How Serious Were The Problems Facing Nicholas I at the Start of His Reign? Essay

Nicholas I faced a series of problems ranging in severity at the start of his reign as Tsar, including the Decembrists conspiracy, the Polish revolt and the Russian economy. However the first problem of Nicholas’ reign was in fact the problem of who would become Tsar, himself of his brother Constantine. Since the previous Tsar, Alexander I, had had no children, the rightful heir was his brother Constantine, and next in line was his younger brother Nicholas. With news that Constantine had married and Polish Catholic and renounced his claim to the throne, Nicholas’ was to publish a manifesto declaring himself Tsar. But Milaroadovich, the Governor General of St Petersburg, reminded Nicholas of the custom of proclaiming the eldest living heir Tsar. With this advice given, Nicholas decided to take it, as he knew that the Guards had previously played a part in the succession of many a Tsar. Therefore Nicholas proclaimed Constantine Tsar only for Constantine to do the same to Nicholas. In the end, Constantine refused to travel to St Petersburg from Warsaw, and renounced his claim to the throne and thus proclaimed Nicholas I Tsar. The problem of the succession itself was not too serious but the fact that the Tsar and its administration were in a state of flux had some serious repercussions. This gave more breathing space for the Decembrists to plan their assassination attempt on Nicholas. On 14th December 1825, Nicholas was ready for the Oath of Allegiance ceremony. On that day Nicholas had been informed of both the Northern Society and the Southern Society by General Miloradovich. The general informed Nicholas that the Northern Society’s activities were being monitored, which was true, and that they posed no real threat, which was more debatable. There was definitely unease in the way Nicholas felt he should deal with the problem, he decided to go with Miloradovich’s plans of accepting that he was safe from the Northern Society as he had been reassured that they did not pose a significant threat. Nicholas was worried that if direct action had been used against the conspirators, it might provoke the revolt he sought to avoid. The problem of the Northern and Southern Society was made worse when a Tsar adviser Rostovstev chose to inform the Northern Society of his meeting with the Tsar of the society itself. The leak of information was a serious problem for the new Tsar, although Nicholas probably remained ignorant in the case of Rostovstev. However Rostovstev caused panic the Northern Society, which caused some officers to withdraw quietly but other others decided to go ahead with plan. Nearing the time of the allegiance ceremony, Miloradovich was shot by gathering rebels after trying to negotiate with them. Nicholas then took decisive action and crushed the Decembrist revolt with artillery fire. It was the conjuncture of the attempt on his life; the assassination of his general and leak of information that made the Decembrist revolt a problem of the utmost severity to Nicholas. The revolution so early on in his reign made Nicholas I more reactionary and more suspicious of liberal ideas. Another problem, that faced the majority of Tsar, but was of more prominence in the reign of Nicholas, was the problem of the Russian economy. Nicholas was keen on the idea of a railway system in Russia whereas his chief economic Minister Kankrin was more conservative and felt that it would only encourage the spreading of western ideas and encourage people to travel around more. Another problem was the fact that Russian had fallen seriously behind Western Europe in terms of production, with England far more progressed than Russia could even think. This economic problem brought up the issue of the social system of Russia, and whether or not it was possible to flourish economically without the abolition of Serfdom which was seen as a huge hindrance to Russia trade and it development. This problem was a very serious one, as it needed incredible intellect to find a solution that protected the Tsar’s autocracy and serfdom and that still developed the Russian economy. Another problem at the start of Nicholas I’s reign as the Polish Revolt of 1830 and 1831, a revolt that took place due to the spreading of revolutionary ideas from the like of France and Belgium. It was in November 1830 when the revolutionary ideas hit Poland and the Poles rose in revolt against their Russian overlords. Constantine, Nicholas’ brother, had failed to contain the situation and the revolutionaries had the support of the Polish army. It was nine months until the revolution was suppressed, and the uprising cost many Russian lives, including Constantine’s who died of cholera. Nicholas thought it best to revoke the constitution and replace it with a much more restrictive statute. Universities at Warsaw and Vilna were closed and from then on until the death of Nicholas, Poland was ruled under martial law and the administration was place under greater Russian control. Nicholas aimed to â€Å"russify† Poland, and to impose Russian ways, institutions and beliefs and eradicate the local customs, institutions and beliefs. All in all, Nicholas I faced some very serious problems at the start of his reign in 1825, right from the day he was proclaimed Tsar. It was these incidents at the beginning of his reign such as the Decembrist Revolution and the Polish Revolt that made Nicholas a very reactionary Monarch in the later years of his reign.

M&A in India in Past Few Years Essay

Abstract The process of mergers and acquisitions has gained substantial importance in today’s corporate world. This process is extensively used for restructuring the business organizations. In India, the concept of mergers and acquisitions was initiated by the government bodies. Some well known financial organizations also took the necessary initiatives to restructure the corporate sector of India by adopting the mergers and acquisitions policies. The Indian economic reform since 1991 has opened up a whole lot of challenges both in the domestic and international spheres. The increased competition in the global market has prompted the Indian companies to go for mergers and acquisitions as an important strategic choice. The trends of mergers and acquisitions in India have changed over the years. The immediate effects of the mergers and acquisitions have also been diverse across the various sectors of the Indian economy. Till recent past, the incidence of Indian entrepreneurs acquiring foreign enterprises was not so common. The situation has undergone a sea change in the last couple of years. Acquisition of foreign companies by the Indian businesses has been the latest trend in the Indian corporate sector. The Indian IT and ITES sectors have already proved their potential in the global market. The other Indian sectors are also following the same trend. The increased participation of the Indian companies in the global corporate sector has further facilitated the merger and acquisition activities in India. The various factors that played their parts in facilitating the mergers and acquisitions in India are favorable government policies, buoyancy in economy, additional liquidity in the corporate sector, and dynamic attitudes of the Indian entrepreneurs are the key factors behind the changing trends of mergers and acquisitions in India. Even though mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have been an important element of corporate strategy all over the globe for several decades, research on M&As has not been able to provide conclusive evidence on whether they enhance efficiency or destroy wealth. There is thus an ongoing global debate on the effects of M&As on firms. This article seeks to explore the trends and progress in M&As India. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1618272 MERGER & ACQUISITION IN INDIA: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY The phrase mergers and acquisitions (abbreviated M&A) refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling and combining of different companies that can aid, finance, or help a growing company in a given industry grow rapidly without having to create another business entity. In business or economics a merger is a combination of two companies into one larger company. Such actions are commonly voluntary and involve stock swap or cash payment to the target. Stock swap is often used as it allows the shareholders of the two companies to share the risk involved in the deal. A merger can resemble a takeover but result in a new company name (often combining the names of the original companies) and in new branding; in some cases, terming the combination a â€Å"merger† rather than an acquisition is done purely for political or marketing reasons. Mergers may be broadly classified in (i) Horizontal mergers: A situation when two or more merging companies manufacture similar product in the same industry. (ii) Vertical mergers: A situation when two or more merging companies work at different stages of manufacture of a same product. (iii) Conglomerate mergers: A situation when two or more merging companies operate in different industries. The word acquisition, also known as a takeover or a buyout, is the buying of one company (the ‘target’) by another. An acquisition may be friendly or hostile. In the former case, the companies cooperate in negotiations; in the latter case, the takeover target is unwilling to be bought or the target’s board has no prior knowledge of the offer. Acquisition usually refers to a purchase of a smaller firm by a larger one. Sometimes, however, a smaller firm will acquire management control of a larger or longer established company and keep its name for the combined entity. This is known as a reverse takeover. Another type of acquisition is reverse merger, a deal that enables a private company to get publicly listed in a short time period. A reverse merger occurs when a private company that has strong prospects and is eager to raise financing buys a publicly listed shell company, usually one with no business and limited assets. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1618272 Reasons for Merger and Acquisition †¢ Operating synergies: The uniting of two firms improve productivity or cut costs so that the unlevered cash flows of the combined firm exceed the combined unlevered cash flows of the individual firm †¢ A vertical merger between a supplier and a customer, eliminates various coordination and bargaining problems †¢ A horizontal merger between competitors, produces a less competitive product market and cost savings from combining R&D facilities and sales forces †¢ Financial synergies: Information and incentive problems may cause cashstarved firms to pass up positive NPV projects, but cash-rich firms to overinvest in negative NPV projects †¢ Conglomerates can use internal capital markets to transfer funds from negative NPV projects to positive NPV projects †¢ †¢ Enhance the flexibility of the organization Reduces bankruptcy risk Objectives In this article an attempt has been made (i) To examine the presence of trends and progress of M&As in Indian corporation. (ii) To analyze year-wise and industry-wise variance in number and amount of M&A deals. Hypotheses To cover the above objectives following hypotheses have been formulated: 1. There is no significant difference in number and amount of M&A deals in between years and between industries. 2. There is no significant difference between M&A progress in manufacturing and service sector Industry-wise Trends of M&As The industry-wise trends in number and amount of M&A deals between 2000 and 2007 are presented in the Table 1 and Table 2 and the industry-wise trends and progress of M&As have been analysed on this basis Food and Beverages: India is the world’s second largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the biggest with the food and agricultural sector. The Indian food market is estimated at over US$ 182 billion, and accounts for about two thirds of the total Indian retail market. According to industry experts, the market for carbonated drinks in India is worth US$ 1.5 billion while the juice and juice-based drinks market accounts for US$ 0.25 billion. Growing at a rate of 25 per cent, the fruitdrinks category is one of the fastest growing in the beverages market. The Indian food processing industry plays a significant role in diversifaction of agriculture products, generates employment, enhances income of farmers and creates a surplus for export of agro-foods. The important reason of the M&A activity initiated in this industry are deregulation, restructuring disinvestment, restructuring by parent companies and presence of foreign players. Textiles Industry: Until the economic liberalization of Indian economy, the India Textile Industry was predominantly unorganized industry. The opening up of Indian economy post 1990s led to a stupendous growth of this industry. India Textile Industry is one of the largest textile industries in the world. Today, Indian economy is largely dependent on textile manufacturing and exports. India earns around 27% of the foreign exchange from exports of textiles. Further, India Textile Industry contributes about 14% of the total industrial production of India. Furthermore, its contribution to the gross domestic product of India is around 3% only. Textile Industry involves around 35 million workers directly and it accounts for 21% of the total employment generated in the economy. However the important reasons for the M&As in these sectors are: growth of power looms and handlooms sector at the cost of mill sector which has ultimately resulted in making them sick and unviable. This has led to an increase in the closure of mills; in addition, continued and persistent use of old plant and machinery has led to low profitability in the mill sector and thereby forcing some of mills to closedowns. Chemicals, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals: Under this category companies operating in the industrial groups of chemicals, drugs, pharmaceutical, cosmetics petrochemicals and rubbers have been taken into account for analyzing the trend and progress. The drug & pharmaceutical industry in India meets around 70% of the country’s demand for bulk drugs, drug intermediates, pharmaceutical formulations, chemicals, tablets, capsules, orals and injectibles. There are about 250 large Pharmaceuticals manufacturers and suppliers and about 8000 Small Scale Pharmaceutical & Drug Units which form the core of the pharmaceutical industry in India (including 5 Central Public Sector Units). These bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals manufacturers produce the complete range of pharmaceutical formulations i.e. medicines ready for consumption by patients and about 350 bulk drugs i.e. chemicals having therapeutic value and used for production of pharmaceutical formulations. Owing to a significant increase in Pharmaceuticals exports, India’s USD 3.1 billion pharmaceutical industries are growing at the rate of 14 percent per year. It is one of the largest and most advanced among the developing countries. Even the number of pharmaceuticals exporters, manufacturers and suppliers is increasing tremendously, the factors that contributed to increase in M&A activity in these sectors are: Introduction of the process Patent Act in 1970, which required Indian companies to recognize international process patents. This has given an opportunity for the Indian companies to grow. This growth is associated with M&As and the emergence of WTO has brought about fundamental changes in the pharmaceutical industry. Trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) of WTO require all Indian companies to comply with international patents. This has mainly happened in the form of M&As. Non–metallic Mineral Products: In this sector, cement and ceramics manufacturers are the primary players. The factors responsible for M&As are: before 1999 cement industry faced many problems like liquidity crisis, inadequate expenditure on infrastructure and costs of inputs. South-east Asian crisis brought narrowed profitability resulting to the bigger players withstanding the pressure of lower profitability and smaller and marginal players closing down or merging with big players and trying to appear favorable for a takeover. National Quadrilateral Road Project and State Government Policies to construct the irrigation projects could be other factors responsible for this boom. Basic Metal, Alloy and Steel: This is one of the oldest and traditional industry sectors in India. Companies operating in metals, alloy, steel and related concerns are grouped under this head. The factors contributing to M&As in this sector are: Slowdown of the economy during the year 1996-97, the capital markets, remaining depressed for the past couple of years, drying up sources of investment funds for industry, small and medium corporate finding it difficult to access institutional funds and export growth subjected to competitive pressure from imports. Information Technology and Telecom: Companies operating in the IT, Software, telecom and convergence sector are clubbed in industry, the central government has formed an independent department of information technology. Since the removal of restrictions on foreign capital investment and industrial de-licensing, India’s Telecom industry has shown large growth The Important factors for increasing M&As in this sector are: Consistent efforts were made by the department of telecom and its constituent organizations for upgrading and expanding the telecom networks and services and the Initiation of internet and web based developments and introduction of cell phone in India;. Automobiles and Automobile Ancillaries: Companies operating in automobile sector, locomotives, transport and spares have been included under this head. The Indian transport industry has been gradually playing a catalytic role for producing a wide variety of vehicles, passenger cars. Important factors responsible for an increase in M&As in this sector are: Globilalization is pushing global auto majors to consolidate, to upgrade technology, enlarge product range, access new markets and to cut costs. Competitive pressure and presence of global players have resulted in a number of M&As in this sector. Energy, Power, Gas and Oil: Companies operating in the field of energy, power, gas and oil are included in this group. Important factors responsible for an increase in M&As in this sector are, low rate of growth in power generation depressed the growth rate of industrial production and has necessitated immediate attention of big companies like Reliance Industries and due to unavailability of power and frequent disruptions have given an impetus to M&As in this sector..

Implications for Social Work Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Implications for Social Work Practice - Essay Example Human services have been defined by different scholars but there is a general guideline that it refers to jobs whose aim is to provide a particular service to society and in particular during the time of a crisis. It is a service provided to people so as to help in their stability on life as well as get self-sufficiency usually by counseling, guidance, treating and providing their basic needs (Woodside & McClam, 2011). Human services usually refer to a wide variety of services such as education, social welfare and healthcare such as mental services. These are services rendered to individuals or groups in society. These services are provided in order to meet their basic needs since all humans have needs but others are in more need than others due to their health status. Human services addresses the needs and problems that people have either as individual or collectively as a group. These services facilitate the daily lives of the needy groups such as the sick, poor and the elderly by enabling them to function and cope with life. Human services have programs as well as facilities that aim at meeting basic welfare of society. These services have been categorized as health, personal social services, education, housing, income transfer and employment training (Neukrug, 2002). Human services are disseminated through programs and policies. Their delivery is through a system which involves laws and regulations. As Woodside & McClam (2011) states, human services will address the problems people are having with either society at large for instance deviance, in organizations such as poverty and unemployment, with primary groups for instance divorce and difficulties amongst individuals themselves be it mental or emotional.

Response Journal 2 (ethics) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response Journal 2 (ethics) - Essay Example It appears that Mr. Hartherley, being passionate to his career, has been practicing his profession ethically. He had given appropriate advices to his clients. On the other hand he had been very keen about the purpose of the machine he is attending to, for he knows that ethically, he will be liable for all damages that the machine would give to the community and the environment as well. Thus, as stated in on the Code of Ethics for Engineers under Professional Obligations 1b: â€Å"Engineers shall advise their clients or employers when they believe a project will not be successful.† And on the Fundamental Canons nos. 1 and 6: â€Å"Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public† and Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and â€Å"Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession† respectively. References: Doyle, Arthur C.

Retail World of McDonald's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Retail World of McDonald's - Essay Example This essay reveals the retail food topic of The McDonalds Corporation, that primarily franchises and operates McDonalds restaurants. Of the 31,377 restaurants in 118 countries at year-end 2007, 20,505 are operated by franchisees (including 2,781 operated by developmental licensees), 3,966 are operated by affiliates and 6,906 are operated by the Company. The Company continues to focus its management and financial resources on the McDonalds restaurant business as it is believed that the opportunities for long-term growth remain significant. The unique business relationship among the Corporation, its franchisees and suppliers (collectively referred to as the System) has been key to McDonalds success over the years. This business model enables The McDonalds to play an integral role in the communities they serve and consistently deliver relevant restaurant experiences to customers. In addition, it facilitates their ability to implement innovative ideas and profitably grow the business worldwide. But since implementing the customer-centered Plan to Win several years ago, their focus has been on being better, not just bigger. This essay covers developed by the Company top 10 challanges and described main corporative and economical issues. No matter what, McDonalds still suffers from political threats from wars between countries where the company operates. Also term 'Americanism' that is associated with McDonalds Corporation described in this essay. It brings certain economical problems and threats of terrorist groups and attacks.

Mc Donalds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mc Donalds - Essay Example ing out of the 1990s, the company had gained an ugly reputation for having ‘single-handedly’ led the nation to its current dangerous levels of obesity (Branch, 1997). Reviled for its unhealthy food products and questioned about its quality, the numerous appeals the company made to try to appease the public were solidly rejected. However, McDonalds seems to be making a strong come-back based upon its new campaign focused on intelligent and healthy choices as revealed on their website. McDonald’s current marketing campaign makes constant appeals to the intellect and to healthy living. Rather than using the obvious color ploys of yesteryear’s designs, the McDonalds website (http://www.mcdonalds.com) offers rich tones of color that introduce sophistication and complication to the simpler red and yellows of the chain’s early years. However, bright colors are still used on the kids’ pages reserved for very young children, still learning how to use the mouse and keyboard. This is in keeping with psychological and developmental studies that suggest very young children are more attracted to simple, bright color schemes (Ratner, 1989). The site is also very sophisticated in its use of technology, providing combinations of fully integrated streaming media, flash game pages and easy and accessible xhtml pages. These impressions are backed up with the content of the site in which consumers are made to feel as if everything they want to know is ava ilable on the site, education is stressed through the emphasis placed on Hamburger University and children’s activities are geared to teach as well as provide entertainment while still supposedly revealing to children (who likely can’t read yet) that this site is an advertisement. In addition to these appeals to the consumer’s presumed intellect, and perhaps more importantly to its own success, the company is also making tremendous appeals to the public’s need for healthier food choices. Their biggest push

Strategic Financial Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Strategic Financial Management - Case Study Example As a result, the share prices listed in the stock market do not always reflect the true market value of a company. This perception has gained such currency that people who invest in stocks are driven more by speculation than certainty. The thinking that the stock market is not always a reliable indicator of firm value works against the interests of the company seeking capital for expansion because it may not be able to attract as many investors as it wants. One such firm is the fast-growth airline EasyJet plc, which was ranked No. 72 by Business Week in the list of the World's Most Innovative Companies in 2006. In the view of its officers, the airline's share prices have been distorted by the current volatilities that they fail to represent the true market value of the firm. Since the firm's formal listing in the London Stock Exchange in 2000, exactly five years after its establishment in 1995, EasyJet has worked hard to create value for shareholders but it seems unconvinced by the s hare prices reflected in the trading floor. For the benefit of investors and its board of directors that needs accurate financial data for decision-making purposes, EasyJet would naturally want to establish the correct market value of the firm. This paper affects a strategic financial analysis for and in behalf of EasyJet to find the true stock market value o... Then we chronicle how EasyJet plc has delivered such value to shareholders for the past five years and the trajectory of change in its equity value over the last 12 months, with the market value picking up in 3-4 months and then dropping without warning. To determine the firm's true market value, this paper evaluates EasyJet's equity at current prices using the firm's net asset value, price-earnings ratio and discounted cash flow for 10 years. Finally, we attempt to reconcile any differences in value obtained from these financial analysis methods. Based on the results, we set the correct stock market value for the firm. Strategic Financial Management Through strategic financial management, the company may find its true stock market value by isolating the sum of all expected future cash flows discounted to the present and then dividing the sum of these discounted cash flows with the number of available shares. Equity valuation can also be done by comparing the firm's current share price with its net asset value, price-earnings ratio and its discounted cash flows for the next 10 years. Strategic financial management is defined as the identification of strategies that can maximize an organization's present net value in order to increase shareholder value (Leading Concepts, 2006). Its key objective is precisely to create shareholder value. According to Grundy & Scholes (1998), strategic financial management seeks control of the company's bottom line through proactive, involved and customized means in a manner that is dynamic, forward-looking and outward-oriented. In effect, the firm looks at the links between corporate strategy and strategic financial management to see how the process can play a positive and proactive role in

Discuss the economic and social significance of interracial marriages Research Paper

Discuss the economic and social significance of interracial marriages and families - Research Paper Example In the opinion of Root â€Å"while hate, fear, and anger are common responses to interracial marriage and have powerful short-term affects, love has proved a formidable opponent† (Root, 1). However, the degree to which interracial marriages are affected by distinctions of values, habits, raising children, friends, in-laws etc are found to be greater than any other type of marriage (Interracial Marriages). As Roots (43) believes subtle difference between caste and class is enough for causing higher hostility between interracial partners than others. To illustrate, the couples of interracial marriages often share different ethical values which lead to disagreements and conflicts among them. The difference in eating habits and type of food consumed are found to be one of the major problems encountered by couples particularly in interracial marriages. In addition, they share different notions on the preparation methods and the way of consumption. Interracial couples encounter diss imilarities and unlike views in their outlook and gender roles. The western and non-western societies have distinct outlook on the role of women in family and society. The extent of liberty and freedom enjoyed by women also influences the relationship of interracial couples. When individuals of different societies with dissimilar races bind in the relationship of marriage, they often fail to play their roles effectively. The expectation of higher dignity and consideration from other races often persuade individuals to get into interracial relationships. But this over expectation and other moral disagreements restrict the success of interracial marriages. Thus gender role expectations significantly influence the decisions and actions of interracial couples (Interracial Marriages). The root cause for the problems out of interracial marriages is that it is not accepted and encouraged by the society. The society tends to classify people on their races and culture. As a result, interraci al couples usually encounter problems including lack of friends and well-wishers in the society. They tend to maintain less interaction with society or remain isolated from the society. The in-laws of interracial couples have different views on the lives of their children which also will directly influence the relationship of interracial couples. Most of the problems of interracial marriages start when it comes to the upbringing of children born to them. The method of child rearing differs from one race to the other. They often find trouble with choosing the best strategies for their children’s development. Furthermore, interracial marriages are found to have great impact on the lives of their multicultural children too. For instance, the children of interracial couple normally face discrimination and inequality in society and sometimes even at home. They face challenges on their racial identity; and often fail to categorize them into a particular group. Moreover, there may b e pressure from parental side to choose a particular identity while the child may wish to pursue the other one. In addition, there may also be a situation of agreement of child and parents for a particular racial identity but when the society may not accept it. Children get mentally disturbed and annoyed with unfairness and inequity at the school level. Racism becomes one of the key issues in the school environments. Children of interra

Immigration Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Immigration - Research Paper Example Even though a lot of people may not like immigrants because they are putting them out of jobs, immigrants in this economy today are helping to keep inflation low, improve housing values, and benefit taxpayers (Martin, 2007, 3). In other words, immigration helps provide an increase to the U.S. economy. The only people that are really being hurt right now by immigrants are those people without high school degrees (Gelfand and Yee, 2009, 6). Every year they fight against immigrants for jobs and their wages just seem to keep getting lower. Hence, if more immigrants continue to enter each year seeking jobs, it decreases the amount of work available. Immigrants who see their relatives and friends leading a better life than what they were living before, especially of the Hispanic and Latino backgrounds, come to the United States and try to follow their example, but somehow, everyone isn’t that lucky to survive illegally without falling into the hands of the local mafia network, and in the end they become robbers, and gangsters, and also to compliment their pathetic situations are the current foreign policy of America, that allows illegal migrants to get weapons at ease. When immigration is thought of many people may think of it as being a negative effect, but not all people feel that way. Some people still feel that immigrants have little effect on the American economy because there are still not enough of them to influence this country’s economy (Martin, 2007, 4). These people see immigrants as a net benefit to America because they should be paying taxes, using services in moderation, helping drive business development through their own entrepreneurial behavior, keeping industries here in the U.S. that could have relocated overseas, and they take the normal low-paying jobs that U.S. citizens do not want. Various reports show that immigration continues to shape the New York City. Immigrant

Cultural Diversity and Economic Performance in Belgium Essay - 1

Cultural Diversity and Economic Performance in Belgium - Essay Example The projections for the year were indicative that the year 2013 would be the possible year of recovery for the region. This recovery would have a significant effect on the development of new jobs and reduction of inflation. However, the projections made for the year also indicates that there will be a new form of uncertainty that would affect the Belgian economy. The GDP of the area would grow in a significant manner despite the fall in the rate of development that was manifested in the Eurozone where the gross domestic product for the Eurozone went down by 0.2 percent. Despite the performance of the peripheral economies such as Nederlands and France that are the main trading partners for Belgium the economy in 2013 indicated a significant inclination for growth (Bellini and Ottaviano et al., 2013, pp. 121--141). In the normal circumstances, the economy of the employment sector takes a lot of time so that it can recover. The cyclical downturn that manifested itself in the middle of 2012 and the gloomy outlook on the economy in 2013 has the implication on the employment sector being a slow growth in the rate of employment (Bellini and Ottaviano et al., 2013, pp. 121--141). The downturn of 2012 was a major blow to the prospects of employment. This downturn meant that the people could not have the right employment since the economy is still struggling. The slow growth in the economy manifested in the areas will not be significant to cover the growth of the employment needs of the people. This means that the rate of real unemployment will remain in the regions that are has been playing at. In fact, the unemployment rates may go higher with the slow development of the economy and the general fall in the levels of production in the major trading partners.

Child and Young Person Development Essay Example for Free

Child and Young Person Development Essay †¢Schools/starting nursery is a part of everyday life the child/ young person will have to make this transition many times in their life. The transition that most children/ young people experience is moving from one school or care setting to another will happen a number of times over a child’s life for many different reasons and the challenges of the transition will change each time and will have to be handled in different way. †¢Toilet training is a big step for most children/ young people as they have to learn to read their own body signals and to understand what they should do at this point. †¢Sibling. It is common for children to have younger brothers and sister and they will have to learn to deal with the transition of having a baby in the house. †¢A parent starting a new job or doing more hours at work so the parent is not around when the child expects them to be or may not understand where the parent is going. †¢Moving house to accommodate a growing family or due to parent separation/ loss there are many other reason to move house also all of which with effect the transition progress of the child differently †¢ Separations/ divorce can be very difficult on children and young people of all ages as it can lead to many other transitions that take place moving house changing schools feeling of loss and confusion all of which can be very difficult for a young person to understand and cope with. †¢Puberty can be very difficult for some young people to cope with the mood swings, confident issues or low self -esteem, how the body changes, how it can affect their relationships with others and how others may see them. Children and young people mostly learn to cope with a number of different changes or transition in their life time and they will develop their own ways of dealing with the transitions, children and young people will still need to helped and guided

Dehlis History, Infrastructure and Political Structure

Dehlis History, Infrastructure and Political Structure DELHI Delhi,also known as the  National Capital Territory of India  is a metropolitan region in  India. Due to urban expansion in India its growth has expanded beyond the NCT to incorporate towns in neighbouring states and it can count a population of nearly 27 million residents as of 2014. The NCT and its urban region have been given the special status of  National Capital Region  (NCR) under the  Constitution of Indias 69th amendment act of 1991. The NCR includes the neighbouring cities of  Gurgaon,  Noida,  Ghaziabad,  Faridabad,  Greater Noida,  Alwar,  Bharatpurand other nearby towns. There are a number of legends associated with the origin of the name  Delhi. One is that it is derived fromDhilluorDilu, a king who built a city at this location in 50BC and named it after himself. Another is that the name is derived fromDilli, a corruption ofdehleezordehali—both terms meaning threshold or gateway—and symbolic of the city as a gateway to the  Gangetic Plain. HISTORY Delhi has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC.Through most of its history, Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires. It has been captured, ransacked and rebuilt several times, particularly during the medieval period.Delhi was the site of ancient  Indraprastha(Khandavprastha), the ancient capital of the  Pandavas  during the  Mahabharata. By 1200, native Hindu resistance had begun to crumble, the dominance of foreign Muslim dynasties in India was to last for the next three hundred years, and Delhi was ruled by a succession of  Turkic  and an  Afghan,  Lodhi dynasty. They built a number of forts and townships that are part of the  seven cities of Delhi. In 1639, the Mughal emperor  Shah Jahan  built a new walled city named  Shahjahanabad, In Delhi, which served as the capital of the  Mughal Empire  from 1649 to 1847.Shahjahanabad today is Old Delhi. The greater part of Old Delhi is still confined within the space of Shah JahÄ ns walls, and several gates built during his rule—the Kashmiri Gate, the Delhi Gate, the Turkman Gate, and the Ajmeri Gate—still stand. In 1911 the British determined to shift the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi.The key architect was Sir Edwin Lutyensand it was he who gave shape to the city.The British moved to the partially built New Delhi in 1912, and construction was completed in 1931. A new capital city, New Delhi, was built to the south of the old city during the 1920s.When the British left India in 1947, New Delhi became its national capital and seat of the union government.. ECOLOGY Two prominent features of the geography of Delhi are the Yamuna flood plains and the  Delhi ridge. The  Yamuna river  was the historical boundary between Punjab and UP, and its flood plains provide fertile alluvial soil suitable for agriculture but are prone to recurrent floods. The Yamuna, a sacred river in Hinduism, is the only major river flowing through Delhi. The Delhi ridge originates from the  Aravalli Range  in the south and encircles the west, north-east and north-west parts of the city. It reaches a height of 318m (1,043ft) and is a dominant feature of the region Delhi features an atypical version of the  humid subtropical climate. The warm season lasts from 9 April to 8 July with an average daily high temperature above 36 °C. The hottest day of the year is 22 May, with an average high of 38 °C and low of 25 °C.[59]The cold season lasts from 11 December to 11 February with an average daily high temperature below 18 °C. The coldest day of the year is 4 January, with an average low of 2 °C.Temperatures in Delhi usually range from 5 to 40 °C.The average date of the advent of monsoon winds in Delhi is 29 June. Delhi is the most polluted[66]city in the world and according to one estimate, air pollution causes the death of about 10,500 people in Delhi every year.The dense smog in Delhi during winter season results in major air and rail traffic disruptions every year.Since the mid-1990s, Delhi has undertaken some measures to curb air pollution – Delhi has the third highest quantity of trees among Indian cities[78]and the  Delhi Transport Corporation  operates the worlds largest fleet of environmentally-friendly  compressed natural gas  (CNG) buses. Infrastructure Delhi has seen major infrastructural changes over the past few years amidst increased foreign investment and economic growth. Delhi’s infrastructure is attracting MNCs and corporate bodies from all over the world. Information technology, BPOs and other IT Services are among the growing industries in Delhi. Recent developments and  economical growth in Delhi  have put the city on the global map competing with other top cities in the world. Delhi has a much improved infrastructure with new roads, flyovers, bridges, healthcare facilities, sanitation, etc.  Education in Delhi has always been the  specialty of Delhi  with so many good schools and colleges to choose from. Other major initiatives of the government include telecom, housing, power facilities, and transportation. Sighting the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2010, Delhi is geared up for transforming itself to a world class city. Transport System In Delhi: Delhi Transport Corporation or the DTC is the main transportation medium in Delhi. DTC is the worlds largest compressed natural gas bus service. The service has come a long way since its inception in the year 1984. Now all buses have been converted into CNG in order to control the pollution level of the city. Apart from the bus service of the DTC, there are private Blue Line services which are under the private hands. International Airport of Delhi popularly known as  Indira Gandhi International Airport  is located 24 kilometers south of  New Delhi. It is a two-terminal airport with major Airlines from across the world having flights to and from Indira Gandhi International Airport. Out of the two terminals, one is the Domestic Terminal some 3 kilometers away from the International Terminal. Metro rail service in Delhi has come as a much awaited gift for the people of Delhi which has indeed changed the transport facility of the city. It has become the life line of Delhi as people are dependent on Delhi Metro for commuting to different places within the city.  Delhi Metro Project  has been recognized all over the world for its specialty in terms of a hi-tech rail and better equipped transport system. Other than these, taxis and autos are always in demand for shorter distances Housing structure In Delhi 96.98% families live in pucca, 2.01% in semi-pucca, and 1.01% in kutcha type of housing structure.  60.77% stay in independent, 19.02% in flat type dwellings.  In 2010 Total number of slums were estimated as 1867 and the households therein were  estimated as 3.79 lakhs. Crime rate Call it the inefficiency of the Delhi Police or the impact of liberal registration of cases, but the Capital recorded two to four times more criminal incidents till March this year as compared to the corresponding period in last year. Delhi has reported the highest rate of violent crimes in the country. The city reported 29 heinous crimes cases daily in 2013.According to NCRB statistics, the Capital’s daily data of violent crime included 17 incidents of abduction, three robberies and rapes each and a case of murder and attempt to murder between January 1 and December 31, 2013. Governance The  Government of Delhi  is the supreme governing authority of the  Indian  national capital territory of  Delhi  and its  9 districts. The  Delhi High Court  has jurisdiction over Delhi, which also has two lower courts: the  Small Causes Court  for civil cases, and the  Sessions Court  for criminal cases. The  Delhi Police, headed by the  Police Commissioner, is one of the largest metropolitan police forces in the world.[1] The  Parliament of India, the  Rashtrapati Bhavan  (Presidential Palace),  Cabinet Secretariat  and the Supreme Court of India are located in the municipal district of New Delhi.There is no Cabinet of Ministers in Government of Delhi, as Delhi is under  Presidents Rule.

Royal Mail To Change Its Business Plan And Strategies Business Essay

Royal Mail To Change Its Business Plan And Strategies Business Essay Royal Mail HRM Strategies an Overview (2005-2010) Abstract: The rapid growth in the Digital Communication applications such as internet, fax, email, online shopping, and the Postal Service Act (2000), liberalization of market, drives Royal Mail to change its business plan and strategies to survive in the current dynamic completive postal market and in a broader way its future business is uncertain. This essay aims to depict the Royal Mail Human Resource Management (HRM) policies and strategies, and mainly focused for the period of 2005-2010. It also covers how Royal Mail is dealing with competition from the new entrants, and how it handled the recent credit crunch and its impact on the Royal Mail business. Introduction: In recent times, this group has been confronting with various problems. The group reported loses for several quarters. So, the government had asked the postal regulatory body Postal Service Commission (Postcomm1) to liberalize the postal market. Initially, in 2003 license were allotted to private company to handle the bulk mail. In 2006, the markets were fully liberalized and the group loses its monopoly2 status. All the licensed operators were able to deliver mails to both the residential and business customers. Postal Service in the UK: 1 An Independent regulatory body set p up in the year 2000, to regulate the postal service in UK 2 A dominant player in the postal service market with full control over the market. 3 http://www.royalmail.com. In spite of the advancement in the communication methods like internet, email and other electronic messaging options, people are trusting on postal service for sending parcel and letters and particularly in elderly, disabled, and the low income groups, and the small business sectors. Every week the group serves 20 million customers3 through its network of around 12000 post office branches and deliver some 400 million parcels a year through general logistics systems and parcel force . The universal service and the uniform pricing are the two important attributes of the Royal Mail postal service. Based on these attributes only the Universal Service4 Obligation (USO) was formed. As per the USO, the cost of delivering the letter is same irrespective of the location. To regulate the postal service in the UK, the Postal Service Act was put in place with the Postcomm. The main task of the Postcomm includes, 4Delivery every working day to every premises regardless of price and location , some exceptional conditions permitted by UK and Europe Union law. 5 Handling with customers complaints in the postal services and monitoring the standards and quality of the services provided by the Royal Mail. . Grant license to other companies. . Provisioning the uniform pricing and universal service. . Controlling Royal Mail pricing strategy and its quality of services. . Advising the government on the development in the post services. To watch dog the Royal Mail quality services, an independent organization Post Watch 5 was formed to monitor and control the quality standards. Royal Mail Group History: Royal Mail was established by Henry VIII, in 1516 under a Master of Post . Royal Mail was available to public in1635, with postage being paid by the recipient. In 1660, Charles II officially established the General Post Office (GPO). Telegraph services was introduced in 1840 by Royal Mail, and in 1912 the group started the telephone service. Post code was introduced in 1959. In 1969, the GPO became a public corporation from its existing government department. The post office made acquisition and partnership with German parcel, Katipos and TNT post group to enter into international market. In 2000, the company reported losses and it continued for several quarters. In 2001, the post office was renamed Consignia. In 2002, Consignia was renamed as Royal Mail group plc. The Royal Mail Group lost its monopoly status when the 2006 liberalization was introduced. In 2007, government proposed to privatize the group but the election, change in the government and the recent financial turmoil is the key factors for the postponement of the proposal without any further date. Literature Review: Over the years, it is apparent that organizations are considering Human Resource Management policies as the key factor to succeed in the business. HR department is acting as a strategic business partner within the organization to make the effective strategic business and human resource policies to achieve the organization goals and objectives, rather than managing the employees and payroll, as was conventionally the case. Senior HR practitioners and experts are more in demand in the today s corporate world. Through the years, there is lot of organizational level studies and research across the business sectors manifested measurable relationship between the effective HR practices (recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, rewards and recognitions, training and development) and business performance. According to Mark Huselid (Huselid, 1995) seminal study related the adoption of HR practices across 968 US companies with their financial performance (controlling for performance in previous years) . HRM authors such as Becker and Huselid (Becker and Huselid, 2006) emphasize the need for HR strategy to be clearly linked to the business strategy and for the constituent HR Practices to operate in a joined-up way, this being seen as key in order for the strategy to be focused on what matters, avoid duplication and optimize outcomes . Therefore HR function has vital role in understanding the stakeholder s business goals, transforming those into commercial business perspective and identifying the challenges and opportunities from the employee s perspective and address them in their final approach. Combs, et al. (2006) aggregated 92 large scale studies conducted at the organizational level to produce a robust analysis across a large sample. This research revealed that on an average, having a progressive HR system (e.g. objective selection, training, appraisals, employee surveys, etc.) related to an average of 4% higher revenue per employee where five or six major HR practices were in place within an organization . Business Model: Royal Mail Group operates through its subsidiaries Royal Mail, Post Office Limited, General Logistics Systems (GLS) and Parcel force worldwide. Royal Mail is responsible for collecting and delivering the mail in the UK and handles around 71 millions of letters and packages to 28 million addresses in every working day, in line with its unique Universal Service Obligation (USO). Producing and Designing the stamps and, philatelic products are also taken care by Royal Mail. The Post Limited: It has national net work across the UK. Larger post offices in urban area were directly managed by the Post office limited and other branches are managed by franchise partners. General Logistic Systems: Royal Mail acquired the General Logistic Systems in 1999 to enter into the European parcel market. GLS was market leader in the integration parcel distribution and express customer service in the European market. Parcelforce Worldwide: Parcelforce Worldwide is responsible for collecting and delivering the parcel and express packages throughout the world and in the UK for both the individual and business customers. Royal Mail Competition and Challenges: Royal mail is facing tough competition in postal market after the full liberalization act, and in particularly express package business. Its main competitors6 in the package delivery market are world net, Deutsche Post, TNT, UPS, and other airline which provide express package services. Most of its key competitors such as UPS, Deutsche Post, and TNT have large scale of operations, which could put Royal Mail at a competitive disadvantage . 6 http://www.datamonitor.com Though the letter market is declining due to the digital communication advancements, Royal Mail s profitability and efficiency is vital for the future of the UK postal sector and it also plays a major role in the UK economy and providing and safeguarding millions of jobs in the recent financial down turn, where as all other public and private sector firms are reducing its work force in large numbers.. But Royal Mail faces a lot of challenges. The group has been reporting looses for several quarters, and its pension deficit is widening; Modernization process is being very slow and also the tough competition from the new entrants in the domestic and European markets are constantly increasing. The culture change is one of the biggest challenges Royal Mail has been facing from quite some time. It required consistent high quality delivery from everyone in the company, value for money. According to, Adam Crozier7, Royal Mail must have the freedom and flexibility to set the right prices, based on real costs. If that happens, I think the new competitive environment will succeed. Competitors are already targeting profitable business mail. We need to compete with them on price as well as service if we are to keep the universal service8 in business . Improving the Customer Service: One of the main objectives for the Royal Mail was to reach everyone, everywhere, more than any other business in the UK through its mail, post office, and parcel and package business services . There were many complaints from customers about loss of letters but after working with Post Watch, the quality and service standards were improved when compared to the previous years. Price is the predominate factor in the competition. New entrants are providing higher value services with the modern technologies. Royal Mail has to offer high standard services to the customers. IT Initiatives: 7 The CEO Of Royal mail (2003-2010(June) ) 8 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4274335. To modernize its services and operations, Royal Mail streamlined its IT departments in collaboration with BT and Xansa. Royal Mail web based customers are growing vastly, so to improve the communication with online users. Royal Mail has also implemented the SAP 9Software to main its sales order and other process. As part its IT initiatives the group introduced the recruitment and employment process through online. Financial Crisis Impact on Royal Mail: 9 SAP Systems, Application and Products in data processing. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software to automate the customer and payment details . 10 Royal Mail Holdings plc Annual Report and Financial Statements for the period 0f 2009-2010 Royal mail made good progress in (2008-2010), when compare on the previous year records. Due to the subprime mortgage crisis, all the major economies are suffering from the so- called credit crunch. Royal mail made profit, despite when the world economy in downturn and the mail market is declining in UK and in all part of the globe. Due to the weak global market conditions, the group revenue dipped to 9,349 million 10in first time in a decade, but all it is four business groups (mail, post office, GLS, parcel force worldwide) made in profits through their pricing strategy and good customer service. Royal Mail implemented modernization and efficiency measures to automate the mail processing and the agreement the made with Communication Workers Union (CWU) also made positive impact among its employees. Business unit performance External Revenue Operating profit/Loss* M M 2010 2009 2008 2010 2009 2008 Royal Mail Letters GLS Parcelforce Worldwide Post Office Limited Other businesses Group 6,564 6,707 6,830 121 58 (3) 1,487 1,495 1,232 112 124 114 399 399 379 17 12 8 838 908 911 72 41 (34) 61 51 36 82 86 77 9,349 9,560 9,179 404 321 162 Source: Royal mail financial repots Royal Mail HR Approach and Strategies: To modernize the organization and create world class HR function, McCarthy 11 was appointed as the director in 2003. According to him, there was lack in coherent HR strategy which was characterized by disparate spread of HR professional across the group . The group spent most of its cost on employment. Royal Mail reduced its HR employee strength from 3700 to 2400 and saved 57 million in two years span. There were only few HR specialists and experts in the entire organization. The HR functions were separated and payroll was the only centralization team. Profitability, Modernization, Efficiency and Employee Relationship are the key words for success of any public limited company. Developing the good HR frame work and strategy are vital for the public limited organization like Royal Mail to sustain in the today s globalized competitive postal market. Due to the advancement in the technologies, communication industry changed quickly. Internet, fax and other electronic options are dominating the traditional letters. Managing the huge work force and trade union royal are the challenging task for Royal Mail, in particular to the HR Managers. With strong HR strategic plans and polices, Royal Mail can handle their workforce effectively. Royal Mail HR Metrics: 11Royal Mail HR director(2005), http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2005/01/25 . People Strategies . Organizational Development . Shared Services The main goal of the HR team is to build strong HR strategies and polices to manage and retain the human resources. It includes Recruitment and Selection, Learning, Career development, Rewards and Recognition. Organizational Development and effectiveness are the main objectives to provide the zero tolerance work place and working closely with the business partners and HR directors. The training team conducts the leadership, personal and career development programs to improve the leadership qualities and other work related trainings. Royal Mail s people strategy key areas: . Creating meaningful, challenging jobs with flexible working structure; . Treating customers with value and respect; . Building the organization to improve and respond according to the changes in the market and environment; . Recruiting and developing the core potentialities to prosper in the open competitive market; . Recruiting and developing the leadership capabilities to deliver the goals and to retain the talent to contend successfully. Royal Mail HR Practices: Recruitment and Selection: Royal mail follows equal opportunity as an employer. Employment practices are based on regardless of age, sex, disability, race, color, religion, and sexual orientation. Royal Mail employs diverse mix of people who reflect the communities where we live and work. At Royal mail, selection and recruitment goes on for both the experienced professionals and fresh graduates. Different type of jobs are available; permanent, part-time, apprenticeship, and seasonal (Christmas) jobs. Training and Development: Royal Mail believes in training and development. So, the training team organizes various training programs for their employees which includes from starting induction training to the customized individual training suits12 through the on job training, mentoring, e- learning, and coaching. Major training programs provided by Royal Mail are 12 http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=24400706mediaId=24400710 . Information Technology . Health Safety . Communication Skills . Performance Management . Project Management . Leadership Skills The group also has self learning centers where employees can utilize different packages according to their needs, and Royal Mail is having partnership and link with different local institutes to improve the skills of their employees; with various external trainings. Compensation and Benefits: Royal Mail offers compensation package based on the employees skills and experience. To attract the skilled employees, Royal Mail offers good compensation package based on the type of the employment status like full time or part time, and Permanent or contract. Royal Mail offers the following benefits to all the employees based on their employment type.13 13 http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=24500655mediaId=16000174 14 http://www.ocp.co.uk/_Attachments/Re http://www.ocp.co.uk/_Attachments/Resources . Health and Welfare . Holiday Entitlement . Basic pay/allowance . Pension . Time Out . Benefits /discounts/ ongoing discounts . Support for Disabled Applicants Performance Management: Performance Management is an effective method to analyze the employees potential and capabilities, if it is properly implemented. Measuring the performance of the employee is an indicator of the success of the organization. Royal mail introduces new performance management practices14. The objectives of the programs were to: 1.introduce a set of common validated numerical indicators which had been standardized for similar units/businesses. 2. Apply the Pareto principle and exception reporting. 3. Create a focus on looking forward, forecasting improvements (rather than a backward-looking blame culture) . Work life Balance (Flexible working): Royal Mail is offering the flexible working option. This includes where employees are allowed to work from home for their personal commitments, leaving early for the child care and compensating the time as per the business needs. It generally gives moral support to the employees and the best way to recruit and retain the talent resources which in turn improve the productivity. Corporate Social Responsibility: Royal Mail strongly believes in serving to society. Royal Mail and its employees play important role in serving to the community. Royal Mail s ambition is to become the leading organization in corporate responsibility is a priority of our Chief Executive and every one of our Managing Directors . Employees also fund to the good cause via their payroll regularly. Royal Mail also takes part in controlling the climate change using renewable source electricity to make the environment green. It raised 1.8 million15 via charitable donations in 2009. As a leader in corporate social responsibility initiatives, the group won the following awards in the last two years. BITC Example of Excellence (Healthy Workplace Award) 2009 Shortlisted for Personnel Today Awards2009 Award for Health at Work Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Awards 2009 Gold Award, Safety Institute of Fundraising Awards 2008 Winner, Best Use of Payroll Giving Award Winner Quality in Print Media Environmental Award, Quality in Print Awards 2008 . Findings and Suggestions: 15 ww.royalmailgroup.com/portal/rmg/content1 . Prioritizing the HR strategy according to the key business goals and objectives. . Identifying the challenges and opportunities to moving ahead. . Develop and define the HR strategy backed by strong analysis with good HR metrics. . Reviewing the defined strategies and approaches with stake holders and business partners. . Finalize the HR polices and strategies. . Building the right-sized productive work force to achieve the business goals. . Automate and standardize the mail process with modern technologies and equipments to compete in the business market with skilled and efficiency workforce where the market and environment is changing rapidly. . Analyzing the data with help of employee and customer satisfaction survey, opinion pool and feedback data. Understanding the external market environment and competitor strategies is important while framing the HR policy. HR metrics will vary with each organization depending upon their vision and mission statements. Metrics should be cover the organization goals, rather than following the best industry practice. Stakeholders and business partners should be engaged while framing the strategy, to make the strategy effective. Conclusion: Due to the advancement in digital technologies and internet, the postal industry and market is changing quickly. Mailing market is declining and online shopping and other commercial activities through internet are growing speedily. So, Royal Mail has to modernize and restructure their business strategies to survive in the liberalized competitive market place. As many studies, research, and survives demonstrated the strong relationship between the good HR strategic policy and the business performance. So, Royal Mail has to develop the strong HR policies and strategies to streamline the HR practice to achieve the organizational objectives and goals. Implementing the effective HR strategies in public organization like Royal Mail is very challenging task for HR mangers and, where trade union and pension problems are widening year by year. The strong determination from the HR mangers, top management, regulatory bodies, and the government can help the Royal Mail to implement the HR and business strategies to shape the UK postal industry and economy and in particularly in the current economic crisis condition where unemployment is already in peak.

logical and physical network design :: essays research papers

Ethical Issues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ethics statement of the business for which I work, and includes examples of ethical behavior. The paper will cover the success and/or failures of the ethical statement purpose, how the statement contributes to the work environment, and the consequences of the failure to observe the ethical guidelines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The company I work for provides a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct to its employees worldwide for their guidance in addressing the legal and ethical issues encountered in conducting the company’s business. The code starts with a summary of the core business values that are essential to the success of the company. The employees are expected to adopt these values and apply them to their day-to-day business activities. The company feels that the acceptance and adherence to these values will enhance the long-term success of serving the customer base, increasing the competitiveness and the pride of the corporation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I feel the purpose of the company’s ethics statement is to set forth standards that restate compliances with laws and regulations. It also covers common sense rules by which employees should be determined to live and work. The company encourages success of these guidelines by requiring employees to become familiar with the contents of the Code. These successes are made available through web cast presentations for each employee. Individuals who fail in their success of ethical behavior do not feel the need to embrace the guidelines. The expectation is for each employee to exercise sound judgment, conduct, and seek proper counsel in any action that may compromise personal ethical standards and those of the corporation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The statement contributes to the work environment by outlining business values. Employees are to demonstrate honesty in all business transactions and personal dealings with others. They must consistently treat individuals with respect; demonstrate teamwork and the ability to work together. Employees must show innovative approaches to problem solving with a high priority to customer satisfaction. They must also seek continuous improvement in quality, fairness, and compliance to the ethical statement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This code is applicable to all employees of the corporation. The employees must operate within the bounds of all applicable laws. It is expected that all employees compete fairly and ethically for all business opportunities involving sales or licensing of products. Individuals are expected to know, understand, and honor the terms of contractual agreements. Failure to comply with the guidelines stated will result in disciplinary action.

The Red Baron :: essays research papers fc

Although to most people it may just be a brand of good tasting pizza, The Red Barron was actually a German fighter ace of World War I. His full name was Rittmeister Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, who will be referred to as von Richthofen for simplicity’s sake. By the Germans, he was called â€Å"der rote Kampfflieger† (The Red Battle-Flyer), the French called him â€Å"le Diable Rouge† (Red Devil), and in the English-speaking world he is known as â€Å"The Red Barron.† In a time of ancient aircraft technology when twenty air victories insured a pilot legendary status, von Richthofen had eighty victories, and he is still considered even today as the ace of aces (The Red Barron). As a child, von Richthofen was privately tutored until his ninth year of schooling. He then attended school in Schweidnitz and became a cadet. After his schooling, he began his military career as a cavalryman in the 1st Regiment of Ehlans. When he received his epaulettes and became an officer in the fall of 1912, his father bought him his own horse with which von Richthofen became a talented contender in jumping and cross-country racing (Perry). Unfortunately, warfare in the twentieth century had little use for mounted cavalry as the invention of machine guns had led to trench warfare (The Red Barron). When the war started, von Richthofen was posted near Verdun as a messenger carrying dispatches between units and climbing into and out of the trenches along the front. When given orders to rummage around the countryside for food for the troops, Richthofen replied, â€Å"My dear Excellency! I have not gone to war in order to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose† (Perr y). Exasperated by his attitude his superiors finally let him transfer to the German Air service in May of 1915 (Perry). Von Richthofen began his career as an observer for other pilots. He never considered becoming a pilot himself because the training took three months, and he was sure the war would be over before he completed his training. In the fall of 1915, after being transferred to Ostend, von Richthofen decided to try flying for himself and he started training. On December 25, he passed the tests required to become a pilot, and the legend began (Perry). On April 24, von Richthofen shot down his first plane as a pilot, but the plane crashed behind enemy lines, and the kill was not confirmed, so no credit was given to him.

New Historicism, Feminist Criticism and Deconstruction in Hawthornes T

Perspectives on New Historicism, Feminist Criticism and Deconstruction in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Introduction Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter has been a highly debatable topic of numerous critical essays, written by scholars who approach the novel from various perspectives of literary criticism. Due to the diversity of perspectives, the questions proposed by these scholars vary and hence the conclusions they arrive at by examining the same literary text may differ not only within a range, but in addition may even seem contrary to one another. The aim of this paper is to provide a comparison between three of the critical perspectives: New Historicism, Feminist Criticism and Deconstruction, each represented by an essay relating to one of the viewpoints of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel. In order to begin my comparison of these three critical perspectives, I will first need to provide general definitions of terms. These definitions may be considered incomplete and they will not cover every detail, as is possibly required for an encyclopedia of literary terms. My attempt is rather to provide a rough overview of keywords and ideas that relate to each perspective, and this overview will primarily be based upon the introductions to each essay provided by Russ C. Murfin. The comparison and contrast includes an outline of similarities and differences between the author's perspectives and literary concepts depicted in each composition. Each fragment of literary text is evaluated according to its aims, goals and questions which are proposed. Another aspect of my discussion will incorporate selected citations taken directly from the novel, which are utilized by each scholar to support his or her c... ...y nor that the distinctions between each perspective are absolute. The separation of the different perspectives is complex and ambiguous. Therefore the apparent relation between the different aspects partly coincide with one another. Works cited Benstock, Shari, "The Scarlet Letter (a) dorà ©e or the Female Body Embrodidered", in Ross C Murfin, ed., Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1991 Bercovitch, Sacvan, "Hawthorne's A-Morality of Compromise", in Ross C Murfin, ed., Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1991 Murfin, Ross C., ed., "Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter." Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1991 Ragussis, Micharl, "Silence, Family Discourse, and Fiction in The Scarlet Letter", in Ross C Murfin, ed., Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1991

Brian Thorne Counselling Review

Louise, a young woman, presented to Brian Throne with a great deal of physical and mental pain and had been subjected to cyclical depression for a umber of years, usually occurring during the month of February. Before providing details under a number of skills subheadings I would like to make a general comment on Throne's capacity to summaries that which had been said by Louise at various stages throughout the session.A common criticism of the person-centered approach is that it is merely re-hashing what the client has Just said, resulting in a very slow and not very dynamic process, Brian Throne shows here how both reflection and summarizing can have very quick and positive impact on the client, when carried out tit skill. When Throne summarizes he manages somehow to add an extra layer of understanding and complexity to his summary. Which seems to allow the client to not only agree but open to further exploration.At one point during the session, Louise physically changes her posture and facial expression when Throne managed to not only reflect what had just been said but also added a layer of meaning that seemed hidden to the client. It is as if his reflection and summarizing has a synergistic and additive affect. In one particular instance he does this with a single word, ‘Personae? [22:01]. On other occasions he deftly follows his summaries with a gentle probing and allows the client enough silence and space to contemplate on what has been said and subsequently offer a reply.I can only hope that someday I can apply even a tiny fraction of the skill shown by Brian Throne. Attending and Active Listening I have combined examples of these two skills since as Throne seamlessly applies these skills throughout the session. His body language, which includes a forward- leaning posture, mirroring of Louse's facial expressions and genuine laughter at the appropriate times, all show a counselor staying in the present moment with his client throughout. He frequentl y verbalizes that he understands what she is saying and follows this up with impressive reflection and summarizing.Reflective skills Although Throne applies this throughout I have chosen a particular time [37:38], which I believe is a good example of this skill. Throne says ‘It doesn't seem genuine to you to plan anything? ‘ he Is asking this question since Louise describes how she has learned to adopt strategies in order to cope socially. She has done this for so long hat she is no longer sure which is the real her. She is taken aback by this summary and Throne Immediately states that he Is merely ‘holding it up to you'.Although this almost literal example of reflecting skills, I believe it is very apt. Being Concrete Louise finds it difficult to start the session and Throne Immediately Jumps in to Empathy When Louise describes her constant planning and strategist for every social situation, Throne replies with ‘That's so wearying? [23:38]; this to me is one of many obvious displays of empathy, which almost always get a positive response from the linen. Probing Throne probes throughout, always in a gentle and non threatening way.These probes are almost always preceded by a brief summary and/or reflection. A very good example of this is when Throne asks Louise Why did you want to drink alcohol on the train? [27:07]. Asked by another counselor, this question might elicit a defensive response but Louise tentatively supplies an answer, which is subsequently expanded on after more gentle probing. Feedback When Louise asks Throne why he asked the question about why she wanted alcohol n the train, he provides succinct but gentle feedback, which allows the session to enter a new area.He replies by saying ‘Because it seemed to me that you wanted to escape. ‘ [28:17]. Conclusion There are other examples of the skills described above throughout the session but I have tried to include the ones I felt allowed for a deeper relationship b etween counselor and client. I enjoyed this session very much and it has focused my attention on the skills required to help our clients acquire a greater awareness of themselves and their environments.

System Security Criteria

Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC) is applied in classifying and evaluating the computer security in any given system especially where sensitive information is involved. For that reason any organization such as Medical Credential Company has to initially consider a few factors as well as meet security criteria as provided by TCSEC. There exists four divisions (D,C,B, and A) and C,B, and A are further divided into classes but in the context of this study, only classes C-2 (Controlled Access Protection) and B-3 (Security Domains) will be considered.By choosing Class C-2 means that the company opts for Discretionary Security Protection which is under Division C. class C-2 offers defense of the sensitive information/data ‘against and detection of user abuse of authority and direct probing’. Besides, class C-2 also protects the system form activities of non-users and users who may not be using malicious programs. Class C-2 employs security controls for all ob jects in the system which may be personal files and/or specific devices.Subsequently, an individual is supposed to identify and authenticate him/her –self before login into the system and after using a track record of what he/she has done is kept. Therefore Class C-2 puts emphasis on audit trail for evaluation purposes. For that reason, it calls for a selective method to record all events which have occurred and tools to examine the audit record (DoD, 1985). On the other hand, Class B-3 which falls under Mandatory Security Protection, Division B, puts emphasis on security domains in the system.Systems that conform to Class B-3 criteria enforce what Class C-2 criteria entails, discretionary security policies, and its policy. Therefore, Class B-3 is has more has security features compared to class C-2. Reason being substantial confidence is created that the computer system is protected against misuse techniques for instance human error, direct probing, and abuse of authority by users.In particular Class B-3 protects the system from intentional subversions of the computer security methods hence it is widely employed in addressing defense mechanisms against malicious programs. Besides, a computer system that meets security requirements for Class B3 entails security kernel which implements a reference monitor principle which lacks in Class C-2. Both of these classes entail security requirements -classified under policy, accountability, and assurance- aimed at regulating access to information.Security policy, marking, identification, and accountability specify what control measures that needs to be put in place to regulate access to information. Besides, assurance and continuous protection provides guidelines on how a person can obtain credible assurance that overall security is achieved in a trusted system but security requirements in the two classes differ (DoD, 1985; Nibaldi, 1979). Figure 1.Table of security requirements for classes C2 and B3. Legend: â⠂¬Å"x† -no requirement; â€Å"-† class has same requirements as the next lower class; â€Å"R†-class has extra requirement over the lower classes. NB: Adopted from DoD 5200. 28-STD The security requirements outlined in the above table are functionally-oriented and it is in order for the security manager of the company to consider employing security controls first.Considering the security criteria employed by Class B3, as a security manager in the company, it would be better to seek certification for Class B3. References DoD. (1985, December). DoD standard: Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria, DoD 5200. 28-STD. Retrieved August 22, 2010 from http://www. dynamoo. com/orange/fulltext. htm Nibaldi, G. H. (1979, November). Specification of A Trusted Computing Base, M79-228, AD-A108- 831 (TCB), MITRE Corp. , Bedford, Mass.

Comparative Annual Report Essay

All listed companies must prepare and publish their annual report for each end of every financial year. Bursa Malaysia Berhad and Central Bank of Malaysia require business entities to submit annual report. Annual reports are intended to give shareholders and other interested people information about the company’s activities and financial performance. It is general documents that give shareholders an idea of the condition of the company as a whole. The Securities Commission makes public companies disclose certain information to the shareholders of the company. It will create a standardized method that investors can use to evaluate the potential of a company. The purpose of this project is to analyze the annual reports between two industries. For our project paper, we have focus on services and plantation industries and compared two annual reports for the year 2009 between. This comparison would describe about these two industries; what is the similarities disclosure and differences disclosure between services and plantation industries besides the implication of disclosure and presentation of financial reporting. The aims of comparative between two annual report is to strengthen and enhance the understandability on how these companies present the information in their annual report to internal and external users. All information should be honest and forthcoming. It is to emphasize on the particular industries, including background of the company. Besides that it has emphasize on applicable statutory requirements, corporate governance, and voluntary disclosure on corporate social responsibility and environment issues into these two different industries. Furthermore, analyzed the similarities and differentiation of statutory requirement applies by both companies. And find out whether these two companies have complied in corporate governance and discuss the application of corporate social responsibility and environmental issues.

Case on Industrial Dispute Essay

Road Transport Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Corporation’), has been constituted under the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950. The respondent which is a Trade Union of the appellant-Corporation, filed an Application before the Labour Court, Dehradun under Section 11-C of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 read with Section 13A of the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, praying for a declaration that the 15 persons who were appointed on contract basis as ‘drivers’ and ‘conductors’ as shown in the annexed chart, be declared as regular and substantive workmen of the Corporation. It was also prayed in the said Application that the concerned workmen be given all the benefits and facilities of regular employees. The aforesaid Application was allowed by the Labour Court, Dehradun by its order dated 19. 9. 2001. The Labour Court directed that the concerned workmen be given the minimum wages admissible to the regular employees in the pay scales of ‘drivers’ and ‘conductors’. The Labour Court also held that the said workmen are employees of the Corporation. It is not disputed that the concerned workmen were appointed on contract basis. Before the Labour Court, the Corporation had contended that Rule 2 of U. P. S. R. T. C Employees (Other than Officers) Service Regulations, 1981 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Regulations’) clearly mentions that these regulations shall not apply to employees working on contract basis. The persons working on contract basis filed Writ Petition No. 41349/1999 Kanchi Lal and others vs. U. P. S. R. T. C before the Allahabad High Court for grant of same benefits as the regular employees of the Corporation, but the said writ petition had been dismissed. However, the bjection of the Corporation was rejected by the Labour Court. It filed a writ petition thereafter before the High Court which was dismissed by the impugned judgment. It was contended in the writ petition by the appellant that the concerned workmen had not been selected in terms of the process of selection required for appointment of regular employees and hence they cannot be directed to be given minimum pay scales of regular employees. It was also contended that the Labour Court acted beyond its jurisdiction by passing the impugned order dated. In our opinion, the Labour Court could not have granted the relief it granted by the order dated 19. 9. 2001, as that could only have been granted on a regular reference under Section 4-K of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act or under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act. A perusal of the order of the Labour Court dated 19. 9. 2001 shows that it has not referred to any standing order of the appellant. On the other hand, paragraph 3 of the said order refers to Rule 2 of the 1981 Regulations which clearly provides that the Regulations do not apply to employees engaged on contract basis. In our opinion, the Labour Court cannot amend the Regulations while hearing an application under Section 11-C of the Industrial Disputes Act. As already stated above, the scope of Section 11-C is limited to decide a question arising out of an application or interpretation of a standing order and the Labour Court cannot go beyond the scope of Section 11-C of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act. For the reasons given above, the appeals are allowed. The impugned judgment of the High Court as well as the order of the Labour Court dated 19. 9. 2001 are set aside. However, it is open to the concerned workmen to raise their grievances before the concerned authority under Section 4-K of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act or under Section 10 of Industrial Disputes Act, as the case may be, and if the State Government refers such a dispute to the Labour Court or Tribunal, we hope that the same will be decided expeditiously. No costs

Financial Plan for Small Business Research Paper

Financial Plan for Small Business - Research Paper Example The financial plan in this case is based on NASDAQ listed 1st Century Bancshares, Inc (Ticker: FCTY). The total market capitalization of the company is $66.44 million as on May 9, 2014 (Yahoo Finance, 2014). The balance sheet is the most important financial statement of any business irrespective of its size or market capitalization. It presents the financial position of the business on a given date. It is divided into three sections namely, assets, liabilities and owners’ equity. Assets and liabilities are further classified on basis of period of maturity. Assets include, cash, accounts receivables, inventory, land & buildings, goodwill, etc. Liabilities include account payables, debt capital, creditors, etc. The positive difference between total assets and total liabilities is the shareholders’ equity (Ramachandran and Kakani, 2009, pp.3-9). The historical balance sheet of business reveals that during the period 2011 to 2013, the company had very strong cash and its equivalents. However, the net cash and cash equivalents declined by 5.7 percent annually to $0.155 million in 2013. The total current assets of the company comprised of net receivables, cash and cash equivalents only. The total assets of the business increased by 15.2 percent historically from 2011 to 2013. In comparison, the current liabilities and total liabilities of the business increased by 15.8 percent historically from 2011 to 2013. The company does not intend to issue debt instruments as it has sufficient cash resources available for attaining its financial objectives. Historically, the shareholders’ equity increased by approximately 10.9 percent at compounded annual growth rate. The historical information about the financial position of the business will assist in determining the probable course of action of the business through projected fin ancial forecasts. The pro-forma balance sheet of the business is presented below: By observing the historical information about the

Unit VII Assessment#1 Gaussian Plume Models Essay

Unit VII Assessment#1 Gaussian Plume Models - Essay Example Screen 3 models are an air pollution dispersion method used to investigate environmental aspect and condition of the atmospheric air (Livermore, 1998).it is a model designed to estimate worst case ground level concentrations of a single source as well as that in a cavity zone and the concentrations resulting from inversion break and shoreline fumigation. Therefore, SCREEN3 is a screening version of the ISC3 modeling. Its initial modeling works towards removing the need for a complicated modeling and helps in saving time and resources (Gaujar, 2010). It was developed in 1995 following the Gaussian plume modeling to cover regional scales. (Nieuwstadt and Dop, 1975). SCREEN3 has various advantages compared to other modeling types. First, it investigates ground level concentrations over large zones saving on time consumptions and minimizing resource inputs. It also covers models over any terrain while setting up any sources and pollutants in one file, it sets thresholds concentrations quickly while identifying specified value. In addition it analyses results in different formats such as graphical, text and use of tables (Nieuwstadt and Dop,

Sales Method and ads Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sales Method and ads - Case Study Example As a result, we witness that major companies such as automobile BMW spend around 1% of sales on advertising. Based on data obtained from different sources, automobile companies should set their percentage sales budget at around 2 to 3 % and beverage companies at around 10%. While, a jewellery shop would set it at around 10% and other retailers at a level of between 3 and 8% for womens clothing store. Advertising in a magazine is determined by the reach and number of circulation for the magazine. In the case of AARP Magazine and Readers Digest we understand that these magazines have a high distribution levels. The AARP magazine has a target market meant for people aged 50 and above and while the readership of Reader’s Digest is in the region of 10 million per month. In the process of determining the cost of a full page 4-color advertisement per thousand we have to make certain considerations. Some of the considerations include the readership and current trends in the media circle (OGuinn, 2011). For instance, old people prefer reading magazines and newspapers and thus they are quite slow in taking up technology. In the case of AARP and Reader’s Digest, we would have to compare the rates charged by top magazines such as Newsweek. Based on that assessment, these magazines should charge around $ 232, 000 for a full page Ad which amounts to a CPM of around $ 45. AARP is meant for the aged would be more cost effective for advertisers targeting this market (Clow, 2013). We require at least 60 sales people to service and pay visits to the 3,000 customers based on the calculation above. Sale people are important in the process of advertising and marketing since they maintain a close contact with customers. Sales people act as agents of communication on products and services that companies produce. However, the most significant duty that sales people have is building public relations

MJ refleection week 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MJ refleection week 7 - Essay Example With my positive attitude towards genetics, I have an intrinsic motivation to understand information about Becker muscular dystrophy, its genetic cause, and possible management. I am even motivated to cross reference for clarity of some information in the text that appeared challending (The New York Times 1). Based on my positive attitude towards genetics, seeing the DNA artwork captured my attention and I sought and succeeded in understanding the artist’s motivation and achievement in developing the art. I also understood, based on the artist’s success, that local researchers can used people’s preferences for DNA patterns to understand behavioral orientations, and I plan to implement this in future (The Telegraph 1). The text, ‘a hidden genetic code,’ is however less attractive due to its lack of graphics, but the desire to figure out genetic information and configure involved patterns motivates me to read though it and I have managed to synthesize the contents (Reuell 1). The Telegraph. â€Å"DNA artwork created by German university student.† The Telegraph. September 7, 2008. Web. March 10, 2015.

6.Critically evaluate the contribution of different feminist Essay

6.Critically evaluate the contribution of different feminist approaches to the discipline of Sociology - Essay Example usually emphasize on the ‘male domination of society’ (Kirby, 2000, p.90) trying to explain the causes for various social phenomena; the above method of explaining the development of social facts leads to the justification of certain social facts and the ignorance of others; it is mentioned, for instance, by Kirby (2000) that feminist approaches are used in order to explain the abuse of women by men but there is no reference to the opposite phenomenon. Despite their weaknesses, the feminist approaches have contributed to the development of sociology but this contribution has different aspects and consequences in the context explained below. Feminist perspectives in sociology are likely to have a specific theoretical form; this form is usually depended on the social theory on which these perspectives are based; the above fact is made clear in the study of Rege (2003) where it is noted that ‘a popular method of categorizing feminist theory has been the hyphenated approach: liberal, radical, Marxist, socialist, postmodern and black feminisms’ (Rege, 2003, p.51The development of feminist approaches in sociology has led to severe conflicts among researchers that study the specific field; more specifically, it has been supported that the existence of feminist approaches implies that in sociology there are also ‘masculine’ approaches (Hage, 1994, p.140); this fact leads to the assumption that social theories are not based on the observation and objective interpretation of social phenomena but they are likely to be influenced by the gender of the sociologist involved. This assumption could lead to the decrease of quality and validity of social theories. The above view would also imply that theories that are quite known and which are not characterized as based on a feminist approach of social phenomena, for instance the positivism, cannot be used in order to explain social conditions or actions that are related to women – for example the role of the women in

Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Marketing Management - Essay Example "the organization wide generation of market intelligence pertaining to current and future customer needs, dissemination of the intelligence across departments, and organization wide responsiveness to it" (in Weitz, Wensley; 2002, Pp. 72). It is essentially concerned with devising strategies which aim to fulfill the needs and wants of the target customers. The market oriented organizations, thus adopt approaches which are customer centric and put the customers first, and all the organizational activities are planned in accordance with the needs of the customers. The key characteristic of any market oriented organization is its unconditional support for its customers’ needs. Toyota is one such company which has consistently monitored the needs and demands of its customers and catered to all their concerns by developing products which are not only suitable to them but are beneficial to the environment at large. It was the first auto manufacturer which developed the environmentally friendly Prius, keeping in mind the growing concerns of its customers about global warming, generating high customer value in the process. Toyota has adopted the TQM and J.I.T. philosophies which ensure better value to its customers (Langford, Male,

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Art - Essay Example No doubt I have always been influenced with magazine cover photos such as the one below. I have always thought that an ideal female should look just like what the cover photos and advert images preach to us, and nothing less. Moreover, these cover photos are always of celebrities and models, and as such, my perception has always been shaped to believe that any other female need to match the celebrity standards. This image not only influences the belief and behavior of individuals, but also defines the culture of today’s society, whereby an ideal human to be acceptable is given standards that must be achieved. The artist statement accompanying this photography is, â€Å"Great American Women†. This explicitly reveals how the current culture defines greatness of female women. For example, they have to be fashion superstar, modern women, and all these come with super-slim bodies. This image is very alluring and sends a message both to young girls and grown up women to strive to look like such celebs because those are the culturally acceptable standards in today’s society. In turn, people also choose to view these photographs in one perspective, that is, the influence on body standards such as extremely tiny waist and generally slim bodies. However, there are several negative impacts that the above image inflicts in the society, especially among the female population. For example, young girls grow up to believe that if they do not attain such body sizes than they are not worthy. Therefore, I am going to critique this image in terms of the negative effects that it generates in th e society such as preference for cosmetic surgery, objectification of women bodies with reference to sex sells and media exaggeration of celeb glamour and glitz. The image links women’s beauty to the cult of thinness whereby the current society emphasizes, not on the substance, but on the surface of human being, and thus social and economic