Dell’s Business Ethics

Dell Inc’s Business Ethics Gwynedd-Mercy College Abstract Business Ethics is a very important part of having and running a successful business. Your business ethics consist of the behavior that a business adheres to in daily dealings within the world. There are a few key components that are covered under the business ethical umbrella within the Dell Computer Corporation they are as follows: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Governance, Environmental Responsibility and Corporate Accountability. These key components are what make Dell Inc. successful company within the computer industry. Dell Inc’s Business Ethics. Dell Inc. is one of the largest computer manufactures in the world and they have grown tremendously over the years. Their evolving business strategy combines their revolutionary direct customer model with new distribution channels to reach commercial customers and individual consumers around the world. Dell’s Direct Model business approach is la rgely responsible for the success of the company, it provides a fast cost-efficient and customer friendly means of production and distribution (Dell, 2009). Since this market is ever changing, competitors are challenging Dell with new and unique products in effort to overcome the superiority of the Direct Model. The growth and development of the laptop computers is a primary area in which Dell Inc. can work for continued success, despite the threat posed by its competitors. Dell initiates the latest and appropriate technology much more promptly and efficiently than any other computer company (Dell, 2010). Also, Dell’s refined strategy to building an adequate infrastructure establishes market creditability against its better-known rivals. Their approach to the computer industry had two advantages: First they wanted to bypass distributors and retail dealers which will eliminate markups of resellers, and second building to order greatly reduced to the cost and risks associated with carrying large stocks of parts, components and finished goods (Dell, 2009). Business Ethics Business ethics is a personal moral manner where people try to decipher right and wrong within their daily and organizational lives. With the terms â€Å"business† and â€Å"ethics† put together can create a more powerful influential understanding of cultural beliefs of what is important to you on the judgments that are made of good or bad behavior. Dell Inc’s business ethics consist of its Global Ethics and Compliance Team (Dell, 2010). This team initiates education and awareness to all of Dell’s employees on highlighted issues such as privacy and data protection, workplace conduct, and gifts and entertainment. This team also delivers consistent training to prepare all the employees for effectively, legally and safely performing their jobs on a daily bases. Dell has two mandatory training courses for all employees: Winning with Integrity which is the Code of Conduct overview of the company and Information Security Polices and Standards. Employees are also encouraged to complete three additional global ethics courses: Dell Corporate Governance, Records Management, and the newly developed Privacy and Data Protection Awareness. Dell’s code of conduct adheres to the values and beliefs of the Soul of Dell. The Soul of Dell is accompanied by five core elements Customers, The Dell Team, Direct Relationship, Global Citizenship and Winning. These core elements/values define what kind of company they are and have become. Ethically Dell is indeed committed to understanding and respecting the laws, values and cultures wherever they do business. Profitability growing in all markets while promoting a healthy business climate globally contributes positively in every community that they call home both personally and organizationally. Ethical Umbrella Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility also known as CSR is the actions of an organization that are targeted toward achieving a social benefit over and above maximizing profits for its shareholders and meeting all its legal obligations (Ghillyer, 2010, p. 78). It can also be referred to operating a business in a manner that accounts for social and environmental impact created by the business. Corporate Social Responsibility at Dell Inc. s about demonstrating through action their values of corporate citizenship. In the itinerary of the integration of economic, social and environmental responsibility into everything they do and ensuring diversity remains a Dell cornerstone. Dell has a full-time commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen. It’s a commitment driven by the types of goals, strategies and accountabilities that characterize every part our business. And it’s one that persists through all business cycles (Dell, 20 10). Dell focuses on the ideals of environmental responsibility, corporate responsibility and the social responsibility to further strengthen the beliefs of addressing issues will support the realization of financial goals and can be critical to their long-term corporate achievement. Dell must continue to grow responsibly protecting their natural resources and practicing sustainability in all its forms and improve the communities where they live and work through their financial and volunteer efforts. Their commitment to social responsibility is about making a meaningful difference and seeking innovative ways to help others through their technology resources and employees by partnering with non-governmental organizations to address some of the key issues facing our world today. Corporate Accountability Integrity to inspire trust is Dell’s corporate accountability. They succeed when they earn the utmost trust and respect from their customers through the actions and innovations of the company. Ethics and integrity is built into their key corporate growth, which encourages people to accept the responsibility and enables then to take actions. The undisclosed key to Dell’s corporate accountability is the pride that the employees take in the company. Within that it is more than just simple meeting all the compliance requirements and following the rules it is about creating a culture that people can simply act with integrity. Corporate Governance The Board of Directors and management team have jointly responsibility, thics and integrity at Dell Inc. In that regard, the Board expects each director, as well as each member of the senior management, to lead by example in a culture that emphasizes trust, integrity, honesty, judgment, respect managerial courage and responsibility. Moreover, the Board also expects each director and each member of senior management to ac ethically at all times and adheres to polices as well as the spirit, expressed in Dell’s Code of Condu ct. The Board will not permit any waiver of any ethics for any director of executive officer. Corporate governance is also the commitment to the achievement of business success and the enhancement of long-term stockholder value with the highest standards of integrity and ethics. Primarily the success is an approach to corporate governance that will extend beyond simple compliance with the authorized necessities. Environmental Responsibility Dell Inc. aspires to be the greenest technology company on the planet. They dare to motivate by engaging with others and sharing what they have learned. They strive to innovate by improving the efficiency and design of their products. Dell’s greatest innovation is their leadership. They realized that a top-notch management strategy would not fulfill Michael Dell’s goal. In addition, it would propel Dell’s vision into everyday workings of their business. S. W. O. T. Analysis One of Dell’s greatest strengths in targeting the business executive category is that roughly 75% of all sales revenue comes from large businesses and government organizations. Dell has already established relationships with large companies, and this provides most of their business. These companies pass the relationship on through their employees, providing them with Dell products. Dell has a considerable weakness in targeting the college student segment of the market. This is due to the fact that only 5% of Dell’s total sales revenue currently comes from educational institutions such as colleges. Unlike Dell’s business customers, Dell lacks a large amount of relationships with educational institutions. Many students purchase their PC’s through their schools, Dell is clearly not in a position to take advantage of the college at this time. Their greatest weakness is that buyers can not physically touch or see the product that they want to purchase. The Direct Model provides many great opportunities, however the disadvantage is that customer cannot go to retailers and try a few different products and go home with a computer all in one visit. The thing that differentiates Dell from its competitors is customization. Many computer buyers are suspicious of a product that they can’t personally examine before purchasing. Moreover, an anxious buyer would have to wait a number of days before their computer was delivered. Personal computers are being purchases and used more than ever before. The market for laptops, in particular, is growing much faster than that of the desktop computers. This general trend lends itself as a great opportunity for Dell’s laptop business to grow in all segments. Another opportunity for a; the targeted segments relates to the first trend that was mentioned. Customers are becoming more educated about personal computers, as an increasing number of them are second-time buyers. Consumers who have purchased computers in the past know what they want, and Dell can cater to them. The Direct Model can provide the framework for customers to make truly personalized computers in a qualified hassle-free environment. Increased communication and technological integration also create great opportunities for Dell. Customers can now go on the Internet to personalize their computer, place an order, or just simply get information. This is more efficient and effective for both Dell and the customer, and its benefits are many. In such a volatile market as personal computers, threats are great and many. Because of the ever changing nature of the computer industry, companies are constantly being challenged to produce higher quality, lower priced products, and do it faster and more efficiently than the competition. One to Dell primary external threats is that the prices between brands are getting smaller all the time. Dell’s Direct Model benefits the consumer in many ways, one of which is cost savings. Now that other companies are finding ways to combat the low costs of Dell, they can to pass along savings to their customers. As a result, price differential is becoming less of an issue, if not nonexistent, for buyers. Many of Dell’s competitors are therefore becoming closer substitutes. Another serious threat is simply that the growth rate of the computer industry is slowing. At this current time, Dell owns a greater market share than any of its competitors throughout the world. However, as the market slows down, competition for market shares will intensify. Companies will have to work harder than ever before to distinguish their brand from substitutes. If a company has trouble differentiating its brand from its competitors, they will find it hard to hold a significant market share. Finally, the face pace of technological advancement, while being a tremendous opportunity, is also a great threat. The newest, fastest, most efficient technology and most durable, user-friendly products are going to sell. If the company fails to keep up-to-date with innovations in technology, they will quickly see decline in performance. Conclusion With the competitive advantage that Dell Inc. has they have a product that every consumer and organization wants. Besides the fact that Dell is the preferred desktop and laptop of enterprises in the United States and Europe and winning more than 400 product awards in 2007, Dell is a company that believes in what they are doing and will stop at nothing to become the best in the computer industry. The current market trends in the personal computer industry, for laptops in particular, are being driven by ever changing consumer needs, wants, and demands. As a result, companies like Dell Computer Corporation are forced into constant state of adaption in order to satisfy their customers. By taking full advantage of their strengths, paying close attention to their weaknesses, and identifying both opportunities and threats from the macro-environment, this company can position themselves as significant shareholders in an intensely competitive market. References About Dell. (n. d. ). Retrieved June 29, 2010, from http://content. dell. com/us/en/corp/about-dell. aspx? c=us&l=en&s=corp Corporate Responsibility. (n. d. ). Retrieved June 29, 2010, from http://content. dell. com/us/en/corp/cr. aspx Ghillyer, A. W. , (2010) Business Ethics: A Real World Approach. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Sliver, R. , (2002) the 21st Century Executive: Innovative practices for building leadership at the top, San Francisco, Jossey Bass.

Macbeth and to Kill a Mockingbird Essay

The play Macbeth and the novel to kill a Mockingbird consist of many similarities, some in which are more obvious than others. Both of these two excellent literatures have the common theme of hope for justice, similar characters, and also both the novel and the Shakespearian play have the suspense and intensity in the atmosphere. In the novel to kill a Mockingbird and the play Macbeth, both deliver a message of hope for justice. In the novel we see two young men being judged upon their physical characteristics and what others have said about them. Tom Robinson was a man who lived on the other side of Maycomb, the side of â€Å"poor and worthless† coloured people. The society of Maycomb jugged him for his colour rather then what Atticus had to say about him in the court. Another character named Boo Rady was being judged by people who lived in the neighbourhood; kids grew up having this idea of him being a scary man who stabbed his father in the leg. Even though all those stories being told to Scout and Jem were not accurate the neighbourhood still passed on the stories. But hope for justice was still in that society, the novel ended with scout understanding and appreciating Boo Radly. Also justice was brought to Tom even though he had been killed by the jail guards when trying to escape, the society thought they had won, but Tom’s remembrance made the community question prejudice and its evilness towards people. The evil in the society had not conquered in this tale, since Tom was so influential to the community. Now looking at the play Macbeth, the hope for justice was brought to the play by Macduff. He stud up against Macbeths’ evil ambition and took back what belongs to Malcom. In the novel and the play justice was being forgotten until the ending; where everyone got what they deserved. In the play Macbeth and the novel to kill a Mockingbird the characters have different believes and outlook for the life they live in. Characters such as Macduff and Jem live in two different period of time and their ages are very different but if you look at their morals and the way they live their life’s we see similarities. Macduff is a grown man with responsibilities as a father and a soldier, he’s a man who loves his country and would do anything to protect it from evil, and he also stands up for what he believes in and has the eye that tries to see the good side of people. †¦. In Shakespeare’s â€Å"Macbeth† supernatural forces create a suspenseful atmosphere. The play begins with the suspense of what will Macbeth do with the prophases he has received. Certain uncanny resemblances between Tom Robinson and Boo Radley’s lives exist in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Often large groups of people misunderstand certain unusual individuals. Sometimes they stereotype the person; other times, they simply do not bother to find out the truth.

Role of MIS: Employee Privacy Rights in the Workplace

The Information Age came upon us. As a concept, or stage of human history, it suggests a number of propositions. It implies that there is more information now than ever before an indisputable claim. The concept also implies that more people spend more time producing and using more information than ever before another indisputable assertion. In recent years and for the foreseeable future, organizations have been facing rapidly changing business environments which have challenged their executives (both Management Information Systems (MIS) and non-MIS) to handle issues such as downsizing, outsourcing, leveraged buyouts, strategic alliances, flexible manufacturing, just-in-time scheduling, globalization, business process re-engineering and total quality management. These environmental changes have placed demands on there MIS departments to support product innovation, new production techniques and changing organizational designs and to provide timely, high-quality information. The introduction of the Internet, e-mail, and other forms of electronic communication has revolutionized the workplace and given rise to new and improved business practices, including widespread access to information and instant communication among suppliers, customers, and employees. Management encourages employees to make full use of these new electronic tools to further the company's business objectives and that is where Management Information Systems are employed. However, increasing use of electronic communication has spawned new forms of employee misconduct. As management responds to employee abuse of electronic communications, the tension between management fights and employee privacy fights is heightened. Management wants to be free to fully monitor electronic communications to ensure that they are used for legitimate business purposes in the company's best interests. Employees seek to safeguard their privacy and want the freedom to use these new electronic tools for personal and business purposes. This ongoing struggle – between privacy and management fights – underlies the legal issues arising from employee e-mail and Internet use around the world. Data Analysis The extended theory founded on this core belief divides U.S. economic history into different eras, depending on the primary economic activity during the period (Duncan 1994). From colonial times until late in the 19th century, the American economy was agrarian. Then, roughly from the dawn of the 20th century through the end of the Second World War, it was preeminently a manufacturing economy. Industry especially heavy industry was the motor that drove the entire economic engine. After World War II, the American economy increasingly came to be dominated by its service sector. By the mid-1950s, more than one-half of all U.S. employment was devoted to providing services rather than to fabricating goods (Duncan 1994). The Pre-Information Age business office was supported by the hierarchical managerial system to keep track of employees and the work they produced (Dmytrenko 1992). Office equipment included information producing tools, such as typewriters and adding machines. Most of the equipment was simple, manual in operation, bulky, and noisy. Clerical staff primarily used this equipment, as they were the appointed information processors of the time. Early efforts to improve office efficiency used industrial engineering techniques, employing time and motion studies to standardize the work tasks of office support staff, and maximize the workflow through effective office design. Information management was categorized as an intensely manual recordkeeping process (Dmytrenko 1992). Filing systems (alpha and/or numeric), and cross-referenced indexes were the prevailing records management techniques employed, and to be on the safe side, offices maintained multiple copies of the same document for back-up purposes. These practices resulted in increasing demands for office space dedicated to files. The Information Age is reshaping the office of the 2000s. One source of confusion is the fact that the movements from manufacturing to services, and then to information, were of a different character than in earlier transitions. In the first place, while the transition from an agricultural to a manufacturing-based economy was marked by a decline in the number of jobs in agriculture, there has been no such diminution in the number of manufacturing jobs after the shift to a service economy. Moreover, American manufacturing currently accounts for roughly the same percentage of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as three decades ago (Duncan 1994). Changes are taking place in the organizational structure and operations of businesses. Identifying and handling key issues in the MIS is essential for executives to support and run their organizations efficiently and effectively. The investigation of the key issues by researchers serves to enhance the understanding of the concerns of executives and suggest relevant areas of investigation by management researchers. Employers are concerned that their employees are spending a considerable amount of time on the Internet, browsing and sending e-mails regarding subjects that are totally unrelated to their job duties during work hours. In addition to harming productivity, employee access to the Internet creates more opportunities for employees to engage in virtually unprotected speech that could create liability for the employees and their employers. Most worrisome is the possibility that computers are used to download pornography or materials offensive to minorities which may then be distributed around the office in electronic attachments or printed and viewed by groups of employees. Such conduct could in turn lead to harassment complaints by employees. The widespread and rapid distribution of offensive or discriminatory material can poison a work environment and may also give rise to criminal charges. The ability of employees to transfer company information via e-mail that does not have sufficient confidentiality protection, such as a nondisclosure agreement, to outsiders puts that information at risk of losing its status as a trade secret and puts the employer at a distinct disadvantage with the loss of information. Employers might wish to discipline or discharge employees who jeopardize company proprietary information. The Internet also contains content protected by copyright or other proprietary fights, opening up the potential for direct, vicarious, or contributory copyright infringement liability claims against employers should the information be downloaded and utilized without the proper authority. At common law, the employer is vicariously liable for torts committed by an employee in the course of his or her employment. Therefore, the doctrine attaches to the employer's responsibility for the tortuous conduct of the employee without the existence of fault on the part of the employer. However, this doctrine does not absolve the employee from liability for tortuous conduct, and the employer may, in fact, claim an indemnification against the employee for moneys paid to a third party due to vicarious responsibility. For these reasons, many employers have begun monitoring employees' use of e-mall and the Internet which raises issues related to the employee's fight to privacy and about the new privacy legislation. It is becoming more commonplace for inappropriate and illegal Internet usage to be the determining factor in employee discipline and dismissals in unionized settings. The only question to be determined now is whether the inappropriate e-mails and Internet usage are just cause for dismissal. Arbitrators weigh each fact situation to determine the extent of the disciplinary offense and the appropriateness of management responses in the context of the collective agreement. Although e-mail is likely included in the definition of â€Å"telecommunication,† the real issue lies in whether or not e-mail monitoring on a computer desktop or server falls within the definition of â€Å"intercept.† Due to the way that e-mail is transmitted, it is unlikely that it could be intercepted as defined in the Criminal Code. â€Å"Intercept† means interference between the place of origin and the place of destination of the communication (Rasky, 1998). E-mail is transmitted from one computer through (usually) two Internet Service Providers onto a network server, and once that is complete so is the transmission. Consequently, the e-mail is simply just waiting to be retrieved by the recipient from the network. As a result, an employer that views a message which has been sent and saved onto a company's server is not really intercepting the message within the meaning of the Criminal Code (Coon and Cocker, 2001). There is no definitive ruling on who owns the e-mail in the issue of e-mail sent or received by an employee via his or her employer's computer system. This could be argued in two ways. One view is that e-mail sent or received in this context is property of the employer, to which an employee maintains no reasonable expectation of privacy. Thus, a search of e-mail in the workplace is really nothing more than a search of an employer's property (Rasky, 1998, p. 221). A second perspective is to view sent or received e-mail as the property of the employee. Employers assign employees e-mail addresses and allow employees to have e-mail passwords. Thus, this approach suggests that employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their workplace e-mail (Mclsaac, 2000, p. 2-86). The courts to date have not specifically addressed the issue of e-mail privacy within the workplace, although it was held in R. v. Weir (1998) that an individual's home e-mail via the Internet â€Å"ought to carry a reasonable expectation of privacy.† Therefore, as Internet and e-mail monitoring becomes more commonplace in the workplace, the only deterrent to employers may be couched in terms of the new privacy legislation and the required consent that will be required of an employee when an employer wishes to monitor. The focus would then be shifted to one of the reasonableness of the substance of implementation of the consent and monitoring policy along with the various factors inherent in that implementation such as the notice given to the employee of the search policy, the clarity of the policy, and the fairness of the administration of the policy (McIsaac, 2000, p. 2-87). Conclusion The Information Age suggests that the role of information is more important in the economy than ever before, and that information is replacing some earlier â€Å"fuel† of the American economy (Duncan 1994). These days the primary problem for most organizations and their employees is not the shortage of data but being able to evaluate what is useful and what is not, where to find the good stuff, and then how to use it effectively. The rapidly increasing use of Internet and e-mail in the workplace has introduced complicated issues related to the areas of potential liability of employers arising from the improper use of the Internet and e-mail by employees, as well as creating numerous privacy issues which must soon be addressed by all employers – union and nonunion. If employers specify and disseminate clear and concise e-mail and Internet use policies, they will be able to significantly reduce the risk associated with employee misconduct in this area. Not only should the policies be clear and concise, but they should also be communicated to the employees in such a fashion that all employees understand the policy and the consequences of breaching that policy. Employers can be concerned that their investments and MIS tools are being misused by employees, but at the same time clear communication and respect for the fights of employees and their privacy will encourage a positive, healthy work environment along with a decreased risk for potential liability for all parties involved. We agree that the Canadian Courts and arbitrators will need to make a concerted effort to understand the new technology and the various problems that arise as a result of that technology and then strike a balance between employee fights to engage in concerted activities vs. employer property and entrepreneurial fights. References Coon, Kevin & Jonathan Cocker. (2001) Legal Issues of E-mail and Internet Access in the Workplace. Internet and E-Commerce Law in Canada 1. January 2001: 81-87 Duncan, Joseph W., (1994) The Information Age on Shaky Foundations, Challenge, 05775132, Jan/Feb94, Vol. 37, Issue 1 Mclsaac, Barbara. (2000). Law of Privacy in Canada. Scarborough: Carswell. Rasky, Holly L. (1998). Can an Employer Search the Contents of Its Employees' E-mail? 220 Advocates Quarterly 20: 221-28 Dmytrenko, April, L., (1992) The information age has arrived or `much ado about everything', Records Management Quarterly, 10502343, Oct92, Vol. 26, Issue 4          Case: R. v. Weir (1998) 213 A.R. 285 (Q.B.)      

The Natural Rate of Unemployment Research Proposal

The Natural Rate of Unemployment - Research Proposal Example According to the model, the workers and the firms undertake negotiation in order to decide on the nominal this. This negotiation is done irrespective of the expected price level of the economy. The nominal wage is determined as the product of the target real wage rate and the expected level of price in the economy. Most of the economists are of the opinion that the nominal wage in the economy is sticky in the short run. With a sticky nominal wage in the economy, the prices would increase from P to P0. This would reduce the real wage rate in the economy. Since the wages are the prices for labor the demand curve for labor would be a downward sloping curve and the supply curve would be an upward rising one. The now the labor market would comprise of the employed and the unemployed labor force. Thus the total labor in the economy would be Therefore the level of unemployed in the economy would be LN, where L is the total labor force, N is the employed and U is unemployed. Therefore the natural rate of unemployment in the economy would be U* / L. Now the wage setting relation establishes a negative relationship between the real wage that exists in the economy and the rate of unemployment existing in the economy. This relation can be represented by the downward sloping curve that is shown in the diagram below. As the rate of unemployment in the economy would increase the wages that the laborers would demand would be less (Broughton, 2009. pp. 3-5).

Discussion Questions - Strategic Sourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Questions - Strategic Sourcing - Essay Example The choice of the right assessemtn tool depends on the needs of the organisation, as well as the convenience the organisation wants to have in the process. These assessment tests are often used in predicting whether particular job applicants can take part in the many counterproductive activities at the work place like unsafe behavior and other related activities. These tests are also essential in predicting the tenure for the job applicants as well as their effectiveness in the job. These tests have also been found to be very effective in helping the organisation to avoid most of the costly mistakes in the hiring process like violence, theft and various other forms of counterproductive behaviors (Gilmore, 2009). Integrity tests are essential in the provision of low cost alternatives in the process of getting the most effective and reliable employees. While assessment tools are often used with much success in different organisations, some of them have to be avoided because they are not effective in producign the best lasting results. One of these assessment tests is the use of perfomance tests. These tests are always not effective because they do not focus on the ability ot the employees to learn new skills and knowledge as the organisation grows and develops. These assessment tests are also not preferred because they often lead to screening out of employees that can be trained to undertake the roles of the organisation. Additionally, it also focuses onsome of the skills that the potential job candidates may not use in the course of their work practices. The human resource management often uses various selection tools in the process of getting the right staff for their work practices. Most of these tools are those that have been ratified by the labour laws and policies in the country. All succesful organisations often rely on policies and regulations ratified by the economic

Globalization and human resource management practice 03191 Essay

Globalization and human resource management practice 03191 - Essay Example The increasing relevance of globalisation is influenced by numerous factors including talent shortage in developed countries, low cost labour accessibility and technological development. The aim of the study is to draw attention to the key issues relating to the global management of people, significance of human resources management in international organizations, globalisation leading to convergence in human resource management practice and the human resource impact relating to various changes (Paik, Chow and Vance, 2011). The objective is to conduct an in-depth study on globalisation and its impact on human resource management and then derive a conclusion to the study. In the developing countries, globalization has a giant impact on the human resource management (Rowley and Benson, 2002). It has led to unionisation and homogenization of the strategies of an organization. It led to the convergence in the structures and processes of an organization as well as in the consumer’s choice. In the increasing stage of globalization, the organizations felt the need to change and the new trends came into existence in the management of the human resources. Globalisation resulted in changing the organizational structure improving competence but the negative result is that the staff numbers had to be reduced (Edwards and Kuruvilla, 2005). The employees have been minimised in various sectors such as telecommunications so that the organizations can gain a competitive advantage. The human resource planning strategy is focussed on having limited workforce in the core areas which enabled the organization run profitably. The organizations outsourced for the no ncore jobs which led to increase in independent contractors in the service industry. Globalisation hence can be said to have an extraordinary impact on the developing countries

London Olympics 2012 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

London Olympics 2012 - Essay Example This essay throws light on Olympics 2012, the history of Olympics, about London and the impact of this event on major stake holders in the host community. The researcher states that Olympic Games are one of the biggest international events. It features both summer and winter sports in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The games are held in every two years on even numbered years only. Summer and Winter Olympic games, alternate every next year which means that the seasonal games are held every four years. The 2012 Summer Olympics were held in London, that is England’s capital city. London was elected to be the host city for Olympics 2012 on 6th July 2005. Their rival competitors were Moscow, New York City, Madrid and Paris. At least 4 voting rounds took place. London was headed by the former Olympic Champion, Sebastian Coe. It is stated that London is a metropolitan city and is claimed to be the largest city of Britain, its history dates back to the Roman Empire. In the past it has hosted Olympics twice. Over the last couple of years, the scale and scope of the Games has grown enormously. It is now represented by every nation on the block. This has obviously given rise to other challenges such as boycotting, fixing, doping and even terrorism. Olympics provide citizens of different nations a chance to represent their country and attain international fame every two years. Even the host country is given the opportunity to promote itself to the world and project it in a good light.

Research and evaluate the corporate governance arrangements for Essay

Research and evaluate the corporate governance arrangements for SAINSBURY (J) PLC. Present your findings in a business report fo - Essay Example Based on research, a recommendation for potential improvement is provided. 2. The governance structure at Sainsbury Sainsbury maintains a very well-developed, stakeholder-centric corporate governance model following transformational leadership design, one in which corporate social responsibility is reflected recurrently associated with satisfying positive models of human resource management. Fairholm (2009) describes the transformational leadership model as a holistic model in which managers and executives regularly impart corporate mission and vision, open positive lines of communications in a flattened, decentralised hierarchy, and where power distance between board members and mid-tier managers are largely finite. The Board is structured to include three executive-level directors and six non-executive directors, in which there are clear division of authority and responsibility between the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer (Sainsbury 2012). Non-executive board m embers are independent, yet they have diverse and unique corporate experience and education to contribute expert analyses and opinion regarding the establishment of Sainsbury strategic and financial agenda (Sainsbury 2012). Outside of traditional corporate governance activity found in most industries in large organisations, which include finance, operational strategy, risk management and compliance controls, Sainsbury’s board is also structured with subcommittees (Steering Groups), responsible for a wide variety of assessments ranging from corporate social responsibility to stakeholder relationship management imperatives (Sainsbury 2012). The Sainsbury corporate governance model moves beyond traditionalism, following such models as Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand, and has transformed into a holistic system of governance that includes consistent and recurrent emphasis on establishing better stakeholder relationship management. Examples at Sainsbury of this transformational model include a branding steering group, climate change steering groups, community and internal human resources steering groups (Sainsbury 2012). These committees meet annually or bi-annually depending on business imperatives dealing with positive sustainable procurement modelling, improvement of customer service, and employee relationship development (Sainsbury 2012). This diversification in extended corporate governance activities did not, however, occur within a vacuum. Rather, the dynamic and diverse corporate governance activities are a product of business evolution at Sainsbury that has occurred through emergent, historical learning and business repositioning that has occurred over the last decade due to growth in competition and diminished market entry barriers that has changed competitive and investment dynamics. In the early 2000s, Sainsbury realised that the company was gaining more target market loyalty and respect for the Sainsbury brand by emphasising corporate social r esponsibility as a positive brand differentiation scheme. By 2004, Sainsbury had a well-respected reputation for corporate social responsibility, taking an intangible human capital asset and transforming it to a marketable brand personality and identity that gained a great deal of market interest and loyalty. This

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Literature review - Essay Example adership has led to some difficulties in implementation, the potential benefits for the organization as well as the stakeholders, meaning owners, board members, managers, employees and consumers cannot be ignored. The following literature review illustrates this progression. In â€Å"Meta-Analytic Reviews of Board Composition, Leadership Structure and Financial Performance† (Dalton et al, 1998), the authors establish that there is no direct connection between the composition of traditional organizational boards or board leadership structures and financial performance of the organization despite widespread belief that such a relationship exists. After exposing this basic belief, the authors examine a number of different forms of board compositions and leadership structures and illustrate the means used to evaluate any relationship between these and the firm’s financial performance. Although these relationships have been studied in a variety of ways in the past, this study focuses on bringing the research together to determine whether the findings have yielded any meaningful results. Because this study takes into account numerous other studies, it is able to provide a more broadly-based view upon the findings of each study conducted and conc ludes that, despite individual reports of inconclusive results, is able to demonstrate that while there does not seem to be any direct relationship evident between the board and the firm’s financial performance, further study into the various ways board subcommittees might affect the firm is recommended, giving rise to many new theories regarding organizational leadership. In a study entitled â€Å"The Illusion of Leadership† (Weber et al, 2001), the problem of the large group in bringing about effective, efficient leadership in the organization is examined as the authors study how groups tend to work together through the use of coordination games. The authors suggest that the traditional means by which individuals are

Globally relevant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Globally relevant - Essay Example It changes the course of the history since wars impose economic and social implications in the countries involved. A government at war allocates its resources to its military forces, leaving social welfare and education with minor operating funds. Men are at times forced to join the infantry. Battles result to death, as well as destruction of infrastructures and facilities. Aside from the visible effects of wars, it dampens the spirit of the country’s citizens. Because of the serious effects of war, effort is thus put on promoting peace. The rise of social networking sites has made the promotion of peace an advocacy of anyone. It is a venue for even an ordinary person to talk or to share his thoughts with one or more members of the community from the convenience one’s home or workplace (Preston, 2011). In effect, it speeds up and widens information dissemination, organizes people, as well as provides a sense of community to its users. With the Internet and its networkin g sites, a local issue becomes a global occurrence. Such community built is special in a sense that it leads to what was called as networked individualism, implying the equal importance of community and individuality, since there is decentralization and more independence in this setting (Zhuo, Wellman & Yu, 2011, p. 6). Arguably, the biggest of them all is Facebook, which already reached one billion users in 2012 (Smith, Segall & Cowley, 2012). These people come from various countries and different socioeconomic strata. It thus has a potential of becoming a vital part of information dissemination and advocacy promotion worldwide. The freedom of expression in this medium, however, may also be used to instigate disagreements that can lead to war. Because of the double-edged potential of Facebook, this paper aims to discuss the role this social networking site has played in the promotion or suppression of peace in Egypt. In order to do this, these following questions should be answered : a. What are the instances that Facebook was used to promote or suppress peace in Egypt? b. What is the potential of Facebook in the peace process in the country? c. Is Facebook beneficial or deterrent in improving the social and political aspects of Egypt? Empowering Egypt through Facebook According to the article of Zhuo, Wellman & Yu (2011, p. 6) that discussed Egypt’s use of Facebook during its political struggle, the rise of social networks in the country resulted from the increase in the availability of internet and mobile phones. This lead to the emergence of socially relevant organizations that mobilize the community. Protests and social critique in venues such as Facebook has been found to be important in this country that is dominantly Islamic and authoritarian, since it is relatively free from state control, as compared to other media like TV, radio and newspapers. In addition, it resulted to increased communication with other countries, allowing the local issues of Egypt to be heard globally. In Egypt from 2008 to 2011, mobile access to Facebook became a vital part of protests that caused the end of ex-President Hosni Mubarak regime, which at that time prevented information dissemination, particularly citizens’ access to personal computers. The dates and locations of nonviolent protests were announced through groups such as the April 6 Youth Movement. Aside from being a

The Relationship between Teacher Quality and Students Results Research Paper

The Relationship between Teacher Quality and Students Results - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that students’ reliance on the teacher’s abilities and knowledge is yet another factor which explains the importance of teacher’s contribution in the success of the students. Some argue that student’s success is dependent greatly on the teacher’s capabilities and skills. On the other hand, the counter claim emphasizes more on factors like curriculums, practical application of learnt concepts and group working as the success factors in upholding the student learning and results. However, much research provides that teacher quality can change the results seen in students, their performance and learning abilities. This paper makes a conclusion that a good and capable teacher being assigned to students for consecutive years bring more advantage to the student’s learning pace. The difference between the results after being assigned to three different teachers in 3 consecutive years produce result which is 54 percentile lower than those who study from one good teacher for 3 consecutive years. There has been a considerable amount of literature available which concludes that school input is less likely to make a difference in the learning process and pace of students. However, the recent researches suggest the contrary by concluding that school play a vital role in providing an input to the students which may positively impact the students’ learning and development. Studies specify the contribution of teachers to be a factor which, for the most part, is responsible for positive student responses in terms of learning and results. ... Wright et al. (1997), for instance, suggests that effective teaching works as a strong working force to support student learning than the class size, social statuses and any other factor involving students and the learning environment. They found that teachers who were ineffective could not higher the achievements of the students. The teachers act as mentors of the students and help them to get higher grades in their studies. In these instances many raise the question as to how one can classify the teacher to be effective or ineffective in nature. Research has been carried out to find out different variables that revolve around the teachers. It has been found that the variable of knowledge in the teacher has something to do with his effectiveness. But many argue that subject matter knowledge is not the most important factor in determining the effectiveness of the teacher. Experience is another variable that is supposedly very important in analyzing the effectiveness of the teacher. E xperience and certification of the teacher is believed to help the teacher in delivering to the students. Delivery in the right way is required by the students to achieve higher grades (Hawk et al 1985). People who argue against the subject matter knowledge of the teacher put forward the fact that it can divert the teacher from delivering more than what is needed by the students. This can prove to be detrimental for the students as they would not be able to grasp all the things that the teacher would be teaching. However these teachers can provide excellent knowledge to the students if asked about any particular topic in it because of the qualifications that they have achieved. A research conducted by Monks (1994) found that the achievement of the teacher is directly related

The various characters in Of mice and men. Essay Example for Free

The various characters in Of mice and men. Essay Discuss the importance of dreams of the various characters in Of mice and men. Do any of these characters have a realistic opportunity to realise their dreams? Of mice and men is a novel written by John Steinbeck set in the 1930s. John Steinbeck was born on the 27th February 1902 in Salinas, California. Of mice and men mainly focuses on loneliness and isolation. I will have to consider the importance of dreams of various characters in Of mice and men and do they have a realistic opportunity to realise their dream. Many of the characters have dreams in this novel, big dreams, wild dreams all sorts of dreams but I am only going to talk about the following characters: George and Lennie, Curleys wife, and Candy. George and Lennie share a dream of settling in a farm house and looking after animals and doing what any other people would do. During the story their dream is also shared by candy known as the swamper. I think that if Lennie and George didnt have a dream, they wouldnt have had the enjoyable time in their lives that they had even though Lennie was a big problem to George. If they never shared the same dream, I think that George would have left Lennie when the first time Lennie caused a problem. But one reason that George continued to stay with Lennie is because George knew that Lennie on his own would get into trouble and eventually die. George also knows that if he leaves Lennie, he is going to become a lost and a awful person, George says I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. After along time they get mean. They get wantin to fight all the time. From this we know that George wouldnt want to leave Lennie because what could happen to him, he is scared of the bad things that could happen to him so he needs to have a companion, and that is one way to achieve the goal of their dream. Basically George realises from the beginning that their dream could come true, because from the point when George, Lennie and Candy decided how they can collect the money and then they are sorted, but there is a problem, it is Lennie, Lennie doesnt understand anything due to his mental immaturity and therefore he acts like a child. George is scared that Lennie will do something wrong, something that will ruin their dream to become a success. One thing that is interrupting Lennie from doing well is Curleys wife. At the end of the story, George, Lennie, and Candys dream is destroyed by Lennie because of his immaturity and thoughtlessness. With his own mind Lennie took the wrong path, by talking to Curleys wife and that ended up into a death and a ruined dream that will never come true. It was not her fault because she is already isolated by the other workers and obviously she would want to talk to someone. We know hat the dream is ruined. After her death is discovered by candy he tells George about it and when George goes to tell the other workers candy is left alone with Curleys wife, he says to the dead lady you god damn tramp,you done it, dint you? I spose youre glad. Everybody knowed youd mess things up. You wasnt no good. You aint no good now.you lousy tart. Candy lets out all his anger and says all these bad things to her even though she wasnt the person the ruined their dream, she was the means of their dream to be ruined. After letting all his anger out candy states I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys, this is one major speech that indicates us that their dream is truly finished. Curleys wife has a big dream of becoming an movie star with a life of luxury. She is one of the main characters that suffers loneliness and isolation, her big dream is to go to Hollywood and become and actress, nevertheless her mother may have had stopped her from going and realising her dream to become an actress. Her dream is one big source that keeps her occupied at all times, and that is why she is still with Curley. She misleads herself and then could of never gone to Hollywood, she says could of went with shows. Her vision is to be famous, eye-catching, recognised and well known, I think she has a dream to keep her away from isolation and loneliness. The marriage between Curley and his wife, kept her realising and questioning her dream. If Curleys wife admitted to herself that she is a failure and hadnt an ounce of acting in her, she wouldnt of been able to hold her marriage with Curley any more because she always dreams that she will be an actor some day that it goes to an extent that it become a part of her normal character. When Lennie kills her, her dream is put to an end. Candy is one of the workers that was made a permanent residence on the ranch. Candy is known as the old swamper. He himself knows himself that he will be getting kicked out soon. I think that he knows that George and Lennie are good people so he wants to really share the same dream with them, this is because of his old age and I think that candy feels isolated because of his age difference from the other workers. He realises that their dream can come true if only Lennie doesnt do anything dumb which he does and destroys their dream.

Over-spending and under-spending of the public sector budget

Over-spending and under-spending of the public sector budget The over-spending and under-spending of a budget is the positive or negative variance between what was actually spent and what was budgeted. Overspending Budgets overruns are the underestimation of costs and time or by the nonconformity of budget managers with the spending maximum defined in the budget, when projected. There are several explanations for overspending. Sometimes, it is simply bad forecasting on part of the budget manager. There was incomplete information or poor forecasting methods that led to an underestimation and/or unreal optimism of costs, expenses and revenues. Often there is change in scope of the project and costs associated with scope change are neither captured nor covered in the risk mitigation or contingency plan. Funds are allocated to the cost centers for spending, it is controlled. Overspent fund accumulate in arrears. Overruns could also be a result of off-budget spending which not considered part of the budget and is not included in budget totals. Off budget spending is often for political reasons. For example, after a request from President Reagan, Congress placed strategic petroleum reserve spending off-budget in 1982. Instead of using other means to control the deficit raising revenues or cutting spending placing this program off-budget gave the appearance of a smaller deficit, even though the government still needed to finance this spending. Source: Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, Historical Tables and Mid-session Review, FY2006. Sometimes the expenditure processes are complicated and difficult. To circumvent this process exceptional procedures are development to speed to the process to release the funds. These exceptional procedures are tolerated by the treasury for politically sensitive expenditures. The procedures are frequently abused and should be discouraged. These procedures are used my officials to order supplies without making a formal request and much later the year un-forecasted invoices appear. Sometime fund are unavailable to make this invoices which leads to generation of arrears for the following year. The compounding of exceptional procedures also has long-term implications, incentivizing spending agencies to go outside the budget system to avoid control altogether. Such procedures are associated with or result in corruption. Often past experiences can lead to overspending. If a department head under spent the previous year and the budget for the following year was lost. The department is highly likely to spend the entire amount for the fear of losing funds for the next year. The way in which performance is reported can have a significant effect on the camaraderie and coordination between departments. If participation of the managers implementing the budget was absent, then managers can blame this for the file to abide by the budget. In addition impact of inflation and a sense of entitlement towards certain funds are also factors to be considered in budget planning. Overruns can be caused by such deficiencies in budget preparation. Under spending Many governments do not spend their full annual budget. The reasons for this under spending can be various and can result in many outcomes. Lack of timely spending or under spending can affect the citizens not receiving essential government services. Certain areas have more economic impacts such as jobs created through the timely initiation of new infrastructure project. Under spending can often obstruct resources from other departments/managers which/who are spending their budget more productively, preventing them to reach their complete potential of success in delivery of the intended service. Under spending in particular year frequently leads to rollovers and modifications in the subsequent years. These modifications are irregular and are cumbersome to be forecasted leaving the department ill-equipped to spend these rollovers. Factors that result in under spending include insufficiencies in budget preparation and project/program planning, unrealistic projections of revenues, poor governance and off-budget spending. Virement is another factor that fuels under spending: It is the transfer of funds from one budget head to another. To achieve efficiency or prevent the need for a supplementary estimate as an under spending from one head may be transferred to another head which has overspending. One problem with unrestricted virement is that managers would inevitably spend al their budget allocation for fear of a budget reduction in the subsequent year. Example: Within the ministry of education budgets are transferred from primary education to higher education it can result in the delay of programs starting in the K-12 grades. Example: The latest un-audited expenditure reports from the National Treasury indicate that R3.48 billion of the national government budget went unspent in 2000/01 financial year- about R1.7billion on both the recurrent and the capital side of the budget. The under spend in provincial government was far greater at R5.5 billion. The latest available data indicate that this picture has not changed significantly in 2001/02. Although the government is moving in the right direction, most initiatives to address under spending appear rather general and details have yet to emerge on how the Treasury will specifically tackle the problem. In the meantime, under-spending seems set to remain with us. Source: Government under spending remains a problem February 2002 By Marritt Claassens and Paul Whelan, Budget Information Service, Idasa, http://www.idasa.org.za/bis/ Different kinds of variances A variance is the difference between a budgeted, planned or standard amount and the actual amount. Variances can be divided according to their nature of the underlying amounts and is determined by the needs of users of the variance information. These include : Variable cost variances Direct material variance Price variance: is the difference between the standard cost and the actual cost for the actual quantity of material used or purchased. Usage Variance: is the difference between the standard quantity of materials that should have been used for the number of units actually produced, and the actual quantity of materials used, valued at the standard cost per unit of material. Direct labour variance Rate Variance is the difference between the standard cost and the actual cost paid for the actual number of hours. Efficiency variance is the difference between the standard labour hour that should have been worked for the actual number of units produced and the actual number of hours worked when the labour hours are valued at the standard rate. Overhead variances Fixed overhead variances: identifies what proportion of the total fixed overhead variance is due to actual fixed overhead being different from the budgeted fixed overhead. Variable overhead variance measures the change between actual expenditure and the allowed overhead for actual labour hours. Income variance is the difference between actual income and budget income. It is used to measure the performance of a income function, and/or analyze business results to better understand market conditions. Actual income can differ from budgeted income either due to the variance in volume sold or the variance in the price point of the budgeted price point. Best Practices The following are some key good practice for prevention and minimization of the variances: Broad goals should be established to guide government decision making. Budgeting methods are developed to achieve these goals. An appropriate budget is developed to achieve the goals and the performance criterion is determined at the beginning. Close interaction between the financial information system and the budgeting systems is essential. There should be a control on collective spending and any deficit, a overarching prioritization of strategies with regards to expenditures and better use of the budgeted resources. The approved budget should be entered into the financial information system. In addition to a full commitment system, memorandum notes should be included the system that capture records of commitment but does not amend the financial records. Timely comparative financial statements on a regular basis. These statements should include original and revised budget, capture variances and explain major variances. The audited and reliable statements are based in solid accounting standards with regular external reporting. Budget Monitoring: Monitoring and controlling consists of those processes are performed to observe that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and corrective action can be taken, when necessary. The key benefit is that the actuals are observed and measured regularly to identify variances from the budget. During the course of the year, instance may arise where the income or expenditure is very large that may require and supplementary estimate. The better the level of control and intelligence available the earlier this situations can be detected and more swiftly and appropriate an action can be taken to minimize the variance. However if is determined there has to be a change then the financial information systems can be updated as soon as possible. If a department become aware that it will overspend at any time during the year it must notify the Treasury department immediately. It is possible that a supplement estimate is provided if deemed appropriate. Transparency is key publish the State accounting policies, establish system of internal controls, and keep doors open for public and parliamentary scrutiny. Flexible budgeting is a performance evaluation tool. It is not be prepared before the end of the fiscal period. A flexible budget adjusts the initial budget for the actual level of output. The flexible budget answers the question: If the department had known at the beginning of the period what would the output volume (units delivered or sold) would be, what the budget would have looked like? If the department actually delivered X units, then treasury should compare actual delivery costs for X units to what it should have spent to make X units, not to what the department should have spent to deliver X-1000 units or X+1000 units etc. The flexible budget provides a better opportunity for planning and controlling than does a static (initial) budget.

The Concept Of Research Design Information Technology Essay

The Concept Of Research Design Information Technology Essay In this chapter we will cover the research questions concerning the impact of CRM implementation on company performance. In the first section, we will explain the concept of research design and the different research designs types. In the second section, we will define the research design that we will use in our thesis. First, we will define the problem and explain the objectives of our studies. Second we will define the research method that we are using. Third, we will explain the different concept of scaling. Fourth, the will explain the design of the questionnaire and the sampling process. Section 1: The concept of research design In this section we will explain the different concept and methodologies of the research design in order to use the correct research design type in our thesis. 1. Research design The research design is defined as a framework with specific procedures for collecting and analyzing the necessary data from different sources, allowing the identification of the research problem (Emory and Cooper, 1991). The successful research design should cover the following tasks: it should define the research problem, select the required information when it is needed, specify the measurement and scaling procedures, make a pre-test questionnaire, define the sampling process and the sample size, select the correct plan for data analysis and tabulation, define the time and financial constraints and follow up on the completed research study ( Brierty and Al,1998). The Nature of the study defines which research method should be adopted. It exist three different types of research, the exploratory, the descriptive or the causal. 1.2 The exploratory Research type The objective of exploratory research is to help the researcher to understand the problem situation. The results of using this type of research are guidelines for a better comprehension of the problem and encouragement of the personal explanation and creativity of the researcher (Sudman and Blair, 1997). Usually the exploratory research is used for the following reasons: developing hypotheses, in case we dont know much information about the research issue, to isolate the variables and relationships for advanced examination, for positioning studies, familiarization with customers, to establish precedence for auxiliary research, getting new ideas, to describe process, to defines a problem more specifically and developing an approach to the problem. The exploratory research is necessary when the information is loosely defined that leads to unstructured working format. This type of research allows high flexibility in the research, since it allows changes in the procedures and protocols (Tull and Hawkins,1993). In addition the exploratory research can be divided into four categories: expert surveys, secondary data analysis, pilot studies. First, the expert surveys are conducted by consulting persons that have experience in a specific field, which help the researcher to collect technical data about the studied subject. Second, secondary data analysis is based on another research area which is economical and ready to use. Secondary data help the researcher to identify and define the research problem, to develop clear research design approach for the problem, to allow analyzing the primary data more astutely and to answers some research questions (Malhotra, 1996). Third, pilot studies are small scale exploratory researches that are used to understand the research problem setting (Zikmund, 2000). In general the exploratory research use the focus group , which is an interview conducted with a small group of respondent in a free-flowing manner. Focus groups have many advantages, since it is much quicker to collect information compared to interviewing individuals, the level of excitement increase when the topic stimulates the respondents, the discussion is usually recorded and the researcher can refer to it later, the moderator controls the discussion and he doesnt allow respondents to deviate the topic, respondents feel more comfortable in group discussions and they will express their personal ideas more freely which produce a wide range of information and ideas. In other hand, focus groups have some disadvantages, since they are difficult to moderate and sometimes they are misjudged , results can be misused and can be considered not to be representative of the whole population (Malhotra,1996). 1.3 The descriptive research type The descriptive research is used to describe a phenomena and it studies the relationship between variables (Churchill, 1998). The descriptive research should be the most accurate as possible allowing the understanding of the research problem. The results of successful descriptive studies can answer any question with high precision. The descriptive research is used for the following reasons: for define the perceptions of problem characteristics, to explain the decision making process and its impacts, to get specific predictions, to explain the characteristics of groups such as customers and organizations, and to determine the differences in needs among subgroups. The descriptive research is characterized by the formulations of explicit hypotheses, which leads to a research design more structured and contains several statistical methodologies. In addition, the descriptive research can be applied using four different methods: panels, secondary data, observational data and surveys. First, the panels are group of people that answers to a number of telephone interviews or mail or personal interviews for a period of time. The observation includes recording the behavior of the respondents in a methodical way to obtain the needed information about a proposed problem. Second, the surveys include interviews with a number of people by using a questionnaire about the studied subject (Tull and Hawkins,1993). 1.3 The causal research type The causal research type is to recognize the cause and effect relationship between the variables in the problem model. In general, the descriptive and the exploratory research lead the way for cause and effect relationship studies. The descriptive research allows examining the associations between variables, and the causal research explain the relation between those variables, for example a change in one variable affects the other variables. The causal research can be used in the following cases: to define which variables are the cause, the independent variables, and which variables is the effect, the dependent variables, of a phenomenon, and to explain the nature of relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. The causal research has a structured design and should be carefully planned. The design explain how several independent variables are manipulated to see its effect on the dependent variables in a well-defined environment (Malhotra, 1996). The causal research has some disadvantages, since it is expensive, difficult to administer, doesnt reflect the real population opinions (Walker et al., 1999). 2. Selecting the research approach In general, the nature of research and the researcher personal discretion defines which research design should be adopted in the study (Zikmund, 2000). The previous researches can direct the researcher to the right direction for choosing the correct research design. In general, it is always recommended to start the research design using the exploratory research if the research problem is of an ambiguous nature. Researchers use the descriptive research when they are aware of the research problem but they need more understanding of the different aspects of the problem. In case of the research problem is clearly defined, the researchers use the causal research method. The exploratory research allows forming hypothesis and the causal or descriptive research are used to statistically test the hypothesis. In order to choose the correspondent research approach it is very important to compare every approach characteristics, and to choose the research method based on logical examination of the research problem aspects. The purpose of our study is to determine the impacts of changes resulting from the implementation of the CRM solution on the Lebanese firms performance. In addition, we will use the exploratory research to formulate the hypothesis and the causal research since we will evaluate the effects of the CRM on the firm. In order to achieve the required results of the study, the researcher should define the stages of activity which must be worked through to achieve a reliable study (Johnson, 1994). Those steps are : establish the purpose of the study, identify the specific objectives of the study, define the research method, develop the research instrument and access, collect the required data, ordering the data, analyzing the data, writing results and conclusion. The measurement procedure is defined by assigning numbers to the different aspects of objects based on certain pre-defined rules, to produce accurate data (Malhotra, 1996). In our thesis, we use statistical numbers to analyze and communicate the responses of the employees and the customers. In addition, scaling allows the generation of a continuum upon which measured objects are located (Malhotra, 1996). Section 2: The research design In this section we will define the research design that we will adopt in our thesis. We will explain all the aspects of the adopted research design. 3. Problem definition: The research problem is divided into different interconnected steps allowing the researcher to deeply study the proposed subject and it defines the direction of the study. The challenge that researchers face in the research problem definition is that the defined should not be defined too broadly or too narrowly. The caution should be exercised when defining the problem to avoid defining a symptom instead of the real problem (Cravens, 2000). The purpose of our study is to evaluate the impact of changes brought by the implementation of CRM on the firm performance in the Lebanese market. Firms are implementing CRM to increase their competitive advantages. This implementation has several impacts on firm performance, such as financially (Profits and ROI), customer loyalty and employees productivity. From here we will study the impact of CRM implementation on firm performance. 4. The objectives. In order to achieve the required results from the study, researchers need to have clear understanding of the research purpose (Sigmund, 2000). The main objective of our research is to evaluate the impact of CRM implementation on the firm. The success of CRM process starts with the implementation phase, by including the entire firm departments in the implementation and by focusing on the processes re-engineering. The research objectives are defined as following: the importance of change management plan before implementing a CRM system, the importance of people in the CRM, the importance of customer satisfaction, the ROI of the CRM implementation and the productivity of the employees. The managers having experience with the implementation of CRM provides the research with the necessary background information and the employees working the CRM (customer service) solution provide us with the necessary operation information. 5. The Problem definition After the implementation of CRM in the firm, the managers in the Lebanese organizations cannot evaluate the impact of the CRM Solution on their organization performance. The evaluation of the CRM starts from the implementation phase before going to the after implementation phase. The managers cannot define clear criteria for controlling the results of CRM on the firm. Furthermore, the reason is that the impacts of CRM cannot be viewed directly and it requires a long period to see tangible results. In order to clearly define the problem researchers need to view the problem from different aspects. The first issue that we need to evaluate after the implementation of CRM is the success of the implementation. This can be evaluated by studying the change management strategy adopted. Based on our literature review, most of the projects failures are due to the absence of clear change management strategy. The second to evaluate is how the CRM affected the firm performance; this can be evaluated by studying the customer retention and satisfaction in addition to the employee productivity. In order to define all the dimensions of the problem, a questionnaire should be prepared. In the questionnaire we will include all the objectives of our study. First we will focus how to manage an information technology driven change in the firm from the change management perspective (change management strategy, planning and budget). Second, we will study the impact of CRM on people in the organization (Training, evaluating their productivity and rewarding) and resistance problem. Third, the questionnaire will include the importance of customers background and satisfaction in CRM implementation (Customers trends, and customers feedback). At the end, we will the study the Return on investment of CRM. Our research will evaluate different change aspects resulting from the implementation of CRM in the Lebanese firms. 6. Research methods In this section will explain the research method that we will adopt in our thesis. We will define the work field and the different aspects of the research methods. 6.1 Surveys The research method is the base of the research project, since it defines the methods to collect the necessary information for the project. The research method defines and justifies the methods to collect the required data, and to develop a questionnaire allowing us to obtain the required information. It also specifies the sampling of the respondents. The first step in the research method is to select the respondent for the survey, to allow the collection of the primary data. In our thesis the population is employees from Lebanese firms, and the respondents are managers and employees from three Lebanese organizations that have implemented CRM. The surveys have many benefits for the researchers, since it is low-cost and efficient to get the required information about the population. The surveys are simple to administer, it allows the researcher to have control on the sample, and the use of fixed responses decrease the variability in the results (Birks, 2003). It exist several forms of surveys such as emails and personal interviews (Zikmund, 2001). In our survey, we will use two methods, the email form and the personal interviews method. The personal interview is personalized and it allows direct interaction with the respondent, but it is time consuming for the researcher. Personal interviews assure high response rates, and better observation of the respondent behavior. The personal interview is based on the direct communication with respondent and the researcher asks the questions face to face. Personal interviews have many advantages for the researcher; he can change or adapt the questions depending on the interviewee reaction. In addition, personal interviews increase the response rates and increase the number of the participants in the surveys. The disadvantage of personal interviews is that respondents sometimes find difficult to answer face to face personal questions. In other hand, the online survey provides the researcher with instant feedback and it is inexpensive to distribute especially for large samples. However the main disadvantage of online surveys is the inaccurate data in the answers of the survey. Thus, online surveys depend on people to be honest especially about their personal information such as age, gender and location. The inaccurate data may affect the results of the study. 6.2 Survey research errors: The error is necessarily a part of any survey, and it exist different type of errors. The first error is associated with the respondents that answer the survey. This type of error occurs when the sample is drawn from larger population and there are chances that the sample differs from the total population (random sampling error). Furthermore, the way the sample is designed and selected can influence how much the sample shows the real characteristics of the population. The random variation from the real characteristics of the population should also be taken in consideration in the sampling process. In our thesis, the random sampling error is reduced since the target population is specifically selected. We will select number of firms that have implemented CRM, which operates in the Lebanese market. In addition, the sample should be representative of the Lebanese market. The second type of error is the systematic error that occurs from some mistakes in implementing the research. The systematic errors are non-sampling errors which are divided into two categories: the administrative error and the respondent error. First, the administrative error is caused by confusion or by neglecting some aspects of the survey or improper administration of the survey. The administrative errors are divided into four types: the data processing error, the interviewer error and cheating, and the sample selection error. In order to reduce this type of errors we will double check the data processing. Second, the respondent error depends on the respondents answers; if the answers are not accurate the results of the surveys will not be significant. The non-respondent error occurs when a number of respondents of the sample fail to answer the survey questions. Third, the response bias occurs when the respondent like to take a pre-defined direction for the answers and this doesnt represent the correct opinion of the interviewee. The respondent may give answers that differ from the way he really thinks. In order, to avoid the response bias we will use clear and well defined questions to minimize the ability of the respondent to direct the survey in a pre-defined way. 7. The concept of scaling A scale is considered a series of arranged items and every item is placed according to its quantification. The scale is divided into four types ordinal, nominal, ratio and interval. The ordinal scale type is ranking the data according to have more or less characteristic. The ranking have logical order. Furthermore, this type of scale allows the measurement the degrees of difference but not the specific amount of difference. The nominal scale, provide the respondent with series of possibilities in the objective of categorizing events or attributes. The nominal scale does not express any relationship between the variables. Furthermore, the only statistical operation that can be done by using the nominal type is the frequency run. It is important to include all the possible answers in the nominal scale, and it is important to provide the respondent with the choice to choose other. The ratio scale demonstrates growth relationships between items and time periods. It allows comparing items in the same graph, starting at different levels. In other hand, the interval scale is an advanced notion of ranking items, since the distance between adjacent points are equal. In order to determine if a scale is interval or not it is important to underlie intent regarding the equal intervals. For example, dates can be measured on interval scale because differences are measured in years and no ratio can be given to a ratio of times (Collins, 2003). In our thesis, we will use three interval scales, the nominal, ordinal and interval scales to explain and compare the different aspects of CRM impact on the firm. First, we will use the nominal scale to collect data concerning the demographic data concerning the respondents and the Lebanese firms. Second, we will use the ordinal scale to allow respondents (employees and managers) to rank the answers. This allows us to know which answer is the most important for the respondents. Third, we will use interval scale to identify the importance of the answers by using the Likert scale. In natural science, the validity and reliability of the research is essential to assure the integrity of the research and assure the achievement of the desired objectives. The reliability is concerned with consistency. The consistency has three aspects, the first aspect is when reproducing the study again, the same results are found. This is defined as stability over time. The second aspect is equivalence; this means that the study can be done elsewhere, for example in a different country. The third aspect is internal consistency which means that the results of one section is confirmed by the others sections (Bryman, 2001). Validity is concerned with accuracy and which method provides the most accurate answers which is the integrity of conclusions (Gorman and Clayton, 1997). The internal validity is when we assure that any causal relationships found are related to the variables and the external validity is that the result can be applied outside of the current research context. Furthermore, the face validity and criterion validity are necessary elements to assure the reliability, which means that the information fit the expected pattern, and assure the accuracy of findings by using a different method. In addition, to enhance the reliability and the validity each item in the survey is clear and easily understood, each item should be analyzed in the intended way, and the relation between the items and the objective of the study is clear (Suskie ,1996). In order to assure high reliability and validity of the collected data we address the questionnaire to managers and employees that are directly related to the CRM, in Lebanese firms. 8. Designing the questionnaire Designing a questionnaire is based on setting specific questions allowing the researcher to get the required information. The well designed questionnaire minimizes the response error and pushes the respondents to complete the questionnaire (Malhotra and Birks, 2003). The benefits of the questionnaire is to ensure comparability of the data , increase the speed and accuracy , and facilitate the data processing (Kotler, 2000). It is necessary to choose the right type of questions and the optimized ordering. In order to collect data related to our pervious hypothesis we prepared two questionnaires. The first questionnaire is addressed to the employees and managers in the Lebanese firms that are directly related to the implementation of CRM. The second questionnaire is addressed to customers that are buying from these firms. The questionnaires will be divided into two parts. In the first part, we will collect information about the background of the respondent and the profile of the company. In the second part, we will collect information about each of the research objectives. The questionnaire starts by asking general simple questions such as the respondent opinion about CRM and the firm. This will increase the will of the respondent to proceed with the questionnaire. In addition, we will ask the sensitive questions at the end of the questionnaire such as costs and ROI of the CRM project. The questions will be asked with third-person approach and we will use structured and unstructured questions. In addition, we will include open ended questions and structured questions. The structured questions provide the respondent with several alternatives for answering the question. In addition, structured questions take the form of dichotomous, multiple choice and scale. The open ended questions allow the respondent to provide personalized answers. For the firm employees and managers the questionnaire will include the demographic information about the respondent, attitude about the CRM system (Five point Likert scale), dealing with the implementation of CRM system, CRM implementation information and working with CRM system. For the customers, the questionnaire will also include the demographic information, attitude toward firms that have implemented CRM, general feeling about the relations with the firms that have implemented CRM, the will customers to pay more to gain more services, likelihood to keep dealing with the same firm, and wanting to have stronger relationship with the firm. After developing the questionnaires we will run pretests, to identify the problems in questionnaires directions and design. Furthermore, pretests are run with a small group of respondents. We will provide small sample of people (ten persons) with the questionnaires to evaluate the questionnaires direction and quality. The sample will include three middle line managers and three employees and four customers. After answering to the surveys questions we asked the respondent about their opinion and about the problems they found in the surveys. This helped us to improve some aspects in the surveys and adding some new questions. 9. Sampling Sampling process has to answer some basic questions: how should we select the sample? Second, which process should be used? What is the size of the sample? How can we adjust the non-response errors? In general, the more diversified sample assures an accurate research. The random sampling error varies depending on the sample sizes (Hawkins et al., 2000); with the increase of the sample size the results reliability decreases. In order to determine the sample size several factors should be taken into consideration such as the resource constraints, the variance of the population, the previous studies, and the confidence interval (Hawkins and Tull, 1993). The first step in the sample selection process is defining the target population; the collection of objects that the researcher considers having the necessary information is considered as the target population. The target population should be chose based on the sampling units, the time and the elements (Malhotra and Birks, 2003). The elements of our research are employees and customers of Lebanese firms that have adopted CRM .The extent of the survey is Lebanon, and the period is between December 2012 and January 2013. 9.1 The sampling technique In order to create the sample, we used the sampling without replacement technique. Adopting this sampling technique means that when an element is selected, it is removed from the sampling frame and it cannot be selected again. Furthermore, we adopted the non-probability technique in order to define the correspondent sample for our study. The non- probability depends on the personal opinion of the researcher and doesnt rely on chance to choose the sample elements (Malhotra and Birks, 2003). In addition, the convenience sampling technique is also adopted; the convenience sample is used to select a sample of correspondent elements that helps to achieve the objectives of the study. In general, the interviewer selects the convenient units (Malhotra and Birks, 2003). The convenience sampling is the least expensive in comparison to other sampling techniques, it is the least time consuming and all the sampling units are cooperative and accessible. In other hand, the convenience samples may not represent any definable population. 9.2 The sample selection The sampling design includes several criteria to select the correct sample, such as size and kind of sample. In our thesis, the firms studied are employees and customers of Lebanese firms that have implemented CRM which are considered the population. The respondents are the employees and managers that work with CRM. In addition, the customers sample is selected from the CRM database in the same firms. In our research, we chose three (3) Lebanese firms that have implemented CRM from different industries, and we selected three (3) managers from each company, and five (5) employees from each firm. In addition, we selected ten (10) customers that deal with these firms. Population Employees and customers of Lebanese Firms that have implemented CRM Sample Three (3) Lebanese Firms employees and customers Managers Nine (9) Employees Fifteen (15) employees Customers Thirty (30) customers Table 2: The population and the sample of the study 10. The Data collection The data collection for our thesis started in December 2012 till January 2013. We distributed the questionnaire by two ways, by email and personally. The respondent of the questionnaire were in general cooperative and most of them completed all the questions of the survey. The selection of three Lebanese firms in different industries allowed us to have a variety in the respondents perceptions.

History, Literature, Anthropology: Contextualizing Human Meaning :: Essays Papers

History, Literature, Anthropology: Contextualizing Human Meaning As culture is â€Å"the product of human thought† (217), Cohn advocates â€Å"seeing how meanings are contextualized† to better interpret history and produce good scholarship (221). In keeping with this awareness of human thought, Anderson contextualizes â€Å"the cultural roots of nationalism† through the evolution of early American literature and print-language (7), relying heavily on the historical development of European literacy in developing a ‘national imagination.’ In doing so, Anderson’s analysis of nationalism reflects Cohn’s maxim, that â€Å"anthropology can became [sic] more anthropological in becoming more historical† (216). Through Anderson’s contextualizing of nationalism through historical literary trends, his anthropological scholarship is, by Cohn’s estimation, more true unto itself. Unearthing origins of national consciousness, Anderson examines the development of national memory through literacy and vernacularisms. Believing nationalism to be a cultural construct of political revolutions, merging social ideologies and a new emphasis on â€Å"national print-languages† (Anderson 46), Anderson declares that men challenged the sacredness of existing societies with new conceptions of land and nation through the circulation and spread of shared languages (Anderson 36). Driving a â€Å"wedge between cosmology and history† through Enlightenment discoveries, divinely ordained realities lost clout and â€Å"cultural artefacts of the eighteenth century† like individual human rights and personal sovereignty, translated from old world to new (Anderson 36). With new â€Å"languages-of-power† in fixating systems of speech, nations built self-identity, and men began to see themselves in â€Å"profoundly new ways† (Anderson 36). Cohn reasserts history and anthropology as dovetailing disciplines, whose scholarship exists outside of this time and yet rooted in common reality. Floating in imaginary lands of epistemology and printed research, good scholarship relies on a historian with â€Å"fewer sources and stouter boots† (Tawney, qted in Cohn, 221). Historians intrinsically

The Meaning and Symbolism of the Hunting Scenes in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

The Meaning and Symbolism of the Hunting Scenes in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight Sir Gawain is a poem of heroism, chivalry, brave knights and even romance. The story itself is so engaging that all too easily the reader may miss many of the symbols present within. Here we will consider the symbolism and importance of the hunting scenes and how they help develop and enhance the plot. The hunting scenes in Sir Gawain are numerous and told in detail. Why did the author spend so much space in what seems to be just action scenes? Unquestionably such a talented author would never carelessly spend time on lines that do not add meaning to the story. One critic's overzealous opinion is: all the hunted animals convey connotations of evil, and this is doubtless the reason why the author of the poem seems so involved in the outcome of the hunts and never tires of triumphantly describing the final slaying of the pursued animals. (Howard 85) This is an interesting interpretation and could possibly serve as a religious meaning in the poem. Nevertheless the animals themselves are never described as evil nor is there any implication of evil animals in the poem. The animals do hold specific meaning though not malevolent like the above quoted critic believes. Medieval people loved stories of animals that assumed human qualities; for example Chantlicleer, the rooster in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Many animals were thought to have qualities of human emotions, spirituality and even intelligent qualities; the three hunted animals in Sir Gawain included. To begin, "Certain facts about the animals which formed the quarry of the medieval huntsman...and certain popular beliefs about their habits and temper" (Savage 32) will allow the reader to draw parallels between the hunt, happening outside the castle; and the "hunt" happening inside the castle between Gawain and the Lady of the house. Insight is provided by understanding the attitude the medieval huntsman would have toward the animals. Hunted animals were classified as either "beasts of venery" or "beasts of chase". Beasts of venery included the male and female red deer, wild boar or the wolf. Beasts of chase were the male or female deer and the fox. Animals of the first class were considered noble to hunt. Animals of the second class do not fair as well, especially poor Reynard. At the time Sir Gawain was written "the fox was regarded as vermin to be hunted out and destroyed" (Savage 33).

Reflective Journal: Leadership and Management

The Business MilieuSkin Solutions is a clinic that offers medical esthetic services to treat various skin imperfections other than providing remedies for skin diseases. It employs 6 licensed medical estheticians and one doctor of dermatology to look after patients who come for consultation and treatment. Facilities include a spa, and three spacious rooms for performing extractions, facials, and treatments for skin nourishment.To meet the needs and the demand of clients who come to the clinic, investments in the latest technologies for improving and treating skin imperfections have been made. Tools of the trade consisted of state-of-the art equipment and lasers, and computerized analysis of skin imperfections among others to boast of. This was therefore one of the reasons why customers were satisfied that they always came back to avail of other services and even brought with them a friend or two to promote what the clinic could also do for them.The skin clinic has always been full of customers that keeping the clinic open from 9am to 8pm was not enough to accommodate all the patients that wanted to be checked in a day. Some patients would have themselves enlisted at the front desk first and then either wait outside the clinic or just check back a few hours after strolling around the mall. Some patients would also call in and make appointments for the following day so they could be sure that they wouldn’t have to wait in line when they come for consultation and treatment in the coming day.I was a medical intern in dermatology when all this was happening. I observed that many attempts to compete with the style and service of the clinic have been made by others to no avail. They often wondered about what business secret was held by the clinic that allows them to click with the public.My mentor was not only a cousin. She is the clinic’s owner and dermatologist; considered a prime mover in modern medical and cosmetic esthetics in our area. She was an in spiration to others in the same field as well as for others who were not into the esthetics business but who were like her, an entrepreneur who had a vision for her enterprise.What did you learn about yourself: Lessons on maturity?I somewhat felt anxious and uncomfortable by being a protà ©gà © of a cousin. Having a relative for a coach was sometimes embarrassing for we’ve known each other far deeper than anybody else did in the clinic and so, it was easy for the coach to point out my mistakes and weaknesses. I on the other hand would sometimes be too proud to admit them but knew deep inside that the coach was right and that I had to lower my pride and accept her corrections for it was, after all, for my own good.What I admire about my cousin was that she would raise the level of our relationship at work to one that is strictly professional. With this, I learned that her goal was always of maturity – of following a purpose and not the personality who runs with that p urpose. This valuable character I have learned to accept for myself as I observed her ways in leadership.In my case, it seemed that I had the tendency to follow a person for their personality as though I were a teenager. This, I felt was a mark of immaturity that had to be changed. But when one sees a personality’s purpose and follows that purpose, then he or she is likely to succeed. I realized then that being mature entails adopting marks of maturity, one of which is having a sense of purpose for it is this purpose that causes one to act and move a certain way and make decisions that will lead to success.What did you learn about yourself: Lessons on DeterminationAnother key lesson learned was that we don’t just have to be in the business. Rather, we should be in the business in such a way that we want to succeed and win. A winning attitude is what makes businesses flourish and sustain competence in a domain where there seems to be many competitors. I have learned to adopt that attitude and be determined to be and do the best, not settling for the mediocre.What did you learn about yourself: Lessons on DirectionAnother message that proved significant to me was a lesson involving direction. One may be determined to be the best in business but this determination is nothing if one does not have a direction for the business. Two things I realized that will set a person’s direction in life and business are purpose and focus.Purpose gives meaning to one’s life and trade. For the business to grow, advance, and prosper, purpose is an essential ingredient. Focus on the other hand leads the direction towards a goal. Running aimlessly will amount to nothing. Doing many things for the business without focus will not accomplish something laudable. But when one has purpose and focus in pursuing dreams, goals, and visions for the business, then a direction is charted, a course is followed, and a heritage is handed down.What did you learn about you rself: Lessons on HeritageLearning secrets of the trade is a privilege that ought to be cherished. Those closest to my cousin in the business besides me, were the six medical estheticians who have grown to love their work at the clinic. They have become skilled at customer relations, medical dealings, and the dos and don’ts of the industry. The good thing about our mentor is that she was a constant source of business knowledge. She shares with us a knowledge that is not temporary but one that will last. She expects that this knowledge will bear fruit and help establish businesses in the future that will hold the same philosophies.Prerequisites of heritage I then realized while receiving training include focus and the heart to communicate one’s vision. This vision includes making partisans and training them to become future leaders in their desired trade. The goal was to make replicas of one’s self or people who may be better than the mentor. With this, the idea is to focus by fervently believing in the vision and forgetting about things that does not run with this vision of success.I realized that in order for a heritage to be built, a leader must have conviction and learn to communicate something that he or she lives for, and then her protà ©gà © will follow. The second prerequisite was building the right foundation. Mentors are pillars of foundation who are present to support their charges. The values they treasure are priceless, indispensable and effective. Investing these in trainees will be beneficial for the success of the company.What did you learn about yourself: Lessons on DisciplineIn all these things, I also learned the value of discipline. There’s a cost for success. Strict training in all aspects of running the business is important to maintain business and financial health. What we want is to please both our human resources and then of course, our clientele. To achieve this, therefore, is to sacrifice time to learn a bout proper ethics of the trade, people skills and influence, the latest technology involved, and also learn about the rates for effectiveness of each technology and treatment.Mastering the treatment strategies, these tools, and providing customers with quality service is essential in making them come back to avail of more services. The quality of care rendered includes properly informing clients about their skin problems and providing them with treatment options to choose from. Educating them about what is best for their skin, and what alternatives they can do to maintain its health is also crucial for multiplying customers who will come for consultation in the future.What did you learn about yourself: Personal DiscoveriesI thought I knew what it took to run a successful business. I always thought that having the latest technology was enough to draw clients into the clinic. I realized later that this was not enough. Personal qualities also needed polishing and development. Professi onalism is first and foremost an aspect that needs to be learned, developed, and practiced. Without this, one’s business values will be poor and will cause the business to suffer.How did this activity strengthen your self leadership skills?The activity has allowed introspection to be done. As I examined myself regarding my feelings, thoughts, and motives about management and leadership, I found myself dealing with bad habits and replacing them with the principles I gained from training. I’ve learned to be more mature in dealing with people and in running a business. To chart the course of the business and believe that it can be achieved.I’ve learned how to develop and polish a vision with which I can run with and communicate to others so that they may be partners in making the business progress. I also learned the value of discipline and what needs to be done to keep a healthy and happy enterprise. I adopted all these and noticed changes in the way I conducted b usiness deals. Thus far, the feedbacks I’ve obtained were all positive. I am grateful for the lessons and insights I gained from the activity for it has made me a better person and now I swell with pride and would like to share these with others also.How did this activity improve your communication/interpersonal skills?People are important for it is they who can make or break a business. People skills need to be developed to help the business grow. With the strategies I gained from the activity, I was able to expand my people-making skills and increase my influence by maintaining rapport with clients. Being able to inform the clients properly and educating them about dos and don’ts in skin care helped enhance my skills in interpersonal communication. Keeping a smile, greeting customers, providing suggestions, and exchanging ideas with people around me proved a big help for enriching my communication skills.Rough roads, detours or roadblocksThus far, no hindrances or ba rriers have been experienced. The only thing I remember was that uncomfortable feeling on having a cousin for a trainer. But when this feeling is eliminated and pride is lowered to welcome corrections and good instruction, then everything will go well.Comments on personal effectivenessI’ve adopted the principles myself and utilized these every time I go to the clinic. Other than that, I also use the principles of people and influence to my advantage to polish my interpersonal communication skills. Feedbacks have been very positive and I use this as my yardstick for effectiveness.Was this a valuable experience for you? Importance of the ActivityOn the job training is an effective tool in developing a person’s character, business knowledge, and skills. The activity for me was a very valuable experience because I learned first hand what it takes to own and manage a business, be an effective and efficient business leader, and be an exemplary figure for others to follow. It helps if one works side by side with a leader. The leader’s character, life principles, philosophies, and strategies are learned immediately. Other than this, being with such people is encouraging because one gets stimulated to do the same things they do, think the same way they do, and compose one’s self as they do.Leaders are catalysts for improvement. Living by their example will make persons significant in their chosen field of activity in the future.