Critically Assess the Development Potential of the 'Green Economy' For Essay

Critically Assess the Development Potential of the 'Green Economy' For Localities and Regions - Essay Example A green economy can be defined as an economic model that improves the welfare of human beings while at the same time reducing any negative impacts on the environment. A green economy is consistent with sustainable development. In the past, countries have focused on economic growth and development as a way of eliminating poverty and raise the level of income for their citizens. Some of the strategies of economic development have resulted in environmental degradation and some of the negative effects on the environment are irreversible. The main objective of traditional economic models is increasing the level of gross domestic product. Many governments are now appreciating the fact that their economies have exceeded acceptable limits in terms of emission of greenhouse gases and exploitations of natural resources. Global recessions and financial crisis have caused many governments in both developed and developing countries to shift their focus to sustainable development (Ocampo 2010, p. 2; UNEP 2011). Sustainable development is a major concern in advanced economies. This is because these economies are responsible for the highest proportion of greenhouse gas emissions (Parker 2011). A green economy provides a channel through which many people can improve their standards of living while the planet becomes healthier. Local and regional development is a concern for many governments across the world. However, local and regional development is now more challenging, competitive, globalised and knowledge intensive. There is a shift in focus by many governments concerning local and regional development. Governments are now more concerned how sustainable their current level of development is as opposed to the magnitude of development. Concerns have been raised regarding the impact of economic development in nations on the environment following the increasing trend in global warming and sudden climatic changes (Christopherson 2011, p. 4). The long term prospects of sustainable local and regi onal development are uncertain. There are many contentions on whether a green economy is achievable or not. Those who support a green economy argue that it would result to social justice to individuals who have not benefited from globalization. The lives of such individuals will be improved if the planet is healthier. Supporters of a green economy are not concerned about how new jobs are distributed across regions but instead, they are concerned about saving the global climate. Critics of a green economy argue that it is unrealistic and unachievable with current economic structures and institutions (Pike & Tomaney 2010, p. 3). This paper critically analyses the development potential of a green economy in localities and regions. The Potential to Develop a Green Economy for Localities and Regions Gibbs (2002, p. 93) explores some of the guiding principles that would help localities and regions to shift towards sustainability. A sustainable society values unpaid work and gives its memb ers access to work without causing harm to the local, national and global environment. A sustainable society also considers the environment in its provision of goods and services as well as other facilities such as sanitation and health care. Developing a green economy involves balancing between economic development and the environment. To achieve this balance, localities and regions must focus on conserving natural resources and control the flow of commodities. The local and regional governments should invest sufficient resources in improving the state of the environment (Gibbs 2002, p. 93) Gibbs (2002, p. 94) indicates that for regions and localities to develop green economies, they should apply some of the concepts of sustainable development including emphasizing on the environment, participation, futurity, and equity. Emphasizing on the environment involves considering the full and actual environmental costs

Cultural Competency Assessment Paper Essay Example for Free

Cultural Competency Assessment Paper Essay Culture is a very difficult term to define. However, certain people have gone on and defined culture well by saying that it is a ‘set of shared values, opinions and practices of a community or group of people. ’ (Definition of Culture) The importance of the understanding of a socio-cultural environment of any country is imperative to attaining business advantage and eventually translatable success. This understanding of socio-cultural environment is then translated effectively into business practices so that they appeal to the local crowd and create a positive image of the firm in their minds. (Cultural Barriers) More and more organisations today face a dynamic and changing environment. This, in turn, requires these organisations to adapt. Hence, it is important to consider the changing nature of the workforce. Most organisations, today, have to adjust to cope up with a multi-cultural environment. Human resource policies and practices have to change in order to attract and keep this more diverse workforce motivated and willing to work. And many organisations have to spend large amounts of money on training to upgrade various skills of the employees. There is a definite downside to the resistance to change and that is hindrance to the process of adaptation and progress. It doesn’t necessarily surface in a standardized manner. Resistance can be overt, implicit, immediate, or deferred (Robbins, 2004). It is easiest foe the management to deal with resistance when it is overt and immediate. For instance, a change is proposed and employees quickly respond by voicing complaints, engaging in a work slowdown, threatening to go on a strike, etc. The greater challenge is managing change when it is implicit or deferred. Implicit resistance efforts are more subtle, like, loss of loyalty to the organisation, loss of motivation to work, increased errors or mistakes, increased absenteeism, etc (Robbins, 2004). Similarly, deferred actions cloud the link between the source of the resistance and the reaction to it. Empathy is the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. Empathy is the trait that enables a leader to be an expert in building and maintaining talent. It enables him to treat people according to their emotional reactions. This is why he can be successful in getting the most out of the talented people that work under him; it thus makes him a better man manager. He is able to manage and lead people from various different backgrounds and cultures, belonging to various social and economic classes, i. e. it increases the cross-cultural sensitivity of the leader himself. With the businesses and economies globalising, leaders have to lead and manage people belonging to different cultures which is the major reason why change management in such a scenario is very difficult, however, if only a leader can empathize with his followers, it makes the job half as difficult as before. The Cultural Competency Assessment Responses portrays a wonderful picture of the cultural competency assessment test; the responses were positive and the personal taking the test were satisfied with this tool, Cultural Competency Assessment as exhibited in their responses was informational, people started thinking in a different direction, and enhanced learning amongst different culture, it is essential when we are dealing with human lives in terms of health, healing wellness. Cross -cultural communication utilizes language and culture to shape human behaviour and facilitating them. In fact the two also influence each other. Cultural impacts on human behaviour are widespread and influence important aspects of human behaviour. In comparison, influence of language on human behaviour is subtle but still significant. Further Cultural Competency Assessment includes life cycle events add value to the program by helping people of different culture comprehend the cultural diversity of adolescents or the elderly, which prepare individual to interact with people of diverse culture for the betterment of their career in medicine. Gathering good history of the patients is significant for finding and giving the right treatment, using deductive reasoning to arrive to a diagnosis. So life cycle events enhances the health care delivery process for its betterment. Cultural competence is the capability to interact efficiently among individuals of diverse cultures. It encompasses four components attentiveness of ones own cultural worldview, approach towards cultural differences, Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and cross-cultural Skills. Building cultural competence results in an capability to comprehend, communicate with, and efficiently interact with people across cultures. These components if implemented properly are very effective in Building cross cultural communication competence. Further, when an organization focuses on developing such competences in their employees, the benefits are more then the cost incurred as high-impact managerial teaching builds personal effectiveness amongst worker, Improve communication, efficiency, and productivity for persons, teams, and the whole of the organizations. Further better understanding of the needs of people from different cultural backgrounds will help employees to work as a team more effectively. To comprehend the Cultural competence, Diversity training should be given to the employees for Building cross cultural communication effectiveness, Cultural competence have become essential at present era when our organization are full of people of different culture which has led most management to cater diversity management of the organization by taking such measure for the betterment of the organization. The recommendations I would like to state for the facilitation of the organization is Cultural competence Diversity training which will facilitate in designing strategies, action plans, development, and training matched to people’s current state of affairs. Further to develop the ability to correspond with other people of different culture which will help in building team effectiveness, team building by implementing tailored strategies to cater each diverse teams needs. I would like to conclude by adding that Cultural competence will add value to the organization operation and will lead to the betterment of the organization. References 1. Robbins, Stephen P (2004). Organizational Behavior. Prentice Hall. 2. Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication. (n. d. ). Retrieved from www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/9461923

Differences Between E Commerce And E Business Information Technology Essay

Differences Between E Commerce And E Business Information Technology Essay Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. The use of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the transactions lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well. A large percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items such as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as e-tailers and online retail is sometimes known as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the World Wide Web. Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses is referred to as business-to-business or B2B. B2B can be open to all interested parties (e.g. commodity exchange) or limited to specific, pre-qualified participants (private electronic market). Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses and consumers, on the other hand, is referred to as business-to-consumer or B2C. This is the type of electronic commerce conducted by companies such as Amazon.com. Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce where the buyer is directly online to the sellers computer usually via the internet. There is no intermediary service. The sale and purchase transaction is completed electronically and interactively in real-time such as Amazon.com for new books. If an intermediary is present, then the sale and purchase transaction is called electronic commerce such as eBay.com. Electronic commerce is generally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. It also consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions. TechEncyclopedia Electronic-commerce means selling products online via the Web. Also called e-business, e-tailing and I-commerce. Although in most cases e-commerce and e-business are synonymous, e-commerce implies that goods can be purchased online, whereas e-business might be used as an umbrella term for a total presence on the Web, which would include the e-commerce shopping component. E-commerce may also refer to electronic data interchange (EDI), in which one companys computer queries the inventory and transmits purchase orders to another companys computer. Investopedia Financial Dictionary Electronic Commerce à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ ecommerce is a type of business model, or segment of a larger business model, that enables a firm or individual  to conduct business over an electronic network, typically the internet. Electronic commerce operates in all four of the major market segments: business to business, business to consumer, consumer to consumer and consumer to business. Also sometimes written as e-commerce or eCommerce. Columbia Encyclopedia E-commerce conducted over the Internet, most often via the World Wide Web. E-commerce can apply to purchases made through the Web or to business-to-business activities such as inventory transfers. A customer can order items from a vendors Web site, paying with a credit card (the customer enters account information via the computer) or with a previously established cybercash account. The transaction information is transmitted (usually by modem) to a financial institution for payment clearance and to the vendor for order fulfillment. Personal and account information is kept confidential through the use of secured transactions that use encryption technology Impact of e-commerce Studies in the developed economies have shown that e-commerce will eventually have a far-reaching effect on the world economy because it will revolutionize the way businesses and consumers conduct their business transactions. Some have argued that e-commerce will deepen disintermediation process as producers can sell direct to consumers. For example, Christensen and Tedlow published in Harvard Business Review (January-February 2000) suggest that e-commerce will change the structure of retailing in the US in favour of fewer number of traditional intermediaries. The wide-spread impact of e-commerce is due to lower transaction costs. Using the transaction costs theory, studies have shown that e-commerce will reduce transaction costs of firms and hence final product prices. According to the transaction costs theory, price of a product has three elements: production costs, coordination costs, and profit margin. As firms find better ways to coordinate their activities through electronic channels, their transaction costs will fall. As the industry better manages real time information based on e-commerce, firms can also improve their inventory management and thus reduce inventory costs. Reduced transaction costs benefit both consumer and producer. While consumers will gain access to a broad-based selection of lower priced goods, producers are likely to see higher demand for their products. Furthermore, in the Internet age, people and firms will be connected with highly capable interactive capacity. Through the information highway, consumers will have free market choices, and firms will have almost unrestricted market access. This offers opportunities as well as poses threats to businesses. The impact of e-commerce can be traced at the industry and consumer levels. It can also be traced at the macroeconomy level. It is however important to note that the full impact of e-commerce on an economy depends on several factors such as the rate at which the economy (i.e. firms and the population) adopts e-commerce. This in turn is determined by other factors such as the cost of computers and software, computer and telephone penetration rates, security, manpower, and telecommunication infrastructure. At the industry level, e-commerce will result in some rationalization of activities. Firms will need to undertake investment in an appropriate computer system to implement e-commerce. They will undertake new activities which are knowledge-intensive. Through the adoption of e-commerce, firms will demand for a new kind of workforce, particularly those with a higher level of computer literacy. This new demand will have an immediate and far-reaching implication on the provision of training in the country. Firms will be pre-occupied with technology selection and investment. This task is quite demanding, particularly when the telecommunications and computer technologies are changing at a rapid pace. To keep up with modern technologies, firms cannot ignore continuous investment in human resource. E-commerce will further shorten product cycles of the industry. Through e-commerce, firms will have fast knowledge of what customers want. Firms can use this knowledge to guide the development of their product lines and to identify new growth areas at their earlier stages. With customer information in hand, firms can promote both up-selling and cross-selling. It is expected that e-commerce will also help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMIs) to gain greater market reach for their products and services. In fact, e-commerce can be an efficient and economical way for many SMIs to enter an export market. E-commerce offers consumers a wide range of new opportunities to do direct shopping and banking using the convenience of a home computer or other communication devices. Consumers will also benefit in terms of lower final prices due to lower transaction costs as described above. Looking ahead, e-commerce will lead to some fundamental changes in the way firms relate to consumers and the way firms compete with each other. This is because, through e-commerce consumers will have a wider and direct access to producers of goods and services without intermediaries. With a wider choice of products and services offered to them, they can cast their preferences by describing what they want. In this environment, e-commerce will hasten the shift of market power of consumers, from a product taker to a product maker. As a result, this process will lead to greater competition among firms to protect their market share. For the economy as a whole, e-commerce will result in higher investment by the Government, firms and consumers. Coupled with higher investment in IT, e-commerce will result in higher efficiency and productivity of the economy. In this light, e-commerce will contribute to higher total factor productivity of the Malaysian economy which is needed to sustain economic growth in the long term. E-commerce will create new activities and a variety of new industries which utilize IT. This will lead to the creation of new job opportunities. The increased investment mentioned above and the emergence of new IT-based industries will lead to a higher level of economic activity to support economic expansion and growth. Following the reduction in the transaction costs, e-commerce will also improve the level of efficiency and productivity in the economy. Industries will re-organize their activities to conform with the emergence of a new industrial structure of the country. Definitions and differences of e-commerce and e-business E-commerce describes the process of buying, selling, transferring or exchanging products, services or information via computer networks, including the Internet. E-business is somewhat broader concept. In addition to the buying and selling of goods and services, e-business also refers to servicing customers, collaborating with business partners and performing electronic transactions within an organization. In my opinion, the differences between two of them are not obvious. E-commerce refers to all transactions of business that being made through Internet. It involved money transaction between organizations and customers in a buying and selling process using the Internet. Meanwhile, e-business refers to all of type of businesses entity such as company, enterprise and others which are doing business using the Internet. Business entity use the Internet and other electronic network in all of their operations and daily processes involved. E-business becoming e-commerce when a transaction happens between two organizations. There is no e-commerce without e-business and e-business need e-commerce to survive. Issues, problems and threats in e-commerce and e-business In e-commerce, it is difficult to apply law that usually done in physical world. Many cyber crimes made cannot be justified in court because of lacking the law itself, geographical factors that separate different countries with different laws, and others. People are free to do whatever they like in the Internet including pornography and drugs selling without even caught or sued just because the physical law cannot be applied in Internet. Besides that, there are many frauds that we can find in e-commerce. Sometimes the company is not even exist but still it offer something to sell and people realized after a transaction was made, the product is still do not reach to them. Some business offer product that cost you price that unacceptable high compare to others even if the quality and features are same. Frauds can happen in many ways especially when it involving cyber product. In Internet, there is too much information that hard for us to filter and absorb. An information overload is one of the problems that e-commerce face nowadays. People find it difficult when it has too many websites that offer same product even they have right to choose but it also take time to filter all the related websites. In addition, certain areas do not have Internet coverage so e-commerce cannot reach the people in there. This happen due to certain geographical factors like people live in the mountains, desert, rural areas and others. They must go to nearest city to get Internet coverage and this is difficult to done if it will cost them effort, time and money to do that. Threats in e-commerce must be tackled seriously because in Internet, people can do anything without having fear to be caught or sued. Such threats like human trafficking, drugs selling firearms smuggle, child pornography and others are serious crime in physical world. Yet there are happening and still growing due to Internet usage in e-commerce and this is why we cannot let it done freely without observation and law practice on the threats. Opportunities, advantages and benefits in e-commerce and e-business The importance of both is to catch up with globalization that require IT as medium to doing business as the world has no border anymore with the Internet application. People nowadays are connecting with each other around the world easier than decades ago with Internet and other electronic networks. The world has no boundaries anymore and it offer very much opportunities to businesses around the world to develop. The benefits that we can get is we can have as many customer as we can if we are the organization that doing business using Internet. People all around the world are using Internet as their new medium of shopping and searching for something new. Companies took advantages on it and try hard to sell their products and services although there are companies that fail to achieve their target on e-commerce. Besides that, consumers now have bigger power to choose products. They can easily online and choose their favourite products from different companies which usually undone in physical world. We usually find it difficult to choose from one product to another or from one company to another, but Internet make it simpler and easier for customers so they donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t even go to shop by shop to buy what they like. They just click. The advantage of e-commerce and e-business to organization is we can make the transactions easier between customers and our organization by simply clicking the computer and do it online. We can also buy certain product that is difficult to find in certain area such as Kashmir fabrics in East Asia or a product that doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t offered in physical world such as e-book. In addition, the transactions done become faster and require no attendance to the outlet itself by customers. People who using Internet to shop realize that it become useful to them as the Internet is free, and you can shop at anytime, anywhere and at any situation, The opportunity of both is we can spread our business and market worldwide to increase profit and maximum the knowledge of customers about our company/ organization/ business. Many ordinary people or small business makes huge profit in e-commerce such as the founder of Amazon.com. New medium of marketing is created and organizations all around the world are taking advantages in e-commerce and e-business. Whether they set up a new business or upgrading the existing one, they are all realize that this is the time to grab big opportunity to gain high profit including customer satisfaction.

Analysis of the Failure of Fire Control Essay -- Public Administration

Introduction Over the past years, as a consequence of the impact on society created by the recent huge corporate collapses and, more recently, the ongoing economical crisis, the concept of Corporate Governance has become central in the economical, academical and institutional debate. At the core of this debate the attempt of rethinking and shaping the Corporate system and mechanisms in a way that â€Å"instill in companies the essential vision, processes and structures to make decisions that ensure longer-term sustainability†. (Vice President, Business Advisory Services, IFC). This mandate is valid not only for the business actors but also for the Public Sector whose role, it is to create Public Value, through developing resonable policies while meeting various stakeholders needs and responding to the increasing demand of accountability, fairness and trasparency. This paper focuses on analysing the governance failures of one of the most innovative and promising UK Government Information Techology project: FiReControl. Started in 2004, FiReControl was meant to be the future of Fire and Rescue Service. Instead after 7 years it was cancelled and branded as "one of the worst cases of project failures " in UK Government's history. It is argued that the failure of the project have been of two types (1) Uneffective engagement of the primary stakeholders and (2) Lack of Leadership and management skills. The idea is that a lack of engagement of the primary stakeholders, in the FiReControl specific context, impacted negatively on the overall performances of the project and worsened a leadership model that was already weak. Questions have been raised also from a stakeholder theory perspective. The information used to examine the cas... ...pecialistic training system and equipment to quickly respond to big emergencies, (3)FireLink, a radio system to permit a better communication between the Fire and Rescue Service England, Scotland and Wales. Our members are frontline public service workers – covering the roles of firefighter to area manager, including emergency fire control staff and firefighters working the retained duty system. The FBU is the only recognised trade union negotiating nationally with fire and rescue service employers on behalf of firefighters and emergency fire control staff on the National Joint Council (NJC)". Source, FBU website, section Who we are: http://www.fbu.org.uk The FBU also pointed out that FireControl was conceived by Burocrats with different skills from Fire Service and that this could led to understimation of the complexity of coordinating emergency incidents.

Nhs Database Administrator Criteria and Job Description

? On of the tree jobs I chose to research is as an NHS Database Administration in this page I will explain some of the tasks that a Database Administrator will do and how many files need updating. And why the job role is available and what skills I would need to have to apply for this job. The role of a database administrator is to: Ensure patient medical records are correctly updated Make appointments Check in arriving patients using an internal database system Problem solving skillsTelephone work both internally and externally Administration Support In this job there are a large number of files that need to be updated because they have incorrect information included in them. This problem is solved by the database administrator who investigates the files and resolves any issues that crop up so that the information in these files is completely correct and filed correctly. Part of the reason this job is available is because clients have a back log to get through.Database Management Sy stem and DataI think this job would be good for me because it is a temporary ongoing position that requires the person that gets this job to be flexible in the tasks asked of them. The skills I would need for this job are as follows: Experience working within the NHS. Minimum of 1 year of administration experience. Good IT skills using Microsoft word and excel. I would need to be able to work towards meeting and meet the agreed deadlines. And I would need good communication skills.

Maldives Efforts To Combat Climate Change An Environmental Sciences Essays

Maldives Efforts To Combat Climate Change An Environmental Sciences Essays Maldives Efforts To Combat Climate Change An Environmental Sciences Essay Maldives Efforts To Combat Climate Change An Environmental Sciences Essay Global heating has been doing clime alteration and this has been impacting the Earth at an dismaying rate. Maldivian authorities are cognizant of the demand to cut down emanations. The bantam Indian Ocean state of the Maldives will go carbon-neutral within 10 old ages. This was the pledge made by Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed on March 15. The low-lying state will be among the first in the universe to be inundated by lifting sea degrees caused by human-induced clime alteration. The highest point in the concatenation of 1190 islands and coral atolls is merely 1.8 meters above sea degree. The latest research indicates that if present rates of C emanations continue, planetary heating will probably do sea degree rises about one meter by 2100. This is close to duplicate the rise predicted by most scientists merely two old ages ago.1 71. For the Maldives, clime alteration is a existent issue. The 16th Conference of Parties ( COP 16 ) in Cancun, Mexico from 29 November to 10 December. It estimated that Maldivians emitted 1.3 million tones of C dioxide in 2009 via electricity coevals, conveyance, waste and fishing. This was the same estimated sum of C emitted by flights transporting 650,000 tourers to the Island each twelvemonth. The entire works out at 4.1 tones per Maldivian compared to 23.5 tones per individual per twelvemonth in the United States. 72. These steps were announced in the face of blunt warnings from scientists that lifting sea degrees could steep the Maldives and other low-lying states this century, rendering the Island about wholly uninhabitable with a rise in sea degrees of one meter. 73. Without a planetary understanding to take down GHG emanations to battle clime alteration and lifting sea degrees, the Maldives could vanish from maps in malice of Nashed s efforts.2 74. Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed is listed as the 39th top mind in the universe in Foreign Policy magazine, for his high profile function in battling clime alteration. Top two billionaires have been going the universe first to China and shortly to India, every bit good as around the US on a mission to make a planetary nine of Great Givers who will transform philanthropic gift from a interest of the wealthy into a naming for everyone who is rich.3 Combat Climate Change. 75. Solar power helps battle clime alteration, reduces our dependence on imported oil and more significantly cuts out electricity costs. The Maldives stands at the front line of clime alteration and we do nt hold the luxury of clip to sit and wait for the remainder of the universe to move. 76. The Maldives which is peculiarly vulnerable to lifting sea degrees through planetary heating. The Maldives is made up of about 1200 islands that prevarication of the Indian sub-continent. None of the islands step more than 1.8 meters ( six pess ) above sea degree, doing the state peculiarly vulnerable to a rise in sea degrees associated with planetary heating. The Maldives face a really existent menace from lifting sea degrees and I portion President Nasheed s aspiration to forestall the environmental catastrophe and human rights calamity that would bechance the islands should the universe fail to undertake this job. 77. Our Climate Change Act is the most ambitious in the industrialised universe, perpetrating to cut nursery gas emanations by 42 per cent from 1990 degrees by 2020 and by 80 per cent by 2050. Scotland besides has 25 per cent of Europe s offshore air current and tidal resources and 10 per cent of wave potency and the capacity make a important difference in run intoing cosmopolitan clime alteration ends. The Maldives to go the universe s first C impersonal state and in bend create a greener, more sustainable hereafter for our planet.4 78. The international community has welcomed President Nasheed s attempts to raise consciousness over the dangers of clime alteration, which threaten to submerse his low-lying state. That same international community must non sit back and ticker as the leftovers of absolutism attempt and drop the Maldives newcomer democracy.5 Declaration of the Climate Vulnerable Forum. 79. Alarmed at the gait of alteration to our Earth caused by human-induced clime alteration, including speed uping thaw and loss of ice from Antarctica, Greenland, the Himalayas, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, acidification of the universe s oceans due to lifting CO2 concentrations, progressively intense tropical cyclones, more detrimental and intense drouth and inundations, including Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods, in may part and high degrees of sea-level rise than estimated merely a few old ages ago, hazards altering the face of the planet and endangering coastal metropoliss, low lying countries, cragged parts and vulnerable states the universe over. 80. Conscious that our states lie at the clime front-line and will disproportionately experience the impacts of planetary heating, in the terminal clime alteration will endanger the sustainable development and, finally, the endurance of all States and peoples the destiny of the most vulnerable will be the destiny of the universe ; and convinced that our acute exposure non merely allows us to comprehend the menace of clime alteration more clearly than others, but besides provides us with the lucidity of vision to understand the stairss that must be taken to protect the Earth s clime system and the finding to see the occupation done. 81. Remembering that UNFCCC is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negociating the planetary response to climate alteration. 82. Stressing that developed states bear the overpowering historic duty for doing anthropogenetic clime alteration and must therefore take the lead in reacting to the challenge across all four edifice blocks of an enhanced international clime alteration government viz. extenuation, adaptation, engineering and finance that builds-upon the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol. 83. Taking account their historic duty every bit good as the demand to procure clime justness for the universe s poorest and most vulnerable communities, developed states must perpetrate to legally-binding and ambitious emanation decrease marks consistent with restricting planetary mean surface warming to good below 1.5 grades Celsius above pre-industrial degrees and long-run stabilisation of atmospheric nursery gas concentrations at good below 350 ppm, and that to accomplish this the understanding at COP 15 UNFCCC should include a end of top outing planetary emanations by 2015 with a crisp diminution thenceforth towards a planetary decrease of 85 % by 2050. 84. Convinced that those states which take the lead in encompassing this hereafter will be the victors of the twenty-first Century. 85. All other states to follow the moral leading shown by the Republic of Maldives by voluntarily perpetrating to accomplishing carbon-neutrality. Assert that the accomplishment of C neutrality by developing states will be highly hard given their deficiency of resources and capacity and pressing version challenges, without external fiscal, technological and capability-building support from developed states. Declare that, irrespective of the effectivity of extenuation actions, important inauspicious alterations in the planetary clime are now inevitable and are already taking topographic point, and therefore Parties to the UNFCCC must besides include, in the COP15 result papers, an ambitious understanding on version finance which should prioritise the demands of the most vulnerable states, particularly in the near-term. 86. Decide to keep a 2nd meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum in Kiribati in 2010 to take forward this enterprise, to further raise consciousness of the exposures and actions of vulnerable states to battle clime alteration, and to magnify their voice in international dialogues. In this context, bespeak support from the UN system to help the most vulnerable developing states take action in chase of this Declaration.6 Kobenhavn. 87. The event preceded the United Nations Climate Change Conference ( COP15 ) that began, where 192 parties are run intoing with the purpose of explicating an understanding to stabilise the degree of nursery gases in the ambiance. Organizers hope the conference will turn out every bit successful as COP3 in 1997, known as the Kyoto Protocol, which led to understandings on compulsory emanation decreases. During the week-long visit to Denmark, over 200 delegates aged 14-17 from 42 states set up bases in Copenhagen town hall advancing their state s attempts to battle clime alteration. The Maldivian delegates confessed theirs was one of the most popular with many people fascinated by the immediate menace clime alteration and sea degree rise poses for the low-lying island states. Maldivans are an guiltless ( party ) agony from the actions of developed countries.7 88. The issue has taken on urgency in front of a major UN clime alteration conference scheduled for December in Copenhagen. At that meeting states will negociate a replacement to the Kyoto Protocol with purposes to cut the emanation of nursery gases such as C dioxide that scientists blame for doing planetary heating by pin downing heat in the ambiance. Affluent states want wide emanations cuts from all states, while poorer 1s say industrialised states should transport most of the burden.8 1. The Guardian. 2. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.climateactionprogramme.org. 3. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.asiantribune.com. 4. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scotland.gov.uk. 5. The Guardian, ibid. 6. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ecs.org.et. 7. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.minivannews.com. 8. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.msnbc.msn.com.

Code of Ethics Essays - Codes Of Conduct, Morality, Business Ethics

Code of Ethics Essays - Codes Of Conduct, Morality, Business Ethics Code of Ethics BUS/210 March 7, 2014 Code of Ethics 1.Honesty: We will be honest in the way in which we deal with each other, our vendors and suppliers, and our customers even when honesty may result in financial loss. a.I chose this one because I believe that customers appreciate an honest business. 2.Community Involvement: We will be involved in community activities to support and encourage clean neighborhoods, crime control, and overall community advancement as a way of showing our appreciation of our community and customers. Community involvement activities must be approved by management in advance. a.I chose this one because it builds a good reputation and shows the business is concerned with more than just profits. 3.Social Responsibility: We will be socially responsible by abiding by all local, state and federal laws and regulations regarding the operation of our business. a.I chose this one because it also builds a good reputation and it is the right way to do business. 4.Discrimination: We will not discriminate in our hiring or promotion practices against anyone regarding race, color, gender, nationality, religion, or age. a.I chose this one because it is illegal to discriminate. 5.Vendors/Suppliers: We will only do business with vendors and suppliers that operate in a legal and socially responsible manner. a.I chose this one because if associated with a corrupt business, we could be guilty by association. 6. Work/Life Balance: We recognize that our employees families are important and will provide set work schedules so that our employees have the necessary balance in which to have quality time to support and enhance those relationships. a.I chose this one to show the employees that the business cares about them.

Participles Fused and Otherwise

Participles Fused and Otherwise Participles Fused and Otherwise Participles Fused and Otherwise By Maeve Maddox If you dont know what a fused participle is, read on. The present participle is the form of the English verb that ends in ing: walk walked walking To function as a verb, the present participle must be used with an auxiliary verb: Jack is repairing the roof. Used without an auxiliary verb, the participle retains some shadow of its verbal origin, but functions as other parts of speech. participle functioning as adjective: Mr. Jones is a loving husband. participle introducing participial phrase: Sitting by the window, I watched the parade. (The phrase is adjectival, describing I) participle functioning as a noun: The ing participle form can also be used as a noun. In that case it gets a new name and is called a gerund. Gerunds Gardening is my favorite hobby. (noun, subject of is) He likes shooting skeet. (noun, object of likes) He loves to talk about hunting. (noun, object of the preposition about) Do you mind my asking a question? (noun, object of mind) NOTE on Example 4: If I had written Do you mind me asking a question, many of my readers would be quick to scold me for having written a sentence containing a fused participle. Fused participles The term fused participle is credited to H.W. Fowler, who hated them. Heres the definition from the OED: fused participle a participle regarded as being joined grammatically with a preceding noun or pronoun, rather than as a gerund that requires the possessive, or as an ordinary participle qualifying the noun. The fused participle resides in the same category as the split infinitive: some writers abhor it and will avoid it any cost, while others recognize that, sometimes, defusing a fused participle is worse than leaving it alone. My practice is to use a possessive noun or pronoun before a gerund in a sentence like the one above. If the result is ugly or nonsensical, I figure out how to rewrite the sentence without using the -ing word. Speaking is another matter. In conversation I probably fuse participles all over the place. Some views regarding the fused participle: H. W. Fowler David Rusinoff (click on fused participle in the frame) American Heritage Book of English Usage Columbia Guide to Standard American English William Safire Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs PastCapitalization Rules for Names of Historical Periods and MovementsLetter Writing 101

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

GRRRLZ - Essay Example The first performance, which was silent, represented the daily morning routine of the girls. It was the most successful scene in my opinion because all actors were together on the stage and each was focusing solely on the acting without paying any attention to the audience. Each actor had their own performance which they focused on. This ensured that the fourth wall between the characters and the audience remained intact. On the other hand, the most unsuccessful part of the performance in my opinion was scene #21, Las Hermanas. There were a lot of chatting at the beginning of this performance and I felt slightly bored by the long lines that the actors read. I think One of the major reasons why I felt bored was because the rest of the performances were short and had music, sound effects and dancing to complement them, whereas this performance was not only long, but merely featured actors reading their lines. I think that the actors worked well together, the performances were fluid, and the monologues and dancing were performed superbly. For example, performance #10, Ode to Daffiness, had the actors dancing and performing in sync. The singing and dancing were completely in sync with the music and were executed beautifully. All the actors were well casted and were perfect for their roles, however, I liked one actor in all her performances: the actress who played Natalie. I thought she acted, danced and sang superbly. What is more, she was very versatile: in performance #4, God’s Girls, she was acting the part of a young girl with another actor playing her sister. They were talking about lying and faith. Natalie was perfect in her portrayal of a young girl. Her way of talking with her sister as a child was very well acted. She even changed her voice during the performance, along with shouting and jumping around like a child. The actors changed their characters between each performance smoothly. I have not been witness to performances where the actors

The Role of a Financial Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Role of a Financial Manager - Essay Example This essay explores the field of finance that is a very important part of every modern business organization, and financial considerations lie at the heart of all crucial business decisions. The researcher focuses on describing of the position named Financial Manager that is the person usually responsible for supervising and keeping in existence the organization’s financial policies and history. The role of a Financial Manager is to analyze financial information and generate financial reports that will assist the organization in decision-making, business progress and elaborate planning procedures. The FM is the pivotal figure in the two halves of the financial circle involving an organization – one involving the movement of money from investors into the organization, and the other half including the movement of money from the organization to the same investors. Nearly every business organization today, whether in the private or public sector, employs at least one Financ ial Manager. His or her duties vary slightly according to the size of the organization. However, this essay describes a typical Financial Manager who is required to perform 5 roles – that of a Controller, Treasurer, Credit Manager, Cash Manager and Risk & Insurance Manager. The researcher also explores the FM role in a multinational corporation and his duties in a branch of a bank or other financial institution. It is also mentined that the most important decisions of FM are those relating to financing, investment and asset management.

Oscar Wildes Fashion Ugliness Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oscar Wildes Fashion Ugliness Argument - Essay Example The paper "Oscar Wilde’s Fashion Ugliness Argument" critically examines whether fashion has some ugliness. Oscar Wilde was arguably right in his observation that the mass market that produces and distributes fashion products is saturated with poor quality products, which are meant to appeal to the end-users within a short period of time as the manufacturers make millions of pounds in profits. Producing fashion items for global consumption generally takes precedent over creativity or individual vision. The skill and creativity in the design of tight undergarments, for example, takes a lesser role as far as creating the commodity is concerned. Serving hundreds of millions of consumers with such unhealthy clothes for â€Å"six months† requires quick production of simple fashion materials through cheap processes for selling multiple times over without paying attention at the health risks and or discomfort that it would pose to the wearers. The end-result is an â€Å"uglyâ €  fashion item that prevents the wearer from freely engaging in his or her everyday duties. In addition, owing to the priority of contemporary corporate bodies that design and produce fashion items to make profits, it is apparent that short-term gains cannot coexist with quality and the â€Å"inner† attraction of fashion items. Profit demands continuous generation of unique designs that are easy to manufacture such as backless blouses for women. Once a fashion design has been accepted, usually by individuals who are under the pressure to generate more revenue.

Robotics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Robotics - Essay Example Use of robotics saves time to many people in the economy. This is because of their fast speed in performing tasks. An ordinary man is not likely to embrace time consuming processes and will look for means to avoid this. Taking an example of banking services, most people do not like going to queue to withdraw money over the counter. The invention of automatic teller machines (ATMs) has therefore, stepped in to solve this and I am sure many people like it. Today people can withdraw money using ATM cards any time anywhere they want. Considering the fact that we cannot get rid robots in the economy, it is necessary that the society invent ways to control the transition to the economy of robots. In that case according to Henderson, H. (2006), there is need for a maximum economic stability to curb any potential economic downturn following the displacement of workers by robots. It will be best if there is confidence of consumers in the economy to avoid people keeping their money in fear of spending it when they are rendered jobless. Creation of a good pool of innovators enables the society to manage the transition to robotic economy. This stirs up new business, and product innovations, inventions among others. This then ensures that capitalism in the economy is at is strongest point. Therefore, transition to robotic economy will not pose challenges to the society at any level. It is clear that robotic economy will come with many changes. It is best then the society is able to manage the negative changes that are likely to come with the robotic economy. The society needs to ensure that people who work in the low-paying sector of the economy get their wages raised to a relatively higher level. In that case, those rendered unemployed by robots and decide to take up low-paying jobs are able to maintain a relatively better standard of living (Henderson, 2006). This also can be justified by the fact that robotic economy is cost-effective.

Logical Reasoning Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Logical Reasoning - Math Problem Example Euler circles otherwise known as Euler diagrams are graphical representations of logical statements. Each set in this diagram is represented as a circle or closed curve. Intersections between sets are shown as partially overlapping circles. On the other hand, the equivalence of two sets is given by a complete overlap of the circles. Using this approach, the relationship of sets becomes clear. It is then easy to determine the validity of a conclusion based on the diagram. For the first statement it is clear from the diagram that given the premise, there is no established relation between B and C. Likewise, the second statement also establishes no relationship between the two. Therefore, both statements are invalid. In contrast, truth tables are textual representations of the logic statement. Unlike a pure logic statement, the truth table presents all possible combinations of the input set and determines the conclusion from each combination. While not as intuitive as Euler circles, this approach provides a more exhaustive view of a logical statement. The respective truth tables for the above logical statements follow: In the first table, when all the premises are satisfied, there is definitely no way wherein the conclusion is satisfied. This statement is therefore invalid. For the second statement, most cases satisfy the statement except for one. However, since the conclusion is an implication, then the presence of this single case invalidates the statement. Conclusion From the given examples, it is clear that the use of alternative representations of logical statements aid in logical reasoning. In fact, both Euler circles and truth tables were consistent in invalidating the logic for both examples. Question 1 Let: Equations: Solution: Modify eqn 1: Substitute to eqn 2: Conclusion: UniquePhil has 10 $0.37 stamps. Question 2 Solution: Using the Venn Diagram Exactly 2 writing instruments: Conclusion: 15 backpacks contain exactly two of the three writing instruments. Question 3 Question 4 Solution: Conclusion: The car got 54.4 miles per gallon. Question 5 Question 6 Biconditional Question 7 2.8700 Question 8 Question 9 Solution: Conclusion: cups of flour should be used. Question 10 Solution: During peak hours: During off-peak hours: Conclusion: $1.76 can be saved by making 16-minute calls during off-peak hours. Question 11 Solution: Using the Law of Contraposition: Using De Morgan's Law: Conclusion: They are logically equivalent. Question 12 Solution: truth table p q q pq TRUE TRUE FALSE FALSE TRUE FALSE TRUE TRUE FALSE TRUE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE TRUE FALSE Conclusion: There is only 1 T in the final columb. Question 13 Question 14 Question 15 Valid Question 16 Question 17 Question 18 Invalid Question 19 Solution: 1 3 7 13 15 19 25 27 31 37 --- Diff 2 4 6 2 4 6

Understanding Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Understanding Business Strategy - Essay Example The report states the different elements of the strategic plan of the company while studying the importance of each element. It is seen that BCG matrix analysis technique for charting the strategic plan is useful in further deciding the courses that can be offered at the new overseas centre. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Vision 3. Mission 4. Goals/ Aims 5. Objectives 6. Core competencies of ABCD 7. Strategic planning techniques 8. Competitive advantage for ABCD 9. Role of managers at ABCD 10. Conclusion and recommendations 11. Personal Reflection 12. References 1. Introduction This report is intended to give a strategic plan to the management of ‘ABCD’ for establishing their branch in India with different program offerings. ‘ABCD’ is a service provider in adult education, situated in Central London and has been operating since the last ten years. It has plans to extend its operations in India from the coming academic year, and this report helps docume nt the various tangible and intangible efforts, ideas and experiences of the company in terms of its vision, mission, goals, aims and objectives, etc. Business strategy is defined as the selection of ideas and assets to meet long-term goals (What is business strategy?, 2012).The concept of strategic planning under the purview of strategic management is also introduced in the report to stress on the importance of having a business strategy for the proposed India centre. Strategic planning includes among others, defining the business goals of the organization and formulating a business strategy that can be implemented successfully by the organization for effectiveness and profitability. 2. Vision The vision of a company clearly declares the future direction of the business and helps the company clearly states its image that it wants to see in the future. A vision statement states the company’s position over the next 5 to 10 years into the future in terms of the direction it is headed in, where it wants to see itself in terms of market position, which market segment it needs and plans to focus, what strategies it plans to implement and how it plans to develop its capabilities for future. A vision statement infuses a sense of purpose for the company and sets a clear direction for the immediate future. ABCD Company has a vision statement based on its intent to provide educational services to adults. It has plans to utilize its expertise in the field of providing educational services by expanding into the global market with a new office in India by the next academic year. The company also intends to offer some of the courses that it currently offers at its London based college that has an extensive course offerings along with a pool of resources in terms of 50 part-time and full-time employees who are all highly experienced and well qualified in teaching methodologies (Olsen, 2011). Vision statement of ABCD: â€Å"to integrate capabilities and resources to p rovide worldwide adult educational services to facilitate and improve the quality of adult education†. This vision statement is key in establishing a clear direction and a sense of purpose for the management and staff of ABCD and it is also essential that the management clearly communicates its vision to the staff and enable them to set goals for the next 5 years based on this vision. Both individual and organizational level goals can be set against the backdrop of the company’s vision statement (Biz/ed, 2006). 3. Mission A mission statement of a company states the current position of the company and its values that form the basis of formulating its vision statement for future (Biz/ed, 2006). A mission statement helps the company clearly envisage itself in terms

Robotics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Robotics - Essay Example Use of robotics saves time to many people in the economy. This is because of their fast speed in performing tasks. An ordinary man is not likely to embrace time consuming processes and will look for means to avoid this. Taking an example of banking services, most people do not like going to queue to withdraw money over the counter. The invention of automatic teller machines (ATMs) has therefore, stepped in to solve this and I am sure many people like it. Today people can withdraw money using ATM cards any time anywhere they want. Considering the fact that we cannot get rid robots in the economy, it is necessary that the society invent ways to control the transition to the economy of robots. In that case according to Henderson, H. (2006), there is need for a maximum economic stability to curb any potential economic downturn following the displacement of workers by robots. It will be best if there is confidence of consumers in the economy to avoid people keeping their money in fear of spending it when they are rendered jobless. Creation of a good pool of innovators enables the society to manage the transition to robotic economy. This stirs up new business, and product innovations, inventions among others. This then ensures that capitalism in the economy is at is strongest point. Therefore, transition to robotic economy will not pose challenges to the society at any level. It is clear that robotic economy will come with many changes. It is best then the society is able to manage the negative changes that are likely to come with the robotic economy. The society needs to ensure that people who work in the low-paying sector of the economy get their wages raised to a relatively higher level. In that case, those rendered unemployed by robots and decide to take up low-paying jobs are able to maintain a relatively better standard of living (Henderson, 2006). This also can be justified by the fact that robotic economy is cost-effective.

Understanding Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Understanding Business Strategy - Essay Example The report states the different elements of the strategic plan of the company while studying the importance of each element. It is seen that BCG matrix analysis technique for charting the strategic plan is useful in further deciding the courses that can be offered at the new overseas centre. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Vision 3. Mission 4. Goals/ Aims 5. Objectives 6. Core competencies of ABCD 7. Strategic planning techniques 8. Competitive advantage for ABCD 9. Role of managers at ABCD 10. Conclusion and recommendations 11. Personal Reflection 12. References 1. Introduction This report is intended to give a strategic plan to the management of ‘ABCD’ for establishing their branch in India with different program offerings. ‘ABCD’ is a service provider in adult education, situated in Central London and has been operating since the last ten years. It has plans to extend its operations in India from the coming academic year, and this report helps docume nt the various tangible and intangible efforts, ideas and experiences of the company in terms of its vision, mission, goals, aims and objectives, etc. Business strategy is defined as the selection of ideas and assets to meet long-term goals (What is business strategy?, 2012).The concept of strategic planning under the purview of strategic management is also introduced in the report to stress on the importance of having a business strategy for the proposed India centre. Strategic planning includes among others, defining the business goals of the organization and formulating a business strategy that can be implemented successfully by the organization for effectiveness and profitability. 2. Vision The vision of a company clearly declares the future direction of the business and helps the company clearly states its image that it wants to see in the future. A vision statement states the company’s position over the next 5 to 10 years into the future in terms of the direction it is headed in, where it wants to see itself in terms of market position, which market segment it needs and plans to focus, what strategies it plans to implement and how it plans to develop its capabilities for future. A vision statement infuses a sense of purpose for the company and sets a clear direction for the immediate future. ABCD Company has a vision statement based on its intent to provide educational services to adults. It has plans to utilize its expertise in the field of providing educational services by expanding into the global market with a new office in India by the next academic year. The company also intends to offer some of the courses that it currently offers at its London based college that has an extensive course offerings along with a pool of resources in terms of 50 part-time and full-time employees who are all highly experienced and well qualified in teaching methodologies (Olsen, 2011). Vision statement of ABCD: â€Å"to integrate capabilities and resources to p rovide worldwide adult educational services to facilitate and improve the quality of adult education†. This vision statement is key in establishing a clear direction and a sense of purpose for the management and staff of ABCD and it is also essential that the management clearly communicates its vision to the staff and enable them to set goals for the next 5 years based on this vision. Both individual and organizational level goals can be set against the backdrop of the company’s vision statement (Biz/ed, 2006). 3. Mission A mission statement of a company states the current position of the company and its values that form the basis of formulating its vision statement for future (Biz/ed, 2006). A mission statement helps the company clearly envisage itself in terms

Brief Introduction of Abbottabad and Pakistani Support Network Essay Example for Free

Brief Introduction of Abbottabad and Pakistani Support Network Essay The world’s most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011 in a US Navy SEALs raid at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. He was 54 years old at the time of his death. The news of Osama’s death spread like a wild fire in the entire world. It was a huge victory for the U.S. in the war against terrorism and to eradicate Al Qaeda and a huge defeat to Al Qaeda. The news created a mix reaction in the world. In the U.S., crowds of young and old poured out on streets late at night chanting â€Å"USA, USA† while half way across the world in Pakistan, where Osama was killed, crowds were enraged at his death, held rallies and chanted â€Å"death to America,† and held mock funerals in his honor. Before going in to the details of the background and aftermath of his death, a brief introduction of the city of Abbottabad is very significant which shows why Osama was staying there. Abbottabad is located in Northern Pakistan and is famous for its cool weather and beautiful terrain. It is the Aspen of Pakistan. Since, my family is from that region, hence growing up I used to spend my summers there. It was a summer getaway hill spot for us and the city was always crowded of tourists from across the world. It is a heaven for the retirees too. As Osama was getting old and weak, this city was a best place for him to stay as it had a mixture of both urban facilities and natural scenery. See more: how to start a paragraph According to the U.S government, Osama was hiding in Abbottabad for about five years as one headline at CNN’s website states, â€Å"Officials: Bin Laden complacent in Pakistan, no sign of escape plan.† The question arises how he got in Pakistan and was able to stay there and had no plans to flee. A hypothesis can be made that Osama had a deal with Pakistani intelligence agencies and was able to escape from Afghan mountains to a comfortable city of Abbottabad. This city houses Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) where every year thousands of army soldiers are trained. The whole city is built around Army barracks, schools and hospitals. The security of Army institutions and personnel had increased many folds due to the suicide attacks in recent years. A follow up question arises how Pakistani government and intelligence not knew where Osama was hiding. He was living peacefully under the nose of the military base camp. Living in Pakistan for 19 years, I often read this phrase in newspapers saying, â€Å"Even a bird can’t fly without the orders of ISI.† ISI is a famous Pakistani intelligence agency known for its role in South East Asian conflicts. ISI has been using jihadi militants to keep a check on Pakistani politicians, on Indians in Kashmir and on the government in Afghanistan. I personally think ISI knew where Osama bin Laden was, had a deal with him, provided him protection with a huge compound with barb wired high walls and security cameras and that is how he was able to stay so comfortably in Pakistan. I have absolutely no doubt that Pakistani intelligence did not know where he was. After Osama’s death, according to CNN’s website, Al Qaeda vowed to attack Pakistanis and Americans. Al Qaeda proclaimed that Osama’s death was because of â€Å"handful of traitors and thieves.† This statement clearly shows that Al Qaeda had a deal with handful of officials in Pakistani government or ISI to gain protection for their leader. Without Pakistanis protection, it would not have been possible for a foreigner like Osama, who could not even speak the local language, â€Å"hide† in Pakistan for several years. Works Cited: * Al Qaeda threats, terror plans surface. (06 May 2011). Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-06/world/pakistan.bin.laden_1_bin-laden-terrorist-network-sheikh-osama-al-qaeda?_s=PM:WORLD. Date accessed: 12 May 2011. * Starr, B., Benson, P. (12 May 2011). Officials: Bin Laden complacent in Pakistan, no sign of escape plan. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/12/us.bin.laden.compound/index.html?iref=allsearch. Date accessed: 12 May 2011. * Walsh, D., Adams R., MacAskill, E. Osama bin Laden is dead, Obama announces. (2 May 2011). Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-obama. Date accessed: 12 May 2011.

Pay Framework and Store Management of Matalan Retail

Pay Framework and Store Management of Matalan Retail The following paper is a report about the introduction of an innovative pay framework at the Matalan stores. The company is relatively new in the market since its inception in the year 1985. Though the progress has been staggering and the company has moved forward while imbibing some of the best management practices seen in corporate history, there is a slack in the current pay structure practised at Matalan. Though they had a formal structure in the past, at the moment each store has its own recruitment policies and salary structures. Thesis causing problems within the human resource department at each store due to the discrepancy in maintaining similar levels of pay structure. The company would need to undergo change and create a new pay framework, which imbibes all the concepts of equal pay to avoid any legal proceedings in the future. At the same time the paper also takes into consideration factors, which are important while trying to create pay frameworks for organisations – motivation, communication channels, training and development, equal opportunities and similar non financial rewards which have proven to go a long way in improving performance at the work place. The report goes through a series of different headings which come together to weave a structure which best explains the problems, founding issues and a possible solution. Introduction Matalan is one of UK’s leading clothing and home furnishings retailer. The quality of clothes and home ware is relatively high with an affordable price tag. It was John Hargreaves who founded Matalan; he initially discovered the concept of out of town selling at lower prices in the US markets. The learning process was enough for him to know that this could turn out to be a very successful retail strategy in the Upmarket. The first Matalan store was opened in Preston in the year1985. By 1995, the company had made tremendous progress and had 50 stores to their credit across UK. The year 1997 was one with multiple changes in the business strategy and management practices, since the company was growing at a phenomenal pace; the head office was moved to Skelmersdale to be in a better position to oversee company growth and management issues. The success was reinstated in the market with company floatation in the year 1998, at the moment Matalan trades from 5 million square feet in over 170 stores. For the consumers the opportunity to shop at Matalan is very satisfying since they get unrivalled quality at unsurpassed prices. The strategy Matalan follows is to buy from the manufacturers and having out of town less costly stores, which enable them to pass on the cost benefit to the customers. Please refer appendix 2 for more information about Matalan’s positioning the UK market in comparison to other clothing retailers. A visit to a Matalan store reveals the complete family range the store has on offer, there is something for everybody. On an average the store size is an approximate 30,000 sq. ft. per store, the product range is comprehensive combination of home ware, clothing line for men, women and children. Each clothing line has a further divide in range and styles – formal, informal, sporty, seasonal, modern basics to some very classical styling, other than having their own labels on display there are also other brands on offer – Wrangler, Flamer, Lee Cooper, Wonder bra and Wolsey, this gives the customers a more balanced profile to choose from. The head office provides immense functional support tall stores across UK – be it buying, merchandising, marketing, HRM,finance, operations or property management. To get a better understanding of what each store entails in terms of human resources, we have the following line up. Store Manager Deputy Manager Sales Manager Ladies wear Sales Manager Men swear Sales Manager Childrens wear Sales Manager Home ware Full and part time General Sales Assistants At the same time, there are flexible changes in the way roles might be managed in a store, in smaller stores the home ware and children ‘swear departments are overlooked and managed by a one sales manager instead of two which is a norm in bigger sized stores. Matalan prides itself on some very progressive practices in all departments; the management believes that what they have on offer for employees is a fast track progressive career path, which is completely matched with one’s personal ambitions to succeed. [www.matalan.co.uk] The pay framework at Matalan includes the following benefits and perks. Highly competitive Salary Bonus Scheme Discounted Share Save scheme Life assurance policy Private Health Care 10% discount at all stores Generous holiday entitlements [http://www.inretail.co.uk/pages/content.asp?PageID=311] The above is an insight into what Matalan Retail has to offer its employees and staff across the stores. There are problems with the current pay structure, some of the new recruits are paid with regards to market rates and this is not in sync with what is paid to the old recruits in similar roles. The local HR offices have been exercising autonomy in recruitment and salary structures, which might, create friction between employees, peers and draw inter store comparisons. There is no clear-cut strategy for assimilating information on employees, their satisfaction levels and ways to gauge their performance at work. All this and more in the long run can create some damaging effects to the organisations performance as a whole. The following report is to create an understanding and balance between problems, issues and executable solutions so that the company can align the employee/staff goals with the organisation objectives. Literature Review Michael Armstrong (2001), in his book, ‘New dimensions in pay management’ talks about new systems and processes in reward management and pay structures. It also talks in length about the factors, which need consideration when planning a new pay structure in an organisation. It also covers methods of developing; introducing and evaluating new pay structures. Organisations in towards era have to move at a fast pace while adjusting to the changes in the internal and external environment. These pressure make these organisations react indifferent manners, it could be delayering, project based, flexible or continuous. The emphasis is on continuous improvements in terms of performance management, reward management, personnel appraisal, quality control and customer service. The quality of human resources within an organisation is considered a significant advantage and differentiating factor. The focus should also be on business strategies and using systems like reward management and performance appraisal to bring about change in organisations. The reward concept is a focused effort of various forms of rewards, base pay, variable pay, benefits and non-financial rewards. The significance of pay revolves around motivational strategy, attracting and retaining employees in their job roles to build a more effective organisation. The non-financial rewards include more recognition, praise, and training options, responsibility and although more studies on organisational behaviour have revealed that it’s the non-financial rewards, which have more scope for retaining employees. It was in the year 1990 that Ed Bawler spoke about the limitations of using this approach, â€Å"The starting point for any reward system design process needs to be the strategic agenda of the organisation. Thus the first step in designing the reward system for an organisation is to focus on the individual and organisational behaviours that are needed in order for the organisation to be successful†. Bawler further enhanced and improvised on this belief to cover all organisations, â€Å"The business strategy, in particular, serves as a crucial guide in designing organisational systems because it specifies what the company wants to accomplish, how it wants to behave, and the kinds of performance and performance levels it must demonstrate to be effective†. [Michael Armstrong (2001), cap 1-15] Shaun Tyson and Alfred York (1989) in their books ‘Personnel Management’, talk about how most organisations design their pay and wage packages based on the hierarchy. Another big difference is that blue-collar jobs are usually at an hourly rate, the wages are paid weekly or monthly basis and the salary earners are the ones who are Gina middle or senior management position. The differences are not limited to the salary; they also extend to the additional perks and benefits, which are offered to the employees. The objectives of a policy towards making a payment could be described as to ‘remain competitive for labour whilst rewarding good performance and adopting a position on pay which is felt to be fair by all employees.’ [Shaun Tyson and Alfred York (1989), cap 210-211] The distinction that companies enjoy while treating different job roles with different salary structures is a matter of internal personnel philosophy. There are certain important criterions, which needs to be considered while planning a salary and wages structure – If the company wishes to afford large salaries and pay packets to employees then they are working with the strategy of getting maximum output and high standards of quality and work from the employees. The effort to keep the standards high has to be sustained through time. If the company wishes to offer other benefits and perks like travel allowance, car, mobile phones, laptops, inflation proof pension etc., the other way of doing this could be by giving the flexibility to the employee to decide what structure would be most appealing to him or her in terms of salary spend. Another option is to trade off these benefits against wages. The most important factor to be seen by organisations remains retaining employees. They need to understand what appeals to the employees, what motivated them to work harder and perform better. Employee retention is a big problem and a lot of organisations are trying to tackle this through financial perks, raising salaries and other perks. There are options like profit share benefits and bonus schemes which also need to be worked through the system. This does not call for direct employee participation and might not prove to be a great motivational tool. There are policies on variation of pay frameworks, what needs consideration from management and organisations is whether pay is the main incentive and motivational tool for employees. They also need to understand the kind of employee evaluation scheme, which needs to be adopted and run. The organisations which operate from more than one location need to understand the repercussions of giving more autonomy to its line managers in terms of drafting salary structure and pay frameworks. The other option would be to draft a company wide policy and run it across all departments and locations irrespective of size, force and structure. The last step would be the pay reviews and how often one needs to undergo one at a certain location. The evidence, which is needed to corroborate what, the employee is saying and how the performance has been in the past. [Shaun Tyson and Alfred York (1989), cap 210-215] In the same way when one needs to approach the way wages are offered to the resources, the basic flat rate is what is paid to the employee based on the amount of work he or she has put in a specific time frame.ased on this principle the employee can actually generate more income by completing more pieces of workloads and assignments. A differential piecework is what in other words means ‘time allowed ‘system of piecework, other than the amount of bonus one earns, which is further shared between the company and the employee. There are then small group incentive schemes as well as long-term large group incentive schemes. Given that this paper is about a large sized retail organisation, a long term large group scheme should be a more worthwhile option to discuss although one does need to consider the number of revolving labour one is faced with at retail outlets. The big difference between these schemes is that they have a long-term goal to achieve, apply through the whole organisation/factory structure and try and involve the employees in the organisation structure and future objectives. Given the large rotating base of employees at large retail outlets, we will consider the author’s views on small group incentive schemes. The advantages of these schemes are that they draw in the people and their tendency for bringing about a norm, which is acceptable and comfortable. This in turn leads to a team spirit, which does help while building a positive atmosphere at a store/outlet/organisation. In terms of paper work, these schemes are much easier to monitor and control. The cost savings in terms of money, manpower, effort is less considering the monitoring required, less inspection and savings onetime study periods. There are indirect workers who can also participate in these schemes, the workers, cleaners; store assistants can enjoy the same benefits and perks. There is a larger amount of flexibility and teamwork amongst the work force; the people themselves are keen to get rid of hurdles and bottlenecks in the work process to help provide better work environment. There are disadvantages to these schemes too; there might be impacts of group pressures on workers who are not as efficient as the others. The holidays and sickness leaves will easily upset the system; there would be a need to carve out special arrangements to tackle the holidays. Here could be problems with production, supply chain management that could in turn affect the performance of the employees. In retrospect this could create a substantial amount of disillusionment with the scheme. Coming back to the long-term schemes, there are many variations, which might apply to these. The Scan long plan (1947) was a suggestion plan as well as a collective incentive scheme. The suggestion scheme is what one comes across in a lot of production and manufacturing environments. The employees are asked to come up with suggestions on how to improve the efficiency levels and reduce time at work; these ideas are then enhanced and improvised by the management and the union. The bonus calculation in these cases is then based on the improvements shown in reducing the cost of good produced as well as improvements in the actual output, manpower per hour. Another set of work rules would be if there is a reduction in the sales revenue then the e employees would be deprived of a bonus irrespective of how hard they have worked. In long term view there is absolutely no motivational quality attached to this variation in pay structure. The other plan was introduced by Trucker(1955), which entailed the use of ‘productive value’ or added value. This was based on a collective bonus scheme. The value in this variation is the difference between the sales revenue and the cost of raw materials and supplies. This approach is very fragile with regards to the effects market forces might have on this scheme. The advantage of these long-term large group schemes is that it will provide the incentive for long-term earnings. The employee participation helps overcome the most frequently seen sentiment to them versus us. The level of involvement with the management and production base is stronger than in other cases. This helps build trust and stability. Here is more scope of a wider base of applications, which can be used in the business, and the working of the organisation. The value added schemes are being adjusted to the changing conditions the company might be undergoing. [Shaun Tyson and Alfred York (1989), cap 210-220] There is however disadvantages to this long term, large group schemes. If these are actually applied across the whole production line, it might dissolve the sentiment of teamwork. These schemes need to have some form of bonus for the employees else it will have no incentive for them to perform better or to increase productivity. The larger the number of employees covered through this scheme the less the percentage which goes to each employee, hence in the final turn of events it reduces the usefulness. Another question rather doubt which arises is whether the individuals see their own efforts helping towards the final cause and long term goals of the scheme and production value. Here is a list of variables which can cause damage to the production process – change in personnel, supervision, customer requirements, machinery, external environment changes. Michael H. Bottomed (1983), in his book, Personnel Management, talks about job satisfaction, motivational tools, compensation package sand benefits which are all integral factors affecting the performance of an organisation. The writer brings an interesting fact to the forefront; the compensation package for employees had grown more complex in the past years. A simple break down of the framework seems like a complex thing to do. It is now important to design frameworks, which suit the individual requirements and needs of the employees. Any organisation has to get the mix right for them to address issues like retention, attrition, motivation and performance. While designing the pay framework for an organisation, it is important to note the background of the corporation, individuals job roles and what they entail, individual pay systems and the after effects on the performance and reaction of the employees. The external factors, which affect the way organisations can design pay packages, is because of government taxation rules and pay restraints. A lot of writers have written on the total compensation package, perks and inducements. â€Å"Simon (1958) refers to inducements as payments made by the organisation to its participants in return for contributions. Thomason (1981) identifies a level of consideration necessary to attract labour. Lupton (1975) suggests that the rules of a pay system say how effort is to be related to reward.†[Michael H. Bottomed (1983), p 80 – 90] An interesting factor, which needs consideration, is the effect of compensation on behaviours. Two of these theories, which have surfaced, are those of expectancy and reinforcement. The critical component of the expectancy theory is the way people relate to compensation with the reward package offered as a result of providing a service. In an important study conducted by Schwa and Heneman (1975), this form of sentiment and perception was found strongest in workers with individual incentives schemes. The reinforcement model finds its origins in Skinner’s (1969) writings. The process defines and develops the patterns, which are experienced while pairing good behaviour with rewards and bad behaviour with punishment. The way this sort of conditioning takes place is through a learning process. The conditioning in this case is so deep and inherent that when an individual is faced with a similar situation, he/she reacts in similar manner as they have done before. [Michael H. Bottomed (1983),p 80 – 95] There are various types of payments and rewards, which can be introduced as part of the main structure. One the popular schemes are the bonus scheme, in effect the system of payments is through a bonus. There is a need to create a specific background before introducing this scheme; the management needs to be committed to the scheme. A big factor towards failure of most of these payment frameworks is the lack of ownership on part of the management. If the cost attached to the transition is not going their way, the management finds it easy to stop the process midway. The employees need to be part of any new scheme, which is in the offing; they need to know the implications, benefits, disadvantages and time frame needed for a successful introduction. The measures, which define productivity, are always a contentious issue and so the management and employees need to be on the same page. A feedback system needs to be in place through which all are informed of the progress made and how the employee stands in terms of rewards towards work input. Communication is essential while implementing any new system or process, the best route would be to discuss the progress, the ways the productivity can be increased and how can all gain the most. The work productivity measure is more or less decided based on the following methodologies – The job role of the employee and the time input needed to complete the job at a satisfactory level The actual physical production of goods/commodities and the time taken to do so The actual physical production of goods/commodities and the cost of production An additional value achieved or the cost of labour The cost of materials used for production, cost needed to get a production going Another way of sharing benefits is through the profit sharing scheme. Good example for this would be NatWest, which introduced this scheme. The staff does reach a point of identification and self-achievement when the results are grouped. The employees feel a greater sense of loyalty and commitment towards the job and the organisation. The performance is not in isolation and with regards to personal achievements; the employees also begin to see the bigger picture and what it means to have greater financial success. At the end all businesses are about profit, the biggest sense of achievement is to derive a balance between employee cost and the profitability. The three common ways to determine how much to pay in the profit sharing scheme are as follows – The amount of profits before tax The directors at their own discretion decide how much to pay the employees under this scheme The amount of profits accumulated after a certain limit has been reached Andrews (1975) talks about reasons, which are critical to the introduction of compensation and pay benefits. As mentioned before by many other writers, the employee base and staff are important resources, it is important for any business/organisation to retain and attract staff to meet the current and future objectives of the company. The staff at all times needs to feel that their efforts in the organisation are noticed and rewarded accordingly. There has to be encouragement and identification of interests, which match those of the employees with regards to reward management. The employees and staff need to be motivated and propelled to perform better and take on more responsibility during the course of their work. There is a need for asset criterion for differentiating between different job roles and titles, each one has its own set of complexities and leverage, this needs to be considered while preparing a compensation package. The company also needs to see some value in the amount of remuneration and rewards being given to the employee. All organisations need to have clear structure for career progression for all employees; they need to know what the future holds for them in the organisation hierarchy. All employees need to have some stability and ways to maintain their standard of living. [Michael H. Bottomed (1983), p 80 – 100] Clive Fletcher and Richard Williams (1992) in their book Performance appraisal and career development talk about appraisal schemes, equal opportunity employment, future challenges and opportunities in this sphere, persisting issues, maintenance and evaluation. The appraisal systems are an effective tool, which has helped a lot of organisations to collect information from the staff and employees about pays and promotions. An increase in the bonus scheme and other incentives, this was a motivating mechanism as well as a productivity enhancer. The management to further develop and plan the welfare of the personnel used the information collected. The appraisal system also acts as process line up for re visiting the initial recruitment decisions also place to decide the promotion schemes and incentives on offer. This can also be an effective communication channel, for introducing new training and development schemes for the personnel; the same can also be used for succession planning. There is an inherent change in the way managers think in current times, pay and rewards are important but appraisal systems will also show that family and time off work is as crucial, else there is bound to be high stress levels and chances of complete burn out. Gorier and Philpot (1978, p 2-5) in their paper point out the following, â€Å"Whilst managers are concerned about their careers, they are equally concerned about their home and family life. Numerous comments on the difficulties of finding time for family and leisure activities whilst coping with a demanding job indicate the potential for conflict between these two areas of their life†. The career concept has undergone an immense amount of change and managers are realising this while planning their internal performance management schemes. Work is no more in isolation, its involves the family and home life as well, else there will always be a carry overload syndrome from home to work and vice versa. An interesting quote in this direction of thought comes from Evans and Bartolome (1980, p7-10), â€Å"Professional life affects the quality of private life on a day to day basis. But the reverse is not true; private life only affects the quality of professional life in extreme situations. The effect of private life on professional life is through its influence on major career and life decisions†. Another issues which organisations now need to consider with stringent measures is that of equal employment opportunities. Equal opportunities could be based on gender, skills, nationality or religion among other factors. Organisations need to revisit their policies and regulations to ensure that they are not breeding grounds for lawsuits on various discriminatory grounds. A big reason why women have not moved too far with context to organisational skills is due to systematic barriers imposed by organisations, the attitude of the management and also partially due to their own behaviour and attitude towards career progression. If we consider the implications of the above issues with regards to retail stores like Matalan, there is a lot of temporary staff and permanent staff; a majority of the temporary staff comprise women. Organisations like Matalan need to consider the implications of treating the part timers and temporary employees as part of the larger picture, one that manages the day-to-day operations at the stores. These employees and staff need to be made part of an appraisal system too to ensure that there can be room for career development opportunities along with the full timers. Much of what has been said about women applies to members of different ethnic backgrounds and racial groups too. Their representation in management and as part of the professional roles is discriminatorily low. Although there have been steps taken to curb this partial reaction, there are still large gaps in the way these people have been treated by line managers. The performance appraisal training needs to consider the attitude and aptitude of these minority groups so that they can be pushed towards a better role when an opportunity arises. All the authors in the literature review have managed to cast important information regarding pay structures, motivation, career development, training and development, equal opportunity, discriminatory pay, appraisal systems to counter balance the changes organisations need to make in personnel management. This will help one understand better in terms of the changes Matalan needs to introduce to mitigate the problems they are currently facing. Methodology The Techniques used for data collection are both qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research is exploratory; Quantitative research on the other hand involves statistical surveys to quantify factors previously exposed in qualitative research. Van Mane (1983, p9) defines qualitative techniques as ‘an array of interpretative techniques which seek to describe, decode, translate and otherwise comet terms with the meaning, not the frequency, of certain more or less naturally occurring phenomena in the social world’. The data collated for this paper has been primarily through desk research using the internet, online journals, books, reports and the Matalan website. Given the time frame and the confidentiality regarding information on the existing pay framework being used by the Matalan stores did not leave much room for secondary research. The data collated was ample to find out patterns in changes, which had taken place at the stores and the way the staff had reacted to them. It is also reflective of the management involvement and how prompt they are to react when a problem arises at the stores. The organisation culture also came in play while researching this paper, though there is autonomy in job roles, they need to curtail that freedom to ensure that uniform pay framework exists at all stores across job levels. Pay frameworks don’t need to be dictated only by the internal conditions prevailing in the organisation, the existing market structure would also have some bearing to what is being offered to the employees and staff. Some authors have validated the authenticity and importance of personal interviews even though it is a more time consuming tool for data collection. The importance of interviews is summarised by Burgess(1982, p 107): ‘the interview is the opportunity for the researcher to probe deeply to uncover new clues, open up new dimensions of a problem and to secure vivid, accurate inclusive accounts that are based on personal experience’. Jones (1985, p 45) comments that, ‘between these two extremes is an abyss of practice and therefore theory about the purpose and nature of the qualitative interview’. In her view the main reason for conducting qualitative interviews is to understand, ‘how individuals construct the reality of their situation formed from the complex personal framework of beliefs and values, which they developed over their lives in order to help explain and predict events in their world.’ Though due to time constraints and confidentiality factors, interviews were not possible, we have taken information from testimonials and case studies presented by employees at Matalan about the existing framework. Through the course of the research, there was some data collated from testimonials and case studies published on the Matalan corporate website. Though each shows Matalan in a very positive frame, there is no doubt that the company website wont carry information on grudges the employees and staff might have with the way the organisation operates, the management issues and the unsatisfactory pay frameworks. The grounded analysis by Glaser and Strauss (1967) provided major benefits while understanding how the data collected from the testimonials and information from desk research had been analysed. It needs feel and intuition, there is no logical sequence one needs to follow to decipher results, there is constant sifting through, comparison with what has been found, and eventually there are some patterns, themes and categories, which emerge giving way to concepts.[Smith Easter-by Mark, Thorpe Richard and Lowe Andy (2003), p 100 – 130] Data Collection and Findings A report into the Matalan Store Pay framework shows that there areissues and ample grounds for legal proceedings. The way the paystructure is as of now can be the cause for a potential equal pay claims or a sex discrimination pay. The management considers the progress more through the level of jobs instead of the level of responsibility. There is no clear strategy for internal recruitment at the moment. There are reasons for dissatisfied Pay Framework and Store Management of Matalan Retail Pay Framework and Store Management of Matalan Retail The following paper is a report about the introduction of an innovative pay framework at the Matalan stores. The company is relatively new in the market since its inception in the year 1985. Though the progress has been staggering and the company has moved forward while imbibing some of the best management practices seen in corporate history, there is a slack in the current pay structure practised at Matalan. Though they had a formal structure in the past, at the moment each store has its own recruitment policies and salary structures. Thesis causing problems within the human resource department at each store due to the discrepancy in maintaining similar levels of pay structure. The company would need to undergo change and create a new pay framework, which imbibes all the concepts of equal pay to avoid any legal proceedings in the future. At the same time the paper also takes into consideration factors, which are important while trying to create pay frameworks for organisations – motivation, communication channels, training and development, equal opportunities and similar non financial rewards which have proven to go a long way in improving performance at the work place. The report goes through a series of different headings which come together to weave a structure which best explains the problems, founding issues and a possible solution. Introduction Matalan is one of UK’s leading clothing and home furnishings retailer. The quality of clothes and home ware is relatively high with an affordable price tag. It was John Hargreaves who founded Matalan; he initially discovered the concept of out of town selling at lower prices in the US markets. The learning process was enough for him to know that this could turn out to be a very successful retail strategy in the Upmarket. The first Matalan store was opened in Preston in the year1985. By 1995, the company had made tremendous progress and had 50 stores to their credit across UK. The year 1997 was one with multiple changes in the business strategy and management practices, since the company was growing at a phenomenal pace; the head office was moved to Skelmersdale to be in a better position to oversee company growth and management issues. The success was reinstated in the market with company floatation in the year 1998, at the moment Matalan trades from 5 million square feet in over 170 stores. For the consumers the opportunity to shop at Matalan is very satisfying since they get unrivalled quality at unsurpassed prices. The strategy Matalan follows is to buy from the manufacturers and having out of town less costly stores, which enable them to pass on the cost benefit to the customers. Please refer appendix 2 for more information about Matalan’s positioning the UK market in comparison to other clothing retailers. A visit to a Matalan store reveals the complete family range the store has on offer, there is something for everybody. On an average the store size is an approximate 30,000 sq. ft. per store, the product range is comprehensive combination of home ware, clothing line for men, women and children. Each clothing line has a further divide in range and styles – formal, informal, sporty, seasonal, modern basics to some very classical styling, other than having their own labels on display there are also other brands on offer – Wrangler, Flamer, Lee Cooper, Wonder bra and Wolsey, this gives the customers a more balanced profile to choose from. The head office provides immense functional support tall stores across UK – be it buying, merchandising, marketing, HRM,finance, operations or property management. To get a better understanding of what each store entails in terms of human resources, we have the following line up. Store Manager Deputy Manager Sales Manager Ladies wear Sales Manager Men swear Sales Manager Childrens wear Sales Manager Home ware Full and part time General Sales Assistants At the same time, there are flexible changes in the way roles might be managed in a store, in smaller stores the home ware and children ‘swear departments are overlooked and managed by a one sales manager instead of two which is a norm in bigger sized stores. Matalan prides itself on some very progressive practices in all departments; the management believes that what they have on offer for employees is a fast track progressive career path, which is completely matched with one’s personal ambitions to succeed. [www.matalan.co.uk] The pay framework at Matalan includes the following benefits and perks. Highly competitive Salary Bonus Scheme Discounted Share Save scheme Life assurance policy Private Health Care 10% discount at all stores Generous holiday entitlements [http://www.inretail.co.uk/pages/content.asp?PageID=311] The above is an insight into what Matalan Retail has to offer its employees and staff across the stores. There are problems with the current pay structure, some of the new recruits are paid with regards to market rates and this is not in sync with what is paid to the old recruits in similar roles. The local HR offices have been exercising autonomy in recruitment and salary structures, which might, create friction between employees, peers and draw inter store comparisons. There is no clear-cut strategy for assimilating information on employees, their satisfaction levels and ways to gauge their performance at work. All this and more in the long run can create some damaging effects to the organisations performance as a whole. The following report is to create an understanding and balance between problems, issues and executable solutions so that the company can align the employee/staff goals with the organisation objectives. Literature Review Michael Armstrong (2001), in his book, ‘New dimensions in pay management’ talks about new systems and processes in reward management and pay structures. It also talks in length about the factors, which need consideration when planning a new pay structure in an organisation. It also covers methods of developing; introducing and evaluating new pay structures. Organisations in towards era have to move at a fast pace while adjusting to the changes in the internal and external environment. These pressure make these organisations react indifferent manners, it could be delayering, project based, flexible or continuous. The emphasis is on continuous improvements in terms of performance management, reward management, personnel appraisal, quality control and customer service. The quality of human resources within an organisation is considered a significant advantage and differentiating factor. The focus should also be on business strategies and using systems like reward management and performance appraisal to bring about change in organisations. The reward concept is a focused effort of various forms of rewards, base pay, variable pay, benefits and non-financial rewards. The significance of pay revolves around motivational strategy, attracting and retaining employees in their job roles to build a more effective organisation. The non-financial rewards include more recognition, praise, and training options, responsibility and although more studies on organisational behaviour have revealed that it’s the non-financial rewards, which have more scope for retaining employees. It was in the year 1990 that Ed Bawler spoke about the limitations of using this approach, â€Å"The starting point for any reward system design process needs to be the strategic agenda of the organisation. Thus the first step in designing the reward system for an organisation is to focus on the individual and organisational behaviours that are needed in order for the organisation to be successful†. Bawler further enhanced and improvised on this belief to cover all organisations, â€Å"The business strategy, in particular, serves as a crucial guide in designing organisational systems because it specifies what the company wants to accomplish, how it wants to behave, and the kinds of performance and performance levels it must demonstrate to be effective†. [Michael Armstrong (2001), cap 1-15] Shaun Tyson and Alfred York (1989) in their books ‘Personnel Management’, talk about how most organisations design their pay and wage packages based on the hierarchy. Another big difference is that blue-collar jobs are usually at an hourly rate, the wages are paid weekly or monthly basis and the salary earners are the ones who are Gina middle or senior management position. The differences are not limited to the salary; they also extend to the additional perks and benefits, which are offered to the employees. The objectives of a policy towards making a payment could be described as to ‘remain competitive for labour whilst rewarding good performance and adopting a position on pay which is felt to be fair by all employees.’ [Shaun Tyson and Alfred York (1989), cap 210-211] The distinction that companies enjoy while treating different job roles with different salary structures is a matter of internal personnel philosophy. There are certain important criterions, which needs to be considered while planning a salary and wages structure – If the company wishes to afford large salaries and pay packets to employees then they are working with the strategy of getting maximum output and high standards of quality and work from the employees. The effort to keep the standards high has to be sustained through time. If the company wishes to offer other benefits and perks like travel allowance, car, mobile phones, laptops, inflation proof pension etc., the other way of doing this could be by giving the flexibility to the employee to decide what structure would be most appealing to him or her in terms of salary spend. Another option is to trade off these benefits against wages. The most important factor to be seen by organisations remains retaining employees. They need to understand what appeals to the employees, what motivated them to work harder and perform better. Employee retention is a big problem and a lot of organisations are trying to tackle this through financial perks, raising salaries and other perks. There are options like profit share benefits and bonus schemes which also need to be worked through the system. This does not call for direct employee participation and might not prove to be a great motivational tool. There are policies on variation of pay frameworks, what needs consideration from management and organisations is whether pay is the main incentive and motivational tool for employees. They also need to understand the kind of employee evaluation scheme, which needs to be adopted and run. The organisations which operate from more than one location need to understand the repercussions of giving more autonomy to its line managers in terms of drafting salary structure and pay frameworks. The other option would be to draft a company wide policy and run it across all departments and locations irrespective of size, force and structure. The last step would be the pay reviews and how often one needs to undergo one at a certain location. The evidence, which is needed to corroborate what, the employee is saying and how the performance has been in the past. [Shaun Tyson and Alfred York (1989), cap 210-215] In the same way when one needs to approach the way wages are offered to the resources, the basic flat rate is what is paid to the employee based on the amount of work he or she has put in a specific time frame.ased on this principle the employee can actually generate more income by completing more pieces of workloads and assignments. A differential piecework is what in other words means ‘time allowed ‘system of piecework, other than the amount of bonus one earns, which is further shared between the company and the employee. There are then small group incentive schemes as well as long-term large group incentive schemes. Given that this paper is about a large sized retail organisation, a long term large group scheme should be a more worthwhile option to discuss although one does need to consider the number of revolving labour one is faced with at retail outlets. The big difference between these schemes is that they have a long-term goal to achieve, apply through the whole organisation/factory structure and try and involve the employees in the organisation structure and future objectives. Given the large rotating base of employees at large retail outlets, we will consider the author’s views on small group incentive schemes. The advantages of these schemes are that they draw in the people and their tendency for bringing about a norm, which is acceptable and comfortable. This in turn leads to a team spirit, which does help while building a positive atmosphere at a store/outlet/organisation. In terms of paper work, these schemes are much easier to monitor and control. The cost savings in terms of money, manpower, effort is less considering the monitoring required, less inspection and savings onetime study periods. There are indirect workers who can also participate in these schemes, the workers, cleaners; store assistants can enjoy the same benefits and perks. There is a larger amount of flexibility and teamwork amongst the work force; the people themselves are keen to get rid of hurdles and bottlenecks in the work process to help provide better work environment. There are disadvantages to these schemes too; there might be impacts of group pressures on workers who are not as efficient as the others. The holidays and sickness leaves will easily upset the system; there would be a need to carve out special arrangements to tackle the holidays. Here could be problems with production, supply chain management that could in turn affect the performance of the employees. In retrospect this could create a substantial amount of disillusionment with the scheme. Coming back to the long-term schemes, there are many variations, which might apply to these. The Scan long plan (1947) was a suggestion plan as well as a collective incentive scheme. The suggestion scheme is what one comes across in a lot of production and manufacturing environments. The employees are asked to come up with suggestions on how to improve the efficiency levels and reduce time at work; these ideas are then enhanced and improvised by the management and the union. The bonus calculation in these cases is then based on the improvements shown in reducing the cost of good produced as well as improvements in the actual output, manpower per hour. Another set of work rules would be if there is a reduction in the sales revenue then the e employees would be deprived of a bonus irrespective of how hard they have worked. In long term view there is absolutely no motivational quality attached to this variation in pay structure. The other plan was introduced by Trucker(1955), which entailed the use of ‘productive value’ or added value. This was based on a collective bonus scheme. The value in this variation is the difference between the sales revenue and the cost of raw materials and supplies. This approach is very fragile with regards to the effects market forces might have on this scheme. The advantage of these long-term large group schemes is that it will provide the incentive for long-term earnings. The employee participation helps overcome the most frequently seen sentiment to them versus us. The level of involvement with the management and production base is stronger than in other cases. This helps build trust and stability. Here is more scope of a wider base of applications, which can be used in the business, and the working of the organisation. The value added schemes are being adjusted to the changing conditions the company might be undergoing. [Shaun Tyson and Alfred York (1989), cap 210-220] There is however disadvantages to this long term, large group schemes. If these are actually applied across the whole production line, it might dissolve the sentiment of teamwork. These schemes need to have some form of bonus for the employees else it will have no incentive for them to perform better or to increase productivity. The larger the number of employees covered through this scheme the less the percentage which goes to each employee, hence in the final turn of events it reduces the usefulness. Another question rather doubt which arises is whether the individuals see their own efforts helping towards the final cause and long term goals of the scheme and production value. Here is a list of variables which can cause damage to the production process – change in personnel, supervision, customer requirements, machinery, external environment changes. Michael H. Bottomed (1983), in his book, Personnel Management, talks about job satisfaction, motivational tools, compensation package sand benefits which are all integral factors affecting the performance of an organisation. The writer brings an interesting fact to the forefront; the compensation package for employees had grown more complex in the past years. A simple break down of the framework seems like a complex thing to do. It is now important to design frameworks, which suit the individual requirements and needs of the employees. Any organisation has to get the mix right for them to address issues like retention, attrition, motivation and performance. While designing the pay framework for an organisation, it is important to note the background of the corporation, individuals job roles and what they entail, individual pay systems and the after effects on the performance and reaction of the employees. The external factors, which affect the way organisations can design pay packages, is because of government taxation rules and pay restraints. A lot of writers have written on the total compensation package, perks and inducements. â€Å"Simon (1958) refers to inducements as payments made by the organisation to its participants in return for contributions. Thomason (1981) identifies a level of consideration necessary to attract labour. Lupton (1975) suggests that the rules of a pay system say how effort is to be related to reward.†[Michael H. Bottomed (1983), p 80 – 90] An interesting factor, which needs consideration, is the effect of compensation on behaviours. Two of these theories, which have surfaced, are those of expectancy and reinforcement. The critical component of the expectancy theory is the way people relate to compensation with the reward package offered as a result of providing a service. In an important study conducted by Schwa and Heneman (1975), this form of sentiment and perception was found strongest in workers with individual incentives schemes. The reinforcement model finds its origins in Skinner’s (1969) writings. The process defines and develops the patterns, which are experienced while pairing good behaviour with rewards and bad behaviour with punishment. The way this sort of conditioning takes place is through a learning process. The conditioning in this case is so deep and inherent that when an individual is faced with a similar situation, he/she reacts in similar manner as they have done before. [Michael H. Bottomed (1983),p 80 – 95] There are various types of payments and rewards, which can be introduced as part of the main structure. One the popular schemes are the bonus scheme, in effect the system of payments is through a bonus. There is a need to create a specific background before introducing this scheme; the management needs to be committed to the scheme. A big factor towards failure of most of these payment frameworks is the lack of ownership on part of the management. If the cost attached to the transition is not going their way, the management finds it easy to stop the process midway. The employees need to be part of any new scheme, which is in the offing; they need to know the implications, benefits, disadvantages and time frame needed for a successful introduction. The measures, which define productivity, are always a contentious issue and so the management and employees need to be on the same page. A feedback system needs to be in place through which all are informed of the progress made and how the employee stands in terms of rewards towards work input. Communication is essential while implementing any new system or process, the best route would be to discuss the progress, the ways the productivity can be increased and how can all gain the most. The work productivity measure is more or less decided based on the following methodologies – The job role of the employee and the time input needed to complete the job at a satisfactory level The actual physical production of goods/commodities and the time taken to do so The actual physical production of goods/commodities and the cost of production An additional value achieved or the cost of labour The cost of materials used for production, cost needed to get a production going Another way of sharing benefits is through the profit sharing scheme. Good example for this would be NatWest, which introduced this scheme. The staff does reach a point of identification and self-achievement when the results are grouped. The employees feel a greater sense of loyalty and commitment towards the job and the organisation. The performance is not in isolation and with regards to personal achievements; the employees also begin to see the bigger picture and what it means to have greater financial success. At the end all businesses are about profit, the biggest sense of achievement is to derive a balance between employee cost and the profitability. The three common ways to determine how much to pay in the profit sharing scheme are as follows – The amount of profits before tax The directors at their own discretion decide how much to pay the employees under this scheme The amount of profits accumulated after a certain limit has been reached Andrews (1975) talks about reasons, which are critical to the introduction of compensation and pay benefits. As mentioned before by many other writers, the employee base and staff are important resources, it is important for any business/organisation to retain and attract staff to meet the current and future objectives of the company. The staff at all times needs to feel that their efforts in the organisation are noticed and rewarded accordingly. There has to be encouragement and identification of interests, which match those of the employees with regards to reward management. The employees and staff need to be motivated and propelled to perform better and take on more responsibility during the course of their work. There is a need for asset criterion for differentiating between different job roles and titles, each one has its own set of complexities and leverage, this needs to be considered while preparing a compensation package. The company also needs to see some value in the amount of remuneration and rewards being given to the employee. All organisations need to have clear structure for career progression for all employees; they need to know what the future holds for them in the organisation hierarchy. All employees need to have some stability and ways to maintain their standard of living. [Michael H. Bottomed (1983), p 80 – 100] Clive Fletcher and Richard Williams (1992) in their book Performance appraisal and career development talk about appraisal schemes, equal opportunity employment, future challenges and opportunities in this sphere, persisting issues, maintenance and evaluation. The appraisal systems are an effective tool, which has helped a lot of organisations to collect information from the staff and employees about pays and promotions. An increase in the bonus scheme and other incentives, this was a motivating mechanism as well as a productivity enhancer. The management to further develop and plan the welfare of the personnel used the information collected. The appraisal system also acts as process line up for re visiting the initial recruitment decisions also place to decide the promotion schemes and incentives on offer. This can also be an effective communication channel, for introducing new training and development schemes for the personnel; the same can also be used for succession planning. There is an inherent change in the way managers think in current times, pay and rewards are important but appraisal systems will also show that family and time off work is as crucial, else there is bound to be high stress levels and chances of complete burn out. Gorier and Philpot (1978, p 2-5) in their paper point out the following, â€Å"Whilst managers are concerned about their careers, they are equally concerned about their home and family life. Numerous comments on the difficulties of finding time for family and leisure activities whilst coping with a demanding job indicate the potential for conflict between these two areas of their life†. The career concept has undergone an immense amount of change and managers are realising this while planning their internal performance management schemes. Work is no more in isolation, its involves the family and home life as well, else there will always be a carry overload syndrome from home to work and vice versa. An interesting quote in this direction of thought comes from Evans and Bartolome (1980, p7-10), â€Å"Professional life affects the quality of private life on a day to day basis. But the reverse is not true; private life only affects the quality of professional life in extreme situations. The effect of private life on professional life is through its influence on major career and life decisions†. Another issues which organisations now need to consider with stringent measures is that of equal employment opportunities. Equal opportunities could be based on gender, skills, nationality or religion among other factors. Organisations need to revisit their policies and regulations to ensure that they are not breeding grounds for lawsuits on various discriminatory grounds. A big reason why women have not moved too far with context to organisational skills is due to systematic barriers imposed by organisations, the attitude of the management and also partially due to their own behaviour and attitude towards career progression. If we consider the implications of the above issues with regards to retail stores like Matalan, there is a lot of temporary staff and permanent staff; a majority of the temporary staff comprise women. Organisations like Matalan need to consider the implications of treating the part timers and temporary employees as part of the larger picture, one that manages the day-to-day operations at the stores. These employees and staff need to be made part of an appraisal system too to ensure that there can be room for career development opportunities along with the full timers. Much of what has been said about women applies to members of different ethnic backgrounds and racial groups too. Their representation in management and as part of the professional roles is discriminatorily low. Although there have been steps taken to curb this partial reaction, there are still large gaps in the way these people have been treated by line managers. The performance appraisal training needs to consider the attitude and aptitude of these minority groups so that they can be pushed towards a better role when an opportunity arises. All the authors in the literature review have managed to cast important information regarding pay structures, motivation, career development, training and development, equal opportunity, discriminatory pay, appraisal systems to counter balance the changes organisations need to make in personnel management. This will help one understand better in terms of the changes Matalan needs to introduce to mitigate the problems they are currently facing. Methodology The Techniques used for data collection are both qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research is exploratory; Quantitative research on the other hand involves statistical surveys to quantify factors previously exposed in qualitative research. Van Mane (1983, p9) defines qualitative techniques as ‘an array of interpretative techniques which seek to describe, decode, translate and otherwise comet terms with the meaning, not the frequency, of certain more or less naturally occurring phenomena in the social world’. The data collated for this paper has been primarily through desk research using the internet, online journals, books, reports and the Matalan website. Given the time frame and the confidentiality regarding information on the existing pay framework being used by the Matalan stores did not leave much room for secondary research. The data collated was ample to find out patterns in changes, which had taken place at the stores and the way the staff had reacted to them. It is also reflective of the management involvement and how prompt they are to react when a problem arises at the stores. The organisation culture also came in play while researching this paper, though there is autonomy in job roles, they need to curtail that freedom to ensure that uniform pay framework exists at all stores across job levels. Pay frameworks don’t need to be dictated only by the internal conditions prevailing in the organisation, the existing market structure would also have some bearing to what is being offered to the employees and staff. Some authors have validated the authenticity and importance of personal interviews even though it is a more time consuming tool for data collection. The importance of interviews is summarised by Burgess(1982, p 107): ‘the interview is the opportunity for the researcher to probe deeply to uncover new clues, open up new dimensions of a problem and to secure vivid, accurate inclusive accounts that are based on personal experience’. Jones (1985, p 45) comments that, ‘between these two extremes is an abyss of practice and therefore theory about the purpose and nature of the qualitative interview’. In her view the main reason for conducting qualitative interviews is to understand, ‘how individuals construct the reality of their situation formed from the complex personal framework of beliefs and values, which they developed over their lives in order to help explain and predict events in their world.’ Though due to time constraints and confidentiality factors, interviews were not possible, we have taken information from testimonials and case studies presented by employees at Matalan about the existing framework. Through the course of the research, there was some data collated from testimonials and case studies published on the Matalan corporate website. Though each shows Matalan in a very positive frame, there is no doubt that the company website wont carry information on grudges the employees and staff might have with the way the organisation operates, the management issues and the unsatisfactory pay frameworks. The grounded analysis by Glaser and Strauss (1967) provided major benefits while understanding how the data collected from the testimonials and information from desk research had been analysed. It needs feel and intuition, there is no logical sequence one needs to follow to decipher results, there is constant sifting through, comparison with what has been found, and eventually there are some patterns, themes and categories, which emerge giving way to concepts.[Smith Easter-by Mark, Thorpe Richard and Lowe Andy (2003), p 100 – 130] Data Collection and Findings A report into the Matalan Store Pay framework shows that there areissues and ample grounds for legal proceedings. The way the paystructure is as of now can be the cause for a potential equal pay claims or a sex discrimination pay. The management considers the progress more through the level of jobs instead of the level of responsibility. There is no clear strategy for internal recruitment at the moment. There are reasons for dissatisfied