Preparing for Success Essay

Education is the basis of creating a life full of wealth and contentment. Obtaining a high school education can help one succeed in his or her future and give one the opportunities to pursue his or her aspirations. Unfortunately many students lack the education, resources and knowledge to enter adulthood after graduating high school. They are not sufficiently prepared to enter into the work force, succeed at a university, or have any understanding on how to be an ethical citizen. Students should be given the chance to develop a strong work ethic, be given the opportunity to explore different careers and college options, acquire skills that will help them in college and obtain an understanding of how their government works before graduating high school. A strong work ethic is obtained by developing a sense of independence and becoming dependable. Every year, if students’ reliance on teachers was decreased, they would be forced to rely on themselves to remember when coursework i s due. During my senior year at the high school I attended, El Molino High School in Forestville California, students in my English class were given a syllabus with an outline of the course and dates when homework was due. The teacher did not remind us when assignments were due, and we had to remember when work was due. In college, a student has to rely on himself or herself to take notes, remember when homework is due, and study on his or her own for exams. Therefore academic skills learned in high school should be similar to the skills required in a college classroom and those that people can use in their adult lives. Students graduating from high school should†¦be able to read with understanding classic literature and write well-organized and grammatically sound essays; they should know the basic outlines of American and European history, have a good beginner’s grasp of at least two natural sciences as well as pre-calculus mathematics (Gutting). Having these basic skills and learning to become self-sufficient would make the transition from high school to career less stressful for those who decide not to attend college. Being independent and learning to rely on oneself will help one become more  dependable, and in turn, a better employee. To strengthen a student’s work ethic, high schools should require students to rely more on themselves, which would help students become more independent. Students will not know what career they want to pursue once they graduate high school if they are never given the opportunity to investigate and experience different occupations. For students who have decided not to attend college, high school should be the institution where different careers can be explored. High schools should have the responsibility of helping students find internships or job shadowing opportunities specific to careers students are interested in. At El Molino High School a career based project, during our senior year, was given so students had the opportunity to research the occupation they are interested in. They were then required to find an internship or a volunteer opportunity related to the career topic they had selected. Students could then find out what they liked and didn’t like about the career through first-hand experience and have more insight into whether or not they wanted to pursue that career after graduation. For my project, I chose to volunteer at a convalescent center to gain experience in the nursing field. After the project was over, I knew nursing was the right career for me, and decided to pursue a degree in the health care industry. But if a career based learning project is not required, counselors should help students find internships, attend job fairs, and find classes that would be beneficial to the career a student wants to pursue. High school should be a place where students are given adequate preparation for the work world, whether they are attending college or not. In high school, many students have no idea which college they should attend. Counselors should take the time to discuss with each student his or her plans for after graduation. The counselor and the student should then construct a list of universities that have programs corresponding with the degree the student wants to pursue. At the end of my junior year at El Molino High School, I met with my counselor and we created a list of ten colleges that had respectable nursing programs. Making the list helped me to narrow down my search and choose a college, but many students at my high school did not take advantage of the opportunity to meet with their counselor because the information about meeting was not broadcasted well.  Meeting with a counselor when going through the college process is incredibly helpful. If more students made the effort to receive help from high school counselors and counselors made a better effort to reach out to all students when exploring college options, they would have an easier time choosing a university. High school should thoroughly prepare students who are planning to seek a higher education after graduation. Academic skills learned in high school should be similar to the skills required in a college classroom. Developing adequate study habits is key to success in college. Studying for a couple hours every day, whether or not there is homework, should be second nature to a student when he enters college. Attaining proper note taking skills in high school and figuring out a format that best helps one study is a critical aspect to receiving good test grades. Some students do not have a chance to learn how to take usable notes. At Analy High School, which is a high school near El Molino, students were never taught how to take usable notes which made it more difficult for them to study for tests due to poor organization of the notes they did take. I taught one my friends from Analy the note taking styles I had learned. After he mastered the different styles and started taking organized and usable notes his grades improved. A specific section in freshman English should teach students the different note taking styles. In my sophomore English class we were introduced to different not taking styles including the Cornell method, which I found was a very useful way to study for tests. Another element that should be incorporated into high school curriculum is different essay and paper formats. Many high schools only teach the MLA paper format, and do not cover APA, which is the format many college students are required to use for their papers. If core classes taught techniques that students could utilize in college, the transition between institutions would be less difficult. After graduating high school, students should have a general understanding of how their government works in order to become competent citizens. According to Theodore Sizer â€Å"knowledge of the government to the extent the child will be equipped to make informed choices among persons and issues that affect his own governance† (119), is one of the general elements of an efficient education system. To make decisions when voting that will benefit oneself, he or she needs to be informed on all the candidates and propositions. When I was in Advanced Placement  Government, my class spent a significant amount of the first semester researching candidates and understanding the propositions for the 2012 election. Though few people were eighteen and had the ability to vote, reviewing the information in the voting packet helped us understand how the voting process works, and how to read the propositions thoroughly so we when we did vote, we could understand exactly what we would be voting for. All high schools should offer a course that helps students understand the voting process and sufficient information about the American government should be provided to all students before they have the capability to vote. High schools should be able to sufficiently prepare students for their lives after graduation by giving them tools to develop a strong work ethic, explore colleges and careers, and understand how the government works. If students were given these opportunities for improvement in high school, the transition into an adult life would be easier. Works Cited Gutting, Gary. â€Å"What Is College For? (Part 2).† The New York Times: The Opinion Pages. 11 Jan. 2012. 17 Nov. 2013. Sizer, Theodore. â€Å"What High School Is.† Reading Culture. White Plains, NY: Longman, 2011. 119.

Case Study: The Privatization of Water Essay

World leaders at the Evian Summit have resolved to decrease the number of people who are without access to safe drinking water by half by the year 2015. Critics fear that this may lead to privatization, arguing that private companies are not motivated to provide water to the poor. Those who favor privatization on the other hand argue that only the private sector can make the investment in place of the state, saying that because of the state’s failure, the poor are in fact already paying more. What then is the effective solution for solving this access to water problem? Should the private companies do it or should the responsibility remain with the state? What is the best way to do this? How can the water shortage problem be managed and what are the pros and cons to the issue of privatization? Privatization as an Effective Solution According to Michael Klein, Vice-President for Private Sector Development at the World Bank in Washington, the issue is not whether it is the private sector or the government that should serve as the entity to increase accessibility to water. The realization is that somebody has to pay for water and the real issue lies in who pays? Governments face the fiscal and political difficulty of raising consumer tariffs and providing subsidies. And if nobody pays at the end of the day, even the private sector will not want to invest. The solution then lies in solving the problem of user fees, on who bears the responsibility of paying for water, the government through subsidies or the consumers through service provided by the private companies. The challenges to this standpoint and the corresponding responses by Mr. Klein are the following: Are there any specific Third World countries that have benefited from privatization without corresponding large charges? Examples are Ivory Coast, Guinea, several cities in Colombia, Argentina, two cities in Bolivia and the Philippines (Manila). In the 90’s, the average increase was about 30% of the cost of water systems and in countries where the government provided subsidies like Manila and Buenos Aires, the price levels remained low. But whether public or private, the prices really rise over time. How can it be assured that the cost of water especially in Third World countries will be affordable? Focus should not on those who have access already but to providing access to those who do not have good modern water systems because they are the ones who pay more (by drilling wells, paying private water vendors, among others). Providing access to these people using better services will lower prices and make water more affordable to them. And both for those who have access already and those who really cannot afford to pay, focus should be given to the subsidies to be given by government. The issues here are how much subsidy is available and what kind of subsidy system should be used, and further assuring that these subsidies really go to the poor. How about cases like Tanzania where government has privatized water but entered it into an agreement with the World Bank? In most cases, privatizations are not full privatizations, it is still the state that bears the investment and the private sector just enters into a management contract with the state. It will only work if the private sector has the technical and management capability. Since experience shows the lack of interest of international private firms to invest in the least developed countries, should not the focus be on World Bank supporting public utilities to improve their services instead? That is why the real issue is not public versus private but who pays at the end of the day. In many concession agreements and privatization arrangements where subsidies are given and incentives given to private companies, services expanded. Examples are Bolivia (La Paz), Philippines (Manila), Buenos Aires. The involvement of domestic water companies may also help in expanding water access in remote areas. How can corruption in privatization be avoided? It is commonly known that there is corruption in the public sector that in private companies especially in equipment supply. Privatization does not mean corruption will disappear, it only means that there will be better services. The Case Against Privatization From the Anti-Privatization Forum in Johannesburg, Trevor Ngwane asserts that water is a basic need and as such it is the government that is mandated to ensure it provides all basic needs and services which is in the public interest. If it is the private sector that will do this, profit will become the objective. The clash is between need and profit and in the case of water, the priority is the need which every government should provide the means for. The challenges to this standpoint and the corresponding responses by Mr. Ngwane are the following: Are there any specific Third World countries that have benefited from privatization without corresponding large charges? As to the examples of success cases, they are not really successes and the example that can be given is Cochacamba in Bolivia where privatization caused the loss of access to water, which led to a civil war. In South Africa, even the moves to privatize already brings social conflict, dissatisfied trade unions, more people losing access to water, the outbreak of a waterborne disease cholera, which eventually meant loss of peoples’ lives. People need to realize that water cannot be provided for free. What then is the concrete plan to help government do this? Is the solution in the form of taxation, from payments of consumers, fro m subsidies from other consumers, etc.? In South Africa, the proposal is based on the premise that water is every citizen’s right. The recommendation is cross-subsidization, where high volume users like companies and industries subsidize low volume users like end users and the poor. The pricing system recommended is the block tariff system where the more water you use the higher charges you pay. This will prevent wastage of water. How can corruption in privatization be avoided? How long will the poor wait to have water? Corruption is brought more by privatization with businesses needing to bribe politicians, etc. Instead of expanding or rolling out to remote areas as they should, private companies choose the most profitable areas to operate and these are not the poor areas. Reference http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/bwi-wto/wbank/2004/01waterpriv.htm http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=317924 http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/11/01/water.shortage.reut/ http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/12/2/63

Advantages and Disadvantages of an Early Marriage Essay

Below is a free essay on â€Å"Advantages and Disadvantages of an Early Marriage† from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Young people in modern society have completely different views on marriage. Ones prefer to get married at an early age; others, however, tend to postpone marriage until they finish their studies and make a successful career. Early marriages have lots of advantages, such as experiencing the joy of parenthood and other benefits of the wedlock and becoming mature as early as possible, but also have some negative sides, such as economic restrictions, misunderstanding between partners and inability to get proper education. On the one hand, marrying young has some advantages. Firstly, due to the heavy workload arising from new responsibilities and duties, such as earning the living, taking care of children, organizing time properly, running the household, the newly married youngsters mature much earlier than their peers. see more:advantages and disadvantages of family Read more:  Child Marriage Essay Introduction Secondly, the earlier the partners get married, the more time they spend together, the more obstacles they overcome hand in hand, the more mutual interests they have, and, as a result, it is quite easy for them to find common ground and see eye to eye on various problems. Besides, such spouses are more likely to compromise and to comfort each other more successfully. Thirdly, having children is another important aspect of family life, which is worth mentioning. The idea is that giving birth at an early age is not likely to be followed by any health problems. On the other hand, there are some disadvantages in getting married at an early age. To begin with, both partners do not have an opportunity to finish their education, as they have to provide for their family and one of the spouses is likely to become a breadwinner. Furthermore, marrying young leads to a wide range of problems and inconveniences, such as insufficient income and lack of suitable accommodation. This is when a young couple realizes that the reality is much tougher, than their pure feelings and family life is not always about being lovers, but it also demands self-sacrifice.

Radio Frequency Identification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Radio Frequency Identification - Essay Example ..a transmitter sends a burst of radio waves through the antenna to the chip inside the tag to read the information stored in it" (Hoctor and Thierauf 237). In fact, Higham calls it a "must-have accessory in the supply chain" (23). The scope of this paper is to answer three specific questions regarding RFID based upon the reading assigned. 1. Based on the background readings, what makes RFID such a big deal in managing production and inventory Of all the issues related to RFID and its implementation, both positive and negative, the two most noteworthy aspects are strongly positive; it allows producers to increase their productivity through the efficient management of the SCM process, and it increases the security and accuracy of delivery. By streamlining the product data process, RFID allows suppliers to increase their productivity in numerous ways. First, in terms of general organizational efficiency, RFID allows suppliers to monitor and control things like batch management and returns, shipping and receiving accuracy, as well as inventory visibility (Byrne, 43(5) 31). The ability to know exactly where each item in the supply chain is, where it has been, and where it is going, is vital. The information provided, and the ease at which it is obtained, is not inexpensive. After the investment in the technology is made, however, the raw cost of goods sold is actually decreased because of the increased productivity available to the front end of the supply chain. For example, the cost of labor can be drastically reduced because of the fact that many features of inventory tracking and management become automated in an RFID system. Further, in terms of unit location, serviceability, and depletion, an RFID system provides th e ability to direct capital outlays and increase accuracy in reporting (Byrne, 43(5) 32). Finally, RFID is a big deal in managing resources because of the enhanced security it offers. An organization can use RFID to track a particular item, establish and maintain product authenticity through the coding sequence, ensure end-user safety where necessary through inventory control procedures, and prevent shrinkage through theft or other means (Byrne, 43(5) 32). On the whole, the technology represents a significant step forward for streamlined SCM. 2. What is the nature of the impact that RFID is having on industries, and on individual companies within those industries One of the first notable impacts of RFID technology is the adoption of it by major end-user markets and the obvious effect that has on their suppliers. The huge company, Wal-Mart, is now requiring its business partners to participate in the use of the technology (Byrne, 43(9) 31), which makes perfect sense as the organization must efficiently track vast quantities of inventory through multiple distribution centers as well as ensure just-in-time supply to its thousands of stores. The effect on the suppliers is significant, as they must stay in tune with such technological developments if they are going to maintain their customer base. Even if their participation is somewhat forced (Byrne, 43(9) 31) or pressed upon them, they still will reap the benefits of a much more secure and efficient SCM process. Accordingly, supplier demand brings great impact not only to th e industry but also to the individual suppliers. Another impact of RFID technolog

Operational Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Operational Management - Essay Example For example, the researcher as part of the product designing division works range of consumer items like outerwear, Protective Fabrics, bike wear, fibre strings, running wear and filters and more than 50% of the revenue of the company comes from the above mentioned products (Gore, 2013a). Therefore, it can be surmised that the researcher as part of consumer product designing team put significant contribution in achieving top and bottom line growth for W L Gore & Associates. Before going to the main discussion, the essay will briefly describe the business operation of W L Gore & Associates. W L Gore & Associates W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc was established in 1958 by Genevieve (Vieve) Gore and Wilbert L. (Bill) (Gore, 2013b). The company is headquartered at Newark, Delaware while employee base of the company is more than 10,000. The company specializes in offering industrial products like fluoropolymer, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), versatile polymer etc which are being used for med ical implants, fabric laminates, signal transmission etc (Gore, 2013c). In case of consumer products, W. L. Gore & Associates offers fabrics and polymer items which can be used by customers for leisure activities, clothing and protective measures during adventure sports. As the research is working on consumer product designing division, therefore, the study will only focus on consumer items of W. L. Gore & Associates in order to address the research problems in focused and precise manner. Operations Tasks Consideration of the research works of Slack (2004) and Slack and Lewis (2008) reveals that marketing and operation management are closely related and both the aspects complement each other. According to Slack (2004) and Slack and Lewis (2008), marketing function works well when it comes to identifying the needs of customers but a firm needs to implement operational strategy in order to provide the required products or services and resources which can satisfy the need of identified need of customers. In case of W L Gore & Associates, four dimensions of operational strategy designed for offering consumer items like outerwear, Protective Fabrics, bike wear, fibre strings, running wear and filters can be defined in the following manner. Figure 1: Four Dimensions of Operational Strategy (Source: Slack and Lewis, 2008) In Top Down approach, top management of W L Gore & Associates suggests the product engineering team to design products which can fit functional strategy of the company, in Market Requirement, task of the operational team is to design items as per requirement of customers identified by marketing department of W L Gore & Associates, in Bottom up approach, operational team of W L Gore & Associates needs to optimize cost and resource allocation from their daily operational experience while working on product designing and in Operational Resource, operational team of W L Gore & Associates needs to conduct resource audit in order to understand existing fi nancial and non

Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discrimination - Essay Example Being of the minority of Chinese descent living in the United States, I am often subjected to racial discrimination on matters that might not even relate to me personally. Such prejudice is a result of the generalized misconceptions (Ruchlis 2) that people have fostered about the Chinese population in the United States, and I often fall victim to such stereotypic prejudice (Ruchlis 1). Working as a cashier in a store, one day I was faced with a situation in which a white lady made a ride remark about my ethnicity. Our store has a policy that customers can only use a card to make a purchase if the bill amounts to a minimum of three dollars. This lady bought a lollipop and wanted to make the payment through a credit card. I politely explained to her that this was not possible since her transaction did not amount to the minimum set by our store manager. Instead of trying to abide by this rule, she commented that such a behavior was typical of â€Å"you Chinese people†. I was disa ppointed and heartbroken by this comment, as it was not my fault and I had no way of assisting her. Nevertheless, I was viewed as a troublemaker for the customers just because of my ethnicity. I feel that had the cashier been a white native, he or she would not have been subjected to such comments by the same customer. This is an example of the social prejudice that people nurture in their hearts when they have too little information about a group of people whom they have to deal with on a daily basis (Ruchlis 2).... This discrimination, according to Ruchlis, forms the third level of social prejudice (8). On the other hand, I sometimes act as a perpetrator, too, practicing social discrimination and prejudice against certain groups of people that I either do not like or do not feel comfortable with. I have often held a negative view about the black population of the area that I live and work in. Some of this discrimination has resulted due to unpleasant experiences that I have had with that group (Ruchlis 2), and those feelings of resentment have been augmented by the general views of my friends and the people around me about the black populace (Ruchlis 4). I generally believe them to be rude and stingy, and although I am well aware that holding such negative notions about a community in general is faulty on my part (Ruchlis 3), I still keep on harboring such feelings. For instance, just recently a black lady came to our store to buy groceries. It was the first time she had come, so she needed som e directions as to the location of certain items and some help with choosing among the options. Although I assisted her, my manner was very rude. I did not address her as â€Å"ma’am† or â€Å"lady†, rather I answered her questions in merely â€Å"yes† and â€Å"no†, and overall had a very exasperated air to me. Thinking that she would be so stingy as to deny me any tip for assisting her, I did not put my best foot forward, and did not give her my best advice. Nevertheless, she was very sweet of me, and on her way out at the counter, she gave me a handsome compensation for helping her, which was very surprising for me. She has not visited the store since then, so

New venture development strategy Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11750 words

New venture development strategy - Dissertation Example ary The purpose of the research is to develop a new venture strategy for pastries and cakes to the local residents in Bulgaria as well as the retailers. The project begins with the analysis of the background to the study which describes the origin of the idea for the new venture. The sudden rise in demand for home made cakes and pastries made by members of the family led to the idea of opening a confectionaries factory in the country. Consequently an analysis is done on the bakery and confectionary products market and the supply industry in Bulgaria. This analysis indicates the presence of a niche segment market consisting of the high income groups’ customers in society along with large retailers that the company would like to target. Some the cities in Bulgaria such Bansko and Velingrad are targeted because of its high expected growth of tourism and forecasted large number of visitors to the place. It is expected that as the tourism sector expand in these areas the rate of vi sits of the high income groups in society would also rise. More number of retail outlets is also expected to be opened in a potential tourist spot. These retailers could also be tapped. Moreover, cities like Pazardjik and Plovdiv demonstrates the presence of a customer base which is less sensitive towards price and more sensitive towards product qualities. The project then analyses the target market for its products which includes market segments like hotels, restaurants, food shops and catering companies. The fact that 80% of the Bulgarians prefer local products more than imported products revealed by a research conducted by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce makes ground for making traditional Bulgarian hand-made cakes and pastries. It shows preference of customers for local products over... It is evident from the study that the sudden and dramatic rise in interest for home-made cakes and pastries made by members of the family and the eventual distribution and spread of reputation of this family for the production of such innovative confectionery products builds grounds for the idea of development of cakes factories in Bulgaria. Bansko and Velingrad are targeted because of its high expected growth of tourism and forecasted large number of visitors to the place. Moreover, Pazardjik and Plovdiv demonstrates the presence of a customer base which is less price sensitive and more sensitive towards product qualities. The fact that 80% of the Bulgarians prefer local products more than imported products revealed by a research conducted by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce makes ground for making traditional Bulgarian hand-made cakes and pastries. The industrial analysis reveals the existence of a number of large players in the Bulgarian industry like Kraft’s food, Nestle, Masterfoods Bulgaria EOOD and Ferrero Spa and various small companies like Sugar Factory Kristal AD, Prestige-96 OOD, Den I Nosht OOD and Sigma Bio OOD. The chocolate confectioneries market is significantly strong in this industry. However, despite the presence of a large number of large industrial players the present company's business model seems to be lucrative and profit earning. The company's strategy to thrive on innovation and prepare traditional and handmade cakes and pastries is always to be appreciated by customers due to their consistent desire for local products and high quality products.

According to Airbus the merger between BAE Systems and EADS was the Essay

According to Airbus the merger between BAE Systems and EADS was the last chance of creating a European aerospace and defence giant - Essay Example Production can be organized in three different ways (Craig and Campbell 114). Firms diversify in various means. They integrate vertically, horizontally or agglomerate. Vertical integration involves mergers of firms in the vertical; line of production. A firm can merge with other firms up or down the line of production. Mergers up the line of production are called forward vertical integration while mergers down the line of production, the backward vertical integration. Horizontal integration involves mergers between firms at the same level of production. Conglomerate integration involves the merging of companies in different line of production. The benefits of the above diversification methods are that firms are able to improve their performance hence growth and increase in capacity. They increase their market shares, synergies, and due to large-scale production, they realize economies of scope and economies of scope. Low production costs lead to maximized profits. This study examines the impact of mergers and acquisition on the performance of BAE systems. Diversification is the process through which an organization enters new processes of business in the market with the possibility of manufacturing new products. Mergers and acquisitions are a form of entry that a firm may use to enter a market. Many firms in the financial industry have utilized this means to enter new markets. Mergers and acquisitions can take the form of vertical integration, horizontal integration or conglomerates. Horizontal integration is a form of integration in which firms combine at the same stage of production. Ison and Griffiths (75) note that horizontal integration may help a certain company to increase their share value. Firms that undertake horizontal integration do benefit from economies of scale that result from capacity expansion, technical economies of scale,

Home Depot and Lowes Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Home Depot and Lowes - Case Study Example They were initially set up as a local hardware store but it turned out to be a nationwide chain of home improvement stores. They serve to all the needs for complete home improvements like products from bathrooms to the storage rooms and paints to safes. Lowes store has approximately 216, 000 employees all over its stores. Home Depot was started in the year 1978 and is operating currently in all 50 states of United States. They were initially a warehouse and then turned out as one of the America's best home improvement retailers providing products from appliances to hard wares. They have approximately 209, 300 employees working with them through out their stores. Both these organizations provide all the home improvement products under one roof. Lowes and Home Depot have their own websites for the customers to browse through and purchase products. They offer variety of facilities as an online shop. In the recent decade online shopping has become on of the most comfortable and preferred was of buying goods and services. The E-commerce times (2005) stated "Online shopping has increased over last year because both new and experienced Internet buyers are not only researching products and comparing prices online before making a purchase, but they are also finding good holiday discounts online," said Heather Dougherty, senior retail analyst, Nielsen//Net Ratings. It is important to keep the information and the content interesting so that there is a high inflow of new and existing customers to the site. There are few factors that are very essential for a website. The Gantt chart below represents the important aspects of a website from the Polls result of Port 80, Australian web industry association. Good functionality 1 4.35% Site content 9 39.13% Meeting customer's expectations 3 13.04% Search engine optimization 2 8.70% Good graphic design 2 8.70% Keeping content current 1 4.35% Professional presentation 2 8.70% User friendliness 3 13.04% Security of site where apply eg credit cards, privacy 0 0% A study on the websites of the home improvement retailers Lowes and Home depot: Lowes' website: Lowes has an exclusive website, www.lowes.com. The site is simple and neat which has its name and their caption which is "Let's build something together". The focal point is the photo at the centre of the home page. The picture simply demonstrates the availability of all the home improvement products at the store. The picture has all the products required for a complete living providing a spacious atmosphere interpreting the availability of modest merchandises. The description below that states "Campus kick off", which insists on the availability of all the home improvement products with them under one roof. The first glance of the site provides idea about the products available at the store, the offers at the store, quick link to other services and the service desk. The products in the site are separated according to the departments and rooms. This helps in easy identification and selection of products. The page also helps customer choose products by the offers at the store and ther e are a lot of useful information about Lowes in the home page. The

Managerial complexity in project based operation Essay

Managerial complexity in project based operation - Essay Example The decision to undertake any meaningful project comes with a lot of challenging complexities that the project manger has to overcome to achieve success.Attempts to get a single concise definition for the term managerial complexity have virtually failed because there are no specific tools to measure levels of complexity of individual project. The Rational Rhapsody observes that â€Å"Levels of complexity can be measured in all kinds of ways, including the number of team members or components, complexity of the design, integration of legacy code, type of content management used, and geographical distribution of the team.† The complexity of projects varies in demand and input. However, an attempt to give a concise measure of complexity has been done by Carver et al (2008). In doing this, Kailash (2008) observes that the writers â€Å"present a qualitative empirical model which captures both structural (static) and dynamic elements of   managerial complexity in projects.† The major themes introduced in the model are structural complexity and dynamic complexity. Structural complexity The Carvers model tries to make the understanding of the structural complexity of project management look easier by introducing a model that serves as the benchmark for determining the complexity of the structure of every project. In determining the structural complexity of a project, the writers put forth five (5) major dimensions from which the structural complexity of a project would be measured. The five dimensions, Mission, Organisation, Delivery, Stakeholders and Team. These are dimensions that help in determining the structural complexity of managing a project. Since the model helps in determining the structural complexity of a project, it is referred to as structural complexity model. To make it easier to remember the dimensions upon which the structural complexity is determined, an acronym, MODeST was developed to represent the first letter of each of the dimen sions and the first two letters of ‘delivery’ in the dimension. The model represents an empirical basis for measuring the complexity of projects globally. This is because typical challenges faced by complexity in project and programme environments in the management of all major projects around the world can be measured on the basis the dimensions of MODeST. Project managers are putting behind traditional project management strategies to get adapted to the realities of the structural complexity as proposed by Carvers et al (2008). â€Å"Until now, project management has lagged behind other corporate processes in its quest for simplicity while global entities have embraced complexity, even chaos† (Management Concepts, 2011). A typical real life example can be given with the setting up of an iPhone industry. With the establishment of an iPhone industry as a case study, such an industry follows the structure of MODeST as discussed above. To with, the company starts w ith a mission, starting their aims and objectives for venturing into business. These aims and objectives lays bare their vision and what they want to get out of the establishment of the business. As part of their mission, there is scale of operation which includes long timescale. Stating a mission would of course not be complete or valid without stating what possible uncertainties and constraints are there to be face. Some of these constraints include legal acquisition of licence. Such as business are would also put an organisational structure in place. As part of their organisation, the company would specify time frame of operation, trade or market space, and possible restructuring that would have to take place in the company either immediately or in the nearest future. Next, the industry will consider their delivery mode after production starts. To do this, they get an administration and management in place to take care of all duties that has to do with major decision making. Ther e would also be a mapping strategy to determine the project

Human ResourcesTraining and Development #2 Essay

Human ResourcesTraining and Development #2 - Essay Example SWOT Analysis is an effective tool in identifying the internal strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats. It helps to develop a plan of action to concentrate on weaknesses and threats and get maximum advantage from the strengths and opportunities it has. The strengths of Abbott Labs are: its great history of innovation, its wide range of products, the great respect it commands in market ratings, and finally its expanding geographical reach opening up new opportunities. These are certainly its strengths to build on. Its overdependence on the anti-bacterial Biaxin and the anti-epileptic Depakote is could be a major weakness for Abbott. Both these products contribute substantially to the company revenues and profits. The challenge for Abbott is to minimize the decline of sale of these two. Abbott has been doing it bests in exploring new opportunities and keeping its position of strength. The new agreements and acquisitions it has had with Knoll Pharmaceuticals, Vysis Inc, and Biocompatible will help expand its product range and its pipeline. The company signed a The price regulation of prescription drugs in various markets by peers and government agencies, strong competition from generic manufacturers, and the expiring patent protection are the major threats Abbott is facing. "Abbott Laboratories' 'Position of Strength'

Thinking Fast and Slow Essay Example for Free

Thinking Fast and Slow Essay 1. One of the book’s more stunning examples of the priming effect takes place in an office kitchen. Employees would typically make themselves coffee or tea and in return would drop a small fee into an â€Å"honesty† box. Researchers designed an experiment that involved alternating weeks where either a picture of a flowerpot or a picture of a set of eyes was in the room. Donations were checked after ten weeks and researchers found that significantly more money was contributed on weeks in which the eyes were in the room. Given this, and other examples of priming, do you find it feasible for organizations to devise methods that attempt to prime their employees to perform or react in a desirable manner? 2. One of the errors of System 1 is known as the framing effect. This refers to the ability of the way in which a problem is presented to influence an individual’s solution to it. Kahneman’s example in the book involves doctors at Harvard Medical School. In seeking their opinion a question is framed using either survival rate or mortality rate, with relative figures being the same. Despite this, 84% of the participants selected surgery that referred to a patient’s survival rate. Knowing the effects of framing a question either too broadly, too narrowly, or incorrectly all together, what are measures that organizations can take to ensure that their employees understand how to properly frame problems in such a way that the companies’ primary objectives are being targeted? 3. The book advocates that in our search for a causal link between occurrences in our lives we often dismiss the legitimacy of luck’s involvement in our success. To demonstrate this point, Kahneman points out that the gap in corporate profitability and stock returns between high performance firms and less successful firms dissipates to nearly nothing over time. In fact, over a 20 year period the returns of companies that originally had the worst ratings went on to earn much higher returns than their counterparts, which he refers to regression to the mean. Given that we may not necessarily be as talented as we perceive ourselves to be, what are steps that organizations can take to ensure that top brass is better able to understand what may actually be creating the company’s success?

The Role Of The Probation Officer Criminology Essay

The Role Of The Probation Officer Criminology Essay Probation started in 1841 with John Augustus with supervising offenders (Purkiss, 2003). These offenders were either on temporary suspension or postponing of a sentence. Purkiss also states that Augustus helped the offenders getting homes, finding employment, and family difficulties if any. Augustus helped the offender with anything they needed to get their normal life back on track. In 1880 probation when statewide in Massachusetts, and the following years it expanded over several states, the juvenile system, and the federal government. By 1956, every state had applied probation. Severe criticism hit probation around the early 1970s about the rehabilitation model of criminal justice. The criticism resulted in the get tough response to the crime that embraced retribution, deterrence, and incapacitation, as the proper goals of corrections (Purkiss, 2003). Purkiss also stated that in the 1990s, Benekos detected as part of the get tough, community corrections was created in return from the get tough response and the community protection and the offender control became the primary goal. With overcrowding prison becoming a problem, probation has taken a bigger leap. The prisons being overcrowded there was only solution for rehabilitation that seemed to work. So probation helped the offenders get out and do their community service while being supervised and still protecting the community at the same time. They learned how to give back without everyone looking at them in a bad way. In result from all of this made an overcrowded population of offenders on probation which in turn made a very heavy workload for the probation officers. So the probation officers have to work harder and longer to make sure their jobs are done right and to make sure everything is alright while they have the offenders out. According to Purkiss (2003) regular probation is seen as meaningless and ineffective to some researchers, policymakers, and to the public. I think this is because the researchers, policymakers, and the public think the offender got off the hook for the crime they committed. The actual punishment is not hard enough for some and some think that the punishment should be harder than community service. It takes a lot to be a probation officer, and there is a lot that you have to handle during your time at the job. The qualities you need to have to be a good probationer officer are the following: communication skills, critical-thinking skills, decision-making skills, emotional stability, organizational skills, and writing skills (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-2013). These skills are essential for the role as a probation officer in any state in the United States of America. In order to become a probation officer you have to have some education beyond the typical high school diploma. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics a bachelors degree in social work, criminal justice, psychology, or a related field. Some employers want a masters degree in a related field for people who do not have former work experience. The median annual wage of probation officers and correctional treatment specialists was $47,200 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half of the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,920, and the top 10 percent earned more than $80,750 (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-2013). The typical job of a probation officer is overseeing the offender and making sure the offender is not a danger to the neighborhood and to ensure the rehabilitation of the offender. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists typically do the following: evaluate offenders to determine the best course of treatment, provide offenders with resources to aid in rehabilitation, discuss treatment options with offenders, arrange treatment programs, supervise offenders and monitor their progress, conduct meetings with offenders as well as their family and friends, write reports on the progress of offenders (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-2013). According to Occupational Outlook Handbook (2012-2013) most of the probation officers work full time, and the schedule can be a little hectic. The craziness of the job requires a lot of strength from the probation officer and requires more out of the officer than the typical 40 hours a week. There are a lot of things as a probation of ficer you do, as you have to do home and employment checks, and property searches. There are also a lot of things that might frustrate a probation officer so being emotional stable is a must. The officer has to deal with the offender if the offender violates the terms of the release. Even though there is a high stress level associated with this career there is some moments that are rewarding experience for the probation officer making it worthwhile. Probation also helps the offender learn who he/she is and supports them get their old life back and make it better. This is rehabilitation at its best if it works. Probation has often been called the prison without walls. This is a bad description, for probation and the prison stand in violent contrast at almost every point. This contrast indicates some of the reasons why I believe that the former is the more effective way of turning offenders from crime. In prison, the offender is place in an abnormal situation which by its very nature is destructive of moral and very often of character. Probation leaves him in a normal situation and surrounds him with influences calculated to improve his morale and strengthen his character. The prison takes away from his the necessity of thinking, of deciding for himself, of facing economic problems. Probation makes him stand on his own feet and requires him to face daily the usual problems of the work-a-day world. The prison, with rare exceptions, subjects him to mass treatment. Probation treats him as an individual. The prison shuts out the free community and places a high wall between its inmates and socie ty. Probation seeks to break down every wall between the offender and the rest of the society and brings to bear on him all the available social resources of the community. (MacCormik, 1935, p.400 Â ¶ 4) Probation handles almost every crime that is committed. Mostly probation is for first-time offenders who the judge presiding over that case feels that the offender could be rehabilitated. Two crimes that I found to be to my interest are the drug and alcohol abusers and the sex offenders. Many offenders who end up with probation instead of prison time are usually drug and alcohol abusers. The substance abusers are one of the most common of the offenders on probation, and these offenders tend to be not first time offenders. There has been recognized links to connecting criminal activity and drugs and alcohol together (Cunningham, A. J., Herie, M., Martin, G., Turner, J.B., 1998). With the connection being made between criminal activity and drugs and alcohol this has been an issue of concern for criminal justice. Treatment facilities have been shown to work and criminal justice needs to establish of an enlargement of addiction services to allow for the treatment of offenders with a history of substance abuse concerns. According to Cunningham, A.J. (1998, p.169) a field test study was designed to evaluate the appropriateness and utility of an outpatient, addiction intervention for probation and parole officers in Ontario, Canada. The treatment level was for people with a moderate to severe addiction. If these were more readily available to the offenders, I think the crime rate would come down. This program, the meetings were regularly scheduled, every two to three months. The meetings were documented to k eep track of their progress and to let others know how it was working. The outcome was that almost every single person that went to the meeting said they would refer this to a friend and be willing to come to every single meeting. The drug and alcohol problem is worldwide. Law enforcement and the criminal justice system as a whole has tried everything they can think of to enforce the consumption of excessive amounts, but nothing is working. Maybe if we combat it in the lower level directly it would not be so bad. The second crime I want to talk about that probably is not that well known that probation handles is sex offenders. Most of the public think that when the sex offender is caught that he is sent to prison, but this is not necessarily true only a fraction of those who commit sexual assault are apprehended and convicted for their crimes; most convicted sex offender eventually are released to the community under probation or parole supervision (Baerga-Buffler, M., Johnson, J. L., 2006, p.13). These offenders need the intensive supervision to keep the neighborhoods they live in safe. These officers need to have an extensive knowledge about sex offender characteristics and types (Baerga-Buffler, M., Johnson, J. L., 2006, p.13). This crime practically involves your entire time as a probationer officer. The officer has to know each sex offender as well. The officer has to know the patterns of the victim selection and the interest of the offender; this allows the officer to be able to view th e risk that is right in front of them. According to Baerga-Buffler, M., and Johnson, J.L. (2006) the key to being a good probation officer for sex offenders is the specialized training. Training is the most important concept that these officers could have. They have to know what to look for when they are watching them or when they check in on them. If they do not have the training that is required something could go very wrong and the offender could commit the crime again. These offenders have to be properly trained and qualified to be able to be a probation officer for a sex offender. To be a probation officer you have to be very prepared, education wise and emotionally, for what you are getting into. I think school gets you somewhat prepared, but nothing like being in the real world will prepare you enough. When I decided to become a probation officer, I just thought I would be handling this druggie kid or adult or the alcoholic. Never in my mind was I thinking a sex offender and I think most of the public does not think of that either. Probation officers do more than we think they do. I think the rational choice theory would be a good choice for a theory to choose for this agency to combat the crimes. I think the rational choice theory because in probation the offender has to follow a set of rules and if they do not they violate their terms and they will most likely be sent to prison. They have to make the choices to be good and not to violate the terms so they can stay on probation this is why I think the rational choice theory is a good pair for probation.

Concept of Organisational Misbehaviour: Analysis

Concept of Organisational Misbehaviour: Analysis Organisational Misbehavior Critically evaluate the argument that organisational misbehavior is a ‘normal’ feature of organisational life Introduction The notion of organisational misbehavior can be interpreted in a lot of ways based on different perspectives, different people, shifting situations, and by the changing level of awareness and understanding on the life of an organisation. There is a primary purpose of organisations in the context of fulfilling certain individual goals. Northcraft and Neale (1990, p.5) say that people come together and form organisations because organisations can accomplish things that are beyond the reach of individuals. They come together to accomplish what each individual cannot accomplish alone. The meaning of behavior in organisations according to Northcraft and Neale revolve around managing behavior to take advantage of the performance benefits of groups over individuals. This is where the concept of a good behavior and misbehavior takes shape. Organisational Behavior Organisational behavior is a multidisciplinary definition that illustrates a number of points (Gibson et al, 2000). Some of these points relate directly to the conduct of the organisation in society. First, it indicates that the behavior of people operate at individual, group, or organisational level. This suggests that when trying to study the organisational misbehavior in the perspective of being a normal part of organisational life, it must identify clearly the levels of analysis – individual, group, and the organisation being used. Second, there’s a distinctively humanistic orientation within the organisation behavior. People’s attitudes, perceptions, learning capabilities, and objectives are important to the organisation. They provide the rich mixture for their organisation’s culture and strategies to evolve and prosper. Thirdly, the external environment is seen as having significant impact on the organisational behavior. Finally, there’s also the application orientation which concerns providing useful answers to questions that arise in the context of managing the organisation. Misbehavior is often interpreted to mean ‘bad behavior’ or a deviation from the normal norms and ethics expected of individuals and organisations. To say that organisational behavior also involves other certain kinds of misbehavior still descends to the fact that any type of behavior can be either good or bad depending on the context that it is applied to in real life situations. When this type of behavior exists and eventually prevails in any organisational setup, it would likely grow into a certain stature of normalcy and seep into conventional wisdom. In order to understand why this argument seems to make sense in the framework of an organisation’s life, it is important to first identify the different compositions of an organisation, its objectives, culture, structure, and strategies. The complexities associated with these compositions have made it virtually impossible to model and envision a ‘perfect’ organisation. Organisations have had some bouts with internal and external conflicts in one way or another. Some have mastered the arts of deception and impropriety. It is unrealistic to say that organisational misbehavior is not part of organisational life either. People in the organisation may misbehave and some people may blame the entire organisation. Others may blame specific people (especially managers) when the real shortcoming came from the organisation’s policies. Other groups within the organisation or network may deviate from agreements and norms. The organisational culture may not also be up to the times and the current business strategies may not sit well with government regulation policies and industry norms. If these things do happen (and they happen a lot), it is not viable and healthy to draw the line between laying out unspoken rules in classifying organisational behavior to be good and a bad. People and Human Behavior People make up the internal social system of the organisation (Newstrom and Davis, 1997). This system consists of individuals and groups, and large groups as well as small ones. People are the living, thinking, and feeling beings who work in the organisation to achieve their objectives. An organisational structure is filled up with people who decide and deliver the goods for the organisation. Diversity presents a lot of challenges for management to handle. When people become members of an organisation whether in official, unofficial or informal capacity, they bring with them different educational background, talents, interests, and behavior that they eventually contribute for the success or failure of the organisation. The relationship among individuals and groups in an organisation create expectations for an individual’s behavior (Gibson et al, 2000, p. 7). An individual can be presented here as the organisation itself. These expectations result in certain leadership and foll ower roles that must be performed so that there will be some kind of order and system. Collective expectations can either conform or not to standard behavior. Collective misuse of resources interests, talents, expertise, and management strategies can constitute organisation misbehavior. Punch (1996, p.1) views these misconduct as harmful to the viability of the organisation and constitutes deviance by the organisation. To put it more bluntly, organisational misbehavior eventually boils down to the issue of profits and how it should be maximized. Money has always been a central issue in any organisation and it has often been used to measure the survivability of a business. Organisational goals always take into their mainstream policy the issue of financial and economic stability and prosperity. Punch (1996, p.214) strongly suggested that formal goals of the organisation thus constitute a ‘front’ for the real goals of management which is to provide a money machine for its owners and other insiders. If it is already common and normal for criminals to use any tool or weapon to perpetuate a crime, it would also seem normal for organisations to use the organisation itself to obtain money from ‘victims’ of its misbehavior. The ‘victims’ may actually be the customers or the members themselves. It is a prime example of what is called the â€Å"organisational weapon† – the organisation is for white-collar criminals as the gun or knife is for the common criminals (Wheeler and Rothman, 1982, cited in Punch, 1996). In short, an organisation is set up for the primary purpose of making a substantial amount of money in the form of a profit and improving the quality of life for the individual members of the organisation. Organisations have systems of authority, status, and power, and people in organisations have varying needs for each system. People need money and a sense of fulfillment. People also need power to impose their will to others. People want to attain a certain level of success as measured by their status and standing in the organisation. Taken as a whole, organisations follow certain types of ethical behavior and standards defined along its objectives and future goals. It is also believed that adherence to moral standards on the job can have positive outcomes on the organisation and society by promoting strong ethical behavior in any aspects of life (Mares, 2005). This strong behavior of one organisation can be used as a strong issue against another organisation which is considered to be ‘misbehaving’ just because it was not able to adhere to certain moral standards previously attained. Organisational Structure An organisational structure defines the formal relationship and use of people in organisations. According to Newstrom and Devis (1997), different jobs are required to accomplish all of an organisation’s activities. There are managers, employees, accountants, assemblers, and others who have to be related in some structural way so that their work can be effectively coordinated. How is the structure of the organisation related to the conduct of an organisation? According to Thompson (1997, p.588), structure is the means by which the organisation seeks to achieve its strategic objectives and implement strategies and strategic changes. Assuming that these strategies and changes are concerned with relating the organisation’s resources to its goals, will these resources be used in the proper way acceptable to all in the society? If change is necessary, it is correct to point out that resistance to change can constitute another concept of misbehavior. People confronting changes in their working environments often exhibit dysfunctional behaviors like aggression, projection, and avoidance (Hirschheim, 1995 p. 160). These types of behavioral patterns affect the overall behavior of the organisation. Another thing to consider in the organisational structure is the way decision making is delegated and observed. Thompson described the extent by which a decentralized and centralized setup of management decision making is vital in adapting to strategic change. In a centralized setup, organisational misbehavior is usually highlighted at the top management level because only a handful of people are empowered to do the decision making. A decentralized setup allows decisions to be made by most people who must implement change and usually allows the organisation a more collective approach to making decisions based on what is morally and ethically correct. This statement however, does not imply that a decentralized structure eliminates instances of misbehavior. It only lessens the probability. On the other hand, a decentralized setup could empower smaller groups within the organisation to abuse their power and open the possibility of misbehavior on a smaller scale. According to Tsahuridu, specialization and division of work that occurs in organizations may make people in organizations unable to see the illegality and immorality of certain actions. Each action is a part of a chain of actions, and even though each individual act may be legitimate and moral, all the actions linked together may constitute an illegal or immoral activity, which each individual participant may be ignorant of. Organisational Objectives and Culture Organisations must have objectives in order to exist. Objectives are always centered on what is basically ‘good’ for the organisation, whether the resulting action or consequences is ‘bad’. How is organisational objectives tied to organisational behavior? Profit and growth are means to other ends rather than objectives in themselves (Acoff, 1986, cited in Thompson, 1997). There is then a question of whether profit is the ultimate objective of profit seeking business organisations or whether it is merely a means to other ends, which themselves constitute the real objectives (Thompson, 1997, p.153). Organisational behavior can be better understood by assuming whether the real goal of the organisation is to maximize profit or to provide them with a good quality of life and better standard of living. Harris and Hartman (2002, p. 75) said that an organisation’s culture consists of the values, norms, and attitudes of the people who make up the organisation. Values show what is important; norms reveal expected behavior; attitudes show the mind-set of individuals. Organisational culture therefore tells people what is important in the organisation, how to behave, and how to see things. Culture is a part of organisational life that influences the behavior, attitudes, and overall effectiveness of members (Gibson et al, 2000). Managers are usually in the forefront of formulating organisational strategies and policies. Johnson and Scholes (1997, p.79-80) argued that in formulating policies, managers should regard experience (good or bad) as constraints on developments. They say that in order to develop the organisation to cope with today’s changing environments, they need to challenge the people around them and experiment with their different ideas and conflicting views in a pluralistic approach. The job of top management therefore is to create this sort of organisation by building teams that can work in such ways through the development of the everyday behavior and culture of the organisation. All of the issues related to the organisation in general have a tendency to influence and affect the behavior of the organisation. While it is safe to assume that the notion of misbehavior in the organisation tends to focus on the ‘wrong’ or ‘negative’ side of the organisation, it is preferred that misbehavior should be ‘corrected’ and dealt with by focusing on how to manage and institute reforms in the different aspects of the organisation. This is a tall and complex order. Organisational behavior is not only influenced by the different factors previously mentioned. Management policies have a tendency to adapt to changing situations in their environments. Some organisations’ strategies may take advantage of ‘weak’ government policies and regulations and find loopholes with which they can misbehave without being noticed. Other organisations’ strategies tend to focus on covering up unethical practices with good and conv incing arguments that their actions go against standard practices but at the same time, benefit a large segment of society. Punch (1996, p.1) described the behavior of today’s organisations as problematic and worrying. He reasons out that different kinds of organisational misbehavior are often caused by managers ‘lending’ themselves to deviant activities and the inability of government, business, and regulatory agencies to control effectively such misbehavior. He explains that this was largely because the subjects of business crime and corporate deviance have been sadly neglected by criminologists and crime-fighting bodies in favor of other areas such as street crimes, low-level law enforcement, and the prison system. Almost everyday, new types of organisation misbehavior are being uncovered and brought out into the open. As these corporate scandals and other forms of financial misconduct often perpetuated by top level management are exposed, more and more sophisticated strategies and techniques are slowly being uncovered. It is quite interesting to know that one kind of misbehavior can be linked to another form of misbehavior in another corporate partner within the network of organisations. Other sets of misbehavior can involve almost all levels of the organisational hierarchy. The realities faced by an organisation are different from others. Each organisation has an identity, an objective, a strategic plan, and differing sets of policies and regulations. Harris and Hartman (2002, p. 97) said this is because the underlying premise in the ideal culture is that the formal organisation’s norms and values are to be consistent with those of the various individuals and groups within the organisation. They say that the norms and values of individuals and groups of the organisation are hostile to formal organisational goals. This is especially true to members of top-level management and the rank and file members. Their hidden values may contradict the official policies of the organisation. Sometimes, the organisation may not value the potential contribution of its members. The need to create competitive advantage for profit and growth without the proper ethical system in place can lead to drastic steps and ethically questionable decisions and actions. Some m embers of the organisation may feel the need to make reforms while others may think taking radical steps will eventually spell success. Discontentment and trouble may brew over different ‘signals’ and messages that the inner structure of the organisation send out to the outside world. It is therefore evident that culture can become very counterproductive and the basis of confidence, cooperation, and adherence to standard norms and behavior can be damaging to the overall behavior of the organisation. This is the start of the decay of organisational values and norms and provides a fertile ground for breeding misconduct and misbehavior in any front of the organisation. Conclusions Misbehavior is a normal part of an organisation’s life. It is not a question of whether it exists or not. It tends to become an issue when organisations tolerate and do nothing to correct these deviances from normal behavior and when organisations formulate policies that sheer away from ethical standards that govern them. Why is it that organisational misbehaviors tend to exist even in model companies and organisations recognized for their professional excellence? There are different ways of understanding organisational misbehavior in the context of whether it is normal or not in an organisational life. If we try to look closely at the term ‘normal’ and ‘misbehavior,’ there are two things which would come into mind. First, nothing is perfect and it is perfectly normal for people to commit mistakes, either willingly or unwillingly. People can always create rules and policies to counter certain misconduct. Organisations can always innovate and deviate from these rules in order to attain their goals. In these instances, there is no such thing as a perfect law governing businesses and there is also no such thing as a perfect business strategy. In normal instances, mistakes are part of the learning process. As this cycle continues today, organisational misbehavior has already come to the point where people have already considered it part and parcel of their everyday life. It is part of the reality of life that has something to do with existence and how mankind adapts to ongoing changes. The only thing that people consider to be an issue in organisation misbehavior is the level or degree of how it affects society. Second, in order to survive, some organisations have to take the risk, whether this will put them in the burner for good or elevate their status in the business community. These risks are normally present in their business strategies, structure, objectives, and culture. They can follow the business rules by the book and end up earning nothing or they may deviate from certain rules and norms and reap profits. Again, it is normal for organisations to take risks and reap the benefits. All of the characteristics of an organisation are linked to one another to form their own identity and behavior. People are in a social structure within the organisation and are empowered to make good or bad decisions. The structure of the organisation limits or expands the power to make decisions. Bibliography Books Gibson, James et al. (2000).Organizations: Behavior, Structure, Processes. 3rd edition. McGraw-Hill, Manila. Harris, J and Hartman, S. (2002). Organizational Behavior. Haworth Press. New York. Hirschheim, R.A. (1995). Office Automation: A Social and Organizational Perspective. John Wiley. Oxford Johnson, Gerry and Scholes, Kevan. (1997). Exploring Corporate Strategy.Prentice Hall. UK Newstrom, John and Davis, Keith. (1997) Organizational Behavior: Human Behavior at Work. McGraw-Hill. Northcraft, Gregory and Neale, Margaret.(1990).Organizational Behavior:A Management Challenge. Dryden Press, Florida. Punch, Maurice. (1996). Dirty Business: Exploring Corporate Misconduct. SAGE Publications, London. Thompson, John (1997).Strategic Management: Awareness and Change. 3rd Edition.International Thompson Business Press.Boston Journal Article Mares, Micheal (2005), â€Å"The Importance of Business Ethics†,Retrieved last February 26, 2005 from http://www.webcpa.com Tsuahurido, Eva, â€Å"Ethics and Integrity: What Australian Organizations Seek and Offer in Recruitment Advertisements†,Retrieved: March 3, 2005 from http://www.pamij.com/7_4/v7n4_tsahuridu.html

A Family in Turmoil in Today Will Be A Quiet Day :: Today Will Be a Quiet Day Essays

A Family in Turmoil in Today Will Be A Quiet Day  Ã‚     Ã‚   In Amy Hempel’s story, "Today Will Be A Quiet Day," a father takes the day off to spend time with his two children at a place called "Petaluma." The title suggests that this day was one of calmness and relaxation, but in reality the title should be " A Family in Turmoil." Throughout the trip, the children argue, complain, and bicker which seems to suggest that the day is rather depressing and quite humbling for the father (Baker 170). The father’s good intentions for quality family time failed. When I first read the story, I felt that their relationships were a little detached and never quite came together. Suffering from the death of a close friend, the boy tries to ignore his feelings and jokes on his sister. His friend was a mental patient who threw himself off a building. Being really young and unable to cope with this tragedy, the boy jokes to his sister about the bridge collapsing. "The mention of the suicide and of the bridge collapsing set a depressing tone for the rest of the story" (Baker 170). Arguments about Raisinettes force the father to settle it by saying, "you will both spoil your lunch." As their day continues, their arguments become more serious and present concern for the father who is trying to understand his children better. In complete agreement with Justin Oeltzes’ paper, "A Sad Story," I also feel that this dark foreshadowing of time to come is an indication of the author’s direct intention to write a sad story. At lunch the children are rowdy and need to be calmed down. The father says, "Maybe we could try a little quiet today." The girl replies, "You sound like your tombstone. Remember what you wanted it to say?" Her brother joins in by saying, "Today will be a quiet day. Because it never is around us." (Hempel 1204). Shortly after completing their meal, the girl asks about her dog. "Did anyone remember to feed him?" she asks (Hempel 1205). The boy again brings death into the picture by saying that he forgot to feed the dog and then proceeds to remind her about her previous dog. She was told the dog was taken to a sheep farm where, in reality, the dog was put to sleep. Naturally, the girl began to cry.

The Different Types of Love Expressed by Pre-1914 Poets Essay -- Poetr

The Different Types of Love Expressed by Pre-1914 Poets These 3 poems are completely different to each other. Porphyria’s Lover is obsessive and violent love, How Do I Love Thee? Is more of an undying love and the poem Remember is more like truthful love. In this essay I’ll take each poem and in a sentence or two explain the type of love that each poem demonstrates. I’ll also use quotations to show each of my poems shows a different type of love. The poem Porphyria’s Lover portrays the type of love in a sexual and passionate way. In the poem Porphyria’s Lover a man is speaking about the woman he loves. The love portrayed in Porphyria’s Lover is different than in the other poems because in this poem the man kills the woman so he can take control over her forever this is demonstrated here, ‘I found a thing to do, and all her hair In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, And strangle her’ with this sentence the poet means that the man killed the woman so that he can take control over her forever. I think that the man killed the woman so that she could never fall in love with someone else and that the woman would do what the man wants. I don’t think that the poem suggests that relationships are loving because he still killed her if it was love he wouldn’t kill her. The poem Porphyria’s Lover is a perverse love poem because he killed her and he wanted her just for himself and to use her for sex. Also I don’t think that Porphyria’s Lover is a love poem at all because the poem is just telling us how much the man loved the woman and what he would do just so she would be with him forever the man even kills her so that he can control her so I don’t think it’s a love poem ... ...’s Lover, How Do I Love Thee? And Remember show a different way of love. I think that the poem with the most realistic interpretation is Remember because many people that love each other say, ‘Remember me when I am gone away’ and love each other when they live in different countries or when they are apart from each other. Each poem shows a different way of love. Porphyria’s Lover is a violent way of love and the writer is trying to show that how much the man does just for the woman to love him. In the poem How Do I Love Thee? The love is expressed that it’s undying, that nothing would stop their relationship. In the poem Remember the love is shown in a undying way aswell as if their relationship would never end. I think that both Remember and How Do I Love Thee? Are the same kinds of poems but Porphyria’s Lover is completely different to both of them.

Implication for the Retail Industry Essay example -- essays research p

Thomas, Ryan, â€Å"The Right Mix: Brands versus Private Labels,† Apparel, Feb’04, p. 30-33 Overview of Article   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Department stores that may want to develop or expand private labels to replace lagging national brands should be aware of the downfalls as well as the benefits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Private labels increase margins from 6-10% higher than national brands. They also allow for fashion garments to be reproduced the following season if they are still in demand. However, department stores risk opposition from national brands if such private labels create too much competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If private labels are to be expanded, they should be of higher quality than the norm. They should also be offered in a wide range of categories, to decrease advertising costs. Article Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Department stores have traditionally used private labels on the selling floor as a way to provide a low-cost alternative to consumers. However, they may be expanding and developing more private labels to replace those national brands that have been falling behind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Private labels are helpful to department stores because they increase margins. On average, private label margins are 6-10% higher than national brands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another benefit of private labels is one not offered by brand manufacturers. If a fashionable garment sells out fast in any particular season, ...

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

How to survive a zombie apocalypse Zombies, do they exist? Can there be actual zombies roaming around on the streets, ready to make anyone and everyone who comes in sight a zombie? Well, Hollywood thinks so. The reason I'm basing this theory of ‘can zombies be real' or the fact that zombies can one day roam amongst us (eventually destroying mankind), is because they are the biggest influence in our lives. Don't believe me? Then I guess the long list of zombie movies might help you change your perspective.Their ideology of assuring us into believing that the concept of ‘zombies' or ‘zombie apocalypse is real' is quite believable. And movies like Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, and 28 Days Later are perfect examples of such an event. Each of these movies has groups of people who are trying to get to a safe place, away from all these zombies. But there isn't any guide or rules that they can follow while they're on this road to freedom. It's just one step at a time (an d some of them get eaten in the process as well). So, there should be a guide which tells them how to survive if such an apocalypse ever occurred.In order to get infected by a zombie, you need to be bitten, or bite one of them, although I have no idea why you would ever want to. The saliva and blood of a zombie have the potential to infect a person and eventually turn them, so keep your mouth shut if you're the stupid one using a chainsaw. To be honest I prefer a good old fashioned flamethrower to burn those zombies where they stand. How about an idea; perhaps someone can read this article (a movie director) and magically keeps a few copies of it in the movie for the actors to find. Alright, alright, that was not a good joke.So let's move past that and get a bit serious. But before we do get to the specific rules to keep yourself safe from a zombie apocalypse, I'd like to divert your attention to yet another movie, Zombieland (by the way, I think it's one of the best zombie movies o f all time), It's funny, intelligently made, and the cast is small, but perfect. If you have seen the movie, then you'll find some of those rules implemented here as well. And if you didn't get the opportunity to watch this classic movie, then may I suggest, please do so. And with that small note, we will proceed towards our golden rules to survive a zombie apocalypse.What is a zombie? There are multiple definitions of the word zombie. The dictionary defines zombie as â€Å"an animated corpse that feeds on living flesh. † Other sources define zombie as â€Å"One who moves or acts as if in a daze† or â€Å"a member of Congress† or â€Å"a Voodoo snake god. † While snake gods are interesting, this how-to article will deal with only the first and second definitions of zombie. While Chavs were once thought to be zombies it has been recently proven that it is not the case. It would be an insult to zombies if they were even contemplated to be in the same catego ry as Chavs.Such contemplators were subsequently eaten. Types of zombies There are twelve types of zombies. They will be listed with a little fact about them: 1. Horde zombies are dangerous to combat effectively. They require much more potent weaponry to approach with confidence, but are easier to flee and avoid. 2. Grue Zombies, grues who have (somehow) died and became zombies. There is really no way to kill grue zombies unless you have Chuck Norris or can successfully pull off the shoop da whoop. 3. Camper zombies, zombies who hide and wait for prey, are the other common type.Campers hide in darkened corridors, side rooms, and even in the drywall. They prefer to wait for their prey to come near and then burst out and seize the victim. 4. Fast Zombies are some of your most dreaded enemies when facing legions of the undead. Fast Zombies can vary in many ways, but the main item is that their entire physique (i. e. rotting of fat, skin, veins, and organs. ) is morphed to allow them to strike fast. The majority of fast zombies have been found to have been overzealous gym instructors and annoying co-workers who won't let go of the â€Å"Can do attitude† even post-mortem. 5.Elvis Impersonator Zombies These are usually the rarest, if not the most entertaining variety of undead you may encounter. They can be easily identified by their signature hairdo, glittery suits, and trademark lurching walk which they plagiarized from Elvis. This isn’t really even a walk, since they don’t actually get anywhere. 6. When you know a Smart Zombie is around, the best thing you can do is avoid him at all costs. Smart Zombies have the ability to set up and carry out plans. 7. Sewer Zombies like to spend all their time in sewers and in drain areas, they are afraid of light so taking a flashlight is a good idea.A better idea is to just avoid sewers. 8. Lady Zombies are exactly what they sound like. Every necrophilia’s nightmare, they are girl zombies. But surp risingly, they're not that different from the live ones, they still moan and groan about the men never taking them anywhere. 9. The Zombie†¦.. Chuck Norris!!! , this is the most dangerous zombie ever. Some of the zombie abilities he is theorized to possess include infecting people by burping on them; complete cellular regeneration (means he can't be killed. Ever. ) 10. Animal Zombies Depend on your luck. A zombie snail is most common but they're totally harmless.Other kind of animal zombies do exist. Some of these are â€Å"dog† zombies. If a zombie gets to be this big, then it's lethal. However, since much of its muscle has degraded by then, it won't be able to catch you. (THANK GOD!!! ) If a CHEETAH zombie attacks you, even without its degraded muscle, then you're screwed. 11. Peanut zombies' A. K. A. The Terrors of the junkyard, these vermicious brutes wander the junkyards, in poorly built helies, or controlling guns. Avoid these brutes; they have a leader, Project #2 95. He has two dual glocks, and is not afraid to use it. beware the ultimate power. 12.Ninja/Samurai/Genghis Khan Zombies Once feared and respected warriors of Japan; the zombie infection has made them some of the most terrifying zombies to invade your country. All have high level martial arts skills and requires extreme weapon tactics to wipe out; if using hand-to-hand combat, the chances are you will not survive. Certain firearms to have Everybody needs a weapon so here are the top ten: 1. Chainsaw- Most of all Resident Evil or horror films and countless Hollywood scenes show the awesome power of the chainsaw. As cool as it is though, it ranks very low on the practical zombie-killing weapon list. . Lawn Mower- All the same problems as Chainsaw, with even greater problems. You know how hard one of those things are to lift, let alone to a position that the blades can even do their work. Also, it is not made to be lifted up into the air, so even if you can lift the mower, it will not stay up there for long. It might of looked cool in Brain Dead, it will never work. 3. Slingshot- It wouldn't be the wisest of choices. Using it against a zombie will only alert it to your presence, stupid. Unless you throw a bomb with it. 4. Edged Weapons- Imagine using a sword to kill a crowd of zombies nd you stab some zombie through the skull in the brain. Now imagine you turn to the zombie behind you to do the same, only to realize that it's stuck on the first zombie that you stabbed and you can't seem to get it back†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. not a pretty picture, is it? So use one without a serrated edge. Unless you are a skilled fencer, this is an inadvisable choice. 5. Rubber Ducky- †¦. not sure if that is the best idea, but just remember it's your funeral JOINING THE LEGIONS OF THE UNDEAD. So if you REALLY want to use it and see what happens, by all means go ahead (dumbass).If you are dumb smart enough to do this, make sure you have a friend tape it and stick it up on YouTube, yo u will get more hits than Achmed the Dead Terrorist, easy. 6. Mop If there are no other blunt weapons available, you can always run to that janitorial closet(provided you didn't stuff zombies in there earlier) and take out a Long, Wooden, MOP! Only to be used against 5-6 zombies, otherwise the long and heavy mop may sort of, backfire on you. 7. Weed Whacker- Insert into the mouth and let the fun begin (not usable for groups, will become the zombie's â€Å"fun†)! 8.Large Minigun: will kill a lot of zombies, and is fun! Though whoever is using it will die just as his buddies got to relative safety. 9. Shotgun: The second best weapon for zombies, there buck shots will blow off the heads of several zombies, the person who is carrying a shotgun will survive most zombie outbreaks. 10. Pistol: short range, small clip, small bullet, only use on small groups, otherwise you are dead (or undead). Guide on Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse If we happen to be caught up in the world-ending zom bie plague, then it wouldn't hurt for us all to have a certain ‘how-to' list with us, right?There can be tons of rules to survive a zombie apocalypse as every one of us has a different way to tackling situations. And since I've never been in this type of position before (thank God), I will be listing rules that I feel are ideal. So here are my top rules on how to survive a zombie apocalypse. 1. Run 2. Run even faster 3. Run faster than that guy next to you 4. Trip the guy next to you 5. Don't let the spazzy woman try and get her dog back 6. Shoot people randomly 7. Drive to Alaska (Zombies will freeze into corpsicles, delicious AND nutritious! , but get there fast, the roads will be too congested and if you're too slow†¦ It'll only be a tasty flesh bottleneck 8. Go out to sea (zombies can't swim, but it’s fun to see them try. Warning:Peanut Zombies know how to swim, so run) 9. Sacrifice Ms. Barbra, the old lady across the street (no one liked her anyways. ) 10. Don 't fall asleep in the open 11. If surrounded, just distract them with a classy dance (Warning: May cause: Zombification, Death, Death, and more Death. ) 12. Always find the nearest gun and ammo Shop, and always trade at least a 10,12, or 20 gauge shotguns, one hit kills 13.Notice that we said trade. Not even think about break into the shop, the shop keeper is always good with gun and you won't stand a chance. Hell, he's most likely the boss in that area with several goons, each carries gun bigger than yours. 14. Don't, for even one second think that you are safe. 15. You need 1 shot in their heads to kill them. So keep a few shotguns with you. 16. If you're in the house, board up the windows and doors properly. 17. Fill as many containers as you possibly can with water. 18. Keep food supplies and other essentials. 19.Along with guns, gather anything that can smash skulls; keep them handy. 20. Find a safe place for you, your friends, and family members. 21. Before sunset, find a secu red location to sleep. 22. Always keep your travel bags light; less weight to carry means more easily to flee. 23. Do not harbor people who have been attacked or bitten by zombies. 24. Always wear comfortable clothing. Avoid movie-like wardrobe. 25. Wear as many layers as you can reasonably get away with. Have a trusted friend try to bite or claw their way through your wardrobe to test fabric strengths ahead of time. 6. We do want to survive so ladies no high heels, and fellas no saggin pants. 27. Have a first aid kit with you in the house and in your getaway car. 28. While traveling, DO NOT go in the woods or lonely areas. 29. If you're trying to stop the zombies from entering in the building, please don't try to hold the door. 30. Don't go anywhere alone. Follow the buddy system. But if you're the only human left, then I guess you're on your own. 31. Learn the zombie dance from Thriller. Because what if the zombies dance? And what is the difference between surviving and not dancin g with them? 2. Guys we know you want to impress your girl, but please follow rule 33. If you want to impress her just keep her safe and stay alive yourself. 33. And our final golden rule: DON'T BE A HERO AND GO OUT IN SEARCH OF ZOMBIES TO KILL. Zombies are slow who drag their feet as they walk. As they've lost control over their brain or the brain doesn't function properly, they are not very intelligent. But you are. So take necessary precautions before you go out there and try really hard to make it. Living in an undead world can be tough. So perhaps these rules can make existing less scary.

Labor Relations Essay

1. Define the term corporate hand and list and describe four issues that be required components of a incarnate negociate balance. Collective pull off merchantman be defined as the military operation of involving plantatives from some(prenominal) employers and employees to come to scathe and conditions of employment that twain parties agree. These capital of New Hampshires atomic number 18 written into juristicly backbone cont crops good for one to fiver socio-economic classs. (Budd, 2009, p. 229) foursome issues that argon mandatory components of incarnate negotiate agreement ar compensation, personnel policies, employer rights and responsibilities. remuneration would imply wages, benefits, vacations, holidays, and profit sharing. Personnel policies signify to lay mutilates, promotions, and transfer policies. Employers rights and responsibilities include tho not limited to seniority rights, traffic standards, management right, just cause, safety standar ds, and survey and discharge, (Budd, 2009, p. 13) Employer rights and responsibilities is a component of corporate negociate is illustrated in an term by Aaron Kuriloff. match to this obligate the NFL position is that the NFL Players standstill isnt negociate in good doctrine, employ delays to run come aside the clock on talks before disbanding the amount of money and suing the coalition under antitrust law for colluding to restrict pay (Kuriloff, 2011 ) The theme football(a) partnership has asked the guinea pig persistence dealings circuit card (NLRB) for clarifications in using antitrust laws to parry a lockout and clarifying if the discipline Football partnership Players connexion is a in gained get inwardness. The depicted object Football coalition position is that the subject Football League Players Association is using delaying tactics and they argon threatening a work choke uppage. The succeeding(a) a component of joint talk ground I found in an obligate by Howard Beck of the New York Times deals with compensation. The matter Basketball Association is excessively liner a embodied dicker agreement (CBA) Mr. Becks states, that the Owners be proposing a fundamental extend of the N.B.A.s economic system, including a sonorous salary cap, shorter contracts and a 38 per centum reduction in player salaries ( slightly $800 trillion (Beck, 2011) The causeers necessitate to reduce salaries because 17 out of the 30 franchise teams argon losing specie at a sum of $ lead hundred million a year.While the case Basketball Players Association disputes the compacts figures because Attendance is up, the league is on pace for its highest viewership of all opposite professional sports. To conclude thesecollective bargaining agreements of two the NFL and the NBA send word be categorised as being distributive bargaining. twain parties be going either march on or lose some concessions to delay a viable and profitable o rganization.2. count and hold forth harsh chord U.S. laws that support collective bargaining, and three morals of employer unfair labor practices. The three laws that support collective bargaining amongst employers and labor leagues are the National stab dealings move (NLRA) of 1935, the task-Management transaction morsel of 1947, and restriction-Management Reporting and disclosure prompt of 1959. The National job traffic Act (NLRA) of 1935, which is as well known as the Wagner Act, made it legal to form amounts and engage in collective bargaining. The Wagner Act created a labor surroundings to equalize the bargaining power amidst the employer and employees as stated by this schoolbook the policy of the United States to eliminate the causes of received substantial obstructions to the free flow of barter and to mitigate and eliminate these obstructions when they cave in occurred by encouraging the practice and procedure of collective bargaining (National in tentness Relations shape up)The briny purpose of the Wagner Act was to encourage collective bargaining in the private field by protecting workers rights to link and form labor conjunctions (Budd, 2009 , p. 119) Further to a greater extent(prenominal), this act as well gave more expansive powers to the federal government with the regulate of labor relations and it banned employers from ponderous workers for using their collective bargaining rights. Americans did maintain the right to join wedlocks and strike, forward to the ordinance of this law. Previously, employers had been free to spy on, to question, to discipline, to discharge, to terminate, and to blacklist employees for either joining joins or striking. concord to the website Infoplease.com the Taft-Hartley Act revise much of the National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act of 1935, the federal law regulating labor relations of enterprises diligent in interstate commerce, and it nullified move of the Federal Anti-Inj unction (Norris-LaGuardia) Act of 1932.The act found control of labor disputes on a novel basis by enlarging the National Labor Relations senesce and providing that the joint or the employer essential, before terminating a collective-bargaining agreement, dish up notice on the other troupe and on a government mediation service. The government was empowered to obtain an 80-day command against some(prenominal) strikethat it deemed a exist to interior(a) health or safety. (Taft-Hartley Labor Act, 2011) The Labor-Management Relations Act provided the government further more oversight over alliance activities, including the right of the U.S. president to stop a strike if it was deemed dangerous to national health. The act withal stripped coalescences of their power in several ways, including forbidding nubs from contributing to political rivulets and only allo netg junctions to organize by and bywards a majority vote by employees. Although prexy Truman vetoed the act, it passed easily over his veto, and this act form the heart of U.S. labor law. The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959. Also called the Landrum-Griffin Act, this law amended the Taft-Hartley Act to protect the rights of joint members at bottom their union and imposed new account requirements and codes of conduct on unions and employers. This was act created in response to the surge of corruption from divers(a) labor union officials who use military unit as a way to crawl the union opposition from employers and employees.Another function of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 was to stop labor unions from be infiltrated by communist. Furthermore, occasion members of the Communist party and former convicts were prevented from property a union office for a decimal point of five years after resigning their Communist party membership or being released from prison. (informationplease.com, 2011) Three examples of unfair labor practices include arc a union supporter or someone nerve-racking to form a union, Failing to bargain in good faith, threatening to employees with military control loss or demotion or sensual harm if they support a union and preventing employees from talking about a union or wearing union buttons when it doesnt interfere with their work duties or customers. The National Labor Relations circuit wit which is an unaffiliated federal execution devoted to conducting authority picks and adjudicating unfair labor practices (Budd, 2009 , p. 124) I pauperization to discuss a news article written by Chris Sieroty, who writes for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.Mr. Sieroty details in his article about the labor agitation being experienced in Las Vegas Nevada concerning the asseverate discrimination against employees found on their national origin. The protesters also urged Station Casinos to support the unions efforts to establish a new standard when it comes to alleged discrimination against employees based on national origin. (Sieroty, 2011) Therefore, the labor union, the culinary Local 226is attempting to unionize nearly 13,000 workers at the 18 hotel-casinos operated by Station Casinos in Southern Nevada. Station Casinos has been charged with using threats, intimidation, surveillance, bribery, discrimination and other illegal activities against employees act in lawfully protected union activities. The National Labor Relations control board alleges that for approximately seven months Station Casinos has utilize this illegal tactic to divide and impound in union busting strategy by not supporting an anti-discrimination policy.The article I want to discuss is an article by Steven Greenhouse. Mr. Greenhouse writes for the New York Times and his article was about the illegally firing an employee after she criticized her supervisor on her Facebook page. The action go under unfair labor practices of firing a union supporter or someone trying to form a union. The Natio nal Labor Relations Board tramples in to clarify the rule that a worker could not be fired because they criticize their employer under the National Labor Relations Act. The National Labor Relations Board states a example of it clarifying statement, That act gives workers a federally protected right to form unions, and it prohibits employers from grievous workers whether union or nonunion for discussing operative conditions or unionization. The labor board tell the comp whatsoevers Facebook rule was excessively broad and improperly limited employees rights to discuss working conditions among themselves. In summary if we are guaranteed freedom of speech, should always trump product line restrictive policies on speech (Greenhouse, 2010)3. draw the process of establishing and decertifying a collective bargaining unit in the employment. Initiating an Organizing DriveThe start-off foot quality in establishing a union in the work is to begin by initiating an organizing drive . There are three practical initiators of an organizing a drive one or more employees, a union, or an employer (Budd, 2009 , p. 188) then you must send-off find out if your co-workers want to form a union by gauging their interest by piano talking to a few swear co-workers who you think whitethorn be arouse in improving the workplace. Create a representative group of co-workers, usually called an Organizing delegation to murder sure your efforts to form a union succeed. The Organizing Committee educates fellow workers about the benefits of unionizing and your rights under the law. The Organizing Committee should consist of flock fromevery department in your workplace and should be representative of all races, genders, and ethnicities. The committee then should gather an employee list, as healthful as information about your employer. (How To dress up A Labor Union At Your Workplace, 2010) Building and Documenting SupportThe second blackguard in establishing a union in the workplace is to begin building and documenting support. You must document a minimum of 30% of your fellow employees who have to shown interest in forming a union at your workplace. This attached step is almost likely finish by the signing of Authorization tease or simply A card game by the employee. By virtue of your signature, the A Card signifies that you desire for the union to represent you for the purpose of collective bargaining. However if you pull together more than 50% of the workplace demo interest in being delineate by a union you may implore that the employer blob your union. Subsequently if the employer refuses to wilful recognize the labor union, there are alternates to be recognised by the employer available.Alternates to intended RecognitionThe tercet step in establishing a union in the workplace is to begin using alternates to voluntary intuition. afterward the majority of the employees have decided to join the union, your employer will either recogni ze the union or refuse to recognize it. The option for a union to recognize by an employer is by launching a recognition strike. A recognition strike is a strike used by employees to make an employer recognize their labor union. This strike cannot detain more than thirty days without the hazard of being replaced. The Landrum Griffin Act created pick to strike for union to be recognized by filing a beseech with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), to hold options to certify the labor union. The board will then decide who is eligible to vote and they will schedule the election. institutionalize Election PetitionThe next step can be either triad or fourth step in establishing a union in the workplace, this step is make by filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), to hold election. You must signal the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which is an impartial governmentagency, to hold a secret ballot election. Once it is obdurate that the bargai ning unit is appropriate and that no supervisors or management are included, a date will be nail down by the NLRB for the election, usually 5 to 7 weeks out.Hold National Labor Relations Board ElectionsThe next step can be either fourth or fifth step in establishing a union in the workplace, this final step is done by workers in upgrade of the union. The pro-union worker will have to campaign to keep pro-union workers and take steps to win over any workers who are against the union. If the union wins the election, by law the employer must recognize and bargain with the union. The National Labor Relations Board is responsible for setting up polling places, usually on the employers property. The National Labor Relations Board is also responsible and supervising the election. By mold a paper ballot into a ballot box is the usual medial that employees vote. At the end of the voting period the polls are closed and the ballots are counted right on the spot. The union must win the major ity of the votes to be state the winner. The opposite of a certification election is a decertification election. This type of election is used to determine whether a majority of unionize employees no longer wish to be stand for by their union (Budd, 2009 , p. 192) To request such an election, at least 30 percent of the employees must file a decertification petition asserting that the currently sensible union no longer represents the employees in the bargaining unit before it can be considered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).To decertify a union, the union representation must have been effect for more than a year and the decertification petition has to be filed during a clippingframe of 60 to 90 days before the expiry on the union contract, although healthcare workers are afforded addition time for decertification and that window is 90 to 120 days prior to the breathing out of their union contracts. According to Ohio Hospital Associations information on the decert ification process it is regarded as The general rule for unions with a negotiated contract in place is that a decertification petition can only be filed 60 to 90 days prior to the cessation of the contract (or every three years, whichever comes first). For health care employees, this window is 90 to 120 days prior to the expiration of the contract (Ohio Hospital Association) The National Labor Relations Board require that alldecertification is free from managerial influences , and that all signatures on the petition were collected during non-work time and off the worksite.After the National Labor Relations Board verifies the signatures on the decertification petition, a decertification election is scheduled in approximately 60 days. The union will be decertified if a majority of the members vote against being represented by the union as it bargaining unit. In an article by Aaron Kuriloff he quotes the NFLs position that the NFLPA is using decertification as a tactic to get a better labor contract. The NFL said the unions threat to decertify is a ploy and an unlawful subversion of the collective bargaining process, there being no evidence whatsoever of any (let simply widespread) dissatisfaction with the union by its members (Kuriloff, 2011 ) Free agency was created when the union was decertified after the 1987 strike. The NFL owners just want the NFLPA to bargain in good faith and the NFLPA also want the same with more revenue sharing.4. Describe the process of administering a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to include the role and function of an arbitrator. What are the issues, and how are they handled? Through the process of collective bargaining, employers and unions negotiate terms and conditions of employment and put these terms in a written contract, also called collective bargaining agreements. (Budd, 2009 , p. 229) During the process of administering a collective bargaining agreement the employer and union are obligated to meet at reasonable ti mes to negotiate in good faith about mandatory bargaining items. Mandatory bargaining items are wages, hours, vacation time, insurance, safety practices and the terms and conditions of employment. According to the National Labor Relations Act if either party to refuses to bargain collectively with each other, it is considered an unfair labor practice, as yet parties are not forced to construct an agreement or make any allowances.The collective bargaining process comprises of five fondness steps Prepare This cast involves composition of a dialog team. The negotiation team should consist of representatives of both the parties with enough knowledge and skills for negotiation. In this phase both the employers representatives and the union examine their own situation in order to take the issues that they believe will be most important. The first thing to be done is to determine whether there is actually any reasonto negotiate at all. A correct understanding of the main issues to be covered and intimate knowledge of operations, working conditions, production norms and other relevant conditions is required. talk about Here, the parties decide the ground rules that will ask the negotiations. A process well begun is half(a) done and this is no less reliable in case of collective bargaining. An purlieu of mutual trust and understanding is also created so that the collective bargaining agreement would be kitchen stoveed.Propose This phase involves the initial opening statements and the possible options that exist to serve them. In a word, this phase could be described as brainstorming. The put back of messages takes place and opinion of both the parties is sought. cartel negotiations are easy if a occupation solving attitude is adopted. This stage comprises the time when what ifs and supposals are set forth and the indite of agreements take place. Settlement Once the parties are by with the bargaining process, a consensual agreement is reached upon whe rein both the parties agree to a common decision regarding the problem or the issue. This stage is described as consisting of utile joint implementation of the agreement through shared visions, strategic planning and negotiated change. (Collective bargain Process, 2007) According to the website Industrial Relations main office Collective Bargaining Process the collective bargaining process comprises of five core steps in which are Prepare, Discuss, Propose, Bargain, and Settlement.The first process of preparing is getting your team together the second step is discussing the grievances, common concerns and goals the third step is proposing the methods on how to solve grievances, common concerns and goals the fourth step is bargaining to reach an agreement that all parties can sustain by the final step is qualification a settlement on the terms of the contract.WORK CITEDBudd, J. W. ( 2009 ). Labor Relations hitting a Balance. New York McGraw-Hill. MLBPA. (2014). History of the m ajor league baseball players association. Retrieved from http//mlb.mlb.com/pa/info/history.jsp Kuriloff, A. (2011). NFL Files Unfair-Labor Practices Complaint Against Union in scram Talks. Retrieved February 19, 2011, from Bloomberg http//www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-14/nfl-files-unfair-labor-practice-char