skilled Workers and Managerial Employees on the Working of MNCs in China. Shortage of skilled employees is affecting the working of all business firms, MNCs as well as locally owned establishments, across China (Roberts 2006). Such shortages are in the first case leading to progressively higher levels of attrition and employee turnover in business firms (Roberts 2006). The most important challenge in contemporary Chinese business enterprises concerns attracting, finding and retaining skilled workers (Roberts 2006). The Institute of Contemporary Observation, a research organisation based in Shenzhen, states that employee turnover in low technology industries is nearing an unprecedented 50% (Roberts 2006). There are 2.5 million jobs in the province of Guangdong that are yet to be filled, even as the provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are also facing considerable shortages of skilled labour (Roberts 2006). Such shortages are affecting the production of numerous organisations, adversely impacting expansion plans, and restricting organisational growth (Roberts 2006). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“It was officially reported that the city of Shenzhen, on the Hong Kong border, alone faced a labour shortage of about 300,000 workers this year. In Guangdong province, the government said factories were short more than 500,000 workers; and in Fujian province, there was a shortage of 300,000.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (AsiaNews.It 2006) Numerous MNCs have increased their investments in Chinese production centres and built up large capacities (Lane Pollner 2008). The unavailability of the required numbers of skilled workers is leading to underutilisation of capacity, idle machinery, higher finance costs, and poor productivity and profitability (Lane Pollner 2008). Shortages in required numbers of skilled workers are also leading to significant increases in job hopping and in the movement of employees between organisations for the sake of achievement of small salary differentials (Roberts 2006). MNCs and local companies are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“stealingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? skilled workers from each other, by offering the target worker a lucrative opportunity such as a better compensation or better benefits. The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“talentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? war has led to rapid wage inflation. . MNCs have been increasing salaries to keep existing employees (Downing, Rouleau, and Stuber 2008). Whilst labour intensive industries are facing increasingly severe problems, substantial increases in numbers of employee departures are affecting all low tech and high tech organisations (Roberts 2006). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Emerson General Manager David Warth says its all he can do to keep his 800 employees from jumping ship to Samsung, Siemens, Nokia, and other multinationals that are now operating in the tech manufacturing hubà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. (Roberts, 2006) Increases in employee turnovers and shortages in supply of skilled workers, as well as employees for higher level and managerial jobs, is leading to sharp increases in employee costs. AS Salop and Salop (1976) indicate that labour turnover is costly for all firms. In the event of a sudden employee departure, the firm suffers two types of cost: direct and indirect cost. Direct cost includes leaving costs, replacement costs such as advertising, interviewing and selection costs and transitions costs, and indirect costs refer to the loss of production, reduced performance levels, unnecessary overtime and low morale (Schlesinger and Heskett, 1991). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Companies across the board are feeling the squeeze. Last year turnover at multinationals in China averaged 14 percent, up from 11.3 percent in 2004 and 8.3 percent in 2001 (AsiaNews.It 2006). Salaries jumped by 8.4 percent, according to human resources consultant Hewitt Associates LLCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. (AsiaNews.It 2006) Minimum wages in China are going up steadily and are currently many times that of Bangladesh, a neighbouring low cost producer (AsiaNews.It 2006). Many organisations are perforce improving the working and living conditions of their employees and the quality of food served in their cafeterias, with result increases in total costs expended on labour (AsiaNews.It 2006 ). Such increases in labour cost have multiple implications (Roberts 2006). At one level companies are seriously thinking of putting up new establishments in interior regions where wages are lower, or even of shifting their operations to lower wage countries like Indonesia or Vietnam (Roberts 2006). Organisations that have already made substantial investments in regions that are now facing labour shortages are experiencing strong pressures on costs and margins (Roberts 2006). Such pressures are leading either to problems with organisational viability or are manifesting themselves in higher product prices and consequent pressure on competitiveness (Roberts 2006).The American Chamber of Commerce recently reported that increasing costs of labour have reduced the margins of practically 48 percent of US organisations that operate in China (Roberts 2006). Teresa Woodland, the author of the report states that China could well run the risk of using its cost advantage (Roberts 2006). The shortage in availability of skilled people goes beyond the workforce and extends too many other organisational areas (Roberts 2006). Mckinsey and company estimate that just about 10 percent of job candidates in areas like engineering, accounting and finance have skills that are necessarily required by foreign organisations (Roberts 2006). Whilst 75,000 jobs for managers are expected to arise in the country during the next five years, the country currently has lesser than 5,000 managers with the required skills (Roberts 2006). Observers believe that the impact of shortage of skilled people on the economic growth and performance of companies and the nation as a whole is likely to be far more powerful than other constraints like material or power. 2.3 Talent Management and its Application in China Multinational corporations in China can benefit in areas concerning employee turnover and improvement of employee retention through the application of contemporary talent management techniques and tools. Organisational managements have over the years constantly tried to develop and adapt in response to workplace changes, right from the days of the industrial revolution and the emergence of labour unions to the demands of automated production, globalisation and outsourcing (Schuler, et al, 2010). Contemporary years are witnessing a global HR movement for attracting and retaining talent (Schuler, et al, 2010). Whilst organisations have in many ways been trying to attract and retain skilled and productive employees for ages, formal talent management processes have emerged only recently (Schuler, et al, 2010). Whilst such practices are now being implemented rigorously by progressive business organisations in the developed economies, they have become extremely relevant in the Chinese envi ronment where an abundance of people is ironically accompanied by shortages in availability of skilled workers and other managerial personnel (Schuler, et al, 2010). 2.3.1 The importance of talent management Talent management represents the systematic use of appropriate HR strategies, policies and practices for management of the talent challenges faced by business organisations (Lane Pollner 2008). Such policies and practices in the Chinese context include attraction of the most appropriate talent, careful selection, training and development, fair and sympathetic evaluation and assessment, high quality training and development and alignment of personnel and business objectives (Lane Pollner 2008). The importance of adopting strong talent management practices for retaining talent assumes great importance in the existing and predicted scenario (Lane Pollner 2008). Research conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute, conducted in 2007 in six countries, including China reveals that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“policies such as career path programmes, goal development and monitoring, regular feedback sessions with managers, tracking progress have a demonstrable effect on employee execution and motivati onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Talent Management 2008). The report confirms that employees of organisations that focus on talent management are more engaged with their functions and more content with their jobs and organisations (Talent Management 2008) 2.3.2 Vroomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s VIE expectancy theory Vroomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s VIE (Valence, Instrumentality and Expectancy) theory of expectancy states that individuals tend to act in specific ways with the expectation that specific acts will lead to particular outcomes, and in line with the attractiveness of such outcomes (Citeman.com 2010). The theory, whilst appearing to be complex, is actually simple and necessitates the comprehension of three relationships, namely (a) the perceived probability by individuals that the making of specific efforts will lead to performance, (b) the extent to which individuals believe that performing at specific levels will result in achievement of specific outcomes and (c) the importance placed by individuals on possible rewards that can be obtained in job execution (Citeman.com 2010). The intensity of individual motivation to make efforts depends on the intensity with which individuals believe that they can achieve what they are attempting, whether they will be adequately rewarded by their organisations, and whether such rewards will meet their individual objectives (Pitt 2001). The application of the expectancy theory needs the careful consideration of four relevant steps (Pitt 2001). Organisations must firstly assess the perceived outcomes offered by specific jobs to employees (Pitt 2001). These may be (a) positive like income, benefits, stability and security, comradeship, congenial relationships trust, employee benefits, and opportunities to use skills, or (b) negative like weariness, monotony, annoyance, apprehension, inconsiderate management or danger of dismissal (Pitt 2001). Employee perceptions, regardless of actual reality become relevant in such scenarios (Pitt 2001). Organisations must try to assess the attraction to employees of such outcomes and whet her employees perceive outcomes with positivity or negativity (Pitt 2001). Individuals who find specific outcomes attractive and view them positively would like to achieve them (Pitt 2001). Managements also need to determine the type of behaviour required of employees to achieve positive outcomes and employees need to clearly and explicitly know what they must do to achieve them (Pitt 2001). It is finally also important to know how employees view their chances of satisfying what is asked of them (Pitt 2001). HR experts feel that appropriate applications of the expectancy theory through the linkage of efforts with performance and rewards can make employees developed a liking for their jobs and consequentially reduce employee attrition and employee turnover (Pitt 2001). Whilst the expectancy theory certainly has its logical strengths, talent management is a far broader area and retention of talent in skilled jobs in China poses specific challenges like (a) the need for skilled workers to work far away from their farms and homesteads, (b) difficult working and living conditions, (c) inadequate monetary benefits and (d) the emergence of various alternative areas of occupation and work with more attractive attributes with regard to location, remuneration and job content (Changing Minds.org 2010). 2.3.3 Impact on skilled workers The Kenexa (2007) report on organisations in countries including China states that organisations with progressive talent management cultures have workers with greater pride in their organisations who moreover recommend their organisations to others as good places to work for (Talent Management 2008). Employees with positive perceptions of the talent management practices of their organisations are likely to be confident of the prospects of their organisations (Talent Management 2008). The research revealed that employees who believed in the talent management policies of their firms tended to have more positive perceptions of their managements (Talent Management 2008). Such employees believed that their managers were capable of effectively managing workloads and that their senior managers felt that employees were critical to organisational success and growth (Talent Management 2008). Employees of such companies were likely to experience greater sense of job stability and security, be h appy with company training, feel that their performance is fairly assessed and harbour greater feelings of individual achievement (Talent Management 2008). MNCs in China are working towards retaining talent through the adoption of a range of initiatives (Roberts 2006). Many companies are locating their manufacturing units in interior regions in densely populated areas in order to tap larger workforce pools (Roberts 2006). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“General Motors, Honda, Motorola, and Intel, for instance, have all shifted some manufacturing or research to inland locations in recent years, both to tap lower costs and to open up new markets.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Roberts 2006) Salaries and rewards are being increased significantly across the line in order to retain talent and reduce job hopping (Roberts 2006). Many organisations are taking pains to ensure better living conditions, better cafeteria food and more attractive career paths for their employees (Roberts 2006). Foxconn, the maker of Apple iPhones in China is experiencing severe criticism for its treatment of its workforce (Rein 2010). It is evident that such organisations will have to make significa nt investments in HR policies and practices if they are to attract and retain skilled employees (Rein 2010). The Chinese government is also taking initiatives to improve the content of vocational and technical courses and build a stronger workforce base of skilled workers. It is however very evident that the Chinese economy and the various business organisations, both MNC and local, are facing significant challenges with regard to availability of skilled workers and competent managerial employees. Such trends are also expected to intensify in future. 2.4 Talent Retention tools Vaiman and Vance (2008) suggest that motivational force can be achieved by extrinsically through monetary incentives or intrinsically through non-monetary incentives. 2.4.1 Monetary rewards and non monetary rewards Monetary rewards include all types of compensation and benefits (CB) packages such as salary, performance related payment, deferred compensation plans, social and commercial benefits and etc (Tian 2007). Monetary rewards can satisfy employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ physiological needs and it is an effective tool to retaining talent (Vaiman and Vance 2008). Maslowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Hierarchy of Needs, suggests the physiological needs have to be satisfied before dealing with the higher order needs. This may be the reason why money is still the best reward for the majority of people. In contrast, non-monetary reward is another essential tool for retaining employees. It can be use to satisfy employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ higher other of needs such as the needs for achievement, affiliation and power (McMlelland 1987). Non-monetary rewards include: training and career development, employer branding, ect. (Tian 2007). The researcher will consider these retention tools in the Chinese environment below.. 2.4.2 Extrinsic motivation According to a recent survey conducted by Waston Wyatt in China, the number one reason for Chinese talented and skilled workers to leave their current job is to find a better-paid job (Leininger 2004). Therefore, it is extremely important for MNCs to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, in order to retain the Chinese skilled worker. The following components are normally included in the packages that MNCs offer to local employees, and therefore they are discussed here in detail. 2.4.2.1 Salary Salary is the fixed amount of money pay to an employee for work performed and is the largest component in a CB package. Due to the weak social security in China, Chinese employees tend to place more value on money than Western employee (Jones 1997). Therefore, MNCs need to consider a number of factors when they design the salary level for Chinese employees. For example, the cost of living and level of economic development vary significantly from city to city, so the salary for equivalent positions may vary as well. Leininger (2004) points out that first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai enjoy the highest salary level, followed by second- and third-tier cities. Moreover, the salary level has been increasing at a dramatic rate in China. Since the rapid economic growth, the annual salary growth rate has been risen up to 8 percent in recent years, and the trend is expected to continue in future (Tian 2007). As a result, it is necessary for MNCs to have a general idea about local compensation level and salary growth rate before designing their own competitive packages. 2.4.2.2 Performance related payment Performance related payment (i.e. bonus) is the portion of a CB package that is related to performance. It is very popular and accepted by many MNCs in China. Many MNCs believe that performance related payment is an effective tool to given an incentive for compensation to meet certain goals such as completion of a specified sales target. In addition, it is able to encourage local employees to be more creative such as: propose a new idea to increase efficiency in the work place ,or improve the quality of the output, etc (Melvin 2001). To an extent, performance related payment helps to attract local employees and keep them help in the company. 2.4.2.3 Deferred compensation plans- Deferred compensation plans are also called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"golden handcuffsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. They are popular with MNCs in China, and are offered in the form of a contract-related gratuity. For example, If the Chinese employee stays with the company for a contractually specified length of time ( i.e. 2 years), at the end of his/her contract he or she would be given an extra years salary as a reward. Deferred compensation plans are useful in retaining Chinese employees because it provides a financial incentive for talented Chinese employees to remain in the company. Recently, MNCs have begun offering a new version of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"golden handcuffsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ to young talented Chinese employees who would like to get a degree at an overseas university. They offer a full scholarship for these employees and in exchange, the employees have to work for the company for specified length of time after completing their degree (Tian 2007). 2.4.2.4 Social and commercial benefits. Social benefits are mandatory in China they refer to contributions to government-run social insurance schemes, which cover pensions, medical care, unemployment, work injury, child birth and housing, etc. The benefits are borne by both employer and employee. 30 and 40 percent of payroll is paid to the State, of which around 50% is paid by employers. In recent years, Chinese employees are increasingly aware of the importance of social benefits, due to rising costs of housing and medicare in China. , Some MNCs are even willing to pay benefits of more than regulated ratios to retain their employees. By contrast, commercial benefits refer to the benefits offered by an employer to an employee on a commercial basis. Many MNCs in China provide numerous commercial benefits for their employees such as offering loans at below-market interest rates, monetary assistance with single child family or even payment of wedding. Both social and commercial benefits are reported as useful to inducement to employees to remain in the company (Tian 2007). 2.4.3 Intrinsic motivation However, monetary rewards are not everything employee wants. Once compensation reaches a certain level, employees are likely to look for higher order of needs such as career development opportunities ( Maslow 1954; McClelland1987). According to the DDI survey in China 2007, the result shows that the top two reasons for Chinese employee turnover were lack of growth and development opportunities with the current company with 53% of the respondents agreed and better career opportunities elsewhere with 42% of the respondents agreed. The result reflects that Chinese employees have high expectations for rapid advancement (Howard, Liu, Wellins and Williams 2007). Therefore, it is necessary to consider these non-monetary factors that can motivate and retain employees. As Jones (1997) points out that it is very important to understand Chinese employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ expectations. For most Chinese employees, especially those top performers joining a MNC not only for a high CB package but also for the opportunity to receive advanced training and learn western business methods. Those top performers are clearly aware of the skill gap between them and their Western counterparts, so they are eager to improve their own knowledge and skills. Additionally, providing training and career opportunities to employees can improve employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ commitment to the company. As Leininger (2004) stated that the heart of retention is long term employee commitment. He divided employees into two different groups. They are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“satisfiedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“committedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? employees. The satisfiedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? employees can easily be retained by satisfying their monetary incentives while the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“committedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ? employees tend to stay longer with companies even without monetary incentive. A global research conducted by Waston Wyatt shows that committed employees are more productive and efficient than those whose employees showed low commitment (Leininger 2004). Therefore, it is important that MNCs recognize the importance of training and development opportunities to their Chinese employees and demonstrate a commitment to training, development and career path development for them. Besides, organizational factors can also influence talent retention such as corporate culture, communication, leadership behavior are able to satisfy employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ needs for affiliation (Chew 2004). In the Chinese case, the leadership behavior is one of the most important motivation and retention drivers for Chinese employees. For many MNCs, the meaning of a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“good leaderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? for Chinese people can be far more complicated than what they have seen in their home countries. Leadership in China has specific connotations. According to the research conducted by Craig Pepples, to achieve success in Chinese environment, foreign leader need a strong leadership style to build a team. Chinese employees respect those leaders who have a strong leadership style. They expect leaders always able to give them instruction to follow. Moreover, Pepples also insists that to be an effective leader, foreigners need to create a culture of teamwork, showing their personal commitment to the employees and care for each individual (Jones 1997). Therefore, Chinese employees are most likely to want to stay and work for an organization if they have a good manager or boss, who recognized individual contribution, and had great company leaderships (Howard, Liu, Wellins and Williams 2007). These studies above are just a few examples of tools regarding talent retention in the Chinese context. When these retention tools are applied to Chinese employees, MNCs have to rank all the tools in order of importance, and then focus on several areas for motivation and retention talent (Vaiman and Vance, 2008). 2.5 Talent development in the Chinese cont Fear: Types, Causes and Effects Fear: Types, Causes and Effects Bradley Varney McLea How Fear Allows Us to Better Know Ourselves It is difficult to know how one would respond in a moment of fear or terror. People tend to give themselves the benefit of the doubt in situations like these. Fear is one of the most powerful emotions for all living creatures and the most extensively studied emotion (LeDoux, 2014). Autonomic responses are involuntary actions that take place inside our nervous system. Fear is an autonomic response that can only be triggered by outside stimuli. You cannot make yourself feel fear, but it is something that we more passively experience. In order to better understand ourselves and our basic nature, fear should be studied being one of our most primitive emotions. By looking at the origins of fear, the main categories of fear, the characteristics of fear, and the natural responses to fear I believe we can better understand the concept of fear what it means for us. Do We Know the Origin of Fear? To more fully understand fear it is important to understand its roots. Since the beginning of time, fear has been essential in the survival of the human race and the survival of many different species. Ãâ€"hman, Carlsson, Lundqvist, and Ingvar (2007) found the following, Fear denotes an emotion that has been primarily shaped in evolutionary arms races between predators and prey. Improved predator hunting skills have prompted more efficient defense manoeuvres by preys, which have put a pressure on further skill development in the predator, and so on. Thus, the function of fear is to motivate organisms to cope with threats that have jeopardized survival throughout evolution. This quotation explains just how the â€Å"game† is evolving; the prey is getting smarter and so the predator must do the same or starve. If the rabbits learn that a fox lurks around the woods at night, then the rabbits might start to only go into the woods during the day. The rabbits will start to learn the habits of the fox that way they can maneuver their way around and survive. This is how the game is evolving; the fox must now learn that the rabbits are getting smarter and so it must make changes if it wants to eat. The rabbits fear getting eaten and dying while the foxes fear starvation and dying, fear drives their motivation. Another example is of deer, when a deer is spotted in the woods, will it lift its head up and stare at strangers because it is friendly or because it is afraid? If a human approaches the deer too closely, it will turn and run. Will a fawn do the same, maybe not to the exact extent of a deer but yes. Some claim that many creatures, including humans, are born with an innate sense of fear. Is fear learned or is it part of our essence since birth? A toddler is not born afraid of fire; he will approach the flames without caution. Once the toddler touches the flame and is burned, he will cry and feel pain. Those flames will forever be associated with the pain he felt in that instant. According to McGuire et al. (2013), learning about and remembering fearful experiences are critical to survival. No one enjoys feeling pain and so they will avoid it, even a toddler knows to avoid and fear pain. It is not safe to say that fear is solely felt due to experience. Why will the baby cry in the arms of a stranger, but not in the arms of his mother? Does the baby feel afraid? I believe that the baby does feel fear in these instances, while the level of fear is not known. According to Trost, France, Vervoort, Lange, and Goubert (2014), people can be conditioned by observation alone. Due to priming, a sample group of people believed that they c ould get hurt doing day to day activities. This sample group highly associated fear with pain. These people were so afraid to experience the pain that they were seeing during the priming that they refused to participate in many normal day activities. Living creatures can also be conditioned to fear certain things. An example of this could be a dog that fears the sight of a spatula because he knows that spatula means getting spanked. When I was young my parents would make loud sounds with a belt in order to spark fear in myself and my siblings. We began to fear the belt, especially if the belt ever accompanied us getting spanked. These forms of conditioning are used to put fear into the heart of someone or something else. There is no one that is completely immune to fear, it is something that is inescapable. What Are the Two Main Categories of Fear? Fear is divided into two major categories; these two categories include irrational and rational fear. Irrational fears are not â€Å"ridiculous fears†, but they are fears that one has that do not pose an immediate danger to one’s life. Phobias are an example of irrational fears. Often people think that irrational fears would consist of fears that are extremely uncommon or strange, but in reality if one were asked what fears he has then almost all named would be considered irrational. According to Quandt et al. (2013), women with diabetes are terrified of leg amputation. Since they are so afraid of leg amputation, many of them will not walk around their house without their shoes on in case there is a nail poking upward. The likelihood of stepping on a nail inside your own house is slim to none, which means that the idea of wearing shoes to protect their feet is due to an irrational fear. Arachnophobia and claustrophobia are fairly common phobias, or irrational fears. Most people will say that they have some sort of phobia/something they are afraid of. Recently, a woman c laimed to be afraid of sharks. Yes, there are many sharks in the ocean, but the likelihood of a shark attack is very slim. In Hawaii, more people die from falling coconuts than from shark attacks. Irrational fears can be potentially dangerous, but are usually misjudged or magnified. A shark attack is very dangerous, but a lot of times the likelihood of occurrence is amped up significantly inside our minds. While watching horror films, people experience irrational fear since they are not actually in any form of danger. Rational fears are opposite of irrational fears and are composed of immediate threats. If a gun is brought to school one day by a fellow classmate, students will experience rational fear. If the crime rate is high, then a fear of crime can be a rational fear (Chadee Ying, 2013). Threats that can cause injury, death, and ruin reputation are rational fears and have a much higher probability of occurring than do irrational fears. If someone is afraid of heights and decides to go skydiving, that is also an irrational fear. While it may be dangerous to jump out of a plane, you are still strapped in and safely falling down with a skilled instructor. Do these fear categories ever overlap? Definitely, they do. This overlapping happens when the probability of danger increases. If Bob is afraid of heights, but decides to skydive, his irrational fear can become rational once one or two of his parachutes decide to not function correctly. The Characteristics of Fear Allow Us to Detect What does fear look like? Is it described by screaming or by â€Å"goose bumps†? Characteristics of fear will vary from person to person and also with each different situation. Some physical characteristics of fear involve a rapid heart rate, quick breathing, elevated adrenaline levels, perspiration, and the tensing of muscles. Depending on the severity of the degree of fear, one can also enter into a state of temporary paralysis which will prohibit the person from being able to scream, make sound, and sometimes even move. If a bunch of college kids decide to go into a cemetery late at night, the ones who are afraid are all experiencing similar or the same physical symptoms of fear. The physical characteristics of fear are generally the same for everyone, but the emotional characteristics will vary from individual to individual. Most people have negative feelings towards fear, but others enjoy it. â€Å"Adrenaline junkies† will search for opportunities to feel fear beca use they like the way it allows them to feel. To people like them, fear is desirable and that is its characteristic for them. Fear is not an emotion that can easily be masked or denied due to the obviousness of these characteristics. When people experience negative feelings due to fear, you will see it on their faces. The same works vice versa when positive feelings are felt. Without someone saying that they are afraid, it is stillvery possible to diagnose their symptoms without any words being exchanged. How We Respond to Fear Grants Understanding Fear is the strongest of all the autonomic emotional responses. Since fear is completely an autonomic response; it cannot be consciously triggered. It is so fascinating that our consciousness cannot decide nor tell our unconscious how to think or behave. Of course, there are many factors that help define the human being but how often does one get to tap into the unconscious and learn about our basic nature? To truly understand who we are, we must tap into the conscious and the unconscious parts of our own minds. The two categories of fear responses There are two different categories of fear responses: biochemical responses and emotional responses. Biochemical responses are quite possibly an evolutionary development, which allows us learn more about our nature. The major biochemical response is the fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight response is when the body will prepare itself to either stand its ground or run away. This response has been crucial to the survival of many species. When a threat is perceived, hormones are released throughout the body granting humans enhanced ability for survival. With these hormones circulating throughout our bodies, we become quicker, have increased strength, and can see more clearly through dilated pupils. Can we know if we would fight or if we would flee? The only way to truly know is to experience it. In non-human primates, the fight-or-flight response has been observed time and time again. Some researchers have concluded that the term should be reversed to flight-or-fight. The reas oning behind this reversal is that when a non-human primate first perceives a threat, then it enters into a â€Å"frozen† state followed by an attempt to run away. If the primate cannot flee and it feels it must fight, then it will fight (Bracha, Ralston, Matsukawa, Williams, Bracha, 2004). The second category of fear responses is the emotional response. This is generally a negative or a positive feeling. When negative feelings are associated with fear, then the individual will try to avoid the stimuli that are creating fear at all costs; this is how phobias are born. When positive feelings are received as a response to fear, â€Å"adrenaline junkies† are born, and these people will actively seek activities that invoke fear. These people are not without fear, but they embrace fear itself and turn it into a natural high. By attempting to understand the concept of fear we understand parts of our self. We are searching through the enigmas of the unconsciousness so that when we feel afraid, we can realize and better understand who we are. In the future, more research should be done on the emotional response of fear. Researchers should study the â€Å"adrenaline junkies† to find out what chemicals in their brains are different. How does one person react so differently to fear? Although, one will not have conscious control over oneself during moments of fear, the beauty lies within the idea that this is human survival instinct at its best. References Bracha, H. S., Ralston, T. C., Matsukawa, J. M., Williams, A. E., Bracha, A. S. (2004). Does â€Å"Fight or flight† need updating? Psychosomatics, 45(5), 448-449. doi:http://dx.doi.org.erl.lib.byu.edu/10.1176/appi.psy.45.5.448 Chadee, D., Ying, N. K. N. (2013). Predictors of fear of crime: General fear versus perceived risk. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43(9), 1896-1904. LeDoux, J. E. (2014). Coming to terms with fear. PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(8), 2871-2878. doi:10.1073/pnas.1400335111 McGuire, J. L., Bergstrom, H. C., Parker, C. C., Le, T., Morgan, M., Tang, H., . . . Johnson, L. R. (2013). Traits of fear resistance and susceptibility in an advanced intercross line. European Journal of Neuroscience, 38(9), 3314-3324. doi:10.1111/ejn.12337 Ãâ€"hman, A., Carlsson, K., Lundqvist, D., Ingvar, M. (2007). On the unconscious subcortical origin of human fear. Physiology Behavior, 92(1-2), 180-185. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.05.057 Quandt, S. A., Reynolds, T., Chapman, C., Bell, R. A., Grzywacz, J. G., Ip, E. H., . . . Arcury, T. A. (2013). Older adults’ fears about diabetes: Using common sense models of disease to understand fear origins and implications for self-management. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 32(7), 783-803. doi:10.1177/0733464811435506 Trost, Z., France, C. R., Vervoort, T., Lange, J. M., Goubert, L. (2014). Learning about pain through observation: The role of pain-related fear. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 37(2), 257-265. doi:10.1007/s10865-012-9483-4

Mondavi’s Strategy, Success, Threats, and Risks Essay -- Business Mana

Mondavi’s Strategy, Success, Threats, and Risks Bargaining Power of Supplier: Necessary products to make the wine e.g. grapes are easily available that allows Mondavi to have a considerable amount of choice to choose and keep their costs and expenses. Threat of Substitutes: There are a significant number of replacements for the Mondavi’s product that includes beer, wine coolers, spirits, and various other drinks. Threat of New Entrants: The wine industry is undergoing consolidation. Even several beer and spirits companies were moving toward the wine industry, which was growing more and more. Current Competitors: Mondavi wine has many different competitors from small size to large wine companies. There are lot different factors involves when considering a market segment. The quality of the wine, design of bottle, labeling can have a significant impact on consumer’s choice. And on the top of that cost will also play important role. Bargaining Power of Buyer: Mondavi usually distribute their product through distributors and wholesalers. There were few distributors who cover most of the markets. As there were just handful distributors, they hold a majority of bargaining power in the company. Why has Mondavi been successful to date? * Widely credited as America’s first premium commercial Winery. * Established as one of America’s most innovative and highest quality vintners. * First winery in the world to use refrigerated stainless steel fermentation to retain ...

Dance Concert

CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY Cause and effect essays are usually taught in high school and introductory college writing courses. This type of essay does just as the title suggests; it explains the cause(s) of a problem and details the resulting effect(s). These few steps can help you write this type of essay. Suggestions: Step 1: Present an event, phenomenon or trend. This will be the cause and the starting point of your essay. You should explain the background of the cause in significant detail so your reader understands the basis of your paper. Step 2: Explain the effects of your event, phenomenon or trend.You should continually refer back to the cause to make links and connections between the cause and effect. Links and connections will help your audience effectively process the cause and effect. Step 3: Limit your major points. While there may be multiple causes or multiple effects in any given relationship, limit your points depending on the length of your essay. Too many points will only confuse your reader. Step 4: Organize your essay effectively. A good model to follow is a thesis statement that presents your event, phenomenon or trend at the beginning of the essay.Each subsequent body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that explains the cause or effect up for discussion. Step 5: End with a recap of the causes and effects discussed in your essay. In complicated essays like cause and effect, it's important to revisit the major points and the overall idea of your essay so the reader can tie together your thoughts. Sample Outline for Cause & Effect Essay (see example topics): Write an essay exploring causes, effects, or both of choosing to attend college. Write an essay exploring the effects of text-messaging, cell-phone use, or e-mail use in your life.Write an essay exploring causes, effects, or both of stress in your life (limit this to one situation) Write an essay exploring the beneficial or problematic effects of high school sports on athletes, fa milies, communities, etc. Write an essay exploring causes, effects, or both of a major life decision you have made or will make soon. Write an essay exploring effects of having the parent or parents you have had. Think about how your life has been affected and/or who you have become (â€Å"Parent† means whoever raised you). 1. Introduction Paragraph: a. Capture attention with the first sentence (could include a quote). b.Give necessary background information. c. Explain the situation in a transitional sentence. d. Give a clear thesis statement. (What are you trying to prove? Examples: â€Å"Unfair stereotypes cause problems. † â€Å"Homelessness is a big problem in Tennessee. †) e. Summarize the 3 main points to be covered (What 3 causes or effects are you going to discuss? ) See examples: These days many people like to _____. There are three main causes of ______ in America: ______, ______, and ______. There are three main effects of in America: ______, ______, and ______. There are three main reasons why people like to_____: _____, _____, and _____. . First Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence–One cause/effect/reason why†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ a. Support/example 1 b. Support/example 2 c. Closing sentence 3. Second Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence–Another cause/effect/reason why†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ a. Support/example 1 b. Support/example 2 c. Closing sentence 4. Third Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence–A third cause/effect/reason why†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ a. Support/example 1 b. Support/example 2 c. Closing sentence 5. Conclusion Paragraph: a. Summarize main points b. Restate thesis statement c. Suggest a solution, give moral of the story, add commentary, and/or additional thoughts

Personal Ethics Statement

My Personal Ethics Statement My personal ethics have been formed through family influence, religious beliefs, life experiences, my internal reflection and the culture in which I was raised. Family instilled a strong work ethic in me as a child. My parents never missed a day of work. I was taught that if you want something, you must work for it. According to my ethical lens inventory, this supports my classical value of temperance. I seek to satisfy my duties. My strong desire to succeed and lead a fruitful life also comes from the influence of my family.It is important to me to be a good role model for my husband and my children. Actions speak much louder than words ever can. My key phrase according to the ethical lends inventory is, â€Å"I am responsible. † I am guided by my religious beliefs. I try to live by the Golden Rule when dealing with others. It is important to me to do the right thing even if it is not the popular thing. My definition of ethical behavior is fulfill ing duties while balancing fairness. I believe that we should all practice religious tolerance. Each person was created uniquely and therefore each person should be able to worship in his or her own way.My ethical blind spot according to the ethical lens is that I tend to believe that motive justifies method. I trust that each person should be ethical and that ethics are a set of universal rules that we should all be held to. Life experiences have been a big influence in forming my ethics. Setting a good example is one of the most important values you can have. A person is only as good as their word. My ethical lens inventory states that my gift is self-knowledge. I follow through with my duties when I make a commitment. When faced with a challenge you should always do your best.Trying and failing is better than never trying. Because of this sense of duty, I tend to come across as bossy, which is my ethical lens risk. Internal reflection has helped me to develop my personal ethics. I have learned to rely on my gut feelings when faced with a difficult situation. If something feels wrong, there is a strong possibility it is. My ethical lens states that in order for me to see clearly I should listen to my heart. Making hasty decisions does not tend to serve me well. Thinking about my decisions with regard to how the outcome will affect others is important to me.I use reason to analyze problems according to my ethical lens inventory. I have been raised in the culture of Southern hospitality. In the South, manners are taught and expected. I find that I assume that others will mind their manners and I am offended if they choose not to do so. It makes sense that my ethical lens vice is becoming judgmental and legalistic. The female nature is to be the caregiver and nurturer of the family. I fall into this behavior and try to meet the needs of others before I take care of myself.My crisis, according to the ethical lens inventory, is becoming exhausted. My ethics have been formed over a lifetime of experiences. Because of these experiences and my personal beliefs, I use my rationality to decide what my duties are. I believe that each individual is independently responsible for their own morals. This corresponds with my personal preferred lens which is rights and responsibility. When faced with adversity, I use my practical nature to determine the best course of action. I want to ensure I have examined all angles and outcomes prior to making a decision. Personal Ethics Statement Personal Ethics Statement Jessica Dockery GEN/195 February 28, 2012 Jennifer Meunier Personal Ethics Statement To be ethical means to do the right thing and to be the best person one knows how without being judgmental of others, especially if their intentions are honorable. One should get in the habit of displaying good values and morals at all times. When thinking of a personal ethics statement, the Ten Commandments come to mind.The Ten Commandments state that thou shall have no other gods, no graven images or likenesses, not take the Lord’s name in vain, remember the Sabbath day, honor thy father and thy mother, thou shall not kill, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness, and thou shall not covet. These things were taught and practiced even in the bible days and have been passed on from generation to generation. Although these commandments are not taken into consideration at all times, it is known that this is the way one shou ld try living their life daily.The ethics game helped to determine the level of morals, values, and standards a person has. It also explained how one might deal or reason in certain situations. After completing the ethical lens inventory, no ethical lens was determined. This means that the preferred lens was neither periscope nor paralysis. A person that is neither periscope nor paralysis sees the gifts and weaknesses of both and is able to adapt to different situations and get the best results possible. This type of person is non judgmental and considers all things before coming to a conclusion.According to the ethical lens inventory, autonomy and equality are valued equally. Their belief is that everyone has a valid point. No blind spot was determined. The maturity of this person sees both strengths and weaknesses and is able to bring together the four core values of autonomy, equality, rationality, and sensibility. There is a downside to being able to see everyone’s perspe ctive. This may cause confusion with one’s self. Listen to the heart, do not ignore the head, and act with confidence. Exhibiting good personal ethics is something one may want to make habit of.People are often put in situations where those morals and values must come in to play. No one wants to be a called a snitch, but sometimes one must put personal feelings aside. If a person is working alongside another coworker, and they see this coworker pocketing money from the register, the ethical thing to do would be to report this to higher management. This person is obviously untrustworthy and bad news. Everyone has a personal responsibility to ensure the safety and upkeep of their community, work environment, and school. Personal ethics, simply put, means to do the right thing.

Is it Worth It to Compete for an Ivy League Education

Is it Worth It to Compete for an Ivy League Education Its undeniable that  a degree from an Ivy League college holds a lot of prestige.  Ã‚  In fact,  I  have personally experienced the benefit of an Ivy League degree in my career, as Ive set out first as a lawyer and then as a resume writer and college essay advisor.   B.A. Yale 91 is enough to convince some people to hire me.   Many employers prefer to hire people with one of those magic schools on their resumes. I have a secret to share:  Ã‚  I sometimes wish I had gone to Oberlin where the students might be a bit more hippie and  down to earth, i.e., more like me.   But I will never regret having a Yale degree on my resume.   It helped me get into another prestigious school (NYU Law 98) and has gained the respect of several employers and clients. A recent article by Eve Tahmincioglu on msnbc.com, An Ivy  League degree no surefire path to success,  explores whether an Ivy League degree really makes a difference when it comes to how well a candidate will do in a job.   The article concludes that hard work, not the college name on your diploma, leads to career success.   Nevertheless, people with Ivy League degrees have significantly higher incomes than their non-Ivy counterparts: â€Å"The typical Ivy League bachelor’s graduate earns about 27 percent more early in their career, and about 47 percent more by the time he or she is about 40, than the typical bachelor’s graduate from all U.S. schools,† according to compensation website PayScale.com. I wonder:   Do employers like to hire someone from the right school simply because of the prestige, or do they beleive they can rely on  the pre-screening that the Ivies (and other top schools) do on every admittee?   It seems to me that theres a  really good chance that someone who made it into an Ivy  League school is among the  best and the brightest.  Ã‚  Thats not to say that a huge number of the best and the brightest and the most hard working did not go to Ivy League universities, either because they did not get in or because they chose less pricey options. Its understandable that many students prefer to attend Ivies, regardless of whether this education is  essential  to  career success.   Ivy League colleges come with  a guaranteed caliber to the student body and community, to the professors, and to the education.   And of course, the degree opens up many doors with ease. The competition to get in to Ivy League and other top schools, as reported by  Ms. Tahmincioglu in her MSNBC article, is fiercer than ever:   According to the Harvard Crimson, the school accepted a record-low 6.9 percent of applicants this year even though the number of applications actually went up 5 percent - topping 30,000 for the first time in the school’s history. The long and the short of it is that if you want to have an easier path to some of the most prestigious jobs in the country, a Yale, Harvard or Princeton degree will go far.   You still need to do well once youre there, and you still need to work hard once youre in the work force.   But the big names on the resume dont hurt a bit.   And in my book, thats enough to make it worthwhile to shoot for the best. Category:College AdmissionsBy Brenda BernsteinJune 19, 2010

Compare and Contrast on Marriage essays

Compare and Contrast on Marriage essays Marriage to me is a give and take relationship between two people who love and understand each other. I am twenty-six years old and my wife is twenty-five so we are pretty close to the same age. We started dating in 1994 and were married in 1999. My wife and I have been together for about eight years now and have seen the good times along with the bad. My wife and I have many differences, but our similarities are enough to make it all worth it. Nythosia, my wife, has a problem with making decisions. If we were going to dine out for the evening and the choice of restaurant was up to her it would be time for breakfast before she decides. This makes her special to me because she takes her time and thinks about what she really wants. On the other hand, I have something in my head that automatically shuffles all our choices and pops an answer out almost immediately. Secondly, Nythosia has a temper that is like a stick of dynamite with a short fuse. She has the tendency to blow up at the smallest of things, but thats okay I still love her anyway. As for myself, I am as relaxed as they come when it comes to most situations. You would have to work pretty hard to get me upset over something. Although we have different temperaments, when it comes to relaxation we are in agreement that it is a necessity of life. Next, when it comes to money, Nythosia could stretch a dollar like a rubber band. If they would appoint my wife in charge of the national debt, she would have it straightened out quickly. Now with me, a dollar does not stand a chance. If my dollar were a rubber band it would be a very small one. One thing we have in common is that we believe in working hard for our money. We agree that working hard for our money makes us appreciate it more. Procrastination is a word I am very familiar with. I will put off a bill or payment of some kind in a heartbeat. On the other hand, Nythosia will pay bills a month early if she can. ...

Application of Statistics in Daily Life Report Essay Example for Free

Application of Statistics in Daily Life Report Essay Inheritance is the process of creating new classes from the existing class or classes. In  C++  and  C,  classes  can be defined as deriving from a  base class. A  derived class  inherits all of the ancestors protected and public  methods  and data  members. With inheritance if a method is made virtual in the base class then the derived class can override it with different behaviour. This makes possible  polymorphism. Types of classes: Definition:  In  C++  and  C#  OOP, a derived  class  is any class that  inherits  from any other derived class or  base class. Definition:  In  C++  and  C#  OOP, the base  class  is the highest class and does not  inherit  from any other class. Other classes can inherit from a base class. They are called  derived  classes. Forms of Inheritance: Single Inheritance: If a class is derived from a single base class, it is called as single inheritance. Multiple Inheritance: If a class is derived from more than one base class, it is known as multiple inheritance Multilevel Inheritance: The classes can also be derived from the classes that are already derived. This type of inheritance is called multilevel inheritance. Hierarchical Inheritance: If a number of classes are derived from a single base class, it is called as hierarchical inheritance Definition of class:When you define a class, you define a blueprint for a data type. This doesn’t actually define any data, but it does define what the class name means, that is, what an object of the class will consist of and what operations can be performed on such an object. Classes ;amp; Objects in Detail Class member functions: A member function of a class is a function that has its definition or its prototype within the class definition like any other variable. Class access modifiers: A class member can be defined as public, private or protected. By default members would be assumed as private Constructor ;amp; destructor: A class constructor is a special function in a class that is called when a new object of the class is created. A destructor is also a special function which is called when created object is deleted. | | | C++ copy constructor: The copy constructor is a constructor which creates an object by initializing it with an object of the same class, which has been created previously A  friend   function is permitted full access to private and protected members of a class. | C++ inline functions| With an inline function, the compiler tries to expand the code in the body of the function in place of a call to the function. | The this pointer in C++| Every object has a special pointer  this  which points to the object itself. | Pointer to C++ classes| A pointer to a class is done exactly the same way a pointer to a structure is. In fact a class is really just a structure with functions in it. | Static members of a class| Both data members and function members of a class can be declared as static. ENCAPSULATION Definition:  In  Object Oriented Programming,  encapsulation is an attribute of  object  design. It means that all of the object’s data is contained and hidden in the object and access to it restricted to members of that class. C Programming| C++ Programming| C follows the procedural programming paradigm| C++ is a multi-paradigm langua ge(procedural as well as object oriented)| In C language focus on procedure and steps. | C++ focuses on the data rather than the process| In C data hiding and data security is not possible. Data hiding and data security is present. | C uses Top-Down approch| C++ uses Bottom-Up approach| C is a function driven programming language| C++ is a object driven programming language| C does not support overloading concept| C++ supports overloading concepts like operator overloading and function overloading| C does not support namespaces concept| CPP supports Namespaces concept. | C not support exception handling| C++ supports Exception Handling| C is structured programming language| C++ is object oriented programming language. C does not support inheritance, reusability, polymorphism, data abstraction| CPP supports inheritance, reusability, polymorphism, data abstraction. | C language only support Early binding| CPP supports both Early and Late binding| C uses standard input, output functions like scanf and printf. | C++ uses input fu nction cin and output function is cout. | There are all data is available to end user. No data security| There is data abstraction. Not complete data is available to End user| Application of Statistics in Daily Life Report. (2018, Nov 01).

The Experience of Perioperative Nurses Involved in Organ Procurement Research Paper

The Experience of Perioperative Nurses Involved in Organ Procurement - Research Paper Example Although the research question was not clearly stated, it was generally implied from the introduction of the research study. Essentially, the study wants to find out what the general feelings of perioperative nurses involved in the process of organ procurement in Taiwan are (Wang & Lin, 2009). With this research question, the course of the research was clearly directed from the beginning, a key requirement in the development of a fine qualitative research study (Ryan, Coughlan, & Cronin, 2007). Research Design The researchers took careful note of the relevance of the qualitative methods being employed in the study. As â€Å"organ procurement is a special surgery,† (Wang & Lin, 2009, p. 279) it may not be enough to simply quantify the nurses’ feelings and emotions. Rather, such feelings and emotions ought to be captured using the nurses’ verbatim account on the issue (Wang & Lin, 2009). This view is supported by the study conducted by Manuel, Solberg, and MacDonald (2010) as they looked into organ donation feelings, this time, of family members involved. Subjects The general nature of a qualitative study entails it to use subjects that are required for the specific purpose of the study. Thus, sample size is usually small, and participants are usually acquired using a purposive, non-probabilistic manner (Ryan, Coughlan, & Cronin, 2007). So is the case of this specific study, which utilizes only 6 participants, taken using purposive sampling. These participants are senior perioperative nurses from an organ procurement organization in Taiwan. The minimum work experience of these nurses was at three years, which is an appropriate length of service when considering the feelings they had developed while participating in the organ procurement process (Wang & Lin, 2009). Setting The research setting was a major consideration in this study as it is done in northern Taiwan, a place that is generally known for its cultural reservations on the topics of death and organ donation (Wang & Lin, 2009). This study precisely looks into how nurses in this area feel and so the research setting was appropriately chosen. There was no mention, however, of where the actual interview was conducted. Data Collection Methods Data collection in qualitative research studies generally utilized interviews, though of varying kinds, depending on the general conditions of the research setting and the goals that the research wants to achieve (Broussard, 2006; Ryan, Coughlan, & Cronin, 2007). As such, the research study used a semi-structured questionnaire while conducting individual face-to-face in-depth interviews with the participants. This was used in order to allow the researcher to â€Å"lead an open conversation† and â€Å"not limit participants in terms of sharing† (Wang & Lin, 2009, p. 279) in order to provide an opportunity for an interactive data collection process. Colling (2003a) considers this an effective data collection process especially when acquiring qualitative data. The researchers also make mention of the structured inte rview outline being

Global supply chain analysis of P&G in the UK Essay

Global supply chain analysis of P&G in the UK - Essay Example This has been one of the fundamental mantras behind the company’s endeavour to implement the model ‘consumer is boss.’ The most circulated brand manufactured by P&G includes Pampers, Gillette, Tide, Ariel, Pantene and Head and Shoulders (P&G, 2011a). P&G has enjoyed a considerable amount of success through its extensive reach all over the world. However, the one country that stands ahead in this race is the United Kingdom. P&G’s business expansion in the UK has proven to be one of the most profitable decisions made by the management. The company has successfully established a strong supply chain network in this part of the world which has made raw materials delivery, distribution and processing very convenient for the company (Fawcett, Jones and Fawcett, 2012). The effective supply chain management strategies employed by the management has made it possible for them to reach out to the customers easily. It is with regards to this fact that the researcher has attempted to conduct a thorough analysis of the supply chain network of P&G in the UK. The study will also include an in-depth explanation of the company’s endeavours to establish a green supply chain process that is aimed towards improving environmental conditi ons. P&G, UK’s supply chain has always been a very integral part of their business. The management responsible for handling operations in the UK always believes in keeping its supply chain networks absolutely shopper centric just like every other part of their business. Serving the needs of the customers has always been amongst the top priorities of the management and they have always emphasized on establishing end to end collaboration with their retail partners in order to achieve this objective (P&G, 2011a). P&G UK has been largely successful in transforming its supply chain network through the application of agent based model. Following the transformation

Digital marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Digital marketing - Essay Example The paper "Digital marketing" study illustrates the use of digital marketing in the â€Å"adidas Group† strategy for gaining competitive market position. Companies increasingly invent new business models–or strategies–for selling as the markets globalize, competition intensifies, and both consumers and investors become more demanding. The new business challenges of the Internet era largely stems from the globalization. Digital methods such as the real time marketing tools have become an essential part of the global business giants today. Researchers have reported three distinct waves in the direct and interactive marketing during the past 30 years namely; mainstreaming, database marketing and the Internet stage. The new horizon in the Internet stage brings fascinating opportunities for the marketers, enabling them to actually realize the goals of one-to one marketing while also encouraging them to learn, deploy, and adopt information technologies strategically. I n other words online technology and marketing have joined during the above third wave. Any business that chooses to ignore these new changes will most likely die out from the market eventually because the intensifying global competition has made it almost impossible to do any effective marketing without in some way using the technology of the Internet (Wiedemann, 2001). For example, the â€Å"adidas Group† stated its brands needed to make more relevant to the online audiences in order to propel demand. Hence the company is now engaged.

Context of Advanced Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Context of Advanced Practice - Essay Example h Authority), Greater Manchester, and Cumbria and Lancashire to focus on the learning curve at a professional level while achieving academic skills (Advanced Practice Framework, 2005). This is a part of the NHS plan to create a patient led NHS aiming toward client focus and their choice of primary care (Cross et al. 2004). North West NHS has developed a workforce strategy to ensure a sufficient workforce capacity in all health organizations by shifting the current roles of the workforce (Advanced Nursing Practice, 2009). The role of the advanced practice nurses especially is undergoing a lot of changes due to the increased rules and regulations of NHS and NMC (Geest et al. 2008). A measure for efficiency has been developed called productive time which measures the time spent by professionals and nurses on core activities of advanced practices (Cross et al. 2004). By implementing such strategy the Department of Health and the NHS is expected to achieve  £6.5bn by 2008 out of which à ‚ £3.8bn is due to productive time (Burgess, 2007). Still enormous progress needs to be made that can make the service more improved (The future: A mini Prospectus, 2002). The HPC is also stepping in to regulate the practice and training of the professionals and to protect the people (HPC, 2007; Guthrie, 2009). On the national level, the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) driver has been seen to create different reactions from medical professionals (Little & Bluck, 2006). The main problem that arises is due to the work hour limit defined by the EWTD (Bates & Slade, 2007). The shift in the time limit from the previous 58 hour per week to 48 hour per week is been felt severely by the education and training medical institutions as well as in the delivery of service (Little & Bluck, 2006). The most effect is on the training of new juniors. According to Bates and Slade (2007), the time constraint has had many implications on the operative experience of the surgical trainees making the level

Effects of Information Systems on Decision-Making Process Research Paper

Effects of Information Systems on Decision-Making Process - Research Paper Example Influence of internet in the decision making process â€Å"When it comes to driving consumer decisions about a range of products and services, the Internet is by far the most influential media channel† (Hillard & Harris, 2010). People explore details on in internet before they take most of their purchasing decisions. Since internet has reduced the distance between people and place, it is possible for a consumer staying India to purchase a product from America or Europe. So they will compare the prices of a product in domestic market and international market before taking decisions about whether to purchase that product from domestic market or international market. Moreover, people take purchasing decisions after analyzing the product reviews published on internet. For example, iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S2 are fast moving cellphones in the market at present. People rely heavily on internet to read the reviews of these products from internet before taking their purchasing decis ions. â€Å"Internet users report that online resources not only allow them to quickly and easily compare options, but also to seek out expert and peer advice that enables them to act with greater confidence†(McRoberts, 2010). ... For example, today, many of the Americans were asked to work in China on deputation in order to help their organizations to establish its business units there. Before taking a decision about whether to proceed to China or not, these people search the internet to know more about the political, social and professional climate in China. Before advancing further in education, teenagers leaving from schools will often search internet to decide about the courses they wanted to study in colleges. It is not necessary that all the courses offered in a college have equal job potentials. So people often search internet to know more about the job potentials of certain course before taking decisions about whether to accept it or not. Internet can advise people in taking their healthcare decisions also. For example, keloid is a severe skin problem which occurs due to repeated injuries at a particular portion. Even though surgical removal of keloid is possible, the chances of reoccurrence are immen se. There are other therapies also for keloid like laser treatments, radiation therapy etc. However, all these treatments have some kind of side effects. A person suffering from keloid can search internet to know more about the pros and cons of each keloid treatment before opting for a particular treatment. In other words, internet can help people in taking decisions about using certain drugs or therapies for removing some of their health problems. Internet can help a person to plan his journey properly. â€Å"Internet can now be used to inquire about the flight timings and delays which make it easier to plan for the departure time† (Effect of Internet on our daily lives, 2008).

Digital marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Digital marketing - Essay Example The paper "Digital marketing" study illustrates the use of digital marketing in the â€Å"adidas Group† strategy for gaining competitive market position. Companies increasingly invent new business models–or strategies–for selling as the markets globalize, competition intensifies, and both consumers and investors become more demanding. The new business challenges of the Internet era largely stems from the globalization. Digital methods such as the real time marketing tools have become an essential part of the global business giants today. Researchers have reported three distinct waves in the direct and interactive marketing during the past 30 years namely; mainstreaming, database marketing and the Internet stage. The new horizon in the Internet stage brings fascinating opportunities for the marketers, enabling them to actually realize the goals of one-to one marketing while also encouraging them to learn, deploy, and adopt information technologies strategically. I n other words online technology and marketing have joined during the above third wave. Any business that chooses to ignore these new changes will most likely die out from the market eventually because the intensifying global competition has made it almost impossible to do any effective marketing without in some way using the technology of the Internet (Wiedemann, 2001). For example, the â€Å"adidas Group† stated its brands needed to make more relevant to the online audiences in order to propel demand. Hence the company is now engaged.

Effects of Information Systems on Decision-Making Process Research Paper

Effects of Information Systems on Decision-Making Process - Research Paper Example Influence of internet in the decision making process â€Å"When it comes to driving consumer decisions about a range of products and services, the Internet is by far the most influential media channel† (Hillard & Harris, 2010). People explore details on in internet before they take most of their purchasing decisions. Since internet has reduced the distance between people and place, it is possible for a consumer staying India to purchase a product from America or Europe. So they will compare the prices of a product in domestic market and international market before taking decisions about whether to purchase that product from domestic market or international market. Moreover, people take purchasing decisions after analyzing the product reviews published on internet. For example, iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S2 are fast moving cellphones in the market at present. People rely heavily on internet to read the reviews of these products from internet before taking their purchasing decis ions. â€Å"Internet users report that online resources not only allow them to quickly and easily compare options, but also to seek out expert and peer advice that enables them to act with greater confidence†(McRoberts, 2010). ... For example, today, many of the Americans were asked to work in China on deputation in order to help their organizations to establish its business units there. Before taking a decision about whether to proceed to China or not, these people search the internet to know more about the political, social and professional climate in China. Before advancing further in education, teenagers leaving from schools will often search internet to decide about the courses they wanted to study in colleges. It is not necessary that all the courses offered in a college have equal job potentials. So people often search internet to know more about the job potentials of certain course before taking decisions about whether to accept it or not. Internet can advise people in taking their healthcare decisions also. For example, keloid is a severe skin problem which occurs due to repeated injuries at a particular portion. Even though surgical removal of keloid is possible, the chances of reoccurrence are immen se. There are other therapies also for keloid like laser treatments, radiation therapy etc. However, all these treatments have some kind of side effects. A person suffering from keloid can search internet to know more about the pros and cons of each keloid treatment before opting for a particular treatment. In other words, internet can help people in taking decisions about using certain drugs or therapies for removing some of their health problems. Internet can help a person to plan his journey properly. â€Å"Internet can now be used to inquire about the flight timings and delays which make it easier to plan for the departure time† (Effect of Internet on our daily lives, 2008).

The Dangerous Danger That Dangers the Danger Essay Example for Free

The Dangerous Danger That Dangers the Danger Essay PURPOSE The purpose of this experiment is to determine if the elasticity of bubble gum affects the diameter of a bubble blown with the gum. HYPOTHESIS If the elasticity of the bubble gum is higher, then the diameter of the bubble blown will be significantly larger because the bubble will be able to stretch farther, therefore giving it a larger diameter. The independent variable is the elasticity of the gum. The dependent variable is the diameter of the bubble blown. The constants are the stopwatch used, environment tested in, and temperature outside. There was no control group. MATERIALS  · 3 tape measurers  · 1 piece of Bubble Yum Original gum  · 1 piece of Wrigley’s Extra bubble gum  · 1 piece of Orbit Spearmint gum  · 1 piece of Mentos Tropical Mix gum  · 1 piece of Trident Tropical Twist gum  · 8 strands of Big League Chew gum  · 4-6 test subjects to chew gum  · 6 data sheets  · 1 pen PROCEDURE Part 1: 1. Gather materials. 2. Take one piece of Orbit Spearmint gum. 3. Chew the gum for approximately three minutes (the exact time does not matter). 4. Take the chewed gum and begin to blow a bubble. 5. Use the tape measurer to measure the diameter of the bubble when the bubble is at its largest. 6. Record the diameter of the bubble blown onto data sheet. 7. Repeat steps 4-6 two more times. 8. Proceed to Part 2. 9.Repeat steps 2-8 for all the types of gum. Part 2: 1. Remove gum from mouth. 2. Place the wrapper on the ends of the gum and slowly pull it apart. 3. Measure the length of the gum while continuing to pull it apart until the gum breaks or sags to the ground. 4. Record the length the bubble gum stretched before breaking. 5. Analyze and draw conclusions. WRITTEN RESULTS AND ANALYSIS The data collected from this experiment shows that overall Big League Chew produced the largest bubble, and Bubble Yum had the largest elasticity. Orbit Spearmint and Trident Tropical Twist produced the two smallest average bubble diameters; also, both had the smallest elasticity. The remaining brands fell into the middle of the categories; Wrigley’s Extra had a bubble diameter average of 8 millimeters and an average elasticity of 3500 millimeters, and Mentos Tropical Mix had a bubble average of 5.7 millimeters and an average elasticity of 1200 millimeters. Bubble Yum Original had an average diameter of 72 millimeters and an average elasticity of 4000 millimeters, and Big League Chew had an average bubble diameter of 100 millimeters and an average elasticity of 1500 millimeters. Lastly, Orbit Spearmint had an average bubble diameter of 24 millimeters and an average elasticity of 800 mm, and Trident Tropical Mix had an average bubble diameter of 20 millimeters with an average e lasticity of 1050 millimeters. The largest bubbles with the greatest elasticity had significantly larger servings of gum than all of the other brands. The small bubble sizes and poor elasticity could be because of the small size. CONCLUSION The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the elasticity of bubble gum affects the size of its bubble. The hypothesis for the experiment was if the gum has a high elasticity, then it will blow a larger bubble because it would be able to stretch out more. The hypothesis was supported because the results of the experiment showed that the bubble gum with higher elasticity generally had higher bubble sizes. The bubble gum types that stretched the most and also had the largest diameters were Bubble Yum Original and Big League Chew. The bubble gums with the least elasticity and the smallest diameters were Orbit Spearmint and Trident Tropical Twist. The scientific explanation for the results is that the higher amounts of elasticity in the gum allowed it to expand and stretch more, giving it a larger diameter. Attempts to limit errors in this experiment included using three trials, testing with the same person per type of gum, using the same measuring devices, and the testing enviro nment. Some possible sources of error were the fact that there were different people chewing the gum, the measuring was not always always accurate, there was a time constraint forcing the experiment to be rushed, and the gum bubble sizes were dependent on the person chewing it. From this experiment, it is suggested that the elasticity of bubble gum does affect the bubble size. In future experiments, more types of gum could be used to get a better sense of the results. In the real world, this information can be applied so that people don’t chew gum with high elasticity in schools. If someone is chewing gum of high elasticity, it would make bigger bubbles, make a louder sound, disrupt the classroom, and be a big problem academically for the students.

Modern Symbolic Interpretive And Postmodern Perspectives Commerce Essay

Modern Symbolic Interpretive And Postmodern Perspectives Commerce Essay In what ways does the use of a multiple perspective approach assist us in achieving a more comprehensive understanding of complex organisational phenomena? Discuss with specific reference to modern, symbolic-interpretive and postmodern perspectives and how each perspective provides different ways to think about organisational phenomena (e.g. organisational structure, physical structure, culture and/or power within organisations). An organisation will usually start off as a small operating business with a few staff working towards the same goal and perhaps sharing the same interest. What draws them together in the first place was the commonality of interest or purpose. As a small operation organisation, it allows staff to communicate to each other more frequently as it lacks the complexity of a big operation organisation. Which will also means that they will work towards the common goal as it has a higher degree of pf centralization of authority. When the company become more successful over time, they will expand and need more staff. When they recruit, these new staffs are from all walks of life with different demographic. These newly joined employees might not share the common interest or understand the goal. This might lead to crisis as there might be in-fighting among the various departments within the organisation, profit may fall and the initial spirit of the organisation will disappear when the founder o r pioneer group of staff leave. As such, a mechanism, cultural is required to guide the staff towards a common path. Culture exists in all organisations even though some may be fragmented or difficult for outsider to see. Culture is the values, norms, beliefs and assumption embraced by the employees. Culture is important because it pervades and influences all activities in an organisation. Culture is something that is shared among the employees. It embedded in the employee, affecting all that they do or think. This provides them with a common viewpoint and binds them together as a group. (Howard W. Oden, 1999) Schein believes that the core of basic assumption will give people its values and behaviour norms who will in turn make choices base on it and eventually coming up with artifacts. The following diagram base on Scheins Levels of Organisation Level will explain more (Mary Jo Hatch, 2006) Level 1 Artifacts Visible Organisational Features (Eg Company names, uniform or brand images) Level 2 Values Non-visible facets of organisational culture (Norms and beliefs) Level 3 Basic Assumption (Core) Largely unconscious and tacit frames that shape values and artifacts formed through and out of particular social relationships. (Truth or what they believe is reality) Figure 1 Scheins three levels of culture Sub-culture within organisation are just as important as it allows the employees to identify themselve as a distinct group within the organisation. The sub-culture will be formed base on the organisation core culture and value. This enable them to move towards the same direction and have a better understanding of their task within the organisation. Modernism perspective mentions that organisations are objectively real entities operating in a real world. They are well-designed and managed system of decision and action driven by norms of rationality, efficiently, and effectiveness for stated purpose (Hatch and Cunliffe 2006). Modernist believes that cultures are real and they help to shape an identity of the company. Modernist believes in using proven theory. With a strong culture, the company can achieve a better result by improving organisation efficiency and effectiveness therefore achieving better result. However, a culture might also constrain the company progression. A Japanese company culture believes in respecting the seniority. As such, staffs are evaluated base on their year of service in the company over their performances. This does not encourage staff to work hard, which will in turn affect the efficiency of the organisation. Using Botak Jones, a western food outlet as example. It has its own cultures. The employees will wear uniform which is casual, jeans with the company t-shirt. Its slogan Damn good food at a damn good price might seems offensive in the context of Singapore culture, but its actually a very common way of speech between the westerners. Studies and research had been conducted to ascertain the link between strong culture and high performance within an organisation. American researchers John Kotter, James Hestter and Dan Denison adopted a quantitative modernist approach by conducted a survey with 200 corporations to investigate of cultural strength on organisational performance (Hatch and Cunliffe 2006). The result was there is a positive correlation between the strength of corporate culture and organisation performance. They also realise that by aligning these with the changing environment, it allows them to react faster to the changes. As such, modernist believes that if we can understand organisation culture, management can use that knowledge to achieve certain outcome such as improving efficiency and effectiveness. Symbolic Interpretive researcher believes that cultures are real but they focus in find out the meaning behind the culture instead. They believe that the organisation is like a theatre and the employees each have a role to play while the world is the stage. The employees role not only performs to external customer, but internally as well. A company success will base on how well the employee understands its role and how good they play it. Other than physical labour, there are also additional criteria required from the employee which was defined as emotional labours by Hochschild. This requires the employees to suppress his/her feeling to portray certain image or expectation for others. The similarity between the emotional labour and physical labour is that the employee might become alienated from an aspect of themselves either a part of the body or the margins of the soul that is use for the work. Using Singapore Casket as an example, the employees do not show their feelings as it is inappropriate for the business. They cannot smile or laugh despite how happy they are feeling. They could only show a solemn face when facing customer. On the other hand, air stewardess can only show a friendly and cheerful image. They are supposed to make customer feel welcome. They cannot throw their temper or show unhappiness during the course of work no matter how demanding or unreasonable the customer is. And for both cases, the employees will have to suppress its feeling, making them the emotional labour for its organisation. To understand more about the organisation, researcher will participate in the organisation themselves (eg work in the organisation) instead of just doing survey. Alternatively, they can conduct observations or in depth interview. This enables them to understand the culture better and to understand the jargons or symbols used by them. The method of thick description Geertz advocated is a form of ethnography which shows how cultural members interpret the symbols and its context. (Mary Jo Hatch, 2006) This helps to understand the culture better as the culture from one organisation will not mean the same at another organisation. By understanding the culture meaning, they are able to communicate with others more effectively as they know that each of them are just fulfilling their roles and it is nothing personnel. This knowledge also enable the organisation to better plan its training for each role player as well as better control over them. As the study of modernist culture provides knowledge that is already translated into prescriptions for management, they are restricted by the objective of the study dimension which is defined by the researcher (Hatch and Cunliffe 2006). As such, symbolic interpretative researcher has a benefit over the modernist researchers as they enter cultural territory and is able to relate better. Postmodernist are sceptical and challenges the idea that organisation have a culture. They think that culture are unreal, its a dream, an illusion and created in the mind of the employees. Post modernist feel that the cultures are created by people so that they can exert power over others. This is use as a tool to contest power or power struggle. This is like a soap opera whereby there are no fixed rules but constant changes in the organisation. They do not focus on culture but the way power and control is exerted thru narrative. When a new management took over, they will change the vision statement or goals or set certain rules or regulation. This is to exhibit their powers and to marginalise other voices. This changes does not necessary communicate ideas, train them or even increases effectiveness or efficiency. These changes are just to find out who its supporters are and who isnt. This allows the management to identify power struggles, fragmentation, points of instability and dissatisfaction within the organisation. This also helps to marginalised employees and uncover multiple and competing interpretations. IBM for instances, had a very strong culture however it isnt just one aspect of the game; it is the game. In the end, the organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value. (Louis V. Gerstner, Jr, 2002) This culture prevents the organisation from processing and keeping up with the current environment situation. Through deconstruction, changes were made and new cultures were introduced. This make IBM returned from near-collapse to market leaders. Tradition organisation values will be challenged by postmodern values if they are influences by economic, social and political values of todays workforce (Green, 2007) Though there are 3 different perspectives that organisations can use to understand the culture, each perspective varies from another. There is no specific perspective that is more useful than the other. It will need to depend on the organisations situation as well as the external environment to decide which perspective will be more appropriate.