Labor Relations Hw

In my opinion, the employer now has learned what kind of discrepancies can occur and modify the security issues regarding the remaining medications. Any discrepancies occurred after a â€Å"Just† modification of the rules shall be applied strictly as Intended by the employer. 2. Explain why the relevant provisions of the collective bargaining agreement as applied to the facts of this case dictate the award. I think that it is very natural and obvious that the employer, who is in charge of his company, wants to charge someone of any discrepancy occurred inside his mandarins.Even if there is no exact proof existing, the employer believes that each supervisor must be responsible for their actions and be willing to accept the consequences that come from their own subdivision's control. For example, let's say there was a small bug Inside a potato chip bag. The bug could have got Inside the bag In any process during which the potato chip was being made, but the employer must decide one of the suspicious departments for the discrepancy. Let's say that the employer fired the supervisor of the final packaging vision.Even though all packaging is done by machines and the only daily duty of the packaging division is to identify wrong-packaged bags, the employer has made a decision. If there was a fluoroscopic machine that makes it possible to see inside every bag, then things would have resulted differently, but there wasn't one and the packaging supervisor was fired due to â€Å"irresponsibility. † This example explained above would be a similar example to why the relevant provisions of the collective bargaining agreement as applied to the facts of he previous case dictate the award. . What actions might the employer or the union has taken to avoid this conflict? I en employer malign nave set up a more strict policy Walt personnel controlling Ana accessing the medications. The total number of keys and a reliable sign-in/out system will be installed. Personne l granted access to the remaining medication will surely receive a proper orientation and training before accessing it. Also, to clarify the unjust â€Å"Just cause† standard, a very detailed warning and penalty will be posted to those committing any discrepancy.

How Should Social Networks Be Utilized in the Workplace?

How could these social networking sites be a threat to a company’s security? In today’s world it seems the human race could not live without information technology in the workplace. More importantly, social networks like Facebook and Twitter are becoming very popular tools for business development in today’s world. There are dozens of social network sites and more popping up every day. It is astounding the number of hours that people waste on such sites.Updating, checking in and sending out bits and blurbs about every little aspect of one's life seems cheap. More astounding than individuals wasting time on these things is that businesses are also wasting time on them. Actual megabuck businesses are in on the whole social networking shtick. The challenge for the business world is how to utilize these social networks effectively and safely. The value of social networks and how they can benefit businesses has been in question recently.Also in question is do these so cial networks create a security risk with employees conveying possibly privileged information to a friend or relative through Facebook or Twitter. How does a company prevent potential security risks? They have to block social networking sites or grant limited access to specific departments. Metro Business College prevents students from accessing social networking sites on school computers but allows faculty and staff to access from their desk computers.Metro’s reasoning is students should be at school to learn, not stare at Facebook all class period. The question then is not are these sights a security risk but rather are these sites a huge time suck for employees which creates a reduction in productivity? The biggest risk a company a company faces is how employees that utilize these sights can make their company look and what effects it could possibly have on their reputation. How social networking can tarnish the reputation of a company or enhance it. Unfortunately, there i s a downside to social networking.It is essentially an open forum and anyone can say and post anything on a company’s page. For the most part, it is potentially dangerous to a company’s reputation. Due to this fact, a company’s networking site should have limited access when it pertains to posting information. Take, for instance, a recent report on The Springfield Brewery in Springfield, Missouri. The social media specialist posted a humorous joke to its Facebook page and unfortunately it was met with several disgruntled comments. Several customers stated they would never â€Å"step foot n the restaurant again†. [ (Pettit, 2013) ] It is bad press such as that over such a small comment that could potentially destroy a company. On the other hand there are companies like Tupperware that use social networking internally to boost the pride employees have for the company, the attachment an employee feels and fun an employee has while at work. [ (Huy, 2012) ] Af ter adopting these social media concepts the turnover rate fell by fifteen percent and a webcast created new sales of $700,000 in just three days. (Huy, 2012) ] Sometimes social media can create opportunities for companies that they normally would not have and it is the companies that are willing to evolve and understand the importance of social networking that will survive. Another company that utilizes social networking site is Metro Business College they found that websites such as Facebook and Twitter can be excellent recruiting tools and also they are useful to keep track of their student body and possibly help them if they have issues with homework or even personal problems.Social networking can be an invaluable tool to an organization if utilized properly and monitored by administrators to prevent potentially damaging posts or comments. How to make social networking work for the greater good of the company LinkedIn can be a valuable tool. Resumes can be posted there which can be utilized by human resources departments for recruiting purposes. Potential employees post their profiles there, which also can be utilized by the human resources department to check the character of a potential recruit. Slovensky, 2012) Some companies are requiring potential employees to provide human resources access to their Facebook pages so they can see the character of the candidate. Companies post jobs on networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook which can benefit other companies to view how their competition is doing, if they are posting new positions then that company is most likely in a state of growth. People looking for jobs are on these sights and they provide all the information a potential employer needs to make an informed hiring decision.When it comes to professional social networking, LinkedIn is the most successful site of its kind. It is better than Facebook or Twitter because it eliminates the everyday social aspect, including the posting of how one’ s morning breakfast made them feel and the LOLs. Another benefit of LinkedIn is that all discussions and groups are moderated. Nonsense is kept to a minimum. Rarely does one have to deal with spam or irritation there. It is a safe haven for serious social networking, for serious business connection building and for serious relationship building.However, there are benefits to using networking sites like Facebook as well. After all, Facebook does have 175 million members according to an article called Inside Facebook written in 2009. Maintaining the strategic advantage through e-business and social networking The questions a company must ask are:  To how many social networks do you belong? How valuable are they to you? If they went away tomorrow, would you feel any impact to your business? A simple answer is that individuals should choose one or two professional networks and farm those like any other social networking situation.Leave the shot gunning to the amateurs. Make connection s that count. 10,000 â€Å"Likes† do not mean anything if they are not buying, reading, recommending or influencing. Companies should not waste your time with such pursuits. The return on investment is not high enough. Mass mailings do not work. Certain types of advertising just do not work for some businesses. Building relationships with clients is the most important aspect of any business and that is best done through human contact not a mass email.Do not rely on flash-in-the-pan online social networks to build your business. Clients and potential clients like to know that there's a 98. 6 degree hand on the other end of those messages and not a piece of software. It might sound old-fashioned and outdated but there is nothing like true social networking to build a business. A company builds a business through building relationships. Studies have shown that relying on social networks to create strong ties actually has the opposite effect and instead weakens them.Facebook is a good example of a social networking site that creates weak ties (Jennifer, 2010). Instead of creating direct networks among its participants, the social networking site creates sub-networks. With no direct link to the company or the issue at hand it can create weaker ties and a customer that does not show as much company loyalty. (Slovensky, 2012) In the end it does not matter how the company views social networking but how the customer base views that company’s use of these social networking sites.If they are well monitored and provide password protected use for a limited amount of employees then it can be beneficial. However, the biggest issue most companies face is that one instance when something is posted that causes a security breach or something is posted that hurts the company’s reputation. They then have to answer the question, what do we do next? Social networking is not going anywhere in fact it is growing everyday with new sites popping up all of the time and companies that want to survive will need to get on board.References Huy, Q. &. (2012). The key to social media success within organizations. MIT SLoan Management Review , 54 (1), 73-81. Jennifer, S. (2010). Planning in the age of facebook: the role of social networking in planning processes. GeoJournal , 75 (5), 407-420. Slovensky, R. &. (2012). Should human resource managers use social media to screen job applicants? managerial and legal issues in the USA. Ifno: The Journal of Policy, Regulation and Strategy for Telecommunications, Information and Media , 14 (1), 55-69.

Attachment – Word Count 1466

Word count 1466 Introduction: Attachment theory can be useful to highlight core and basic human needs for social interaction and proximity to others. Used as a model of human development, it can help us consider how relationships between infants and their caregivers forge and underpin the development of fundamental areas of our lives; our self beliefs and constructs of the world around us; of ourselves and expectations of others; our abilities to self regulate our emotions and feelings; our sense of curiosity, motivation and confidence to explore and learn and how we are able to relate to others and tasks/activities. In this paper I will firstly be discussing the major theorises of attachment these being John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Secondly I will explain how attachment informs in social work. ‘Among the most significant developments of psychiatry during the past quarter of a century has been the steady growth of evidence that the quality of parental care which a child receives in his earliest years is of vital importance to his future mental health’ (Bowlby. J. p11. 953) Attachment is an emotional relationship that involves comfort care and contentment. The roots of attachment were thought to be from Freuds theory’s about love, however John Bowlby is accredited with being the fore father of attachment theory. Bowlby shared the psychoanalytic view that early experiences in childhood have a major influence on development and behaviour later in life. Our early attachment styles are established in childhood through the infant/caregiver relationship. Kennhell and Klaus said that sometime attachment is confused with the natural bonding process that takes place between mother and child, and we should be careful not to mix these too up. Bowlby believed that attachment begins in infancy and carries on throughout life, resulting in several behavioural systems that are required for survival and reproduction. Bowlby suggested that there are four central characteristics of attachment; these are proximity maintenance, this is when the child strives to stay close to the care giver enabling the child to stay safe. Safe haven, this is when the child feel scared or afraid turning to the caregiver for support and comfort. Secure base, this is when the caregiver gives the child a protected place to discover the world from. Separation distress this is when the child get upset or distressed when it is absent from the caregiver. Bowlby suggested that attachment was an element of selected relationships throughout the lifespan, even though most of his research focused on infancy. Mary Ainsworth created a method called the strange situation. The method that Ainsworth had created was to examine that bond between the care giver and the child. The method is to examine the child playing for approximately twenty minutes while the care giver and the person who is unknown to the child enters and exit the room. This method creates a familiar and unfamiliar situation for the child. For some children this type of situation can be very stressful. The case of ‘Genie’ was an extreme example of a child that had no attachment or social contact resulting in her being a feral child. She was unable to talk dress herself or toilet herself, when support was implemented within a few days progress was seen to be made, showing that even though no attachment had been made the child was still able to learn new behaviours. A striking example of adult attachment to a parent is the comment made by a 40 year old lady who had lost her mother; I never realised, until she was gone, how much my own sense of confidence depended on knowing that if I ran into trouble I could always turn to her for help and advice. Goldberg 2000 p10)in my own experience of working with adult services, I gained an understanding of how separation could have affected an elderly couple’s health. After 60 years of marriage social services where call in to assess their situation as they where no longer able to cope due to the fact the wife had senile dementia. Initially the was talk of them being home together however a standard care home would not have met the need of the wife, a nursing home was needed for her. This was seen as being detrimental to both their health due to separation. Therefore, it was seen to be better to provide them with support in their own home. In conclusion children who are securely attached tend to have trusting, long-term relationships in their adulthood. As adults and being securely attached, these same individuals have a great understanding and perspective on important relationships in their lives. They demonstrate a forgiving attitude toward their mate and tend to show compassion for others. They tend to speak of how their past experiences have influenced their present feelings and relationships. References Bowlby, J. (1953) Childcare and the growth of maternal love. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Feeney,J. Noller,P. (1996) Adult Attachment. London: sage publications. Goldberg, S. (2000) Attachment and Development. London: Arnold publishers. Howe,D. (1995) Attachment theory for social work practice. London: Macmillan press. Smith, Cowie, Blades. online. ‘The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Understanding Children's Development’. York College: Homepage, (http://www. ycc. ac. uk/yc/new/HUMSOC/psycho/unit1/adultatt. htm), (5 December 2008)

Used Car Acquisition, 180 Day Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Used Car Acquisition, 180 Day Cycle - Essay Example According to the Manheim March calendar, Manheim Dallas holds auctions each Wednesday at 10:00 am.   This auction includes vehicles from the Ft. Worth location.   Therefore, each location will be called on Tuesdays for listings, to determine whether Wednesday auctions will have any vehicles of interest.   Adesa holds auctions in Dallas on Thursdays, at 10:00 am.   Inventory for Adesa will be reviewed on Wednesday, to determine which vehicles might be of interest on Thursday mornings.   America’s auto auction holds sales on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 pm, in nearby Irving.   Therefore, America’s inventories will be reviewed on Mondays and Wednesdays, when available.Auctions will be attendedin person, so that the exterior and interior conditions of vehicles can be inspected, prior to sale.   Auctions will be attended on Sunday mornings, Thursday mornings and Tuesday/Thursday afternoons.   There will be little time available for making calls on Thursday. Therefore, no calls will be made on Thursday. Tuesday mornings will be utilized for calling car rental companies and a portion of dealerships.  Car rental companies often sell vehicles when they receive new inventory of rental vehicles.   This occurs less frequently, so calls to car rental companies will occur once each week.  Three car rental companies, Dollar, Enterprise and Hertz, will be contacted on Friday afternoons  on the second and fourth Friday of each month of each month.  

Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Financial Management - Essay Example The company continues to be on the rise according to the FIA report of 2010. The report that was published on March 2011 reveals that contracted traded in NYSE Euronext experienced a rise of 24.6% in the FY2010 to reach 2.155 contracts (Heckman, 2009) The NYSE is the world’s largest company in terms of cash equities exchange. It has been in operation for about 215 years, and its dealings are in capital formation, whereby the company serves institutional and individual investors, the trading movement and its listed companies. By the end of 2006, over 2700 users (operating companies, exchange traded funds and closed end funds) were listed in the corporation. These listed companies represented the global market capitalization of over b$25 trillion. Ever since, the company has enhanced its reputation in cash equities exchange. As compared to the rest, Euronext is an extremely new financial entity, which was formed in 2000 (Brigham, 2009). The governance of NYSE Euronext is by a board of directors that is elected manually. A majority of these directors are independent while the rest of the team comprises of a CEO, deputy CEO, non executive chairman and deputy chairman. The markets of the company are regulated according to local requirements. When the merger was done, it was agreed that there would be no additional requirements for all the listed companies. This was to guard the company from American Law especially, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act is an enactment of 2002 is a federal law that governs corporate finance. The law was enacted after many high ranking companies including WorldCom and Enron were implicated in corporate accounting scandals. The Act brought reform into American business and enhanced criminal penalties for any company that destroys, falsifies,

Hadrians Wall Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hadrians Wall Management - Essay Example This consists of a Policy Framework, which was put in place as a result of a UNESCO requirement and the UK government. The policy sets out the management of the planning, conservation, access and marketing of the Hadrian's Wall site. Therefore, any organisation contemplating running a business by offering walks around Hadrian's Wall need to be aware of the rules and regulations set down by the World Heritage Organisation. This is in addition to the standard safety responsibilities and insurance obligations required to cover them for any accidents. There are also a number of legal obligations from a legal perspective, which are government specified. The World Heritage Site Organisation have a number of members, to form a "steering group" who have been selected to create and maintain the management plans, which are produced at regular intervals. The steering group consists of a cross-section of interested parties, who are diverse in their backgrounds and usually cover different areas. They are usually experts in their fields. The committee meet twice a year to resolve issues with the site and maintain the plans in existence. The committee members come from all walks of life and cover issues: The first management plan for Hadrian's Wall was created in 1996, and this covered the period up to 2001. The plan subsequent to that covered the periods 2002 - 2007 and the current plan is expected to cover the periods 2008 - 2012. The procedure for these plans is that a first round of interest groups discussions will take place. Then the steering group will meet again to formalise the planning documents, which are then published in the next period. This usually happens every 4 years or so. The World Heritage Site Organisation was created in 1972. The aim of the organisation back then was to protect Heritage via economic regeneration for social inclusion. They also realised that this would provide a number of responsibilities and opportunities. The aim was to preserve sites and keep them in good condition for future generations. It helps when managing such walks around the wall to have knowledge of the implications of tourism at heritage sites. Although there is a need for foreign income a guide needs to be aware that the local social structures are disturbed through tourism and whole communities can be affected by the number of visitors, who may have different cultures and social ethics. Heritage management tries to balance the need for interest and profit with the need to also conserve the existing environment. From this point of view heritage management is more complex than is assumed, albeit the bottom line is to preserve heritage for future generations to enjoy. Tourism sites such as Hadrian's Wall are seen as clean, environmentally friendly, places which also provide a good local source of income for permanent residents. They are seen as favourable against traditional industries and increase the quality of life. It is also seen that heritage sites usually reduce pollution and protect the environment. Human mobility is increasing, and it looks very much that tourism is here to stay. As countries develop, there people have more desire to travel and see new places. Tourism also offers a

Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assessment - Essay Example 75% of participants in the study indicated they had experienced financial losses as a result of information security incidents (Richardson, 2003). Healthcare organizations are in an especially vulnerable position because of the sensitivity of the information stored on their systems. Accordingly, it is imperative that Healthcare Oganization A adopt and implement an intrusion detection system (IDS). Following a definition of IDS, this essay will argue the imperatives of our organization are adopting such a system. IDSs are similar to home burglar alarm systems, alerting neighbors, homeowners, and law enforcement that someone or something has broken through the security measures. ID techniques attempt to identify and isolate computer and network attacks by observing traffic logs or audit data. IDSs are based on the idea that an intruder can be detected through the examination of various elements. Such as, network traffic, packet elements, central processing unit use, input/output use, and file activities (Proctor, 2001). IDSs are powerful tools used to reduce and monitor computer attacks. The goal of ID is to positively identify all true attacks and negatively identify all non-attacks (Proctor, 2001). ... To fully protect an organization, it is necessary to audit the network on a regular basis for intrusion attempts. An intrusion is any set of actions that attempts to compromise the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of the system. To make an audit easier, a new category of software has emerged: the IDS (Proctor). ID is needed because firewalls cannot provide complete protection against intrusion. Experience teaches us never to rely on a single defensive line or technique. A firewall serves as an effective noise filter, stopping many attacks before they can enter an organization's networks. However, firewalls are vulnerable to errors in configuration and ambiguous or undefined security policies. They are also generally unable to protect against malicious mobile code, insider attacks, and unsecured modems. Firewalls rely on the existence of a central point through which traffic flows. With a growing trend toward geographically distributed networks with internal and external users, there is a greater chance for compromise. Therefore, the absence of central points for firewall monitoring purposes is a relevant concern. A computer system should provide confidentiality, integrity, availability, and assurance against DoS. However, due to increased connectivity (especially on the Internet) and the vast spectrum of financial possibilities that are opening up, more and more systems are subject to attack by intruders. These subversion attempts try to exploit flaws in the operating system as well as in application programs and have resulted in spectacular incidents like the Internet Worm incident of 1988 (Bandy, Money, Worstell, & Saita,

How has the media changed the shape of American Politics Essay

How has the media changed the shape of American Politics - Essay Example Americans no longer have to search high and low for this information; instead, they simply need to turn on any news channel or go to any news website and they are presented with all of the facts that are needed, and then some. It is because of media that more people than ever are involved in the world of politics (Rozell & Mayer, 2008), even if they are just spectators. However, media is not always a helpful, reliable tool when politics are involved. Media influences people in regard to politics by feeding them the information that its deems to be important; those in charge of media have their own agenda. This is often dependent on the news station, the individual relaying the news, or the political party of anyone involved in the broadcast (Curran, 1995). If a story is being presented by Democrats, there is a good chance that the Republican party will not be shown in a good light, and vice versa. The same holds true for issues regarding propositions or bills that are waiting to be p assed, such as the growing concern of border control along the southern states. What originally began as a method to keep Americans informed of political goings-on has long since become a battle to make one side look worse than the other, all because of the universality and bias of media.

Supply chain Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Supply chain - Assignment Example The success of the company relies on a strategy of volume rather than margin through the reinvestment of productivity gains in the form of lower prices. A special feature of the company is that it does not seem to take the paths agreed by its competitors. In the late 1970s, company undertook a radical revision of the distribution system and 20 years later, it became one of the first profitable company in the field of nutrition (Collinson, 2007). Sir Jack Cohen founded the company in 1929 and named it as Tesco. This acronym combines the letters of the tea supplier and partner (TE Stock well) with those of Sir Cohen. The group opened its first grocery store in the suburbs of London, and it was during the 1930s that it began its growth by adding a hundred outlets, mainly in the British capital. After a visit to the United States, Mr. Cohen returned to England with the aim of importing the model of self-service supermarkets. He developed the formula Tesco â€Å"put products into a high pile and sell low" (Pile it high and sell it cheap). This formula has been the philosophy of the company for several decades. It has gained its success and accomplishments based on this formula in the right way. After World War II, the company continued its growth in the targeted segment of the working class. Through a series of acquisitions, the company had more than 800 outlets by the late 1960s. Moreover, the regulation of time prevented some items to be sold at a loss (in the price agreed with the suppliers) to attract customers in the retail sale. Only large chains were subjected to this regulation that excluded independent stores. To overcome this limitation, the Tesco management decided to launch a system of tradable stamps (trading stamps). The customer who purchases at Tesco can accumulate stamps. When it has a certain number, it can be exchanged against a sum of money or gift product. This system has proved to be very popular and has increased sales. In 1964, regulations o n price controls were abolished and Tesco has launched a strategic price reduction while maintaining its stamp system. Now, Tesco is an international distribution group which represents 14 countries in all. In 2008, its market capitalization was $ 34.84 billion Euros and its turnover reached 80 billion Euros, which placed the group at the forefront in UK and fourth in the world behind Wal-Mart & Carrefour. The headquarters of this global group is located near Chesnutt, London where Sir Terry Leahy is CEO since 1997 (Christmann, 2006). Discussion Internationalisation Internationalisation is the process by which relations over greater distances are contracted, and thus extend over national borders. The parent organisation opens its branches all around the world to increase its level of sales and profitability. This is a result of both globalisation and regionalisation. Organisations tend to gain strong advantages by operating on an international mode. As a result, national governments are bound by their policy to international agreements and developments

Rawls Theory of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rawls Theory of Justice - Essay Example Furthermore, in the theory of justice Rawls attempts to resolve the utilitarian and deontological approach to ethics by arguing with the Kantian social contract model. However, Rawls recognized that the justice as fairness is based in the Kant's notion of autonomy. Rawls goes further and explain theory of justice as the original position principle where the justice based in the veiled ignorance, according to Rawls "no one knows his place in society his class position or social status" (Rawls, 1999 (ed), p.118). In the theory of justice Rawls support the element of the Kantian social contract philosophy, Rawls does agree with Kant's ideal of cosmopolitan constitution in term of cosmopolitan theory of justice. This essay will answer the question by critically evaluate Rawls' theory in relation to the cosmopolitan theory of justice, first of all I have to evaluate the core elements of Rawls' theory of justice and than I have to analyses these elements with leading to the cosmopolitan justice theory ( Rawls, translated by Michelle kosch 2007). In the theory of justice Rawls consider the liberty and the different principle which it change of the classical model of the social contract by explain the social inequality within a distributive veil of ignorance. Rawls in the veal of ignorance tries to explain that the individual in the society have a system of equality. Accordingly, Rawls says that each person have an equal right to the most general proposal of equal basic liberties compatible with similar rights of liberties of others (Rawls, 1999 (ed) p.53). Moreover, these basic principles are absolute and cannot be violated, an example of these right freedom from arbitrary arrest and the freedom of speech (Rawls, 1999 (ed), p.53). However, Kant's theory of social contract is based by his emphasis of innate morality, Rawls acknowledge difference and social inequality as compatible within the "justice" paradigm. For example in the term of the inequality distribution Rawls says that inequality is only acceptable in the theory of justice under the second principle. This undermines the Kantian ideas of the cosmopolitan system of justice which based in an innate moral propensity towards democracy as a result of the human intellectual independence. In theory of the rationale for being human Kant's suggests that it is the interrelationship between intellectual independence and morality this considers be that is central to concepts of democracy. In this point, there will be social inequality, Rawls goes further to justify this in his theory of justice model on the grounds that the social differences are acceptable if they are the maximum benefits to the least advantaged members of the society (Rawls, 1999, (eds) p.84) . Rawls goes further and suggests that there can be unequal basic rights in proof of fixed natural characteristics. According to Rawls " if say, men are favoured in the assignment of basic rights, this inequality is justified by the difference principle.only if it is to the advantage of women and acceptable from their standpoint"(Rawls, 1999, (eds) (p.85). However, the difference principle makes it clear that Rawls denouncement of the cosmopolitan justice principle, his argument appears to be inherently flawed in effectively sanctioning discrimination on subjective grounds. Furthermore, there is

An Investigative Study on the Effectiveness of Incentive Remuneration Research Paper

An Investigative Study on the Effectiveness of Incentive Remuneration - Research Paper Example The research found that majority of the FSCs were inclined to like a larger time period for which incentives are calculated as this allows them to schedule work better. The research recommends that the organizations should have flexible options for incentives remuneration, should enlarge the amount of incentives available to the FSCs and should lengthen the time period to a quarterly period. Incentive remuneration has been traditionally used by organizations to motivate the employees to perform better and has directly been linked to the increased corporate performance (Murphy, 1985). Research has found that incentive remuneration leads to better revenue generation, better sales and overall better performance of the organization (Murphy, 1985; Bartol, 1999; Jordan, 2010). The advent of globalization and liberalization of the financial markets across the globe has resulted in an intense competition between the financial institutions – to not only profit from the business opportunities, but also to recruit and retain top talents. Retaining consultants have often been difficult for financial institutions in a competitive environment (Tan, 2009). This is also stated by Sigler (1999) in the challenges companies face in retaining productive performers. Retaining productive consultants are crucial for financial institution as they are the profit centers of it. However, incentive remunerations are not always embraced enthusiastically by all consultants (Schmidt, 2005). In many instances, management of companies painstakingly plan and set aside budget for such incentive, only to fail with the lack of participation from the employees. The problem that is detected by the researcher is that the employees in the financial institutions are not enthusiastic about the incentive remunerations, in spite of the great amount of time, energy and money that these organizations put in developing and managing the incentive

Value Engineering Programs Overview Essay Example for Free

Value Engineering Programs Overview Essay The programs objective is to impart knowledge covering core areas of plant design to enhance constructability and improve construction process. Studies, workshops and research focus on this program. The program covers effective cost saving in constructability in order to make maximum use of knowledge and experience in all phases of construction including planning the construction process, designing, procurement, and to conduct field operations to improve construction process. Lean Construction Lean construction covers how to plan and manage the work of construction. It saves time and improves quality of construction process. That is construction can be accomplished in much less time with proper planning and quality output. Nature of Program â€Å"†¦.. Lean is fundamentally empowering all workers to be partners in your continuous improvement efforts. You ask them to make their work easier and more interesting. You challenge them to grow every day on the job. You ask them to cut costs, to improve safety, to improve quality and reduce the time line to deliver superior products and services to their customers. †¦And then leave you the challenge to figure it out for yourself. They rarely ever had a cookbook approach for you. In fact, Ohno would never let anything be written down on how to do lean. He wanted it to be a system that allowed for constant change. Sure, their disciples created the Kaizen Blitz, which became a million dollar product for them. While others have created Six Sigma another million dollar product. Somehow we just resist change until everyone is doing it then we jump on the bandwagon† (Lean construction) Green Construction and Sustainability Nature of Program How are they implemented? Relation to Value Engineering The core content covers the area of green construction and sustainability. Implementation Establishment of New plant has become very mandatory for the proper working and progress of the company. As older plant is causing huge losses and increased labor cost. The older machinery repair and maintenance is costing $5 million annually. This is also increasing labor workforce due to inadequate plant machinery and declining working condition. With implementation of New Technology and new machinery labor force and cost will be reduced dramatically and work will be enhanced. This includes several tasks: ? Factory management ? Plant operations management ? Production management ? Operations management ? Manufacturing ? Assembly automation ? Automated assembly ? Automated manufacturing ? Industrial automation ? Flexible manufacturing ? Robotic work cell ? Robotic assembly ? Assembly process ? Assembly sequence planning ? Continuous flow manufacturing ? High volume, low cost product assembly ? Manufacturing process development ? Production line ? Process engineering ? Production engineering ? Continuous motion assembly ? Operation analysis Company’s plan for financing the construction Target: New Products Creations competitive edge in the market place depends on getting this new component plant built and functioning within the next 48 months. A lot depends upon securing the financing, including your future with the company. Funding for this project will come from a consortium of Venture Capitalists, a bond offering and bank loans. Flexible manufacturing will make new plan respond to the rising market demand by various new models and products model variants. Support will be gained from Banks and Consortium of Venture Capitalist. The Plant may cost $980 million for proper implementation and working References Report on (Design for constructability studies in support of the DOE ALWR (Advanced Light Water Reactor) Program) 1990

Juvenile Crimes

Juvenile Crimes Introduction Juvenile crimes seem to dominate many topics of discussions and are such a gigantic problem, because of the over-crowded court rooms and jail cells. However, legislation is being manufactured for younger offenders, while public sentiments continue to escalate regarding what to do with these juveniles, who terrorize local communities with their poor choices that affect us all. One may say that we have never been a victim of a juvenile crime, but many have felt the residual trickle down effects of juvenile crime. How does the society at large combat this issue before it touches or affects us directly? This research paper will show that early intervention through parenting programs as well as an exit strategy for those who fall through the cracks will assist to lower juvenile crimes in spite of the attempts to utilize boot camps, scare tactics and adult sentencing as a means for change. The news is bombarded with juvenile incidents that peaks our discomfort levels and ushers in uneasy feelings because of the violent way juveniles are behaving. Here are a few stories of what juveniles are doing in their respective communities. Four teenagers are caught on a camera robbing a store owner in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The store owner hands are raised above his head when a shot is fired by one of the teens and the store owner falls to his death. In Florida and Kentucky five other teens that perpetrated as vampires are charged with assaulting another teens parent to death. In Los Angeles a six year old boy is fatally wounded by the senseless acts of gang activity and an innocent person was caught in the crossfire also. These are the types of juvenile crimes being committed by individuals between six to eighteen years old. The isolated stories mentioned above are just a few of the headliners of major media outlets informing the general public of the plight of Americas juvenile problem. These senseless brutal events are so commonly placed that juvenile crimes seem to have a numbing effect on our society. A team of researchers stated that Compared to adolescents in other countries, Americas teens exhibit alarmingly high rates of violence, and the sad part about the violent crimes being committed by these individuals is that it is done so easily, uncaring and indifferent to those they violate Summary Most juvenile crime problem stems from social problems, and they are initiated from their upbringing, poverty and poor education. Because, of juvenile crime inner-city youths are unbalanced in their involvement in crime. Since there have been so many stories about juvenile crime, cities, states and even the federal government are working on ways as to how they can improve the problem with crime. Our Congress would like to change twenty-two laws that provide anti-delinquency funding to states. There are states who would like to see young teens to be charged as an adult for crimes they commit. The state of Massachusetts has voted for youths as young as fourteen be tried as adults; while the state of Tennessee minimum age was eliminated, but Wisconsins solution to the problem was to lower their age to ten. For many years, there was a public outcry for tougher stances on juvenile crimes; out of this response the juvenile boot camp concept was born and widely supported but the program had little success. Boot camps for juveniles originated in the late 1980s to help keep youths out of adult prisons or to keep their jail sentences short. At risk youths were placed into intense, structured, severe environments that resembled military boot camps. The juvenile boot camps had a legitimate and sincere mission which was to teach and provide discipline, but ultimately it failed to help prevent kids from committing future crimes. Authorities had hoped that the three months or so, served in boot camp, would help turn juveniles behavior around, but preliminary studies conducted as early as 1990s have indicated that boot camps do not work to improve a juveniles behavior. In fact, many of the attendees, after released, committed even more serious crimes than before because of their contact with more e xperienced offenders (NIH, n.d.). Studies have been shown that boot camps should be ban by the government because of the misconduct of employees at the camps. One incident involved a fourteen-year-old girl who had been put into the camp because she had stole $25 from a friend. The girl, who was overweight, died of heart failure because she was left lying in the sun unattended for hours after running three miles (NIH, n.d.). Incident such as this, is why boot camps have been given a bad reputation and should be closed immediately.. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and experts agree that boot camps do not work to combat juvenile crime; in fact, many of them agree that it can make the problems worse. Many of the facilities has no therapy or no psychological interventions programs for the offenders to help them deal with underlying emotional and behavioral problems they may have been developing for many years (NIH, n.d.). Instead of boot camps which isnt helping out youths we need to start concentrating on ways to prevent juvenile crimes indisputably. One of the ways this can be accomplished is by communities providing programs to help children and their families at an early age. Many state programs are attempting to implement early intervention programs and requesting federal funding for community initiatives that will allow special groups to fight and battle the problem of juvenile crimes.. Another way this can be accomplished is through educational programs geared to observe and seek-out the juvenile indicators early in the developmental stage. These educational programs help the families that they served by providing valid and resourceful information that will enhance or benefit their current status. The programs show parents how to raise healthy children, while others instruct kids about the dangers of drugs, gangs, sex and weapons. While some try to reinforce and emphasize the God given worth or value juveniles have within themselves. This is a great tool in combating many of the issues with juvenile crimes, because the majority of juveniles committing a lot of these senseless crimes are doing them to draw attention due to self-esteem issues. These educational programs were designed to provide encouraging hope and to inform juveniles that there is another way out of their dilemma. Summary 2 Also by implementing early educational intervention in prenatal and infancy homes where visitation by nurses is just one more tool in helping to reduce juvenile crimes. These nurses involved in this program pay visits to low income, single mothers between their third trimester and second year of the childs life. The nurses emphasize on the medical condition of the mother and child, the support relationships in the mothers life, and the enrollment of the mother or caretaker and child in Health and Human Services programs. In a fifteen-year follow-up study found that mothers and children involved in the program had a seventy-nine percent lower child abuse rate, a fifty-six percent lower child runaway rate, and a fifty-six percent lower child arrest rate. This study has also showed an improvement in overall behavior problems of juveniles. (LawyerShop, n.d.).. Another law which has been implemented by many states to control juvenile crimes is the transfer law. This law refers to juveniles being transferred or waived to adult court to be sentence as adults and to serve time with adults. There has been research to prove that this law does not work to detour juvenile crimes. In the 1980s, there were two studies conducted that proved that the transfer laws does not lower the juvenile crime rate. A study conducted by Jensen and Metsgers (1994) time-series analysis, has reported that after implementing the transfer law in 1981, Idahos arrest rate for violent crimes committed by fourteen to eighteen-year-olds increased by 13-percent. Another study conducted by Singer and McDowall in 1988 found that the arrest rates of juveniles between 1974 and 1984 in New York and Philadelphia did not change because of the 1978 New York State law that automatically sent violent juvenile offenders to criminal court (by lowing the ages for criminal court jurisdict ion to thirteen-years-old for murder and fourteen-years-old for assault, arson, burglary, kidnapping, and rape) (Redding, 2008, p. 1). The news of the new law was publicized considerably in the media. During that time, there was evidence that showed many juvenile offenders in New York had knowledge of the new law (Redding, 2008). A program which has been proven to work is an early educational intervention program for juveniles where the parent and child are both involved in the training program. This program encompasses an instructional platform for parents that deal with major behavioral problems in their children. The twelve week interactive program allows therapist to guide and educate parents on the best way to respond to their childs behavior whether positive or negative. The results produced by the program have shown a reduction of hyperactivity, attention deficit, aggression and other related behavior in children (Lawyershop, n.d.).. The educational early intervention program also includes a bullying prevention program that is primary geared toward focusing on elementary as well as junior high school youths. An anonymous student questionnaire informs or alerts teachers and administrators regarding those who maybe engaged in bullying. The questionnaire advised the authorities on the kids, who were most likely to be bullied and the places where bullying occurred. The administrators setup a plan to combat the problem and bullies as well as victims are engaged in individual counseling sessions to follow-up the actual event. As a result of this practice, the program had great success in creating a safer, less aggressive playing field for student at minimal cost to schools. Despite the programs that have been initiated for the benefit of our youth, there are still some juveniles that fall through the cracks, but we as communities must work harder with implementing these programs in the communities to help our youths. Juveniles that enter the Juvenile Justice System have the opportunity to receive intervention assistance within the state, this intervention maybe seen in the form of drug rehabilitation assistance, counseling, and other educational opportunities. The telling outcomes that correlates to the success of the program is seen by how well it prepares these young people to re-enter back into society without committing other crimes. Optimally, all juvenile detention facilities would catch youth up on their education, provide them with job training, give the experience of living in a safe, stable environment, and provide them with assistance to break harmful habits(Lawyershop, n.d.).. For those juveniles that find themselves upon completion of their sentencing, the transition can be brutal without further assistance and help. There are programs that support juveniles that are on the verge of entrance back into the communities they abused. Juveniles must separate themselves from the criminal element that placed them into that situation in the first place. To assist in promoting acceptable behavior and conduct, the courts have attempted to implement helpful social services that aid in giving additional support to ex-offenders, such as, job placement, school opportunities, extended counseling sessions and drug rehab. The last educational intervention program we would like to discuss is Functional Family Therapy program (FFT). This program helps juveniles on probation and their families. The family therapist assists the family and supports the juvenile with positive motivational changes in the home. The program is based on three stages: the first stage attempts to break down any resistance to therapy and encourages the family to promote positive affirmations, communication and interaction; the second step, family members are instructed on how to deal with new problems on a day-to-day situation; the third and final step in the process encourage youths to build new relationship skills in other social situations (for instance school, or the workplace). FFT reduces recidivism rates and juvenile delinquency at a low cost. Twelve FFT sessions cost approximately one-sixth the cost of detaining a youth for one month.(Lawyershop, n.d.). A highlighted benefit from the program is that the siblings of the ju venile crimes are less likely to be engaged in criminal activities because of the assistance the family receives.. Implementing a recreational program in the community can help fill the time of unsupervised youths during after school hours, when parents are, maybe, at work. The Department of Education states that juveniles are most likely to be involved in criminal behavior between the evening hours of 2pm and 8pm, with crime rates escalating at 3pm. These recreational programs allow youths to bond with other members of the community, whether young or old, in wholesome activities. Many of these established relationships may carry into the future as a positive resource. Many psychologists also agree that to change the behavior of a juvenile permanently, a change must be made in a youths internal thinking. There is a three-step process called self-revelation which can help youths make the change; this process is used to help juveniles make better decisions in life by making them think before they act, and to make sensible decisions in life. In the first step, the youths must realize their current b ehavior is self-destructive to themselves and others; step two, the youths need to seek ways on how to be positive and the final step, step three, they change their behavior. This three-step process can only transpire when a teen can sincerely and openly talk about their situation within a supportive and mutually respectful adult relationship (Redding, 2008, p. 2).Thats why everyone is of necessity in dealing with this complex issue. Resources are needed from every professional and caring person, who knows that this problem must be stopped in order to have a more peaceful community. Conclusion In conclusion this paper gives some insight on how early intervention programs can help youths stay away from criminal activities. Juvenile crime is a constant issue that needs to be addressed before it is too late for our young people. Youths are trying to grow up and enter adulthood too fast and too young. Throughout this paper we have expressed the need for educational programs, mentoring from parents and guidance from the community to help our youths stay or get back on the right path.. Encouraging positive behavior support can also work to help youths instead of punishing bad behavior; this system would reward good behavior. For any program to be successful, the teens family must be involved in the process. A study conducted by NIH found that programs which implemented family counseling had the best results. Resolving conflicts, disappointments, and anger with each other will help the teenager and his or her family move on to resolve and appreciate what was good and bad with each other. Providing a good program which includes excellent academics where the teen can be successful, positive discipline methods surrounded by a structure of loving adults, and family counseling to sustain the positive changes that has occurred during the program can help the teen move on to become a productive citizen in society

Research Into The External Environment Of Barclays Bank Finance Essay

Research Into The External Environment Of Barclays Bank Finance Essay Barclays is a global financial services provider deals with retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services all over the world. Barclays offers personal banking services to its customers all over the world and provides a variety of other products like loans, debit card, saving account, insurance, online banking etc. 1.1 AIMS/PURPOSES The purpose of this report is to review recent research into the external environment of Barclays Bank and provide strategic recommendations for senior managers of the organisation. 1.2 CONTEXT Barclays started its business from london 300 years back, and now Barclays has established enterprises across Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region and gives employment to approximately 145,000 people. Barclays has almost 49 million customers and clients worldwide. Barclays has so many achievements in his name. In 1958 Barclays appointed the UKs first female branch manager. In 1961 Barclays opened the UKs first computer center for banking. In 1966 Barclays launches Barclays card, Uks first credit card. In 1967 Barclays opened worlds first ATM. In 1986 Barclays was the first British bank to have shares listed on New York Stock Exchange. In 1987 Barclays launched Barclays connect, the UKs first debit card. In 1995 Barclays was the first financial institution to launch its website. In 1999 Barclays was the first UK bank to offer customers a mortgage in euros to buy a british home. In 2008 Barclays was the first bank in UK to announce a mass roll-out of contactless-enabled debit card. (Barclays, 2010) 1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT The first part of this report would examine and analyse the external environment of Barclays Bank, while the second part would give recommendations to mitigate its impact on the internal environment looking at what management structure and strategy that could be used. The final pact of the report would give a conclusion on the findings and limitations of the reports findings. 2.0 EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT Macro (External) Factors are seemingly uncontrolled by companies. They include factors like Political Factors, Economic and Competition Factors, Social Factors, Technological Factors and Legal Factors. Since Barclays Bank comes in Macro Factors, its strategic planning must include an analysis for Macro Factors. This purpose of report both includes SWOT and PEST analysis of tools. 2.1 POLITICAL FACTORS The Political Factors of a Bank includes measures of government stability and political risk in that country. Banking Sectors are affected by political factors and government rules and regulations, and as Barclays Bank one of the historical bank and has branches all over the world, expected to bond with government rules and feel the heat of politics in business and at time political factors doesnt allow banks to grow its business. For example the tax for Barclays to do its business in India will not be same as it is in UK. And also different-different country has different- different rules for its banking industry. According to Treanor report Senior bankers are complaining that political interference is the biggest risk facing their industry despite the billions of pounds of taxpayer money being used to prop up the banking system. One of the bankign leader at Pwc said With political interference as the top risk and too much regulation at number three, the concern is that the financial crisis has taken the banking industrys future out of its own hands.(Treanor,2010) Barclays president Bob Diamond also opposed political interference in banking sector. (Treanor, 2010) The UK Prime Minister said for a more responsible banking, in which he said banks are the servants of economy and society and never its master. He said banks should have help UK business by giving them loans. (BBC, 2009) 2.2 ECONOMIC AND COMPETITION FACTORS Due to the large number of banks in market, Barclays Bank is facing a huge competition in market. Barclays was rapidly losing market share to Bank of Scotland and mainland European banks according to survey by the Manchester Business School.(Trapp,1992) Bank of Scotland was regarded as the toughest bank, but it is felt to offer a better service. Smaller banks, such as the Co-op, Abbey National, Bank of Wales and Yorkshire, were considered less aggressive than the main hight street clearers in terms of fees and pricing. (Trapp, 1992) The Independent (2009) report says Barclays Bank faced a new challenge as credit ratings Moodys cut its rating by two full notches, leading to a one-tenth fall in its share price. (Robbins,2009) The existing recession also played a major role in affecting the business of banks. In 2008, Barclays profit fell by 14% while variable remuneration fell by 48%. At all level Barclays employees lost in  £2bn of personal wealth in 2007 and 2008. (BBC NEWS,2009) 2.3 SOCIAL FACTORS Social factor plays a major role in banks development and banks enterprise. Bank should win the heart of its customers to maintain its reputation. It should make a strong bond with customers. According to BBC News report, in April 2000 Barclays closed its 171 branches, many of them were in rural areas. Because of that Barclays had suffered from a spate of bad publicity. (BBC NEWS, 2000) On February, 2010 increasing overdraft charges on two million of its account holders created a bit concern for Barclays bank customers. However Barclays said eight million customers with standard current accounts would not be a hit by higher changes, and banks has not changed the rates paid by its credit card customers in UK. However customers reacted angrily against Barclays bank. (Moore,2010) 2.4 TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS The modern Technology which making customers life easy in banks, creating big problem regarding the security and privacy of their account details. Customers face problem in loging on and doing online banking. Many customers in country side areas dont have much knowledge about online banking, bill payments and online transfer funds. Some Customers feel unsecured doing online banking. In January 2010 many account holders were not able to check balances and transfer money via online banking. Many customers complained on Barclays forum for unable to access account. (Anker, 2010) Customers who logged into their account in July, 2000 they were able to read the details of other customers accounts. Barclays admitted the problem was associated with a software upgrade which went live overnight. (BBC NEWS, 2000) Barclays bank has signed a deal with F-Secure for 1.6 million licences of the anti-virus program. The basic F-Secure anti-virus will protect customers account and will alert users if any malicious programs installed. 2.5 LEGAL AND CREADIBILITY FACTORS Banks are regulated by different different agencies and different kind of laws in different countries. In 1990s, European countries have implemented Single Banking License which allowed banks from European Union (EU) countries to branch freely into other EU countries. European Countries implemented numerous regulations for banking industry, to achieve the level of harmonization required for the establishment of a single, competitive market for financial services. However, after that European banks have also experienced a negative effect on competition. (Angelini, 2003) UK government expected to put pressure on Barclays and other lenders that have turned down government help to join the British Treasurys latest effort to revive the economy. (Werdigier, 2009). In March, 2009 Barclays bank obtained a court order banning the Guardian from publishing documents which showed how the bank set up companies to avoid hundreds of millions of pounds in tax. The information was leaked by a person who was working with bank. (Guardian, 2009) In January, 2006 Barclays and other 22 international companies got a legal action brought by a South African activist group. That legal action was for allegedely benefited companies from doing business in South Africa in the apartheid era. Barclays was forecd to pull out of South Africa in 1986 after protests against its involvement in South Africa during the apartheid regime. (Kollewe, 2006) 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS Bank should make a strong bond with customers, to make its business and reputation profitable. Bank should should give customers requirement first priority in its business. T 3.1 As mentiond in the first part of the report, how political factor is playing a major role in banks business and growth. Different- different countris political stability plays a major role in banks deveopment. Banks should keep a track in advance on the political stability of that country, to know how its political change will affect its business. And bank should make a strong bond with governemnt regarding its policies and regulations so that government will help the banks at the time of economy downturn by giving banks special packages to rescue from economy downturn. Banks should make a strong bond with government regarding tax paying. 3.2 Economic and competition factor also plays a major role in affecting banks growth. As mentioned in 2.2 how competition in market plays a major role in companys share and profit and how that nation economy plays a major role in the growth and development of bank. Banks should involve Fiscal Policy in their policy. Fiscal Policy helps to reduce the rate of inflation and stimulate economic growth in a period of economy downturn. Fiscal Policy aims to stablise economic growth, avoiding boom and bust economic cycle.(Economics help) For competition factor playing a major role in banks growth. Banks should keep a strong policy on its interest rates which should not affect customers requirement and banks benefit both. 3.3 As mentioned in 2.3 Social Factor plays a major role in banks relations with customers which directly affects banks development and reputation. Banks responsibility towards customers plays a major role in banks reputation in market, which affects its business. Banks should give a written letter in advance to customers before taking any major step. Banks should make its customer care department more friendly for customers, so they will not hesitate asking any question to banks.Before increasing its any fee, banks should inform customers in advance. The significance of good customer service costs five times to win a new customers and retaining old customers. And banks should give assurance to customers regarding their funds and account profile and personal details, so that they will more secure regarding their accounts. To inhance its reputatin banks should participate in social causes and should participate in developing poor countries and rural areas. They should make branches an d ATMs more convinent for customers in countryside areas as well. 3.4 Technological factor which causing a big concern in winning the trust of customers. The modern technology which is making a customers life easy in doing online bill payments or accessing accounts online at time creat big problems for customers. As mentioned in 2.4 how at time online banking is creating problems for customers and creating problems in relationship with banks. Banks should make its online banking more secured and also give assurance to customers regarding their account details so that customers will not worry about their account profile. Banks should educate people regarding its online banking and telephonic banking. Bank will have to make international banking or internatioanl funds transfer safe for customers and for this they will have educate customers. As mentioned in 2.4, Barclays bank has signed a deal with F-Secure for licence of an anti-virus program which will protect customers account and will alert users if something go wrong with their account.(BBC News ,2006). Its banks responsibility to make technology secured regarding customers account, and if something happens wrong bank must insure customers that their money is safe. 3.5 For a good business banks should start using social media to build trust, loyalty and improve relationships with customers. Political Factor is palying a major role in Banks international market and bank Barclays protects money for nearly 14 million customers and clients in Africa during the time of economy and climate risk. Barclays operated in Africa for over a century and optimisitc for next 100 years future. http://group.barclays.com/Editorial/1231783315133.html CONCLUSION STRENGHTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Widespread global presence Generated controvecies Well-established historically Associated with innovation http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/business-resources/swot-analysis-database/barclays-bank-swot-analysis/

Public Speaking :: essays research papers

A Moment of Immense Success Over the years, I have always admired those who have had great accomplishments in their lives. Since graduating from high school in 1989, my experiences have been mixed but they have been largely good. Some of my experiences included serving in the military for seven years, living and working in Germany for 12 years, and learning a foreign language. One person who I greatly admire for her public speaking skills and overall success is Ms. Oprah Winfrey. Despite all the obstacles in her life, she has managed to overcome and accomplish many great things. Although Oprah is the richest woman in the entertainment field, she seems to be very humble, and treats everyone with the same amount of respect, whether they are rich or middle-class. In many ways, I can relate to some of the issues that she has dealt with publicly. For example, it is no secret that she has been publicly dealing with her weight going up and down. Over the years, I too have been dealing with my weight fluctuating up and down. Every time that I watch her show, I sit back with amaze on the way that she delivers her point across to her audience with such perfection. Considering that she has approximately 3 million viewers per show, and does not appear to be nervous at all. In comparison with my background in the U.S. Army, I can remember making several speeches to my soldiers, and I did not feel nervous one bit at all. In my opinion, it is very refreshing to see a celebr ity of her stature, to be so down to earth, and so giving if her time (and money). Along with the rest of world, I have grown to listen when Ms. Winfrey speaks, who is currently one of the most powerful business persons in the world. During my high school days, my grades were satisfactory, but not to boast about, you can trust me on that issue. The fact that I can seen Oprah become the person that she is today, make me want to be the best person that I can possible become. Most recently, I have decided to return to school to obtain my bachelor’s degree in business management. In addition, it is my goal to obtain my master’s degree in business administration directly after finishing my bachelor’s degree. In today’s business world, I have noticed that without a vital education, one will not be able to climb the corporate ladder.

Essay --

Introduction What is The Internet of Everything (IOE)? The IoE is a concept which is based on a connection between physical devices and the internet. The benefits of such a connection are convenience and satisfaction to the end user. On a lighter note it is bound to make the end user more of a couch potato. In today's technologically driven world, there are more things connected to the internet than there are people in the world. This fact shows that the internet is the future of doing business, learning as well as being a platform for innovation. This is where IoE steps into the picture as it is based on the concept of internet connected devices, and with the progress in terms of technology of everyday devices and objects, the possibilities are endless. IoE is starting to show glimpses of its potential to surround us with connectivity that skilfully responds to our needs and wants - which is called the Digital Sixth Sense. (Qualcomm) Key components of the IoE model are the smartphones we have become accustomed to using, cloud computing which has made remote storage and access a breeze, as well as wireless broadband networks which have been implemented in strategically viable locations for use by modern high broadband demanding devices. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology works hand in hand with this system. IoE is expected to be the fastest growing technological system within the next half decade. There are various many fields where IoE can be applied to and are listed below: †¢ E-Shopping †¢ Home Security Automation †¢ Socially interactive gadgets †¢ Emergency Response Systems †¢ Remote Management of physical objects Ethical and Legal issues of IoE Unlawful Surveillance There are a countless number of simple devices ... ...e implemented and these areas are; Environmental protection, agriculture, transportation as well as education. The future and prospects look exciting for China as it has the potential to achieve great things using this technology as it has the backing of its government as well as a good capital input from investors as the ROI is potentially great. It's becoming a household concept. (sciencemag) During October of last year, IT specialists visited Wuxi regarding the future of the 'Internet of Everything'. The prospects look promising as many good ideas were showcased. The advantage China has is that it takes a centralized approach rather than distributed one in terms of creation of application, which makes it easier for the various devices and applications to communicate and work hand-in-hand with each other thus creating a network of intelligent systems. (sciencemag)

Postmodernism and Multimedia Essay

The premises of postmodernism include the spread of globalization, deviation from the â€Å"universal truth†, non-linearity and flexibility and that it can be closely associated with computer technology. These premises can be found and embodied in today’s multimedia. Multimedia itself can be considered a postmodern creation because of the nonlinearity in its creation, storage and distribution especially with the advent of the World Wide Web and other technological advances (Phillips c. 2003). Multimedia is also an entertainment form that branches in different directions, deconstructing and reconstructing the experiences to suit different individual tastes. It links different sections and components, making the media more interactive and more convenient for the audience as they go through the sections of their choosing. This proves its nature true as an integration of multiple media that can multiply the impact of the message/s the multimedia would want to impart to its audiences (Pant 1999). Multimedia methodology and production itself can be said to be generally postmodern because of the technologies and the demands they need to adapt to in order to satisfy the demands of the today’s market. Postmodernism, is, thus the heart of this era’s multimedia methodology and production. The methodology and production of multimedia is a process that involves multiple steps that include conceptualization, development, preproduction, production, postproduction, and documentation with each phase being further subdivided into different activities (Pant 1999). Conceptualization and development, mostly take a linear approach (though these may become non-linear depending on the medium of technology it should be adapted to), but the preproduction, production, postproduction and documentation stages get more complicated as the multimedia reaches more audiences. This is where postmodern methods, like non-linearity, enters in. This is a case in point in movies, wherein, after the theaters, they go to the DVD. In the DVD, they get reproduced by adding commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes documentaries, deleted scenes and outtakes which involve the stages from production to documentation (Owczarski 2007). Because of the new edits to DVDs and other media such as downloadable videos, the media has been made to be more interactive with a click of a button and lends to its non-linear quality. Tied into its production and methodology, the different sections that are being inputted into the multimedia are not created linearly and are edited into the work piecemeal depending on the market’s demands and the playfulness of the media produced. The multimedia are not only transmitted through the Internet and DVD but are also being distributed non-linearly to other mediums such as the mobile phones and other devices that makes creators go back and forth in the production process making it spiral rather than linear in order to accommodate the demands of technology and the public and still having almost the same experience in the end. Flexibility is also very evident in today’s multimedia as evidenced by different mediums where they are presented in. Some of the most popular mediums are online streaming sites such as YouTube. While traditional media uses video cameras to create videos, postmodern methods use different technologies to create videos devoid of the professional touch. As stated by Ann Hornday in her study of the phenomenon of the public’s production of their own media contributions, â€Å"The mobile phone camera has introduced a whole new version of variety, delivering spontaneous, intimate, unedited footage. At their best, these slices of life – devoid of structural conceits and often of narration – transport viewers to places and situations they would never otherwise be privy to. And they can land unexpected emotional punches. No CNN report and few feature-length documentaries could capture the stark terror of a two-minute video recently uploaded to Metacafe. com, in which a U. S. Army convoy on a routine run dodges a bomb on an Iraq street† (2007). Such is the nature of today’s multimedia. Postmodernism in multimedia has expanded the experiences of audiences around the globe because of its introduction of the idea of versatility; being able to explore different environments that would otherwise be closed off to traditional media. As today’s technologies demand more portability and accessibility, multimedia has adapted to become more flexible to the growing requirements of its consumers. Some of these technologies come in the form of handheld technologies such as PDAs and mobile phones which have varying and more compact requirements. Since the requirements of these small and less complicated devices are different from those stated above, the creation of multimedia is increasingly becoming more flexibly created and recreated. With the addition of textual design in different forms of multimedia, the current technology has enabled the audience to interact with and participate in the media-making experience itself. The different technologies that have emerged has made it possible for various ways to present multimedia, regardless of proper lighting, sound and focus, and is still able make an appealing video to the audiences (Hornday 2007). This disregard for traditional means for professional multimedia creations and the non-professionalism of the publicly-made multimedia has made the postmodern movement of media an exciting experience that has made it possible for multimedia to flourish unlike other media forms. These, and other postmodern influences, has made it the most successful form of media that makes it the heart of multimedia.

Process Of Training and Development Company Essay

The training process is to provide the means to enable learning. Which should try to guide learning experiences into positive and beneficial and complement and reinforce them with planned activities for individuals at all levels of the company to acquire knowledge more quickly and develop those attitudes and skills that benefit themselves themselves and the company. The training covers a programmed sequence of events that can be expressed as a continuous process whose cycle is renewed each time it is repeated. The steps of the training process are a model of open system whose components are: – Inputs (Inputs) -. Individuals in training, business resources, information, skills, etc.. – Processing or operation -. Individual learning process, training program, etc.. – Outputs (Outputs) -. Enabled Personal, organizational effectiveness or success, etc.. – Feedback (feedback) -. Evaluation of procedures and training results through informal means or systematic research. Training Process: is a cyclic and continuous process consisting of four stages. 1) Diagnosis: inventory of training needs to be met. These needs can be past, present or future. 2) Design: development of a training program to meet the needs diagnosed. 3) Implementation: implementation and conduct of the training program. 4) Evaluation: verification of training results. 1. Diagnosis of training needs and training. Means needs assessment process by which it is to coordinate the structuring, development of plans and different programs to use to establish and strengthen equally the knowledge and skills of the members of a organization, this is done with the sole purpose of completing the objectives it has set the organization. At the time of the preparation of a report diagnosing training needs, it is necessary to consider why the person or group that will train and especially when this training was made. As a main rule a diagnosis of training needs is accomplished when the following cases occur: – Problems that occur within the organization. – Deviations in productivity. – Changes in regards to culture, politics, methods and techniques. – Lower or promotion of staff. – Changes of tasks or jobs and / or charges. Three. Announcements Press on training and training.   4 Designing training plan and training: The training is vocational education that fits man for a position or function within an organization. And the training is an educational process of strategic organized and applied systemically, through which people acquire or develop specific knowledge and skills related to work. The training follows the following objectives: †¢ Analyze and solve problems †¢ Work productively in teams †¢ Scroll from post to post Develop a training program or course involves the generation of documents and materials that will be used in the course for trainers and participants during the course delivery in accordance with the design. To proceed with the restructuring plan and training programs depends on the ability of the organization to identify training needs. The design of the training should focus on four issues 1) intruccionales Objectives: Describe the skills or knowledge to be acquired and the attitudes will change. 2) Provision of trained and motivation: Participants must recognize the need to acquire new knowledge or skills, keeping the desire to learn. 3) Principles of learning: are the characteristics of training programs that help employees understand the new material to apply. 4) Characteristics of Instructors: Teaching Skills and responsibility to lead. After employees have completed their training programs should evaluate the program to see if the objective was met, seeking to develop skills i n people to be more productive, creative and innovative, they can better contribute to organizational objectives and are increasingly valuable. That is why we are looking to achieve the objectives of a training plan, and among them this: †¢ Productivity: The training helps employees to increase their efficiency and performance. †¢ Quality: The plans properly designed and implemented training contribute to raising the quality of the production workforce. When workers are better informed about the duties and responsibilities. †¢ Health and Safety: Mental health and physical safety of an employee are directly related to the  training efforts of an organization. Proper training can help prevent accidents. †¢ Prevention of Obsolescence: The employee training efforts are needed to keep them updated on progress in their respective fields laborares. †¢ Personal Development: On a personal level employees benefit from training plans, because they offer a wide range of knowledge, a greater sense of competence, a larger repertoire of skills, which are indicators of personal development. Training is thus an inv estment for an organization. As the results obtained it benefit not only the employee, but also contributes to the achievement of business objectives. This work allows for recognizing and future requirements, ensuring the company supplying qualified employees and the development of human resources available; where the training plan plays a very important role in the development of human resources of an organization role, as its correct application becomes a means of motivation and encouragement to employees, which ultimately ends up benefiting the organization. May. What is E-Learning? E-learning comes from the words Electronic Learning, which describes the use of technology and multimedia tools in a learning process that leads to student retention and assimilation of the contents hereof. It is a new form of education and training that takes place through communication networks such as Internet or Intranet. The Internet technology via a Learning Manager Software enables access to structured and organized a personal training plan, no curfew, breaking any physical or geographical barriers that exist. Self-taught or under accompanied by a tutor, the student manages time to devote to train according to their occupations and schedule. The E-learning presents many benefits as: 1. Removing barriers of time, distance, economic and social, individuals can take control of their own educational life. Two.’s Skills and knowledge have to be updated constantly.   March. New technologies, along with e-learning, will help companies of all sizes, and countries to adapt to the demands of the new economy. April. Unifying all concepts in electronic versions, the employee can get the information you need when you need it, through a system that tracks the progress of each of the individuals, tailored to their own possibilities.  May. Content developers, experts and the community of people looking to learn, are interconnected. 6. Whoever receives education can practice their skills individually or through virtual teams around specific areas of interest. . 7 E-learning delivers superior learning at reduced costs; greater access to learning and a method of measuring clear to all participants in the process. 8. In today’s culture marching at a rapid pace, or ganizations that implement e-learning processes will deliver your workforce the ability to turn change into a competitive advantage. While e-learning has many advantages, it also has its drawbacks. E-learning often encounter resistance from some companies and employees reluctant to use a new learning method that is unfamiliar to them. The student, the company and the trainer: The following table lists the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning from the point of view of its three protagonists are listed. †¢ For the student  advantages Disadvantages The student is the protagonist of your e-learning course of computer tools Apprehension, reluctance to use new technologies Interactivity and attractiveness of e-learning content management autonomy by not having a work program tax Flexibility and adaptability to their availability (time, location) Management motivation and participation in the course of e-learning, concentration effort Training at their own pace, regardless of the other students not direct contact with forming set (unless the training is mixed) Self-evaluation during and at the end of the course Personal Tracking progress in the course and balance of results obtained by tracking (tracking) †¢ For the company  advantages Disadvantages Massive Training (unlimited number of students) Companies often poorly informed and displayed suspicious as to new technologies relates Savings in indirect costs related to classroom courses (travel, accommodation, etc.). Has no control over the motivation, participation and management of the course students Flexibility and adaptability according to availability of  students (time, place) Investment in computer hardware and software Ability to customize and adjust the courses according to pre-defined competencies and educational objectives is often difficult to define the content of e-learning courses to highly specialized materials (check) Less logistical constraints (no need to book a classroom or displace employees or find accommodation, etc.) Control of changes in service training Accurate reporting and analysis of the courses thanks to the automated tracking results Materials perennial training and updatable †¢ For the trainer  advantages Prerequisites to assess the level of students No direct contact with the student is established (unless the training is mixed) Interactive and engaging training tools for him and the students stop being the â€Å"wise† to become the â€Å"leader† Flexibility and adaptability to availability (time, place) Passing a basically oral communication other written Tracking students from the platform (tracking) To succeed in e-learning is needed that the contents are: †¢ Update -.’s A logical feature, but that does not always happen. The degree of obsolescence varies greatly depending on the subject but it is a factor to consider. †¢ The teaching sequence Adaptable/adaptado.- or training routes should not be the same for all students, must adapt to the answers and skills of each. Thus a dynamic and interactive learning is achieved, and not boring or frustrating students. †¢ Attractive -. The content must call the student’s attention, find it appealing. It is important to capture that first attention, to make you feel motivated. †¢ Chart -. The amount of text should be as short as possible, and you need to use the potential of technologies like Flash to animate processes, demonstrations, relationships, etc.. †¢ Multimedia -.’s Important to use multimedia technology, rationally combining text, photos, audio and text with photos, videos and text, etc.. †¢ Direct -. The language used in this medium mu st be as clear and direct as possible, the displayed reading is difficult and therefore we must make an effort of synthesis to the design of an online content. †¢ Playful -. The  old saying â€Å"the rod and spoil† has ceased to have effect. The playful aspect, the game is one of the most effective teaching strategies, and this aspect must be encouraged throughout the training material. †¢ Must have continuous Prà ¡ctico/Interactivo.- practices or examples or references to reality situations and continuous interactive exercises. The student must be an active subject, to interact with objects on screen, which is not a mere spectator or listener. †¢ Teaching resources. – In an online content can use different teaching resources, expository texts, diagrams, animations, illustrations, concept maps, glossary words, footnotes, download files, web links, etc.. †¢ Evaluative -. The student needs to know the result achieved, progress in learning, so the test or self-assessed exercises, showing the results and an explanation of Error automatically display are needed. †¢ Self Contained. – If the support of a teacher is minimal or liability is vital that the content itself incorporates the means fo r students to learn the interface and solve the doubts that arise. †¢ Full -. A content can not cover all aspects of a particular subject. There is a process of choosing what is important, adequate, relevant. 6. Coanching What is and Mentoring? Mentoring is the process by which a person with more experience teaches, advises, guidance and assistance in personal and professional development of other investing time, energy and knowledge. It is a process not only applies to new employees but is especially effective for workers that can be hired and promoted in the near future. The mentoring arises because companies need professionals who can deal with change initiative and creativity. It is also important to manage teams, motivate them and make them leaders, since in competitive environment people with leadership skills are essential in business. You need to optimize resources and maximize the talent of the staff. Types Mentorig †¢ Situational Mentoring: is when the pupil provides a report and mentor comes to her aid, careful not to intervene too much. †¢ Formal Mentoring: in this case previously formulated goals to measure subsequently featured in this type of mentoring 3 figures that are the mentor, mentee and the coordinator, the latter makes the program functions to support and monitor the conception  objectives. †¢ Informal Mentoring: this applies for short periods, where pupils are conducted by the mentor, and makes them share experiences, skills and competencies. Coaching: Coaching is the process in which support and guidance to individuals and teams improve and optimize their performance. That brings all the talent of the person is helped to acquire new skills. Remove limitations of the person or group is important in coaching. It is a relationship where the coach assists employees in learning new ways of being and doing, new ways of doing tares necessarily to generate a positive change that improves the productivity of the company. The idea is not to identify and penalize errors or failures, but make others discover their own mistakes. The coach must be based on asking questions rather than make statements, but it is not only ask questions, but each of these made ​​by the coach has a particular purpose. Tasks based on clear and well-defined goals, even arrive at the specific tasks related to the goals to achieve. Once explained, it is the employee who must take these goals as their own. Coaching is important because it allows employees to adapt to changes effectively and efficiently. Uncover the potential of people, allowing them to achieve the goals that would otherwise be considered unreachable, which also predisposes people for collaboration, teamwork and consensus building. Recognition is a key part in her coachig, meaning â€Å"take into account† and â€Å"recognize† individual contributions and to some extent motivate and reward where it is due. There are 2 types of rewards: †¢ Social Rewards publication, flexible hours, scholarships, training, etc. †¢ Financial Rewards

Sales Manager

In order to use the full potentials of the employees, the organization needs to motivate and encourage them. By motivating the employees, their performance level increase that results in better achieving organizational goals. However, according to Maslow’s theory, the organization needs to cater to employees five basic needs: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem and self-actualization (Jones, George, Hill, 1998). Among them, physiological need is the most basic and important one. In this need, all employees need is an ample pay scale in which they fulfill their basic survival needs such as food, residence, clothes etc. Now analyzing the problem faced at NL&C, the management needs to find the reasons for the lethargic attitude of the employees toward their work. The most probable complaints that the employees at NL&C do is that their basic stipend is low. The employees do not feel motivated towards their job that affects to the organization’s performance. The HRM needs to review the employee policy and ask the top-management to make an increase in their salary. Besides that, the management also needs to introduce the scheme of rewarding the employees with bonus rewards in which, if the employees are able to achieve a certain sales target, they would be given additional pay. In this way not only will they get intrinsically motivated, but will also show their interest in their job tasks (Kreitner, Kinicki, 2004). In order to motivate the employees more, the top few employees of the month should also be awarded with perquisites. In this way, a sense of competition among employees will arouse and they will work harder and inclined towards their achieving the goals. Besides monetary motivation, the employees can be motivated by providing them with good job environment and ambience. The employees should also be given of certain level of delegation which triggers their decision-making power. The employees should also be given the sense of promotion on the basis of their performance. Thus the management needs to address to all those motivating factors in order to encourage them and make them work to their full capabilities. Once the NL&C management would take this initiative, there is definitely going to be a change in the employee’s attitude and will try to perform at their utmost level, which will result fruitful for NL&C for both short and long-term basis.

A Long Walk to Freedom Essay

†¢This extract is an autobiography by Nelson Mandela talking about the transition from a small undemanding child to a contributing factor in society. The writer engages our sympathy by effective use of vocabulary, various linguistic techniques and through his nostalgic tone. In the title, ‘Long Walk to Freedom,’ the long, drawn out vowels like ‘ee’ and ‘o’ reflects the struggles and difficulties in this exhausting walk. Even the word ‘walk’ co notates to the, strive for the attainment of freedom and rights of all individuals. There is a gradual flow of ideas in this extract which has a great impact as it bringing out the growth and understanding through the passage of time. In the beginning, a somber serious mood is created as they farewell their ‘last links to childhood’ and step into a wider mature world of adulthood. The ‘speeches, songs and gift-giving’ portray the African culture; the ‘sons of Xhosa’ have just been ‘circumcised’ again reflecting African customs. Due to this, the writer gains a ‘heady feeling’ of confidence and his body gestures – ‘straighter, taller, firmer’ effectively illustrate his inner feeling of pride and satisfaction. Suddenly the ‘gaily colored dreams’ darken, as the young adults now have to face the harsh reality. There is a sense of clouding of the future as the Chief would give a speech, ‘continuing a tradition. ’ The words act like a source of inspiration and encouragement, enlightening the youngsters to the disgruntled society. It is in their hands that the future lye’s, and imperative that they are exposed to the reality around them. Calling their ‘sons’ ‘young healthy and handsome,’ Meligqili begins his speech in an assertive tone. In addition to this, he also calls them ‘flower of the Xhosa’ sketching a metaphorical image of budding life and the true potential and ‘pride of [the] nation. ’ He shakens the juvenile adults with harsh words naming the ritual an ‘empty, illusory promise. ’ There is a dejected, deep sense of negation as they have ‘no strength, no power, no control’ over their ‘own destiny. ’ Furthermore, their bleak future is ragged off their rightful position as they are nothing more than ‘slaves in [their] own country,’ and ‘tenants in [their] own soil. The bitter irony behind these juxtaposed words hits us hard, as they are left with no value or significance in the very own homeland – their possession which has been snatched away from them by the whites. The pungent issue of racism is raised as ‘all South Africans, are a conquered people. ’ Moreover, in the land of their ‘birth,’ they suffer the discomfort of ‘shacks’ and ‘cheap alcohol’ since they are deprived of their own land to ‘prosper and multiply. ’ These lines repeatedly highlight the struggles, injustice and discrimination the unfortunate people endure everyday in their native soil, but yet not theirs. In addition to this, it is them who ‘cough their lungs out deep in the bowels of the white man’s mines. ’ This is the most impactful metaphor and alliteration as it allows us to visualize the inhuman, merciless conditions the people are made to work in, detrimental to their health and all for the robbed treasures of the whites. They have lost every bit of authority or belongingness of their own possessions and rather their energy, labor and efforts are wasted in filling the greed of the white men. †¢Piling up such dreadful, pathetic images, our sympathy and compassion is drawn.  We can understand the brutalizing agony internally and externally torturing these innocent people regularly due to ‘unequalled prosperity. ’ Their ‘abilities, intelligence,’ are all ‘squandered. ’ The writer uses superlatives like ‘simplest, mindless chores,’ which show their powerless nature and ‘attempt to eke out a living’ for the white men. Furthermore, the words of the chief are at the peak of disappointment where he wants a chance to ‘shake [Qamata] awake’ and tell him that ‘the flower of Xhosa nation are dying. Their state is so helpless that is seems even their God is ‘dozing’ and he repeats the ‘flower of Xhosa,’ to underline the youth – the future, beauty, innocence and strength of their fading nation. †¢All these horrific visions illustrated and the bitter, harsh words of truth leave an undying, unbelievable and undeniable impact on the reader. The words pierce through our ears, almost allowing us to feel the pain. It arouses a number of questions in our minds especially due to the irony, and great sympathy for the Africans. Yet, the young adults are only ‘more and more quiet’ and ‘more and more angry. By these repeated comparatives, the writer contrasts their present feeling of resentment to their mood of celebration earlier. All the words are slowly seeping in but it only made them rather ‘cross’ as they thought the chief was being selfish and ‘ignorant,’ in his ‘abusive comments,’ since he was not noticing the positive side – the whites brought them ‘value of the education’ and the moral cultures and etiquettes taught by them. Their tender age has almost blinded them to the ‘oppressorâ€⠄¢ behind what they think is the ‘benefactor. In all, the only thing the chief ended up doing was ‘spoiling the proud feelings with wrong headed remarks,’ for the teenagers. †¢Gradually, the pace slows and there is growth of mental maturity and realization as the true meaning of the chief’s words began to seep in Mandela’s mind. The real essence of the words had ‘sown a seed’ to the development of a potential future, although it had been ‘dormant for a long season. ’ Now, the tables turn as Mandela realizes it’s him who was the actual ‘ignorant man,’ not the chief. Adding on to the different metaphorical images; is when Mandela watches ‘the river’ ‘meander on its way. These phrases reflect back to the title and theme of a ‘long walk’ which is a route with its curves and junctions. Finally, the river ‘[empties] into the Indian Ocean,’ symbolizing his outpour of emotional success as after ‘many miles distant,’ he sees a vision of success – liberty and happiness. Although, this young adult had not yet ‘crossed that riverâ⠂¬â„¢ and his future seems very bleak, but he is now ready to face the challenges of life and combat the rocks that hinder his route, with a lot of power, struggle and hard work. His foresight is still limited as he knows ‘little or nothing of the world beyond,’ that ‘beckoned’ him. Under these words, the writer expresses how none of them had yet tasted the ‘gift’ of freedom and independence but right now, for all he knew, darkness was descending – it was ‘sunset’ already and time for him to prepare. Furthermore, we get a little more idea of the African tradition as ‘it was forbidden to look back while the lodges were burning,’ probably because we can never go back to the past and remembering it will only sadden us more and build hesitance to step into a new world. This feeling is even understood as Mandela is unable to ‘resist’ and looks back at ‘two pyramids of ashes by a large mimosa tree. ’ These ashes metaphorically symbolize the loss and fading away of a ‘delightful world’ of childhood and the ‘sweet’ ‘irresponsible days. ’ There is complete dilemma as, when he looks back, there are only faded ashes and ahead; darkness enveloping him. Also the ‘mimosa tree’ in a way symbolizes the survival of the fittest, as it is a sturdy, giant tree that continuously bears the pain of memories burning by it. †¢After a pause, there is a new picture illustrated – ‘now [he] was a man. There is a deep sense of negation and remorse as ‘never again’ would he get back those youthful, playful, mischievous days. After ‘many years’ he has finally become a man but now it’s like a re-birth to attain independence. †¢All in all, the extract ‘country childhood’ brings out the first steps of Mandela through inspirational words and encouragement; to the celebrated statesman he is now. He is a potent symbol of resistance striving out his life to attain his goal of victorious freedom and in this autobiography, he embodies the spirit of dignity and triumph of hope over despair and hatred.