Monday, September 30, 2019

Raymond’s Run Essay

Raymond's Run Essay This is a story by the writer Toni Cade Bambara who describes the events that take place in the life of a skinny girl named Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, a little African-American girl with a squeaky voice that has passion to run. However the tale begins describing the members of her family, the author writes more about Hazel and her brother Raymond. Raymond is not quite right; apparently he suffers a metal disease. He’s bigger and older than Hazel, but a lot of people call him Hazel's little brother because he needs to be looking after. Squeaky† often takes strolls down Broadway so she can practice her breathing exercises while she keeps an eye on her brother all the time. She makes Raymond walk on the inside because he always makes fantasies so he starts thinking he's a circus performer and that the curb is a tightrope strung high in the air. Hazel is known as Mercury because she is the swiftest thing in the neighborhood, only her father can beat her to Amsterdam Avenue with Hazel having a two hydrant head start and him running with his hands in his pockets and whistling. Hazel is loyal to her brother, always ready to protect him. She’s a person, who doesn't tolerate standing and listening talks from somebody else, she likes to get right over things quickly. She doesn’t like much a girl named Gretchen and her friends Mary Louise Williams from Baltimore and Rosie because Gretchen’s a potential rival for the fifty-yard dash. She believes she’s tough, not a strawberry or someone who enjoys dancing on her toes, she likes to run and this passion had made her to win many trophies, ribbons and it’s because of her velocity. Every time just before she takes off in a race, she feels like she is in a dream, the kind you have when you've fever and feel hot and weightless. She usually dreams she flies over a sandy beach in the early morning sun, touching the leaves of the trees. She also perceives the smell of apples just like in the country when she used to think she was a choo-choo train. Near the end Hazel competes against Gretchen P. Lewis at the May Day races, she wins and Gretchen comes in second. This result makes her realize that she is not the only working person who tries hard to get things done, so she started to look her rival in a very different way with a big smile of respect between them. So there she was, thinking about all the prices she’s have got and that she could retire by the time, it occurred to her that she could train her brother to become a champion as the tradition of the family is. Other characters: * Her family: The mother, father and George. * Cynthia Procter * Mr. Pearson (Jack the Beanstalk)

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Children and young people workforce Essay

1. Identify a current a national legislation relevant to safeguarding children and young people’s welfare. The children act 2004 – This act requires every child, whatever their background or circumstance, to have the support they need to be healthy, be kept safe and to enjoy and achieve. 2. Identify two current local policies, procedures or guidance in relation to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. – Child protection policy – Health and Safety policy 3. Complete the following table with two examples: Agency name (involved in safeguarding children and young people) Role of agency (in own work setting) Social Services Supports families and individuals and often play a leading role in safeguarding children and young people. Health Visitors They are responsible for the health of babies and children under the age of five. 4. Complete the following table. Types of child abuse List three characteristics for each type of child abuse Physical Unexplained injury Flinching when approached Repeated admission to hospital Emotional Mental health problems Poor self-esteem – Substance abuse Sexual Sadness/depression Loss of self-esteem Inappropriate sexual behaviour Neglect Unusual weight loss Untreated physical problems Unsafe living conditions Bullying Unequal treatment Harassment Deliberate exclusion 5. Complete the following table. Concerns that a colleague is: Give a description of the action to be taken in response Failing to comply with safeguarding procedures Failing to comply with safeguarding procedures will put a child or young person at risk. You would have to follow the settings safeguarding policy or immediately report it to the safeguarding co-ordinator or the supervisor. You would not discuss any of the matters with anyone else. Harming, abusing or bullying a child or young person To protect the child you would first inform the supervisor. If the allegation is against the supervisor you would then have to report the concerns to the designated person for child protection. 6. Describe the principles and boundaries of confidentiality and when to share information. When working with children or young people certain information has to be collected such as: Names Contact number Address Medical information To give out any information is a breach of confidentiality and should only be passed out on a need to know basis. For example, information should only be passed to others who deal with the child’s health, well being, welfare or protection.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Earthworms

An earthworm can grow only so long. A well-fed adult will depend on what kind of worm it is, how many segments it has, how old it is and how well fed it is. An Lumbricus terrestris will be from 90-300 millimeters long. A worm has no arms, legs or eyes. There are approximately 2,700 different kinds of earthworms. Worms live where there is food, moisture, oxygen and a favorable temperature. If they don’t have these things, they go somewhere else. In one acre of land, there can be more than a million earthworms. The largest earthworm ever found was in South Africa and measured 22 feet from its nose to the tip of its tail. Worms tunnel deeply in the soil and bring subsoil closer to the surface mixing it with the topsoil. Slime, a secretion of earthworms, contains nitrogen. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for plants. The sticky slime helps to hold clusters of soil particles together in formations called aggregates. Charles Darwin spent 39 years studying earthworms more than 100 years ago. Worms are cold-blooded animals. Earthworms have the ability to replace or replicate lost segments. This ability varies greatly depending on the species of worm you have, the amount of damage to the worm and where it is cut. It may be easy for a worm to replace a lost tail, but may be very difficult or impossible to replace a lost head if things are not just right. Baby worms are not born. They hatch from cocoons smaller than a grain of rice. The Australian Gippsland Earthworm grows to 12 feet long and can weigh 1-1/2 pounds. Even though worms don’t have eyes, they can sense light, especially at their anterior (front end). They move away from light and will become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long (approximately one hour). If a worm’s skin dries out, it will die. Worms are hermaphrodites. Each worm has both male and female organs. Worms mate by joining their clitella (swollen area near the head of a mature worm) and exchanging sperm. Then each worm forms an egg capsule in its clitellum. Worms can eat their weight each day.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Job analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job analysis - Essay Example The responsibilities of the Office Assistant includes answering phone calls, reading and answering email messages regarding parking and transportation transactions and speaking with customers in person if needed. Clerical duties are specified to typing, reviewing memos, forms, letters and other general correspondences, sorting and filing of documents and records, receiving, sorting and distributing incoming and outgoing mails and editing documents of accuracy and well phrased information. It also includes processing required documents for applications, payment of bills, payment records and sending of notifications for those who failed to pay orders when necessary. Moreover, the use of computers, typewriter and software processors are needed in the entry of data gathered and keeping records. With the responsibilities mentioned earlier, it is then important for the employee to be proficient in English both verbally and in written form and should also be able to understand instructions and perform them as needed. The Office assistant should be able to type with a minimum speed of fifty words per minute, has the basic knowledge of computer operation and should be able to use Microsoft Word instruments necessary for editing like spelling and grammar corrections. His grammar and spelling should be exceptionally good to make sure grammatical errors are corrected before final records are kept. Basic mathematical abilities are necessary for correct computations and analytical abilities are also required to decide on duties without the assistance of a supervisor. In addition, organizational skills are required to keep an efficient office performance where records are easily found when needed, using simple arrangements that provide easy access to information. Good public relation s should be acquired by the employee to perform well in dealing with customers and other

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Choose any song you wish (contemporary is fine). Using AT LEAST one Essay

Choose any song you wish (contemporary is fine). Using AT LEAST one verse and the refrain, discuss the lyrics in terms of poetr - Essay Example In this analysis, the paper will consider verses two and three including the refrain. In the song, Tyrell asks his wife to accompany him to various great places such as Bombay, Peru and Ac apulco Bay, which he promises to be full of fun and joy. His convincing voice is felt in lines like â€Å"in llama land there's a one-man band/ and he'll toot his flute for you† (Tyrell, 5-6), to signify the much fun they were to have in Peru. Tyrell the singer will be the one man band who will be playing the flute to the new wedded wife in Peru. To express his love for the lady, he chooses different places full of fun, perhaps with interesting things he is sure that the wife would love. He engages her thoughts romantically by painting a romantic picture in her head. Sweet-talking her to accept his proposal, Tyrell sings, â€Å"Once I get you up there I'll be holding you so near/ You may hear all the angels cheer 'cause we're together (Tyrell, 11-12).† Not only does he show his deep l ove to the woman, but also paints a romantic picture in her head. He first asks her to come and fly away with him, and later promises that they will stay up in the sky, where he would hold her so near that she would hear the angels cheer because they are together. In Ac apulco Bay, he promises her that they will have a perfect weather for a honeymoon and beat the birds, which would bring them closer, creating more fun and happiness. He then asks her to join him and insists that they will fly together to all these places. Imagery Through imagery, Tyrell paints numerous scenes that are enticing to the woman. He creates a lasting picture in her mind that is supposed to be both romantic and appealing. Extensively, the singer uses symbolism and personification to create a romantically enticing picture in the imagination of the woman. He tells her to go with him, so that they can float down to Peru, where a one man band will play a flute for her. He creates an urge in the woman, prompting her to desire the great feeling of flying, and the music from the flute, which is most likely her favourite music instrument. Although Tyrell does not mention the band’s name, he is a singer and will probably be the band. However, to create a lasting impression and increase her anxiety, he conceals the name of the band. Moreover, he promises to take her to the sky where he would hold her very closely. The close that they would be to the sky, she would even hear the angels cheering their unison. â€Å"Once I get you up there I'll be holding you so near/ you may hear all the angels cheer 'cause we're together (Tyrell 11-12). By this, he means that even in heaven, their marriage has been approved. The perfect Ac apulco bay for a honeymoon is meant to let her know that he never settled for simple places, but the best, full of fun such as bird hunting and perfect weather. With these images in her mind, Tyrell hopes that he manages to successfully convince his women to accompany him to the honeymoon. Alliteration

No Child Left Behind Program Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10500 words

No Child Left Behind Program - Coursework Example However, the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program has brought a new level of cogency to the necessity of schools working to ensure that more and more of their students move toward proficiency goals in math and reading/language arts, as well as improving attendance and graduation rates. The lofty goal of the program is to ensure that by 2014, all students in all schools are academically proficient in both math and reading/language arts (Tennessee Department of Education, 2005). Proficiency requirements have been established for nine populations within schools, including five race and ethnic groups, students with disabilities, limited English-proficient students, economically disadvantaged students, and the school as a whole (Tennessee Department of Education, 2005). Under the NCLB, schools, rather than individual children, are labeled according to their ability to meet the standards. A school or district that fails to meet the NCLB benchmarks for a year is labeled a "target school." A school or district that tails to show progress in the same category (math, reading/language arts, and attendance or graduation rates) for two consecutive years will be labeled "high priority." If the school or district so labeled shows progress two years in a row, it will be removed from the high priority list; should it fail to meet federal benchmarks but the number of students whose scores rise is 10% or more, as well as meeting a designated additional indicator, the school will still be considered to have met the NCLB standards under a "safe harbor" provision (Tennessee Department of Education, 2005). While the federal standards are relatively rigid, there is the opportunity for states to contribute to them. In Tennessee, under NCLB, K-8 schools will be considered to have met federal requirements if all of the subgroups demonstrate: "- 95% participation rate on all state assessments "- Required proficiency in math as determined by TCAP achievement tests "- Required proficiency in reading/language arts as determined by TCAP achievement tests and writing assessments "- 93% attendance rate for the school year or improvement from the previous year 9th -12th grade schools will meet federal benchmarks if they demonstrate in all of the subgroups: "- 95% participation rate on all state assessments "- Required proficiency in math Gateway tests "- Required proficiency in reading/language arts as determined by English Gateway tests and writing assessments "- 90% graduation rate for the school year or improvement from the previous year" (Tennessee Department of Education, 2005). Negative assessment of schools and districts is the hallmark of NCLB. If a school or

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Islamic Culture - Shari'ah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic Culture - Shari'ah - Essay Example As this occurs, there become boundaries that are created between the Islamic culture and those from other cultures. The more in which Islamic culture is defined without looking at the details of the neighborhoods, the more that the Shari’ah can be attacked while Islamic believers are created in one group of oppression. The Shari’ah, or the ethical standards of Islamic belief are widely accepted by the culture. However, there are also different areas of cultural acceptance that are throughout the world. The differences are based first on the segments of Muslims that are included in the religion and culture because of the generational approaches, such as children growing up in an Islamic community. This is followed by various communities that have changed according to the cultural location, specifically used to adapt to the region. The diversity of Islamic believers furthers with the sects that are a part of the Islamic religion, including most which are divided by the be liefs of Islam and the opposition which has been created to determine the value of the Shari’ah and other formations. The differences with Islamic belief are even further defined with more fundamentalist actions of individuals which interpret the writings of the religion in a different manner (Castells, 2010). The large number of differences of those in the Islamic culture is indicative of diverse thought and beliefs toward the Shari’ah as well as other actions taken in relation to the beliefs of the culture and religious identity. The differences which are associated with the Islamic community are often not recognized by others who are more distant from the religious beliefs and the cultural applications. This creates a sense of defining every individual who practices the religion or which lives in the culture as Islamic. Even though some groups are oppressed and others have various viewpoints, there is still the belief that each practices and performs the same belief s. The attack of others that are not familiar with the boundaries and divisions of Islamic belief then leads to an attack of the Shari’ah, specifically because this is the one account which every Muslim practices and lives by. The basic ethical code specifically defines the ways in which one should treat another. The attack against a specific group then indicates that the approach to treating others in the same regard is expected with the Shari’ah. This leads to expectations that the Islamic culture is expected to act or react in this specific manner. As this occurs, there is a direct affiliation with the Shari’ah being the main complexity that is associated with the community, as opposed to it belonging to the various Islamic groups (Tibi, 2010). Even though this is the specific approach that is taken with the expectations of the Islamic culture, there is a direct understanding that the actions based on oppression of specific segments or with the reactions take n against cultures are not aligned with the Shari’ah. The Shari’ah is one which focuses on the actions taken toward one’s neighbor as being important with acting in kindness and justice. This is further defined with the explanations of how to treat one fairly and with respect as well as actions which are not accepted in terms of Islamic culture and law. These various outlines toward one’s neighbor become the defining point of the Shari’ah (Hashimi, 1997). When there is a sense of a part of the Islamic commu

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Bringing People With You Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bringing People With You - Research Paper Example A leader with better communication abilities can easily influence his audience and make them focused on the firm’s mission. By doing so, the leader can ensure integrated efforts from the part of his followers to achieve the firm’s short term as well as long term goals. Similarly, the paper maintains that a leader has to influence and persuade his audience so as to find the success quickly. Primarily, the leader should make certain that his followers (workers) hold a positive view of the organization, because employee perceptions about the firm determine the firm’s worksite culture. Hence, the leader should specifically try to convince his subordinates that the organization is particularly obliged to ensure its employees’ wellbeing. In addition, the leader has to influence other stakeholders including shareholders, investors, creditors and banks. The leader must make certain that those stakeholders are actively involving in the firm’s business activi ties. By influencing the audience thoughtfully, a leader can keep his organization’s stakeholder groups well coordinated in order to reach the business goal(s). Introduction For an organization of any size, active support and participation of employees and other key stakeholders are necessary to achieve long term goals and objectives. Communication is the most important factor that assists a leader to get his people focused on the firm’s mission. Hence, leadership communication plays a notable role in promoting business growth and changing the way the organization operates. In order to be a successful leader, one should influence perception, habits, and values of his audience. This paper will identify the most major factor that will enhance an organization’s growth. In addition, the paper will also explore the key stakeholders and their actions influencing the long term sustainability of a business. Leadership Communication Although a wide variety of factors pla y a crucial role in growing a business, communication is the most important element that greatly influences an organization’s market share growth. This element is also essential to bring meaningful changes to the organization’s day to day business activities. In order to influence his audience effectively, a leader should possess better communication skills and capabilities. Therefore, the conventional management concept of leadership communication is of considerable importance still in modern days. â€Å"Leadership communication is an interactive process in which a leader intentionally influences, and is influenced by, followers employing a range of verbal strategies and a variety of non-linguistic models† (Charteris-Black, 2007). Some old studies point out that a leader spends nearly 70 to 90 percent of their working time on communication activities every day. If the same studies are conducted today, the result would be much higher than this because nowadays l eaders (or managers) widely use modern communication channels like e-mail and text messaging. A leader may adopt different communication strategies such as active listening and managing the conversation so as to identify his audience’s problems and thereby pass information to them on time. The active listening communication strategy maximizes the effectiveness of communication. Under this

Monday, September 23, 2019

Contemporary issues in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary issues in business - Essay Example Countries with citizens who still have problems in meeting basic needs like food, clothing, and housing are an ideal testing ground for the comprehension of Bottom of Pyramid. The most challenging issue to this strategy is defining those people who are said to be at the base of the pyramid, as there are those who earn less than two dollars a day, and there are those who earn slightly higher than two dollars a day, but are still languishing in poverty. Many companies especially the multinational corporations invest on Bottom of Pyramid, so as to lift the lives of billions of people out of poverty and desperations that seem to continue, if the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. For example, the Unilever Company is one of the companies that have adopted the Bottom of Pyramid as a corporate strategy. Many CEOs have come to look at this strategy with a new lens (Prahalad, 2010). There is some evidence that can be used to prove that the innovations in the Bottom of the P yramid can and have resulted to profitable business. Business leaders, who have adopted the Bottom of Pyramid strategy, have started to re-examine and see the role of business in the society. This strategy has provided a platform for global innovations, which have a lot of implications in the world of business today. Therefore, though the Bottom of Pyramid has its own shortcomings, it is a very important strategy that most organizations can adopt (Prahalad, 2010). What is â€Å"Bottom of Pyramid?† There have been many discussions on the concept of ‘Bottom of Pyramid’ in business today and no precise definition has been put forward to define the concept. However, this concept was originally introduced â€Å"to draw attention to the 1-5 billion poor, who are unserved or underserved by the large organized private sector including multinational firms† (Prahalad, 2010, p. 6). The main aim of the Bottom of Pyramid is to ensure that the rich, who are the ones occ upying the top of the pyramid would be sensitized to help those who are less fortunate, and who are the majority occupying the base of the pyramid. Kazmi defines it as a strategy that "refers to exploiting the opportunities that are believed to be available in serving the poorer sections of the society and also serving social objectives† (2008, p. 207). Cited in Donohue, 2009. The above diagram is a representation of the rich occupying the top of the pyramid being the very few, and the poor occupying the base being the majority. In other words, it is a representation of how income in the world is distributed (Donohue, 2009). Thus, the Bottom of Pyramid refers to that population that leaves below the poverty line. How does the B.O.P Strategy Work? The term Bottom of Pyramid is said to be a relative term; it focuses on the strategies that companies can start to serve the populations, rather than un-serving and underserving them. When people say it is a relative term, it means th at, a person living at the Bottom Pyramid in China is different from someone living at the Bottom Pyramid in Somalia, though both are seen as living at the BOP, but in different contexts (Prahalad, 2010). This strategy also focuses on serving with approaches that are more profitable and relevant for application towards the bottom of the pyramid population. The debate on this issue will definitely continue before a very precise definitio

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Organizational Behavior Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Essay The paper would discuss about a case study of a departmental store called, Macy’s, where the problem statement would be elaborated, comprehensive analysis would be done regarding the problems and circumstances, and finally recommendations would be given as a solution which would be followed by a conclusion. So let’s have a quick overview of what the case study talks about. Macy’s, which is a departmental store organization, has recently decided to reshape the organizational structure where more emphasis would be laid on the local districts and stores as compared to the central stores. Moreover, they would be given more autonomy and authority to operate, conduct research, order merchandise, and market those products in a suitable manner depending on the type of the target market, social norms, and customers’ needs. This strategy is designed in order to keep the customers close to the business, understand what actually they want, how they want, and at what prices they want; therefore, doing every such thing in order to fulfill their needs and wants and keeping them satisfied. Macy’s has around 20 districts that operate in different regions, and the managers or staff working there would now be handling with less stores than previously. This would be done to make them focused on the areas where they are working, penetrate in there, grab the market share, and bring in more profits. Not only this, Macy’s several retail outlets were named differently, which all are rebranded and named as Macy’s. This is all done because previous mergers and expansion of the business did not provide lucrative results due to the improper formulation and implementation of the strategies. Problem Statement The problem in reshaping the organizational structure is that many of the employees, around 2000, would be laid off in just a blink of an eye, which would of course create some retaliation on part of the employees and unions. Another problem would be the decision-making, as in, who should be appointed as a manager or supervisor of a given district so that he enjoys his autonomy and own decisions. It would create conflicts among the employees because everyone would be willing to be a manager or supervisor. Read more:Â  Essay on Organizational Behavior Furthermore, the restructuring would take time and most importantly, the costs of operating separately would increase because each store in a different district would be ordering different types of products with different features and variants. Not only this, marketers would have to conduct research extensively to find out the consumer’s needs, wants, preferences, and purchasing power. Case Study Analysis Now let’s highlight each problem and analyze it in great detail. Starting from the first problem where 2000 thousand employees would be laid off, it would not be pointless to say that the employees would retaliate over the uncertainty of their jobs as in, whom the company would be layoff and why. This would instigate a sense of demotivation, dejection, and a feeling among the employees where they would no longer see them as part of the organization; therefore, the performance would drastically decline before the implementation of the new plan – reshaping the organizational structure. Instead of moving on forward and implement the plan, the company would entangle itself in another problem and hence would waste the time in dealing with it. Talking about the second problem, of course the employees would be glad that finally they would get a chance to think, plan, and implement their own ideas and strategies since they would be held responsible for their separate stores and given autonomy. But on the other hand, the big question mark that would be lying in the minds of the employees would be to whom the autonomy would be given be given and why, because almost every one of them would love to have such autonomy. Conflicts after conflicts would occur because once the employees are given their charge and autonomy, each of them would face confrontations from those who were neglected and not selected as a manger. This would create a ripple effect in the whole process and would eventually undermine the organizational performance. Not only this, the demands of each of those managers or supervisors regarding the resources and funds would be different, since each of them would want to spend as much money and resources as required in order to get fruitful results. This of course, would lead to the lavish spending and waste of resources that might lead to the incurring of loss for the company due to the increase of unnecessary costs. The reshaping of any organization’s structure is not an easy task; in fact, it takes time and resources to take it to the next level. Currently Macy’s has a tall or mechanistic structure, where there lies several hierarchies and the power or autonomy is central; and the new strategy is designed to eliminate some hierarchical levels and distribute the powers to separate districts in order to have an organic or flat structure (Robbins Judge, 2007). The problem related to this restructuring would be manifold because the company would have to be ready to face the ever-increasing costs of operating separately and customizing the product lines. First of all, the costs related to the payrolls would increase as the responsibility of the employees would increase. Not only this, the managers would have to be trained for acquiring the skills to handle the whole district and the stores, so this would require considerable amount of investment too. When it comes to gathering the information about the locality to know the market trends, customers’ needs and wants, in order to sell customized products; therefore, the managers would have to be provided with sufficient funds and resources to conduct market research surveys through several tools including questionnaires, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and informal interviews (Zikmund, 2006). Increased costs would not stop here, in fact the tailoring of products with respect to their types, sizes, colors, and features would require the manufacturer and supplier costs to increase. In addition to these problems, there is no surety that the new strategies would work the way they are expected to and give favorable outcomes. If they get flop, the result would be quite disastrous for the company and all of its district stores. Till now we discussed the problems that are there and might arise when the new plan would be implemented; now let’s shed some light over the recommendations for overcoming these problems. Recommendations Macy’s departmental store management team should consider the dark sides of its plan and prepare contingency plans that can be implemented to overcome the loss. First of all, in order to deal with the retaliation problem from the side of employees due to layoff, Macy’s should introduce a plan where those employees who are to be laid off, would be informed well before the time and would be offered three month salaries in advance so that they do no face any problem until they stay unemployed. This would somewhat cool them down and would not force them to retaliate. As far as the second problem is concerned, Macy’s should consider appointing the senior employees as managers of separate district and local stores, who are there at Macy’s for many years and have considerable experience. Not only this, another strategy that should be introduced and implemented throughout the Macy’s stores chain is the compensation plan called Performance-based compensation, where the employees who perform well and have better productivity level are rewarded by monetary rewards or promotion to be a manager or supervisor. This will create the need and sense of responsibility among the employees to reduce unnecessary costs, improve productivity in terms of sales, and gain overall efficiency; therefore, the issue of wastage of resources would automatically diminish. Furthermore, the conflicts would be eliminated since all the employees would be working diligently so that he or she can be promoted and rewarded more. Since Macy’s departmental organization has an extensive chain of stores, so implementing such a big change of organizational restructuring would not be easy and would require the services of specialists and consultants. Therefore, Macy’s must hire some change agents and consultants who would then study each and every aspect of the organization, the needs and requirements, and would form an effective plan for bringing on the change. They usually adopt the method including three major steps – freezing, changing, and refreezing (Daft, 1997). The whole process of change would go systematically and the chances of occurring of blunders would be very minimal, since these change agents are master in their jobs. Conclusion After analyzing the whole case study, we found out several problems that the company might face when the new plan of organizational restructuring takes place. Those problems include retaliation from the side of employees due to layoff, conflicts among the employees over getting more autonomy and job status, and swelling costs due to the separate demands and needs of the stores operating under distinct cultural and social settings. Then we highlighted some of the recommendations that if implemented, can overcome these issues effectively. Employees must be told in advance about their being layoff and granted with three months of advance salaries. Secondly, Macy’s should appoint experienced and senior employees as the mangers and supervisors of the chain stores; moreover, performance-based compensation plan must be implemented. And finally, the services of change agents and consultants should be taken for implementing the new plan of restructuring, who would implement it in a systematic way by first freezing the company, changing it, and then refreezing it. Consequently, the task of restructuring is a hectic and difficult one that requires ample amount of time, but it is not impossible and can be made to meet its end meet by devising effective strategies to carry on with it. References Daft. R. L. (1997). Management. Fourth Edition. U. S. A. The Dryden Press Robbins. S. P, and Judge. T. A. 2007. Organizational Behavior. India. Dorling Kindersley Pvt. Ltd. Zikmund. W. G. (2003). Business Research Methods. Seventh edition. Singapore. Thomson Asia pte. Ltd.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Ethical Theories for Outsourcing

Ethical Theories for Outsourcing This paper analyses each key reasons for outsourcing through three ethical theories, such as Utilitarianism theory, Kantianism Theory and Social contact theory. Outsourcing compromise the safety and quality of products. When a company gets outsourced, the people who are culturally removed from the parent company have to transfer the knowledge to the new employees those who come to the board. Can these services meet quality expectations? In some cases it does not satisfy the full requirements. There may be a communication gap when you transfer your knowledge to the third party. May be you have lack of interest to train the third party people, but you are forced to do it. In this case honesty in communication and doing the right duties make the attention of ethical issues. This is against the Freedom of Speech. There are language and cultural barriers while communicating with the overseas workers. The overseas workers communicate with Americans in broken and incomprehensible English. As a result, the companies have to compromise on the quality of the product. Indirectly if we see, now days because of job outsourcing in a peek, overseas workers are good in communication and very talented. They can easi ly understand the situation and come up with good ideas, provide the quality and safety of the product. End users get benefited from the outcome of the result. For Utilitarian analysis outsourcing is good. Company outsources due to highly skilled, educated labor with cheaper price in foreign countries. Sometimes foreign countries use very cheap quality raw material and less manual effort to finish the project for their profit. For an example, China use lead paint in toys. From the outcomes the users as well as the company suffer .This is not good. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: The services or projects which are outsourcing are the Intellectual Property of the company. The company has the right to protect their intellectual property. For that need company has to enforce proper planning strategy on what services should be outsourced and what services should not. If there will be lack of proper planning, then may be chances of Identity Theft and the company goes through loses. In opposite way, if there is a proper planning, then company can focus on core services and outsource the ancillary duties and at the end provides a good quality product to the users. All the users and company get benefited, no one get harm. In conclusion by providing proper training to the replacement employees, good communication to new employees, proper planning strategy of the company before outsourcing, then users get benefited and satisfied at the end with the quality and safety product. So according to Utilitarianism, outsourcing is good and no need to compromise the quality and safety of the product. Kantian Theory Analysis: If there is drop in quality and safety of the outsourced product, the community and the users are going to suffer. Company use overseas workers at cheaper rate to accomplish the goal, the quality of the product drops. Overseas workers use as a means to an end for the company benefit. Most of the previous workers who used to work before are getting laid off. Company treated them with disrespect. So outsourcing is not good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Company has the right to give a good quality product to the community. If there is drop in quality, the rational begins are not get benefited to the maximum level. So according to social contract theory, outsourcing is not good, as it drops the quality. It affects the global economy. People in the developed countries like US and UK tend to blame outsourcing for their job losses, low paying jobs. But offshore outsourcing is an inevitable phenomenon that has many viable benefits to the world economy. Global outsourcing helps in creating newer international markets, promotes global citizenship, helps recognize global talent and in a larger sense helps in the development of economics of all the countries taking part in it. People are more worried about job loses rather than realizing new jobs are getting created. Outsourcing is an evolution that is revolutionizing our societies and laying the foundation for a better world economy. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: Companies exploit the cheap labor of offshore countries and cut down on man power costs, reduce operational costs and capital expenditure. The overseas workers dont get greatest happiness but at the end the global economy rises, all the people are getting benefited. So outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: Though outsourcing increases global economy, the companies exploit the workers and infrastructure facilities available in the third world countries and use as a means to an end. So outsourcing is not good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: All the rational begins are getting benefited through outsourcing as it increases the global economy. So for the world benefits, outsourcing is good. An employer outsources some work to escape taxes and regulations. By outsourcing certain tasks, the companies can save money based on taxes they pay in the offshore countries. Developed countries like America and Europe have more corporate tax rate than other countries. The U.S. tax code allows American based companies to get the tax exemptions for that percentage of tax already paid to foreign countries, which is very less compared to U.S. Some companies even move some tasks to the small offshore island, such as Caymans, where they can create tax free account and avoid paying taxes. The company uses the materials and resources of the foreign country and that helps in building small local companies and foreign country generate more tax revenues from those small local companies. In overall the outsourced company end up with paying less tax or sometimes get the tax exemption to the foreign country, because it increases the economy of the foreign country and create more jobs in that country. The U.S. companies only give tax based on their operation ac count income in U.S. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarian point of view, the companies move certain tasks to the offshore countries for tax benefits. They help other foreign countries to grow and create jobs there and also give tax to the countries based on the profit in those countries. The tax rate at foreign country is very low compared to the parent country. The parent country gets less tax revenue where as the foreign countries and the company both are getting benefited with this. So outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: The companies create more jobs in the overseas for tax incentives. They do not invest money in their country and do not create jobs for their society. According to Kant, this is morally wrong, the companies has some responsibilities for the country. They cheat to the country and give less tax based on profit in the parent country not the profit through overseas. Social Contract Theory Analysis: The outsourced companies give lower foreign tax rate to the foreign countries as compared to U.S. and deduct those foreign taxes on their American tax return. The outsourced company creates jobs overseas and give tax based on profit earned in the overseas, as a result the overseas countries get financially benefited. As a moral rule, if all the U.S. based companies move their business overseas for their tax benefit, then economy of the U.S. will drop, it is not right. So outsourcing is not good. Honesty in communications is at the ethical core of trustworthiness. Another problem in outsourcing is transfer of knowledge. How honestly the parent employees who are culturally removed from the company, will transfer the knowledge to the foreign employees. The offshore countries have the responsibilities to give back the quality and safety product to the company; how much honesty will exist in this process, is a question? Honest in relationship between the developed country and the foreign country is a key constraint for better and successful business. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism Theory, if a work is done with honest, it will give satisfaction at the end. When two countries are working together with handshaking, one should have trust with another and they should do work with honesty. If that criterion meets, then both the countries get benefited. Outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: An outsourced company gets profit with the help of other foreign country; simultaneously foreign country also gets profit with the outsourced work. Both should do work with honest and trust. If one country use other as a means to an end for its benefit, then it is wrong. If there is honesty, outsourcing is good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: As a moral rule, honesty in communication required for better business and makes a better word. So in outsourcing, honesty is a key factor. Skilled and talent professionals work for other nation. Developed country like U.S. moves some tasks to foreign countries to utilize skilled and talented workers at lower rates compared to U.S. talented workers that will lead to an increase in productivity and save costs in a major way. Large number of engineers is graduating every year from India and China compared to U.S. As a result there is an oversupply of talented workers from overseas. But these foreign countries sometimes can not produce quality and challenging jobs for them at a good rate, where they get their satisfaction jobs from other developed country at a feasible rate. They leave their own countries because they are not absorbed by the economies of these developing countries and work for other nation. Outsourcing offers opportunities for talented individuals to stay at own country and work for the other country. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism Theory, if talented and skilled workers stay at own country and work for other country, the workers get satisfaction with their job as well as the economy of their own country gets better. At the end, even though workers drain brain for other nation, own nation also get benefited. Skilled workers work for other nation is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: Developed countries give job to the talent and skill workers overseas for their benefit in place of own talent workers. According to Kant, this is wrong because developed countries workers use as a means to an end. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Talent and skill workers get opportunities and build their career and company also gets benefited. It does not matter where these workers drain brain, but global economy increases. Restricted access to secured data for maintaining the privacy and confidentiality. Outsourced company should concentrate on core business and need specialized attention while moving some operations to the third party company. The core concern of outsourcing is to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, security and privacy of the company business. It is wise if outsourcing partner does not have adequate information security measures. As a practice of ethical rules and privacy policies of the organizations like non-disclosure of trade secrets and non-disclosure contracts with staff, third party service providers and visitors should sign the disclaimer contract. So the outsourcer feels safe to do the business with a partner who is miles away. Everyone has right to protect his intellectual property. Privacy is a prudential right. From the point of view of rule utilitarianism, social contract theory and Kantianism, it is necessary to maintain some privacy and confidentiality information to the third party company. It increases the productivity of the services. By employing more numbers of skilled and talented manpower at lower cost, company boost up their productivity. Companies produce better product at low price which increases the demand of the product and also increases revenue of consumers. In order to produce more products, workers must be hired, that results in more job creations. Companies operate on an around the clock, 24/7 production cycle, provides customer service 24 hours; which further adding productivity. By outsourcing it is possible for projects to be shuttled between multiple sites, allowing around the clock and get the tasks done in time. For an example, a team in Palo Alto spends its day to find bugs in a piece of software, then hand the bug reports to Bangalore team of India that spends its day fixing the bugs. Outsource results into better customer satisfaction and increased profitability. If we see in other way, infrastructure in less developed countries can make business more difficult, which hampers the productivi ty. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism, customer get good product in less price, which enhances total happiness of the customer. It also creates new jobs. So outsourcing increases the productivity. Kantian Theory Analysis: By employing skilled manpower at lower cost, company boost up productivity which is morally wrong according to Kantianism theory, because company uses skilled manpower as means to an end. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Outsourcing process increases productivity of the company and also provides customer satisfaction. According to social contact theory outsourcing is good. Conditions when the outsourced get outsourced: Outsourcing Company outsources jobs to offshore countries to get the product within a much reduced cost. To get maximum revenue benefit, offshore countries outsource some of their job areas to third offshore country to reduce their operating costs. The outsourced jobs in the offshore countries get outsourced to another offshore country because of reducing the cost of infra structure, cost of raw materials, and cost of labor. Most of the times offshore country keeps the core functionality of the outsourced jobs and outsources their non-core jobs to third offshore country for the utilization of available skilled labors. Also the offshore country outsources their jobs to get the benefit out of lower corporate tax rate of 3rd offshore country. Sometimes Supply of demands can be a factor to get the jobs outsourced from one offshore country to another offshore country. For example, developed country like America outsources mostly IT jobs to India to get a better quality product at a lower price. India outsources certain tasks like software testing, software documentation of those IT services to other offshore country like Philippines and other south Asian countries to get the tasks complete within very low labor cost. Sometimes Indian corporations outsource job to developing nations to meet the need for workers who speak the varieties of languages that global clients demand. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: The business of the company spread globally. Three countries get benefited and also skilled and talented workers get good job. Sometimes own country skilled workers do not get job, this is a negative consequences. Managing the tasks is difficult as it spread to country to country. The confidential information are less secure, this gives negative impact. Total benefits is more than total harms. So outsourced get outsourced is a good phenomenon. Kantian Theory Analysis: The developed country like America outsource job to developing country like India for their benefit. Similarly India outsources some task to third developing country like Philippines. According Kantian theory, America uses India as a means to an end. India uses Philippines as a means to an end. This is not a good idea. Social Contract Theory Analysis: The businesses of the company get distributed around the world. Higher quality product is sold at the best possible price due to competition among possible providers of the same product. This is beneficial for the society. Poorer countries gain employment, creating jobs around the world reduces unrest and leads to more stability. For everyones mutual benefit, outsourced get outsource is good. Conclusion: Outsourcing has tremendous impact on economic growth, national security, balancing between Jobs vs. the workforce. These impacts are both positive and negative. When the business owners and BPO consultants move jobs overseas, they claim that their actions have a clear net positive. In contrast certain group of people and the community of outsourced country are adversely affected through outsourcing. It is very difficult to determine who are the ones affected from outsourcing. The jobs as well as the capital resource are transferred from developed to developing countries. As a result unemployment rate increases in the parent country and in most cases the qualified skilled labors in their own domestic land are forced out of jobs. Also people in their own domestic land are losing interest in education because of lack of skilled jobs originating in their own country. Based on various arguments and discussions from different sources, outsourcing also enhances the global economy of the domestic country and creates new jobs in the country. If we consider each key reasons of outsourcing through ethical theories, some key reasons have more moral value than the others. So it is very hard to decide whether outsourcing is good or bad. Recommendation: Though outsourcing loses some jobs in developed country, it also creates some new high-tech jobs in developed country and also increases global economy. I argue that outsourcing is not necessarily unethical, nor is it unavoidable. After all, international business has opened huge markets for United States products and has provided customers with new and cheaper goods. With advancements in shipping and telecommunications, it is easier now than ever before to sell products and services across the globe. If businesses and customers are willing to accept the international market, then we must also accept its consequences increased competition. Company should do proper planning about outsourcing, keep the core functionality of the outsourced jobs and outsources their non-core jobs. So company can focus on the core function and produce good product. The confidentiality and the privacy of the company get secured. So from my point of view, outsourcing is good.