Managing the Global Workforce free essay sample

But what does it really mean, and why is it important? Attracting and retaining talent has become a boardroom issue that is steadily climbing higher on the corporate agenda. The 2009 Ernst Young business risk report shows that risks associated with talent management broke into the Top 10 last year to become the seventh most important risk occupying corporate leaders’ minds. Talent management risk centers on the danger of losing key competencies (including members of leadership) that allow an organization to achieve its business goals. In response, companies are focusing on developing recruitment, training and retention programs to help ensure that needed skills are available in the future. At Ernst Young, we view talent management as an end-to-end process, linking a company’s mission, vision, values and strategy with the way it manages and develops its people. While other companies may de? ne talent management differently, we believe this end-to-end process encompasses every aspect of the employee life cycle and, therefore, use this de? nition as the basis of the concepts discussed in this report. We will write a custom essay sample on Managing the Global Workforce or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To gain a better understanding of the way companies outside of Ernst Young are approaching this challenge, we conducted the Ernst Young Global Talent Management Survey to answer the following questions: †¢ Do most companies integrate and align their talent management programs across the organization? Do companies run stand-alone programs or do they attempt to harmonize programs with each other and with the organization’s broader business goals? †¢ Do organizations with integrated and aligned talent management programs achieve superior business results compared with those whose programs are not? Are companies with international assignment programs losing key talent, skills and knowledge through inefficient career planning for repatriated employees? By failing to focus talent management programs specifically on these employees, do they lose valuable skills to competitors and waste their investments in their international assignees? Our experience strongly suggests th ree hypotheses: 1. The ability to align a company’s human capital (or people) processes with its overall business strategy, while fully integrating key elements of its talent management system, is an achievable goal rather than a theoretical or academic exercise. Sam Fouad Global Managing Partner – People Esther Hahm Co-author Human Capital Bill Leisy Co-author Performance Reward 2. Elevating talent management to a more strategic level yields indisputable business benefits. 3. Global companies must make international assignments part of their overall talent management program and include a focus on formal repatriation programs for returning expatriates. In mid-2009, we launched the Ernst Young Global Talent Management Survey to test these hypotheses and answer the questions posed previously. Our broader goal was to better understand talent management practices across different global regions, at companies of different sizes and in different industries. We received an overwhelming response from leaders at more than 340 global organizations — primarily senior executives — including CEOs, CFOs, COOs and vice presidents of human resources. Analysis of the survey data validated the hypotheses stated above. This report is a summary of our key ? ndings and observations, as it explores the value of aligning talent management programs with the overall business strategy. It also focuses on the importance of including international assignments in such programs and describes the relationship between talent management and ? nancial performance in companies. Talent management is about more than managing physical bodies that come to work each day. It is about managing human (or people) capital, a phrase that describes an intangible resource comprising your employees’ knowledge, abilities, capabilities and skills. Technologies, products and strategies can be replicated, but it is people who enable a company to innovate, differentiate and succeed. Harnessing that human capital requires elevating your view of talent management to a more strategic level. Forward-looking companies will regard these ideas as a starting point for building more effective talent management programs and for recruiting, developing and retaining your employees of choice. But this is not a one-size-? ts-all approach — your companies and your employees require a framework for building a strong human capital pool that meets the speci? c needs and challenges of your organization. Consider how the research ? ndings, observations and case studies apply to your organization. Managing today’s global workforce: elevating talent management to improve business 1 Overview Survey demographics and methodology Ernst Young LLP conducted an online survey among human resource, ? nance and risk management professionals, and C-suite executives from global Fortune 1000 companies. The aim of the survey was to provide further insight into how talent management programs and mobility assignments are being aligned and integrated across the enterprise. Our survey ? ndings are based on more than 340 responses representing a cross-section of some of the largest employers around the globe in a variety of industry sectors. Nearly one-third of respondents1 (32%) worked for companies headquartered in the US. Roughly one-quarter (24%) worked for organizations based in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 10% were headquartered in Australia; another 8% in individual countries like Canada, Brazil and China; and 7% in Japan. Most respondents were senior operations, ? nance or HR executives. The survey was conducted from July to September 2009. Why talent management holds the key to organizational performance A senior executive at a ? nancial services company recently stated that, if not for he employees, his company would be nothing more than a large building with bad furniture. While furniture and other features vary from one organization to another, the executive was correct: a business is only as good as its people. Given the recent economic downturn and its attendant workforce downsizing, you don’t hear this sentiment expressed as much as you used to. Nevertheless, as the global economy revives, bu sinesses that have kept in mind the importance of their people will be among the ? rst to rebound. These organizations have used downsizing more strategically than others, releasing employees who lacked the required competencies and keeping those whose skills ? t the company’s planned product or service offerings. They have understood that their people hold the keys to ef? ciency, competitive differentiation and success in the economic recovery. 1 Note: Percentages for all survey responses were rounded up or down to avoid using fractions when reporting ?nal data. In addition, not all survey respondents answered all of the questions in the survey and therefore, percentages may not add up to 100%. Foundations of talent management

William Bascom essays

William Bascom essays Nowadays peoples minds have been polluted by various sources. Television over emphasizes the pursuit of sex, money, and violence. This causes people to believe that a materialistic life is the most fulfilling and meaningful but, I believe that there is more to life than materialistic things. Spiritual fulfillment can also have positive emotional effects. Earning other peoples respect and honor is also believed by some to be meaningful. Accomplishments and achievements can also determine a meaningful life. There are many ways to achieve a meaningful life. William Bascom had many achievements during his lifetime. He was a deep-sea oceanographer. He assisted scientific study of the earths crust, by drilling the ocean bottom and gathering examples of the earths second layer. He took many unusual risks during the course of his career. He conquered cancer and stood up for his beliefs, which led many people to respect him. He was also an outkast when he believed that human waste would feed the growing population of fish, this caused him to become a controversial figure. He also had many tangible accomplishments, he found the Glomar explorer, the Spanish galleon that contained three bronze statues, and he discovered the Brother Jonathan. This man achieved a meaningful life through respect and accomplishments. On the other hand, Charles Hartshorne was always spiritually in touch with God. He proved Gods existence through 16 different arguments more than any other philosopher had done. On top of that great achievement he taught philosophy at the University of Chicago. Teaching is considered to be a novelty of the world. He was a well-known philosopher and always ahead of his time. Both Bascom and Hartshorne lead very meaningful lives. One had many tangible accomplishments to show for his time on earth, while the other lead a meaningful life through teaching, which is considered t ...

Indifference Curve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Indifference Curve - Essay Example The list of indifference curves associated with different utility level is called an Indifference Map. The rational consumer prefers the higher or right most, Indifference curve, since they represent combinations of goods providing higher utility levels. The slope of the indifference curve is called the marginal rate of substitution. It is the rate at which consumers are willing to give up one good in exchange for more of the other good. For most goods the marginal rate of substitution is not constant so their indifference curves are curved. Indifference curves are typically assumed to have the following features: Today's Economy is market driven where customer is the king. The market price is determined by forces of 'Demand and Supply'. To excel in the market, the firms must asses the demand of the customer. Consumer theory uses indifference curves and budget constraints to produce consumer demand curves. A budget constraint shows the consumer's purchase opportunities as every combination of two goods that can be bought at given prices using a given amount of income. Consumer's optimal combination of goods to consume is the amount that maximizes his utility subject to his/her budget constraint.

Someone who inspired you and what the inspiraton was Essay

Someone who inspired you and what the inspiraton was - Essay Example However, the main reason I admire him so much is because I know from what my parents and him told me how extraordinary his life has been. Unlike my parents, he never finished college and had to do many menial jobs – something he probably regretted later a lot. I came to learn that his youth was a wild one, and he dropped out of college halfway due to drug related problems. At that time, he had sunk so low that he would disappear for months living in shelters for homeless people, and the sense of his life was the next dose. Even his own family had given up hope on him; however, his struggle is something I can only describe as the greatest act of self-redemption I have ever heard of: he turned his life around, and today he teaches literature at a local college and has a PhD degree in the same subject. After he got rid of his drug problems, he worked nightshifts at a factory, and during the day did distance courses. No one thought he could keep this up, but to everyone’s s urprise, he finished college in three years. Having got his diploma, he worked as a teacher at a local high school teaching English to foreign students on a part-time basis to earn some extra money. By spreading himself thin in ways I will never come to comprehend, he managed to acquire a master’s degree finishing his education in a span of only five years. These days my uncle gives motivational talks to youths and homeless people as well as people with drug problems. Also, he finds time to talk once a week in a drug rehabilitation center that was founded by him and a few other sponsors. His taking care of people in need, shows what an altruistic and understanding person he is; my uncle believes, like one of his role models Martin Luther King, that love has a redeeming power and can change the world. His massage to them and everyone else is that everyone deserves a second chance, and one should always take time to help those have lost hope and support. To me,

W8last Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

W8last - Essay Example In this stage, the organization’s management highlights any evidence that there is an interconnection between leadership development and performance of the organization, as well as the skills and competences needed to accomplish the organization’s leadership goals (Reynolds, 2000). If leadership development does not match the organizational goals, it may not be useful for the organization. The second step is usually awareness creation concerning the characteristics that the organization is likely to achieve through the application of various tools for diagnosis. The diagnostic tools are supposed to match the organization’s leadership needs. The tools are also supposed to be connected to a particular competency model or an approved structure that corresponds to the nature of a triumphant leader in the organization. The third step is to activate the leadership development in individuals through connecting the awareness of development needs to the personal career goals with the organization’s strategic goals. The result is a concise and intended development plan that matches the individual needs as well as the organization’s strategic objectives. It provides a basis for leadership development. It is also important to empower the leaders through training and development to increase their capacity to perform in leadership roles. The leaders are then gi ven the opportunity to apply the skills acquired, which according to Sosik (2000) allows value creation in the individual’s abilities. These criteria are important since they allow an effective cost benefit analysis that allows the evaluation of the need to invest in leadership development. The organization is able to identify some tangible benefits of the leadership development programs. 2- Take your organization as the example. What leadership model is the most appropriate for your organization, and what are some of the advantages and

Policy Implications of Psychology Model of Mental Disorder

Policy Implications of Psychology Model of Mental Disorder This essay will review the article Policy implications of a psychological model of mental disorder (Kinderman, P., Sellwood, W. and Tai, S., 2007), and discuss how this article is relevant to my future career, by comparing the ideas that it espouses with those in other articles within the same field. The broad idea that underpins this article is that existing mental health service policy is predicated on the medical model of mental disorder, and that a psychological model of mental disorder could help to inform or even replace the medical model in terms of shaping policy. Kinderman et al’s (2007) article presents the view that mental disorders are â€Å"implicitly assumed to be biological disorders requiring treatment with variants on the traditional medical care systems†. The article presents evidence from a number of different sources, including the National Office of Statistics, and the charity Mind, in support of the view that people suffering from mental disorders often receive inappropriate care, and that the underlying reason is the assumption of medical rather than psychological models of therapy. The mediating psychological processes model of mental disorder (Kinderman, 2005, as cited by Kinderman et al 2007) is the psychological model proposed to enhance or replace the existing medical model. This model sees social and cultural influences, as well as biological factors as causing disturbances in the psychological processes of people suffering from mental disorders, as the diagram from Kinderman et al (2007) below illustrates; The benefits of using this model are that interventions would be designed to benefit the underlying psychological processes rather than to treat a diagnosed ‘illness’ as part of a generic medical response. The model suggests causation is external to the individual, and that mental disorder is a response to external factors. The difference with this model in relation to the medical model is that the medical model only considers biological factors, and ignores social and cultural factors. Interventions, from this perspective, would therefore be much broader, and would include in large part mental health workers, with less emphasis on the more medically inclined psychiatric approach, and more emphasis on a multi-disciplinary approach. Kinderman et al’s (2007) article goes on to look at how services could be structured around a social rather than medical framework and how existing organisational and operational structures would be altered across management and front-line departments. How users would engage with a service restructured around psychological concerns is looked at, particularly with respect to the stigma felt by patients that is currently associated with the medical model of mental ‘illness’, and the implications for patient recovery models. The more community-based, ‘quality of life’ approach to caring for people suffering from mental disorders is emphasised across all of these sections of the article. A breakdown of how the roles of specific mental health workers would be affected by adoption of Kinderman et al’s (2007) psychological model is also provided. The role of the mental health worker in this brave new world would be very much as part of a multi-discipl inary team. The role of psychiatrist focuses solely on biological interventions in terms of impact on psychological processes, and the traditional emphasis on psychiatry over other disciplines would be replaced by a more collaborative approach within a team of professionals across a number of disciples. Kinderman et al (2007) propose that nurses take on a broader role that encompasses psychological interventions, may carry more responsibility for clinical decisions, but still based on personal therapeutic relationships in both community and residential care settings. Psychologists are seen mainly as supervisors and trainers, and as formulating appropriate interventions as part of a multi-disciplinary team, rather than carrying them out. Social workers supply the social perspective to the team, and would be involved in socially based interventions, as opposed to psychological or biological interventions. Finally, occupational therapists also focus on the social aspects of care, speci fically social inclusion, and the article suggests that a closer relationship between occupational therapy and return to work advice may come about. I have attempted to place Kinderman et al’s (2007) article into context by reviewing literature related to this topic, so as to understand the issue of the medical model within the mental health services from different perspectives. Petrie, K., Broadbent, E., and Kydd, R. (2008) look at the affect of the patient’s own perception of their illness in terms of how the patient engages with mental health services and rehabilitative efforts. The self-regulation theory proposes that individuals form common-sense beliefs about their illness so that they can â€Å"understand and cope with health threats† (Leventhal et al., 1997; Leventhal, Nerenz, and Steele, 1984, as cited by Petrie et al 2008). Individuals actively try to understand their symptoms and their illness, which â€Å"†¦drives the patients coping and emotional responses to the health threat.† Petrie et al (2008) are arguing that the perceptions of the patient influence how they seek help, cope with interventions, rehabilitate, and respond emotionally to mental disorder. This view aligns to Kinderman et al’s (2007) view that social and cultural factors are as important as biological factors in how the mental health services engage with people suffering from mental disorders, and how well people respond to interventions. People’s perceptions of themselves are heavily contingent upon how they think other people see them, which is a social and cultural influence on an individual psychological construct. As an example of this Kondo, D. (1990), in reflecting as a researcher on her own experiences as a Japanese American describes how people â€Å"seemed to be constituted in and through social relations† and how the self is a dynamic construction. From this point of view, it is likely that an individuals’ perception of themselves, because it is a social construct, will change over time, and particularly with respect to how they perceive the state of mental disorder they suffer from, and how any intervention progresses (or not). This fits with Kinderman et al’s (2007) recognition that individuals are stigmatised through the application of the medical model to them, in the hands of the mental health service. Rose, Thornicroft, Pinfold, Kassam, (2007, as cited by Petrie et al 2008) point out that â€Å"the diagnoses used for mental health problems are more often associated with negative connotations.† Mà ¼ller DJ, Mandelli L, Serretti A, DeYoung CG, De Luca V, Sicard T, Tharmalingam S, Gallinat J, Muglia P, De Ronchi D, Jain U, Kennedy JL. (2008) carried out research into the influences of genetic and non-genetic factors on adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). According to Muller et al (2008), there is â€Å"strong evidence that ADHD is highly heritable and has a neurobiological underpinning† (Faraone and Biederman, 1999, as cited by Muller et al 2008), and that â€Å"low socioeconomic status, parental psychopathology, and family conflict† (Scahill et al., 1999 and Biederman et al., 2002, as cited by Muller et al 2008) are all strong contributors to the risk of ADHD. This view aligns to Kinderman et al’s (2007) view that social and cultural factors as well as biological factors need to be incorporated into the model that underpins mental health services policy. Muller et al (2007) concludes that the inclusion of â€Å"environmental factors in genetic studies, [would help] to resolve†¦Ã¢â‚¬  inconsistencies in studies of ADHD and of â€Å"†¦other psychiatric disorders.† Again, the importance of social and cultural factors as well as biological factors in understanding mental disorder is emphasised. Much research has linked suicide, and having suicidal thoughts, to depressive disorders. For example, â€Å"most adolescents with depressive disorders report significant suicidal ideation, and a significant minority report having made a suicide attempt during the course of their depression (Myers, McCauley, Calderon, Treder, 1991, as cited by Brown, R., Antonuccio, D., DuPaul, G., Fristad, M., King, C., Leslie, L., McCormick, G., Pelham, W., Piacentini, J., Vitiello, B., and Brown, R. 2008). It can be argued that suicide is a profoundly individual act. According to Durkheim, the motives of an individual could be explained by psychology, but psychology did not provide a general explanation of suicide as a ‘social fact’ (Smith, M., 1998). In Suicide (1897/1952, as cited by Smith, M. 1998), Durkheim studied suicide rates across time and place, and found patterns between suicide rates and amongst other factors, the geographic location of people that committed suicide, and membership of religious groups. It would seem that social and cultural factors had a very real impact upon the state of mind of individuals, and that there may also be psychological factors at play. In relation to the article under review here, it would therefore seem that not only do social and cultural processes need to be taken into account when caring for people with mental disorders, but psychological factors also influence, or perhaps mediate how social and cultural factors influence, the individual. This is broadly in line with Kinderman et al’s (2007) model, although the relationship between biological and psychological factors is not clear, and could stand further research, notwithstanding the limitations of this particular essay. It would also seem that professionals and researchers across several disciplines and schools of thought relating to mental disorders agree with Kinderman et al’s (2007) article, in terms of the need to include social and cultural factors in understanding and caring for people with mental disorders. In terms of my own career, Kinderman et al’s (2007) article illustrates the inadequacies within the existing structure and approach of mental health services, and how the mental health services could be improved by broadening the focus of the underlying model to include social and cultural causation of disruptions to individual psychological processes. I am unsure of how biological processes and psychological processes interrelate in terms of Kinderman et al’s (2007) model, but I would assume that in line with the deterministic causation of social and cultural factors, that psychological factors were are derived from biological factors. As a student considering a career in the mental health services, I see Kinderman et al’s (2007) article as very relevant. I chose the Kinderman et al (2007) article for review as it was of personal interest to me, and relevant to issues I may have to confront both in my future studies, and in my chosen career. I am specifically in terested in how people are engaged with by the mental health services, and how effective that engagement is, in terms of promoting individual agency, and respecting individual differences. My own feelings and thoughts around how people shape themselves, how people are shaped by external factors, and how people should be treated by society and by the mental health services, tend toward equality and non-judgemental institutions, processes and workers. Kinderman et al’s (2007) article and the thinking it embodies is provocative and very interesting, as it challenges the status quo, and the accepted medical model; a model that sees people as merely organisms rather than people with their own feelings, thoughts, histories and needs. As someone planning to work in the mental health arena, I would prefer to work within a structure that aligned with my own ideals and values, rather than being constrained by the ideas and values of the institution, and not being able to work in a way that I thought was effective and valuable. In writing this essay, the academic skills I have used include summarising, picking out key points, selecting relevant materials relating to the article under review, and constructing a logical flow of argument. I read the article itself through several times, first just to get a broad idea of the thrust of the article, and then again more carefully, paying attention to the points raised, and any thoughts I had related to the points raised. I noted down all of the ideas I had about the article at each reading, and used them to formulate a list of subjects for searching under on-line. These subjects included the main ideas underpinning the article, which included terms like medical, biological, illness, sickness, treatments, diagnosis, social / cultural influences (family, environment, socio-economic) psychological disorders, and related ideas like mental health, mental illness, intervention, child development, genetics, and psychiatry. I accessed the Open University library and carri ed out key word searches using different combinations of the terms themselves until I found articles that I could relate to the Kinderman et al (2007) article under review, and read, summarised and picked out key points. I then wrote up a rough essay plan that threaded all of the articles together, incorporating the key points of each, and led to the conclusion I had in mind, that is, the article was relevant to me, and was more or less supported by the additional reading I had done. I find studying academic skills as a subject useful, in that I feel as if I am developing a technique for better comprehending information and better expressing myself, by utilising evidence to support my views. This helps me to feel confident in approaching tasks that I may have felt previously were challenging because I was not comfortable that I knew how to achieve the objectives. I think I understand more about the process of working through information and evidence, with a view to applying that evidence to what I need to achieve. I feel as if I can see a logical path, which will help me to understand something and apply it in the way that I need to. In reflection, I think that one of the skills I have learnt is to break down things into smaller chunks that are more manageable. Taking a more methodical approach allows me to make sure I understand something fully before I move on to the next thing. This makes me feel as if I am achieving something at each step, rather than just gr inding through a long task with no clear end in sight. It helps me to feel as if I am in control, and as if I know what I am doing, which I think is what makes me feel more confident. In conclusion then, studying academic skills makes me feel more confident about tackling difficult tasks for which I would not previously have had the skills or confidence to tackle, and I demonstrated this to myself in carrying out this assignment. Bibliography References Kinderman, Peter, Sellwood, William and Tai, Sara (2007)Policy implications of a psychological model of mental disorder, Journal of Mental Health,17:1,93 — 103 Kinderman, Peter, and Tai, Sara (2008)‘Psychological models of mental disorder, human rights, and compulsory mental health care in the community’, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Volume 31, Issue 6, December 2008, Pages 479-486 Petrie, Keith J. ; Broadbent, Elizabeth ; Kydd, Robert , (2008), Illness perceptions in mental health: Issues and potential applications, Journal of Mental Health, Volume 17, Issue 6 December 2008 , pages 559 564 Mà ¼ller DJ, Mandelli L, Serretti A, DeYoung CG, De Luca V, Sicard T, Tharmalingam S, Gallinat J, Muglia P, De Ronchi D, Jain U, Kennedy JL. (2008). Serotonin Transporter Gene and Adverse Life Events in Adult ADHD. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B 147B:1461-1469. Kondo, D. (1990), Crafting Selves: Power, Gender and Discourses of Identity in a Japanese Workplace, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, pp. 9, 11-24 Brown, R.T.; Antonuccio, D.O.; DuPaul, G.J.; Fristad, M.A.; King, C.A.; Leslie, L.K.; McCormick, G.S.; Pelham, W.E. Jr.; Piacentini, J.C.; Vitiello, B. (2008), Depressive disorders and suicidality, in Childhood mental health disorders: Evidence base and contextual factors for psychosocial, psychopharmacological, and combined interventions.; pp. 69-85. Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. xii, 207 pp. Smith, M., (1998), Social Science in Question, London, Sage Publications in association with the Open University Press, p84

Microsoft: The Best in the Business Essay -- Computers Software Techno

Microsoft: The Best in the Business As humans evolved over thousands of years, we continue to develop tools and technologies that help us thrive. Without the ability to try new ideas that can and do lead to new technologies, our existence would have dwindled long ago. The minute new technologies are discovered and incorporated into the lives of the general public, people are already attempting to improve them. For example, scientists took the wheel and combined it with a open-top container, producing the cart. Add an engine and a car is invented, then add a radio, AC, and leather seats and, voila, the modern car is formed. Most companies that create a product that effectively join two technologies are given high approval ratings from society in the form of sales. However, in our newest field of technology, computers, some companies have reputations of being "evil" and "unethical" for combining two or more computer technologies. These companies have been creating and buying software that makes their product easier to use by the average user. This seems like a good and ethical business practice, but many feel that companies that are doing this, like Microsoft, are unfairly combining a separate software technology with their original product, which practically forces the average user to use it. Is it wrong for Microsoft to make software that combines two or more different software technologies that either forces or highly suggests to its customers, who are often times computer illiterate, to use the combined piece of software over another? What if Microsoft's goal is to help consumers with complicated computing: what about their practices are unethical or wrong? Could the method of morphing technologies be an unethical proc... ... May 10th 2001 <http://home.att.net/~wbazzini/MS-Ethics.html> IEEE-CS/ACM "Software Engineering code of ethics and professional practice" Posted 1999 <http://www.computer.org/tab/seprof/code.htm> Adam D. Thierer Heritage Foundadion "The Department of Justice's Unjustifiable Inquisition of Microsoft" Posted November 12, 1997 <http://www.heritage.org/library/categories/regulation/fyi162.html> The Ayn Rand Institute "The Microsoft Defense Site" Posted October 26 1998 <http://microsoft.aynrand.org/> 2) 6)Ralph Nader and James Love, le Monde Diplomatique "What to do about Microsoft" November 1997 <http://mondediplo.com/1997/11/nader.html> 1) Microsoft Corp. "What we do" January 29 2002 <http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/> 4) Dell Corp. "Mission Statement" 1999-2002 <http://www.dell.com/us/en/gen/corporate/vision_mission.htm>

Communication Style Paper

AA Professor Course 6315 Feb 26, 2013 COMMUNICATION STYLES: ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION This paper analyzes a specific interaction. The purpose is to see how changing the communication style according to the subjects involved can have different outcomes. The topics covered in this paper are (1) Subjects Involved, (2) The Specific Interaction and Analysis, and (3) Conclusion. Subjects Involved The nature of the two subjects involved in the study makes the analysis interesting due to their opposite communication styles. Any miscommunication between the two can result in undesired outcomes.The following paragraphs describe the two subjects and their communication styles followed by the discussion of the particular interaction and its analysis. Subject 1: The Candidate â€Å"Sales Manager† The one thing that separates the Sales Manager, Brian, from everyone else in the office is his desire to be liked by everyone. Brian cannot handle rejection of any kind. He is the person to appr ove any changes in Sales recommendations to the investors. Convincing Brian to do anything other than what he wants is quite a task. Each time one is about to convince Brian, something magically appears that takes him away to a different task.Subject II: The Noble â€Å"Me† I am the second subject. Being a â€Å"Noble,† getting into long discussions over rather straight forward issues is difficult for me. Arguments are pretty simple for me. The solution is either this or that. I have a need to make a decision and move on to the next task with the least amount of time wasted. The Specific Interaction and Analysis Brian has been the Sales Manager for the last five years. The office environment is open and democratic. All important issues are discussed in weekly friday morning meetings.Agendas for monday morning sales meetings are finalized on friday along with the recommendations for different investment properties to be presented to the investors the following week. In the weekly discussions, Brian’s job is to listen to the recommendations of the Sales Team which is led by me. Every time, when we need to finalize the recommendation, the discussions get heated and Brian just changes the topic and starts discussing something else. Each week, we end up with an argument trying to convince each other of the investment pick of the week, without coming to an agreement.Every argument leads to Brian discussing a completely different topic. It became a real problem for the sales team, as we left the meeting without a clear understanding of to present to our investors in the coming week. Once I understood Brian’s communication style, I discussed our course of action with my team. Under no circumstances were we to start an argument. Our tone of voice was to remain calm and in control at all times. We offered our views as an alternative without trying to direct or control him. The discussions were longer than what I would have liked but the resul ts were ncouraging. After weeks of unclear outcomes, we were able to come up with clear investment recommendations for our sales team to present to our investors. Conclusion I learned that knowing the other person’s style of communication makes the communication process a little easier. I always knew about the differences among people but never gave it the required thought to help me communicate better. I now alter my communication style depending upon the person I am dealing with resulting in more effective communication.

Periodic Classification of Elements

Periodic Classification of Elements Classification of Elements according to electron configuration ( type of subshell being filled) *valence electrons –outer electrons of atom which are those involved in chemical bonding ; accounts for similarities in chemical behavior among elemens within each of this groups * Representative elements/ Main Group elements * Group 1A-7A * Incompletely filled s/ p subshells Display a wide range of physical and chemical properties * Most reactive and most predictable with respect to periodic properties * most abundant elements on the earth, in the solar system, and in the universe * Group number equals the number of electrons in the highest / outermost energy level H  Ã‚  Ã‚  1s1| Li  Ã‚  Ã‚  2s1| Na  Ã‚  Ã‚  3s1| * Noble Gases * Group 8A * Completely filled p subshell (exc. He) * Great stability * Except krypton and xenon, elements in noble gases are totally inert chemically * The noble gases are all found in minute quantities in the atmos phere, and are isolated by fractional distillation of liquid air. helium| 1s2| neon| [He]2s22p6| argon| [Ne]3s23p6| * Transition Metals * Group 1B and 3B-8B * Incompletely filled d subshells * Readily produce cations * ductile and malleable, and conduct electricity and heat * exhibit several common oxidation states * Less predictable properties * 2B (Zinc, Mercury etc. )- neither representative elements nor transition metals * Transition metal compounds are  paramagnetic  when they have one or more unpaired  d  electrons. Sc 4s23d1| Ti 4s23d2| V 4s23d3| * Inner Transition Metals Lanthanides/rare earth series- Follow lanthanum Actinides- follow actinium; most of these elements are not found in nature but have been synthesized * Incompletely filled f subshells * Cerium: 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s24d105p66s24f2 Praseodymium:1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s24d105p66s24f3 Electron Configurations of Cations and Anions Ions derived from Representative Elements Cation- electrons removed Anion- electrons added Isoelectronic – ions or atoms and ions that have the same number of electrons, and hence the same ground state electron configuration Cations derived from transition Metals Prepared By: Monina Te

Research Paper on Crime

Research Paper on Crime Introduction What is the main cause of crime and its imperative relationship to poverty? Such a question at first may seem unanswerable because we could never pin point the exact cause of such worldwide problems. Crime and poverty have been around from time was time and there is no doubt that crime is on the increase not only in the world but also in Belize. During these past years, Belize has been infested with an outbreak of crime and violence and it appears to be at its peak. And the reason for this is many, for instance, the principal and most evident of them all would be the increasing rate of poverty that Belize has been experiencing owing to the vast opening in the midst of the poor and the rich that appears to be widening on a daily basis rather than closing up. The poor people of Belize see no other means to endurance and to stay alive and feel that they must resort to their last alternative, stealing, the most commonest form of crime found in Belize. Adding to this would be the high rate of unemployment that exists in our society mainly brought about by lack of education. So again, the only way for the uneducated, unemployed, and poor people to outlive such a way of living is once again resorting to a world of crime. Nevertheless, although there are many who see crime as a means of survival there are others who indulge in criminal acts for mere fun. For instance, those who are members of the call color gangs, choose to live a life of crime and violence because they believe it is cool to be bad. This gang problem has been triggered by the American television and their way of life, because by watching television we see how the American carry out their lives and we imitate them and do the same. So crime in Belize has reached its high point and the cause are many, but do we stop to ask, what is the solution to such problems? And do we really take time out to really answer the question? And if we do, do we find methods or means to deal with the problem? There are solutions to any problem and the solution to crime is no exception. Crime in Belize has gone beyond our reach because we have let it slip, this is so because we allow criminals to get away with criminal acts. There is a need to implement more severe punishments to crimes committed so as to set examples for other criminals who have not reached to an ex5reme, the laws need to be revised and be placed in enforcement and this can only be done by more police action. There is a need to educate the Belizean children and lead them to a better life, take them off the streets and teach them right from wrong. There is also a need to alleviate poverty so as to lower the high percentage of violence and crime both in urban and rural areas of Belize because by alleviating these problems there would be less criminals resorting to stealing as a means of survival. Therefore, one way of trying to solve or alleviate the problem is by being a united country and by voicing our opinions to those who can truly help make a difference; like the lawmakers and politicians. What is Crime? When you think of crime and criminals, you probably think of the dangerous looking characters you see played on television or in the movies. But there are lawbreakers like these in real life, too, and you read about their crimes every week in the newspaper. What exactly, is a crime then? A crime is any act, which breaks the law or fails to obey some requirement of the law. According to this definition, anyone who smokes in a bus or breaks a traffic regulation is guilty of committing a crime. These minor crimes are called misdemeanors. More serious crimes are called felonies. Felonies include all crimes that are punishable by more than a year in jail. Types of Crimes Crime has been on the increase in Belize, as in all countries of the world. In these past years, we have seen an increase in all types of crime. For example, crimes of violence, which are crimes committed against persons. Murder, one of the most serious crimes of violence and one of the major ones that have been seen for through the past years, especially among gang members. Aggravated assault is another form of crime that has to do with any kind of physical injury that is done intentionally to another person. There are also crimes against property, theft or stealing that are among the most common crimes committed in Belize. Associated with above mentioned is robbery, where property is taken from someone by causing him to fear for his life or by threatening him with violence. Another form of this already mentioned crime is burglary, where the entering of a home with the intention to steal. Crime and its Causes It is shocking to see that young people commit the highest percentage of crime. Evidence shows that most people arrested for crimes each year are between the ages of 18-25 or sometimes even younger. So then, the questions come up, why are young people lawbreakers? What cusses them to commit criminal acts? It is obvious that all the reasons are not certain because young people are many times hard to understand, thus, it is difficult to find out what makes them behave as they do. But according to experts’ world wide, who for many years have studied the problem, there are many things that bring about or that seem to give grounds to youngsters indulging in criminal acts. For instance, the primary reason that should be taken into consideration is poor home conditions, which play a part in the cause of young criminals. Many young criminals come from homes where parents may take no responsibility for their children. In such homes, the parent may not get along well together, and they may show little concern for the welfare and education of their children. The great numbers of slum areas in our country, mainly the city, often have a high rate of criminal activity. Places where families are crowded together in unpleasant dwellings, young people are most likely to get into trouble. Sometimes, their actions are simply a search for thrills and adventures. There are many who break the law really as an attempt to get even with the society for the kind of life they have to endure in the slums. To add to this, and also sharing the primary cause would be would be a means to survival. Many people who live in poor conditions sometimes have no other way of maintainin g their homes so they resort to stealing. They are of the opinion that the only way to survive the day to day hardship is to indulge in a life of crime and one of the main reasons for their behaviors are the law of employment. Unemployment play a massive role in the cause of crime because the people feel that if they can no9t work to sustain themselves they must steal in order to keep their selves and their families surviving. Therefore, the poor home conditions and the feeling of survival is one of the main causes of crime in our country just as it is for most of the other countries in the world. Another reason that encourages crime in our country is membership in gangs. Many young people who get into trouble with the law are or have some relationship with gangs or gang members. For many young men, in particular, crime is likely to be a gang activity, just as important as the money they obtain by stealing is the thrill that they get in challenging the police. A young member of a gang may feel that he must prove to his other gang members that he is brave by risking the chances of getting caught in order to gain respect among his gang members. Many join gangs so as to feel protected and to feel that they belong because to them a gang means family, the major or two most known gangs in Belize are the crips represented by the color blue and the bloods represented by the color red. For many years there has been a constant feud between these two gangs and such feud has brought about blood shed and left many wounded. Many of these gang members are responsible for a high percentage of crimes committed in our society because their daily means of living exist mainly on stealing to get money. Not to say that these are the only two gangs that exist in our country because this is not so there are others that have given rise through the years, there are others found in our districts but none more notorious than crips and the bloods. In adding to this, it can be said that gangs are influenced mainly by American television, our young people see the violence and wrong doings portrayed by young Americans and feel that they need to do the same to be cool and bad. And to conclude the issue of gangs, it takes a person of strong character to break away from a gang when he/she becomes involved in criminal acts. Similar to gang members or related to gangs are students who drop out of school who get involve in crime and most of the time in gangs. School dropouts are many times not necessarily headed for lives of crime, but many times it is seen that those who do not finish high school are more likely to become members of gangs or mere criminals. Being absent and skipping classes is often one of the signs of a possible delinquent. The schools drop out who is not able to get a decent job and who spends his day in idleness is likely to get into trouble with the law. And in Belize especially in the city we can see a lot of dropouts who just hang out on street corners doing nothing and many times become members of gangs. The use of alchol and drugs often or most of the time contribute to crime. Almost every country in the world, including Belize has laws forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone under 18 or 21 years of age. All countries forbid the sale of habit-forming drugs to anyone unless approved by a doctor. Yet, criminals break the law and sell drugs to young people. So, we might ask our selves, how does drug relate to criminal activity? There are three kinds of relationship: psychopharmacological, economic-compulsive, and systemic. A psychopharmacological relationship exists when someone commits a crime because of some drug induced change in mood or physiological function, it is also implied when a drug increase impulsivity. Economic-compulsive reasons involve committin a crime to obtain money to buy drugs. Systemic reasons involve drug related drive by shootings, rip offs of buyers and sellers, murders to eliminate rivals, and bribery or perjury to avoid conviction. In belize we see the three inds of relationship in our society giving most concern to the economic-compulsive reason. Although, many murders throught the past year have been committed due to systemic reasons,  where members of gangs and drug trafficers have murdered people who have in some way muddle in their deals. And there are also many crimes committed by people who were under the effect of some drugs.

International Business Strategy Master Case Study

International Business Strategy Master - Case Study Example How should Starbucks manage the paradox of profitability and responsibility Andrews (1997: p. 52) defines corporate strategy as "the pattern of decisions in a company that determines and reveals its objectives, purposes, or goals, produces the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, and defines the range of business the company is to pursue, the kind of economic and human organisation it is or intends to be and the nature of the economic and non-economic contribution it intends to make to its shareholders, employees, customers, and communities". Corporate strategy in effect maps out the businesses in which an organisation intends to compete in a way that focuses resources to convert distinctive capabilities into competitive advantage. (Andrews, 1997). Economists are not in agreement as to a common definition of multinational or transnational enterprises (MNE/TNC). Multinational corporations have many dimensions and can be viewed from several perspectives (ownership, management, strategy and structural, etc. (Root 1994, Hill 2007). According to Ghoshal. et al (2002), A multinational Entreprise (or transnational corporation) is a corporation or enterprise that manages production establishments or delivers services in at least two countries. Most multinationals have budgets that exceed those of many countries (Ghoshal et al. 2002). This paper addresses some of the pertinent issues that affected Starbucks in 2006. The paper further discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the different models of entry used often adopted by Multinationals. The last section of the paper looks at Stakeholder mapping of Starbucks and how each of its Stakeholders affected its strategies 2.0Identify and assess the strategic challenges confronting Starbucks Corporation in 2006. Use your findings to critically evaluate the firm's decision not to compromise on its "basic principles" (Case Page 303) as its expands internationally. Today's business environment is increasingly becoming more turbulent, chaotic and challenging than ever before and to survive, it is vital that a firm understands the strategies underpinning the success of rival firms and try to emulate, or do something better than the rivals. This study is initiated to investigate the core features underpinning H&M success when compared to it competitors. Within the context of today's global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses including the retail clothing chain stores. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien:1). The problems and challenges that Starbucks faced in 2006 can be explain inline Porters five forces. Porter (1985:4) contends that the Five Forces define the rules of competition in any industry and at the same time marks the bases for understanding a company's success. Porter (1985) went further and argues that, competitive

Current impression of the american legal system Essay

Current impression of the american legal system - Essay Example Go back to the beginning: Problems arise between people; many of the problems go away by themselves, and others are solved through negotiation, economic pressure, or other informal means. But there remains a residuum of disputes that the parties cannot solve for themselves. The litigation process provides a mechanism for resolving those disputes. Consider what happens in subcultures in which litigation is unavailable. Among drug dealers, for example, disputes and claims of right are likely to be settled with drive-by shootings. But even aside from the threat of violence, the presence of unresolved grievances corrodes the public's sense of social order and well-being. In a fair, well-ordered, smoothly functioning society, problems get solved and injustices get corrected. We don't need a complex, adversarial legal system to resolve these disputes, however. We could adopt a much cheaper, simpler procedure-a judge could simply flip a coin to decide who wins. Or even simpler--set up computerized kiosks that would randomly generate decisions. The courts and police would then simply enforce the decisions determined by chance. That system could resolve many more problems at much lower cost. But a judicial system based on chance violates two of our fundamental beliefs about fairness: The courts should render decisions based on rules of substantive law that are fair, and they should do so after observing a fair process. The first task of civil procedure, then, is to implement substantive rules of law and the values and policies on which they are based. When a legislature or court announces a rule of law, the rule acquires authority simply by virtue of being the law. People respect the law and usually obey it without the threat of sanctions for failing to do so. But litigation provides both a backup mechanism for those cases in which people do not conform their conduct to the requirements of the law, and a forum in which the values and policies underlying the law can be articulated, reinforced, and worked out in new situations. Although no procedural system does this perfectly, a fair system will reduce the possibility of error by removing the barriers to a focused decision-making process. Civil procedure has a second task, too. We are offended by a dispute resolution system based on chance or corruption because it violates our understanding of fair process, in addition to being unlikely to produce results in accordance with just principles of substantive law. Civil procedure has an independent value in creating a litigation process that conforms to our concepts of fairness. A fair procedural system provides a public affirmation of our belief in justice under law. It also affirms the dignity of the individual litigants and of others like them. Litigation, like electoral politics, is an arena in which individuals can assert their values and the significance of their own interests. "Having your day in court" is a cherished American tradition. The role of civil procedure is to make sure that the day in court is a meaningful one. Under an adversary system as developed in the United States, fair process has several essential components. Parties to litigation must have an opportunity to adequately develop the facts and law in support of their cases and to present the relevant facts and legal arguments to the decision-maker. In the typical case, the parties must have a right to have a jury determine the facts of the case. The