Labor unions

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 or Wagner act was introduced with the intention to protect the rights of the workers. During this time there were many instances of the harassment of the laborers by the employers. This act ensured the right of the employees to collective bargaining which was necessary for the laborers to bargain with the employers for their rights. In order to enforce this act National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was created and it was given wide powers to determine the relationship between the employer and the employee. In the light of the fact that the employers were adopting various anti worker policies, this act was successful in protecting the interest of the workers.(Bain, n.d.) This is the main reason for its popularity among the workers who were allowed the right to unionize. The NLRB can be approached by the labor unions with the request to arrange for the secret ballots while forming the labor union. This act gives the laborers the right to bargain with the employers, fight against injustice through strike and lock out.(Bain, n.d.) The employees are also given the option not to indulge in unionization activities. Before forming the unions the NLRB is supposed to be convinced with the fact that a particular labor union would represent the interest of all the employees. The labor union should represent the interest of the laborers who share similar problems and interest. By conducting the operations to establish their own unions, the NLRB was expected to safeguard the interest of the workers.(Bain, n.d.) The employers are also expected to follow the labor law which is controlled by the federal and the state governments. The employees can approach NLRB whenever they find that there are unfair labor practices. Both the employees and employers are not supposed to indulge in unfair labor practices. The employers are expected not to discriminate against the union members while recruiting them and while continuing their service. More often it is found that the management used to hire the workers who were not the members of the labor unions or who did not agree with the ideology of the unions. (Bain, n.d.) When such unfair labor practices occur, the labor unions can approach the NLRB which uses its power to investigate into the allegations of exploitation of the laborers by the employers. The main duty of the NLRB is to maintain the cordial relationship between the workers and the employers. Through this particular act the government attempted to avoid the exploitation of the workers. These sections of the Wagner act satisfied the demands of the workers and naturally they favored this act. NLRB has handled thousands of cases concerning unfair labor practices. These cases show that the Wagner act has succeeded in protecting the interest of the workers. The workers have been able to unionize or not to unionize and they are given the power to go on strikes. Legitimate strikes are supported by the NLRB leading to the protection of the rights of the workers. (Bain, n.d.) Another important labor and management relations act was Taft-Hartley act which was introduced in the year 1947. The anti labor provisions in this act evoked immediate reaction by the labor unions which, obviously, did not like the anti labor clauses in this act. The Taft-Hartley act has many clauses which protect the interest of the employers. The various rights sanctioned by the Wagner act are withdrawn by the Taft-Hartley act. This act restricted the labor union activities such as strikes, picketing, lock out, secondary boycotts and closed shops. The state can prohibit a strike which affected the public health and national security. Using these clauses jurisdictional injunctions could be obtained prohibiting such activities of the labor unions. The states could invoke right-to-work laws which allowed the union members not to participate in the strike.(Wikipedia, 2006) This act also discontinued the closed shops practice which had compelled the employers to provide job security to members of the unions. The power of the laborers to enforce union security clauses have been restricted by this act. The courts are given the power to investigate the financial statements of the unions in order to ensure that all the laborers are provided representation by the unions. The states could approach the courts and obtain injunctions which restricted the rights of the workers to go on strike. Instead of strike, the act encourages the use of other means to bargain with the employers. The workers are required to give 60 days notice to the employers and the mediating agency regarding their activities. The employers can approach the authorities to restrict the activities of the labor unions. The employees also can approach the authorities requesting that they should be allowed to work against the orders of the union. Many states have used these jurisdictional injunctions to restrict the labor union activities. This law has been criticized by the laborers as anti labor. This act also gives the discretionary powers to the President to outlaw a particular strike or lock out declared by the labor unions. These powers have been used by the American presidents to control the labor unions. The unions are also expected to declare that they are not the members of the communist party. The unions are not allowed to give monetary donations to political campaigns and such other political activities. Due to these anti labor clauses, the laborers did not favor this law. (Wikipedia, 2006) The above details show that the laborers liked the provisions of the Wagner act of 1935 while they opposed the provisions of the Taft-Hartley act. Bibliography Bain, Brian. (n.d.). The NLRB: The Wagner Act of 1935. St.francis.edu. Retrieved 17 March 2006 from (2006). Taft-Hartley Act. Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 March 2006 from    Labor Unions Labor Union functions as representative of workers in various industries. The roots of labor union are linked to the early history of America in 17th century. The early unions consisted of guilds and carpenters, who even played an important in struggle of independence. By 1820s various unions worked to reduce working hours from 12 to 10 hours.   Labor unions have been set as reaction to protect workers from employers. The need rose due to the arrival of industrialization that developed factory system creating misery and slum among the poor workers. Factories produced massive wealth for few and great misery for many. The workers recognised their power and organised themselves in the shape of unions. Their power grew steadily in the mid 19th century where various trade unions joined together in citywide federation forming National Labor Union (NLU) in 1866. It was due to the persuasion of NLU that congress passed eight-hour working day for in 1873. Labor Union is other countries; such as Belgium, Sweden Finland have centralized unions, where all industries have a specific union and then merge into a large national confederation. Finland is one of the largest labor union in Europe with about 1.2 million members out of 5 million-country populations. There are countries like France where only 10 percent worker form the par of unions. Most of which are normally represented by in main confederation. The Australia Labor movement is historically connected with craft and trade.   Australian current government brought many changes in recent times through Workplace Act 1996 (Fraser, 1974). In 20th century American Labor Union remained important in organisation often revolving around issues such as immigrant rights, trade policy, healthcare, wage campaigns. The post World War I brought wages down and caused major erosion in union membership between 1920 and 1930. National Association of Manufactures played on the fear of Bolsheviks and declared by President John Kirby as â€Å"un-American and illegal†.   And in the following years the demands; such as shorter hours, higher wages, regulation of child labor were seen as anti-American and going towards communism. The employers exploited this situation on the pretext of patriotism and workers had to sign â€Å"yellow dog contract† where a worker had to sign in order to get job with a declaration not to join a union (Card and Alan, 1995). In 1935 John Lewis accounted the creation of CIO (Committee for Industrial Organization), which composed of about a dozen leaders of AFL unions carrying out the efforts of industrial unionism. The Industrial Unions basically organized all kind workers and in short they were the unions of unskilled workers.   CIO did successful campaigns over the next few years and brought the industrial unions to larger sectors of American industry gaining substantial membership. During the World War II CIO worked on the workers problems. In 1955, CIO and AFL merged together and helped in eliminating jurisdictional disputed which labor unions were facing for decades. Instead now unions placed new emphasis on organizing workers in various industries and plants where labor representation did not exist. And in many cases these unions had to cross the barriers of older way of thinking to reach the employees who for decades resisted unions. The labor movement has enormous impact to bring an end to child labor practices, improved conditions and wages for both union and no union workers raising the standard for the whole society. It also supported better education for the workers children enabling the working class to get rid of poverty. And it even brought rights for women for example on average women in UK are still earning lesser than men; but the women who have union membership earn more than non-members women. However this policy seems to work only in developed countries where there are regulations. In countries such as China where workers have lesser freedom do not have the same rights as workers in developed countries (Card and Alan, 1995). Today’s management theories are dealing with, hegemonic and acceptable ways in which communications is used for many tasks inside organization, and also how life in organization affect its workers. Modern organizations are diverse in nature and the working environment is changed. Managers are now facing new problems, such as diversity in workplace, extensive use of technology and stress in workplace (Orakzai, 2006). In modern times Human Resources has emerged as an important part of organization which is   meant to develop and create superior man power for organization The reason for such approach is that superior human resources are hard to replicate and companies like Wal-Mart, Southwest Airlines have invested and nurtured human resources (Satish and David, 1998). Even though there are no unions but HRM practices are applied to develop competitive advantage in recruitment, training, performances and worker empowerment. For firms now there are new challenges such as managing diversity and transformation due to technological change (Nancy and Orlando, 2001). Since 1980s, there seems to have been great shift in power of unions. Before 1980s the labor management was mainly dependent on soft strategy of negotiation in order to settle down the disputes. In the case of disputes firms often used managers to sort out the problem or opted for temporary workers to replace the workers on strike.   Since 1980 there has been hard strategy used by companies such as threat of employment and joblessness that means permanent replacement of workers to prevent strikes (Thomas, 1997). There have been several reasons for such decline; one major reason is employers who keep their business union free. Some of the companies even hired consultants and resorted to legal strategies; while others put workers in management team by appointing them board of director and profit sharing plan. Another reason has been greater number of women and children joining workforce, whose income is as a second income for the family. Most of them are interested in earning money even if it meant lower wages rather than resisting. And the last reasons is union too much success. For many years unions have been fighting for higher wages; which has raised a lot. This success made many unions made products too expensive to be bought by consumers; who prefer cheaper imported foreign products. This trend has raised losses in many industries including many workers losing their jobs leading to decline in power of unions.   And the last reason is the use of technology in workplaces, which require fewer workers to do a lot of work. The traditional reliance on industrial jobs has been lost which used to be stronghold of the white-collar class; all these factors have lead to decline of union in modern organization. Reference: Thomas L Traynor, , (1997).Impact of post-PATCO labor relations on U.S. union wages. The Eastern Economic Journal. Satish P. Deshpande, David J. Flanagan, (1996).Top Management's Perceptions of Changes in HRM . Journal of Small Business Management. Nancy Brown Johnson, Orlando C. Richard, (2001).Understanding the Impact of Human Resource Diversity Practices on Firm Performance . Journal of Managerial Issues. Fraser, W. Hamish , (1974). Trade Unions and Society. Rowman and Little field. Card David, Krueger Alan, (1995). Myth and measurement: The new economics of the minimum wage. Princeton University Press. Orakzai, Tanvir , (July 3, 2006). Organization communication: an analysis. Retrieved July 10, 2006, Web site: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=11130. Labor Unions The effects of the political nature in Canada has been subject to the influence by the workers through their striking activity. The workers who are the voters have seldom used strikes to change the political system. By its definition, a labor union is an association of persons within a common working outlay which seeks in providing spokesman ship to the members. Legally, labor unions in Canada are duly under recognition as representations of the broad workers from the different industries within Canada. Labor unions in Canada run from public and also private unions.To the Democratic Party in U.S, the activity of labor Unions is an important goal with strict political develop to look after the interest of the workers. (Mirillo, 2001, 54). The purpose of labor unions as per the Democratic Party is to provide a collective bargaining capacity to the workers through the influence of workers mobilization in regard to their individual membership as well as through aspect of collateral coali tions of activist under like-mindedness. (Mirillo, 2001, 67)However, the current political imagery in this state and especially in its two rich provinces Ontario and Alberta has seen the interest of trade unions falling and loosing motivations.   In its private sectors, union membership has been seen to fall by 9%, which is a brutal change since 1932. ((Mirillo, 2001, 72). The conventional purpose of labor unions in Canada has been in the advocating of policies and also legislative authorities which are otherwise favorable to their workers. Through a strong bound by such workers, their active role in policies would seldom be activated.Many of the workers have lost their interest in joining such unions from the effect of the advisory and pronouncements by the political systems which have even led to change by the labor unions. The roles and activities of labor unions in Canada has been a major tool in shaping the political structure of this American State. However, such changes as a result of influence by the political image have never been to the positive side.These are tools that seek to provide workers’ disadvantages in terms of poor and unfriendly working conditions, low levels of wage rates above other fundamental effects on the workers at their work. Various political images such as the prevention of companies for non-union in taking various significant in the Canadian market share is a trend towards loss in the rights of such unions. At the political conquest, labor unions are important tools in policies which is basically achieved through members mobilization as well as general coalitions with organizations of such like mindedness.The American labor unions are absorbed in two basic organizations; The America Federation of Labor Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) as well as Congress of Industrial Organizations. The basic role of these two organizations is in advocating legislations and also policies that provide worker motivation. (M irillo, 2001, 72)The changing political dimension and legal framework of the labor unions have seen their membership continue to decline since 1983. Through exorbitant mobilization of trade unions by workers in Ontario and Alberta, the political imagery has been shaped in its focus. Due to the breach of the fundamental conceptions and rights at their work, various jurisdictional strikes have however been seen in Canada. In Canada, the use of jurisdiction is an important phenomenon as a claim of representation for workers in performance of specific works.This is an attribute in relation to their personal right for such work performance of the members within a certain trade /labor union. Worker strikes have recently increased in the state which are basically concerted refusals in the performance of specific work by the members of a certain labor union. This is a disputation to the job assigned to them which occurs as protest to such assignments and develop as disputes in correspondenc e to the terms and conditions of their employment contracts. (Jessica, Samuel, 2006, 1)However, the question of the fundamentality in labor strikes remains debatable of whether good or bad. However, depending on the nature of their results and the effects to the broad organizations impact and the society, different labor strikes in the Ontario and also Alberta can be supported or not.At personal level, such strikes act as hinge parameters with which their responses can adequately be looked upon to provide a more concentrated satisfaction at their work places.   Generally, the various poor conditions at work are in response to the fundamental influence of the political imagery which have changed the system labor laws and provided a scope for less effective labor instruments at work. In Canada generally, a broad political imagery have acted to shape the manner in which the basics of labor laws have been formulated.Labor strikes therefore act as the most appropriate tools with which the collective bargaining powers of their unions can move adequately to be featured by their employers and the government legal framework. Corresponding perhaps to Ontario and Alberta which happens to be the two richest provinces in Canada, many union strikes have been felt across the board as workers seek to fight for more dispensable adequate working conditions. The mobilization efforts by striking works have acted adequately in shaping the nature of the political structure in the state. (Stanely, 1999, 11)  Preferentially, labor union strike in Canada has been a defense mechanism in support for the complimentary provision of the basic condition while at work. In the event of the compromise to these provisions at work, the workers should have a full pledge of legal authority which provides them due rights in their striking autonomy. The basic intention of their formation at personal capacities in work is bargaining collectively. Though the federal legal autonomy provides for suc h representation, the current political system in Ontario and Alberta seeks to compromise the holistic development into their contemporaries.Such strikes are basic tools with which the roles and provisions of such workers at their workplaces can be provided for adequately. The main objective of the labor strikes is to seek provision for adequate standards in their labor force at work which may have been compromised by the nature of changing political ideologies to provide inadequate employment jurisdiction. However, through their collective bargaining by striking, the political system through its by-laws on labor has adequately been changed to focus more on a better political weapon which addresses their requirements.Generally, the role of labor strikes is to promote a leeway in safeguarding the interest of the workers which may have been breached in the due process of change in the labor laws by the Federal system. According to the recent research by the Canadian Bureau of Statisti cs, the legal framework has had various developments that seek to monitor the changes and the response to the employee and labor relations providing the various legal foundations.Among such developments have been the results achieved through striking workers. (Michael, 2003, 32) However, according to researches by various human activists movements on labor laws, such legal developments have only acted to provide disadvantages to the workers at their places of work. Consequently, such disadvantages have acted to lower the standards of living for such workers above providing various poor working conditions and terms of the workers at their places of work. (Michael, 2003, 5)Despite the great wealth in the two provinces whose development is from the human capital provided by the workers, the workers continue to be faced with inadequate conditions at work which compromise their status of living. Such poor conditions of work have been adequately brutal both to their physical health and al so their status of living. In response to this, the argument behind the workers union in the regions is argumentable in a supportive periphery. Either, the right to strike should be provided with the due protection by the federal legal system. (Stanely, 1999, 9)Therefore labor strikes have been seen as the basic and fundamental tool with which such workers representatives can strive for a restoration in the adequate terms and conditions at their work place. This is through creating an advocacy in the political will to accommodate better laws on labor. The same has been evident through new developments in political imagery in Canada which safeguards the interest of the workers. The concept of workers strike is allied to the rights to strike. (David, 1997, 3)These are the basic legal foundations and framework that provide the most adequate provision within which such workers should strike. Such rights to strike imply the autonomy with which the unions should exercise their powers in c rave for jurisdictional authorities. They are aimed at providing a coherent foundation in ensuring that the legal development from the statutory Canadian laws does not seek to provide disadvantages.Unions rights to strike is otherwise the mobilization framework bestowed to the unions to participate in the request of adequacy in conditions of work and also terms through partial withdrawal from the work without any threats and fear of any form of intimidation either from the employers or the Canadian legal framework. In the lieu of erosion of the workers sovereignty, the coherent legal framework through the political capacity should perhaps help to provide a stronger dimension within which the states of the labor rights at work and to strike should be restored. (David, 1997, 1)By their nature, labor unions are established as representations of their workers in an organization. Through their collective bargaining, they help to develop the collective strength in the workers which would partially be powerless at individual capacity. Due to the political changes and orientations, labor laws have been changed to provide comparative disadvantages of the workers at their working levels. Due to the fundamentality of the respective reasons behind union strikes by the workers, the right to strikes should be adequately supported. Such rights provide a legal foundation and a basic of support with which the striking activity is formalized without any fear of negative implication of the job loss and accusations by the legal framework. (David, 1997, 1)Basically, strikes involve stoppages of coming to their working places by the workers. Through their mobilization efforts in Ontario and Alberta, the nature of the labor laws have been changed to provide adequate legal articles for the workers. The political shape has also been depended on the effects of various labor strikes since 1980. (Joseph, 1995, 3)Through workers strikes, the organizations are provided with comparative dis advantages in the market through the high loss implications which they undergo from the loss in activity by their organizations. However, the legal foundation of the strike is that it serves as an appropriate weapon with which the adequate working conditions for the workers can be provided. Such strikes are mere protests against the controversial conditions of work by their employees.This has been seen as a creative developed in Canada following labor strikes. Elsewhere, labor strike is a formal impact in which the worker unanimously seek to pledge the reinstatement in the breach of contract between them and their employers. Due to the formality of such strikes, their impact and influence should therefore be safeguarded by the interest of well defined rights that seek to create the most appropriate conditions and standards of their striking workers.However, the historical development of labor strikes in long trailing and its impulse increasingly developing in the recent years. Gener ally however, great logical response allied to the factor of humanity should support such strikes. Since the main role of labor unions is to provide a bargaining power in the adequacy of their conditions at work, the role of union’s strikes is an important complement in defining the scope of their success in such favorable working conditions.In the America since 1930’s, the political system have stood to create various labor laws that provide disadvantages to the workers in terms of conditions and wages at work. (Daniel, 1998, 43). Such labor laws have worked to weaken the strength and force of the labor unions. To the workers, the same has been seen as a betrayal by the government laws. However, through various labor strikes in Canada, such has been changed.This has been  Ã‚   a big threat towards employees derecognition by the employers in terms of the preferential basics in employment contracts. The epochs to such erosion on the employee sovereignty at work is thr ough the provision of various rights of negotiation by the workers for their support in the most adequate working conditions. The capacity to undergo strike is a fundamental interception in providing a tool for the support in recognition of the basic sediments of providing compliance to their working conditions by their employers. (Daniel, 1998, 45)In Ontario and Alberta however, the rights by the workers to strike is highly developed and seeks to provide an environment with which the correct employment measures to the workers by their employer are in conflicting interests. Within the private sector, rights to strike are provided by the NLRA. Legal rights to strike are implements in Canada which seeks to fight the negative implication of workers while on strike. This is in search of preventing any causal penalties of monetary capacity or other job threats that may be imposed by the employers and also the Federal laws.This is also a tool for the challenge on the different conditions that may compromise the status of the workers in undergoing a strike. Since the basic implication of labor unions is to provide a bargaining power to the employees, their move to strike is a basic formal response to the inadequacy in the employment contracts imposed by the employers. However, since any strike is allied to various losses and operational disadvantages of a preferential capacity, the move to strike by the workers may be compounded by rigid statutory implications and pronouncements by the employers which may hitherto comromise the state of their striking condition.Basically therefore, right to strike comes in as a basic tool which seeks to safeguard the interest of the striking workers against the impact of such unfavourable and threat conditions from the employers. The call for union strikes should therefore be responded by various legal rights that seek to authenticate their job boycott activity. Strike voting by the members should be provided with a subject of a broa d image of legal rights.The basic entitlement of workers in there working places is adequate and good conditions with which they can dispense their activity.   Through the political activity of the workers association in striking, political developments in Canada have been changed to create better forms of labor laws. Also, the political nature of the country has also been shaped by the effect of the striking workers. The legal entitlement to collective bargaining power by the workers are such as wages, working periods and hours as well as other employment terms and conditions.According to the provisions of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Labor strike is only limited to the preferential parameters that operate within employee relation. These parameters are to safeguard upon the statutory foundations of the laws and rights within which the tool of labor strike should operate in. Since the statutory foundations are used to provide a formal conservation in the rights to st rike by the workers, any explicit as well as implicit accords of negative subjectivism by the employers is provided and captured within the fundamental scope of the employer to employee relationship. (Joseph, 1995, 1)The solution for resolving the conflict between the employers and the workers union should primarily be in good faith in the short run. However, if the same resolution has failed, legal impasse occurs with which the legal statutes seek to provide interventions between the components. Like the rule of the game, the win and win situation between the two components gives way for  Ã‚   legal statutes of rights to strike by the workers to become operational. (Edward, 2002, 4)Generally, a mediation intercept seeks to rationalize the fundamental inadequacy between the employees and their employers to impact of a failing mediation provides for legal disputation through workers strike for the workers to operate.   This has been evident in Ontario and Alberta. Like other bill s of human rights, the right to strike by the employees to their employers should be formalized. Such rights provide a comprehension of the legal framework support for the move to retract of their faded legal empowerment and conditions of work. Such rights seek to provide the most adequate safeguard to the negative implication which may compound loss in job as well as statutory compensation to their organization for the losses occurred during their striking period.From the compulsive changes in the labor laws by the Canadian state legal system, the basic disadvantages that develop from the consequences of the negatively impacting legal framework can be provided for. This is in fight by stringent parameter in the scope of strikes by the workers in their crave for the most adequate working conditions.With the decreasing membership of persons to labor unions, the declining legal protection to such workers in the striking  Ã‚   activity should adequately be developed. However, the pol itical dispensation has grown to provide a base in the support for the actions levied on a collective support of the unions. This is a big indicator in rationalizing the level of liberal society within the Canada. However, the recent trend in the labor striking is seldom reducing from the impacts of the eroded implications of the individual rights to strike while at work. (Edward, 2002, 1)The question of striking has changed its notion from the broad outlook within Canada from constitutional fundamentality to being on the commercial relationship. The eroded sovereignty in labor strikes should be upgraded as a support to provide better contractual relationship between workers and their employers. Generally therefore, the support for the rights to strike is seldom a tool for supporting the move towards fighting for lucrative workplace efficiencies by the workers from their employers.Such striking rights acts as the basic support which is used to safeguard the preferential negative imp lications which may hitherto develop from the move to fighting for the lucrative fundamentals in their working places. (David, 1997, 1)The rights to strike should be fundamental across the globe where the higher levels of worker productivity would also be achieved through the effects of worker motivation. The same has been adequately achieved through mobilization efforts by the workers in Canada. Through the comparative legality to undertaking workers strikes, the expressions of the workers would be fed to even more consequential autonomy. The will and requirements would be brought out as a basic advantage to both their personal interest and their employers.Work cited.Edward Wolf. Working in America: A Blueprint for the New Labor Market. Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 69, 2002Daniel Jacoby. Laboring for Freedom: A New Look at the History of Labor in America. M.E Sharpe, 1998David Bonior. Unions in the Twenty-First Century. Challenge, Vol.40, 1997Jessica Rosenberg & Samuel Rosenberg . Do Unions Matter? An Examination of the Historical and Contemporary Rule of Labor Unions in the Social Work Profession. Social Work, Vol. 51, 2006Joseph Mosca. Unions in the 21st Century. Public Personal Management, Vol. 24, 1995Mirillo Maria. Labor Unions, Partisan Coalitions and Market Reforms in Latin America. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2001Stanley Sudman. Laboring for Freedom: A New Look at the History of Labor in America. Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 122, 1999

AP Environmental Science Q

1 . The environment is the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates; the natural world affected by human activity. 2. Environmental science Is the study of the Interaction between living and nonliving, physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment including their effects on all types of organisms but most often the Impact humans have on the environment. Ecology, conservation biology, forestry, sol science, forest technology and physics are related to environmental science. . Environmentalism is a theory that views environment rather than heredity as the important factor in the placement and especially the cultural and intellectual development of an individual or group; advocacy of the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment; especially the movement to control pollution. 4. Natural capital is the air, land, water, living organisms and all the formations of the Earth's biosphere that provides us wit h ecosystems goods and services imperative for survival and well- being. . A natural resource occurs naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by humanity; in a natural form; anything that people can use which comes from nature; we gather them from nature. EX: air, water, wood, 011, Iron, wind energy, coal, hydroelectric energy. A natural/ecosystem service are regularly Involved In the provisions of clean drinking water and the decomposition of waste.Natural ecosystem services is split into four categories: provisioning, such as the production of food and water; regulating, such as the control of climate and disease; supporting, such as nutrient cycles and crop pollination; and cultural, such as spiritual and recreational benefits. 6. An environmentally sustainable society is a community that is in balance with nature; people in the society do actions that are DOD for the environment. 7. A developing country is a nation with lower living standards, underdevelop ed industrial base, and low human development index relative to other countries.A developed country Is a nation that has a highly developed economy and advanced technological Infrastructure in comparison to other less developed countries. 8. A developing country has lower life expectancy, less education, lower population, lower resource level usage and less money(lonesome). A developed country has a higher life expectancy, more education, higher population, higher resource level usage and more money(income). . A resource is a source of supply, support or aid that can be readily drawn upon when needed.Conservation is the prevention of injury, decay, waste, or loss; the careful preservation of a natural resource in order to prevent depletion. 10. A renewable resource is a natural resource which can replenish with the passage of time, either through biological reproduction or other naturally reoccurring processes. EX: geothermal energy, hydrophone, corn starch, manure. A nonrenewable r esource is a resource that does not renew Itself at a sufficient rate for sustainable economic extraction in meaningful unman time-frames. EX: coal, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear energy. 1. The difference between the concept of reuse and recycle Is that reusing Is when a product that Is newly purchased Is put to another use after the first use Is completed. Recycling is processing of used materials (waste) into new products to prevent waste resource which does not exceed the growth; the amount of renewable resources taken should not exceed the amount at which it can be replaced. 13. An ecological footprint is an accounting system that tracks how much land and water area a human being uses to provide all it takes from nature. . Pollution is the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects. Point source pollution is a single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution coming from a single location. EX: A certain factory is producing chemicals. As part of the manufacturing process, certain poisonous chemicals and toxic gases result, such as benzene. The chemical company permits these toxins to be released from the stack at the factory without treating them.The untreated, toxic chemicals are released directly into the air. Nonprofit pollution is when contaminants are introduced into the environment over a large, widespread area. EX: Acid rain from the air can enter the water cycle. The result is that it enters the environment. The acid is harmful to fish and other creatures in freshwater lakes and streams. Whenever there is snow or ice on the roads in winter, the salt trucks come out and spread salt. The salt dissolves the snow and ice and makes the roads safe. But it also washes off the roads into lakes and streams and makes them salty.The salt is also carried down into the groundwater where it enters the groundwater apply. 15. Biodegradable: capable of decaying throu gh the action of living organisms. Orange peels: 6 months, paper 2-5 months; Non-biodegradable: cannot be changed to a harmless natural state by the action of bacteria and may damage the environment. Ceramics(fleer glass, carbon fiber), plastics(legal, irony), metals(iron, tin). 16. Five environmental problems the world faces today are population growth, poverty, wasting resources, poor environmental accounting, and ecological ignorance.Population growth is one of the biggest problems because humans consume so much energy, space and resources. With the rising population the Earth is unable to keep reproducing enough to accommodate the world. Poverty is another big problem because people/nations begin to take land resources to â€Å"pay off their debts† or survive. Wasting resources is the practice of wasting valuable resources by human beings for unnecessary motives. Poor environmental accounting is when business do not take the environmental impact into account when using th e resources to make their products.Ecological ignorance is the failure to understand the effects of human behavior on the relationship between the environment and living things. 7. When someone says that the price of goods does not include the value of natural capital they mean that they do not take into account the loss of biodiversity and puts economic concern in a way that the government and institutions can deal with. People often think of conservation in terms of its cost rather than its value, and think of manufactured goods in terms of value rather than their environmental costs. 18.A government subsidy is a benefit given by the government to the groups or individuals usually in the form of cash payment or tax reduction; usually given to remove some type of burden. A harmful effect they cause is environmental degradation like exploitation of resources, pollution, loss of landscape, misuse and overuse of supplies. A benefit example is that the U. S. Government makes goods more easily attainable for citizens such as gasoline prices are subsidized so that they are what they think their role in the world should be, and what they believe is right and wrong environmental behavior.Environmental ethics is the discipline is philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and the value and moral status of the environment and its nonhuman contents. 0. Planetary management worldview beliefs that as the planets most important species, we are in charge of the Earth; we will not run out of resources because of our ability to develop and find new ones; the potential for economic growth is especially unlimited; and our success depends on how well we manage the Earth's life support systems mostly for our own benefit.Stewardship worldview beliefs that we are the planets most important species but we have an ethical responsibility to care for the rest of nature; we will probably run out of resources but they should not be wasted; we should encourage envi ronmentally harmful forms of economic growth; and our success depends on how well we can manage the earth's life-support systems for our benefit and the rest of nature.Environmental wisdom worldview beliefs that nature exists for all the earths species and we are not in charge of the earth; resources are limited, should not be wasted, and are not all for us, we should encourage earth sustaining life forms of economic growth and discourage earth-degrading forms of economic growth; and our success depends on learning how the earth sustains itself and integrating such lessons from nature into the ways we think and act. 21 . The four scientific principles of sustainability are reliance of solar energy, biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and population control.The reliance of solar energy is how and how much of the sun energy we reuse. Biodiversity is the amount of variation and variety there is in the population. Nutrient cycling is how one population can benefit from another population. P opulation control is when one type of species population is too large and what we do to control and handle that. 22. A. Nutrient Cycling b. Nutrient Cycling c. Population Control, Biodiversity d. Nutrient Cycling e. Nutrient Cycling f. Nutrient Cycling g. Reliance on Solar Energy

Operation management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Operation management - Essay Example Operation function is vital in every organization because of its core duty of being involved in production of both products and services (Michael 2003). Process management can also be defined in terms of management where the mangers receive more experience on managing various types of operations in an organization. Operational and process management is applicable in industries because every function in an industry requires a process for it to be accomplished. Process perspective in business The process perspective is crucial in the management of any business. The process perspective is used by organizations to develop a model where business is analyzed at various levels. Processes are modeled to appropriately serve the business purpose. It involves shaping the processes to ensure customers’ needs are satisfied (Michael 2003). Strategic impact in operations and process management Operations and process management can be very crucial in the success of a business in terms of reve nues, the capacity, investment and the cost incurred in the process of doing business. All the parameters that contribute a success or failure in business should all be under control for a business to be having stability and the ability to be determining its future. The operations function of a business should be laid down to enable a future orientation that will hold. Management of process Business objectives and the process are different and are focused in a certain way. Basically the operations of different businesses may be different thus the management for each of them would just be different according to their capacities. A process with very high capacity should be flexible enough to handle the challenges posed by the complexity of the system. While managing businesses of varied processes, the customer’s perception of the activities should be treated with the utmost sensitivity. Therefore managing the customer’s perception would be vital in realizing a proper pro cess is in place. A combination of various processes and low level of variety would result in low cost. In managing these activities, it is important to consider designing the operation, the processes and services, planning and delivery of the process. Also more important in consideration is the process of managing the performance. Operations Strategy A strategy formation has four major steps to follow; they include definition of the tasks, assessment of the competences, determination of the orders in terms of the winners and the qualifiers and the firm positioning. The priorities for competitive approach include the costing, consideration of the quality, the speed of implementing the process and the process flexibility. Reducing the cost of operations includes installation of automated machines which in turn improve delivery of activities in various processes. Basically such improvements are implemented in the inventory, and record-keeping. Quality is basically based on the custome rs’ satisfaction which implies that every employee is empowered to deliver good services to the customers and for the industries as the manufacturing, the goods produced are ought to be of high quality (Knapp 2010). This can be achieved a frequent check in through a report tracking in the organization. Each process may be evaluated in terms of its quality. Time of delivery, variety of products and services would be crucial in serving the customers interest and diversity. They will have the choice of

Evaluation of Science and Technology Policies Essay

Evaluation of Science and Technology Policies - Essay Example A number of measures, called performance indicators are usually invented in order to simplify the evaluation process and make it more easily readable by non-expert groups (e.g. investors). "Simply put, performance indicators are measures that describe how well a programme is achieving its objectives Indicators are usually quantitative measures but may also be qualitative observations. They define how performance will be measured along a scale or dimension" (USAID Center for Development Information and Evaluation, 1996). The question that is raised in this essay can be formulated as follows: is it possible to rely on performance indicators without evaluation itself, and what will be the consequences To answer that question, the essay clarifies at first a concept of evaluation, its development in research policy, its relations with performance indicators (PI), limitations of PI, and finally demonstrates with the help of two examples that the substitution of evaluation with merely PI wi ll lead to the decline of investor-funded science itself. Let us at first get acquainted with the concept of evaluation answering a simple question: what is the evaluation and why do we need it in research Generally the evaluation can be defined as follows: Evaluation is the systematic acquisition and assessment of information to provide useful feedback about some object" (Trochim, 2002). So, in other words, evaluation provides the interested parties with the feedback, which will be useful, i.e. will help in the decision-making process. This leads us to the answer on the second part of the expressed question: evaluation is needed in research to make the funding policy more effective. If the evaluation processes provide the correct feedback about the usefulness of candidate scientific projects then the most 'useful' projects will receive funding, which will lead to the development of 'useful' science. The word 'useful' is placed in quotation marks advisedly, as it is also an important question: what science can be called useful However, thi s question leaves out of the scope of this essay. Initially, evaluation can be divided into two types: formative and summative. Whereas formative evaluation examine the delivery of the project or technology, the quality of its implementation, and the assessment of the organizational context, personnel, procedures, inputs, and so on, the summative evaluation analyses the effects of the project, determining its overall impact (Trochim, 2002). Each of these types benefits from the use of performance indicators, because to determine both the implementation and the impact a number o measures have to be devised. Development of evaluation It is evident that the evaluation process itself constantly endures changes. To put it differently, the accent of evaluation changes in accordance with the current research evaluation policy. "In most European countries an "evaluation culture" in science, technology and innovation policies has evolved since the 1980s, including the ex post evaluation of research programmes and other policy initiatives, the evaluation of R&D centres and universities, and the evaluation of R&D funding agencies. (Kuhlmann, 2000)" Rip characterises the changes of R&D evaluation through the use of triangular metric with accountability, strategic change,

Early Childhood LEarning through Play Assignment

Early Childhood LEarning through Play - Assignment Example According to this article it has mentioned the curriculum for preschool children should be age appropriate. To implement this objective one should consider the following factors. The child’s behavior The child’s behavior might differ depending on family backgrounds or sex of the child. Some kids are shy while others are not. The behavior of the child should be keenly observed to avoid lack of participation of some kids. The material needed to play The materials which are needed to play should be different as per the age of the kid. This is important because as the kids are growing they need more complex activities to suit their various development stages. Question2. Play is normally an active and self-driven activity. While the children are playing they should be actively involved and always self –driven to it. Play is a cherished part of childhood. This is what characterizes a play. The child will be in a position to express and cope with various feelings. For e xample while playing the child can shout or scream to express happiness or disappointment. This will enable you to understand the child emotional behavior. The child will also need to interact freely, ability to explore various activities and make choices on plays they want to play. Early childhood professionals are the persons with child development. This means that they know what is good for a child from the young age (infant) up to maturity which 18 years and above. For this scenario about value of play to the children, many professors would suggest that play to a child is like carbon dioxide to the plant. These professionals would emphasis that any child should be give freedom to play and interact with the other children in the area. The reason why they should express their opinion to be positive is because through play the child acquires numerous skills such, interaction, development of speech, social challenges and moral values. For instance, compare a child who stays always w ith her mother in a room and another child set free to the play with other in the street. The possibility that the one who is set free to play with others in the street develop a high thinking capacity will be very high. In addition, you find that the one who likes playing will be more civilized than one who lives with her mother. Therefore, play to the children has very big role to them. Hence, it is recommended that children must be play at any time. In another scenario, is that children who are brought up in urban portray characteristics of having high thinking capacity than those from the rural areas. Despite their different points of view they all agreed that play is very essential in the development of the children. The reasons why they supported play’s importance was because play helps the children to explore and create their own world that they can master as well as conquering their fears as well as helping the children in expressing their feelings such as anger or ha ppiness. They also stated that play aids in the development of a healthy brain. The reason that has influenced their opinions is the fact that they are professionally trained to deal with children affairs so they understand the benefits that can come out of childhood play encouragements. The fact that early childhood professionals are taught on the basic knowledge on the children behavioral determinants is the key attribute to their similarities in supporting the early childhood plays. For example jean

Personal statement for communication major Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

For communication major - Personal Statement Example Yet my parents could understand what I was trying to say in my child-speak way. Then as I grew older, I began to notice the way that people are always interconnected and talking to each other. Communication has become a vital tool in the existence of mankind. In fact, it seems that without the interconnectivity that technology and communication allows us to have, our evolution as a people would come to a standstill. One would be hard pressed to imagine a word without communication. Even the deaf, mute, and the blind have their own methods by which they communicate with each other and those around. It is this fascination and simple understanding of how communication works for us as a society that led to my continuously increasing interest in the field of communication. Communication is the most important tool that we have as a people in terms of creating a bond and fostering understanding of people across the borders of countries. It is what unites us as the people of this planet. Due to the existence of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Instagram, and the like, communication has come to the forefront of the consciousness of the people. This instant method of connecting with each other has served to bring communication to higher levels of use and existence. These days, one will be hard pressed to find somebody who does not have an international base of friends due to the network that these communication channels allow us to create based upon shared interests and other criteria. The world has become a better place because of evolution of our communication skills and gadgets. People easily connect and find common ground with each other these days because the internet has allowed people who communicate in various languages. In fact, I have often said that communication, just like any other spoken language on this planet, is a living, breathing, and evolving thing. Communication has in effect, taken on a life of its own and we owe

GM Strategic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GM Strategic - Essay Example GM has made purposeful commitment to the environment i.e. to make continuous development as well as improvement by decreasing the harmful impact of environment which includes the issues like greenhouse gas releases and fuel economy in its broad assortment of quality vehicles (General Motors, 2012). From the perspective of the environmental issue with regard to the aspect of fuel economy, the valuable engineers belonging to the company are reinvesting as well as restructuring the various technological advancements for the purpose of enhancing the fuel economy, ensuring less release of greenhouse gases and most importantly diminishing its reliance on petroleum. In relation to the factor of the enhancement in fuel economy, it has been apparent that the company is consistently enhancing the competence of its gasoline-powered vehicles by the application of enhanced technological advancements which include dynamic fuel management, insertion of direct fuel and variable valve timing (General Motors, 2012). From the viewpoint of the other important environmental issue i.e. the release of greenhouse gases, the company has showed its deliberate commitment towards implementing the alternative fuels as well as the bio-fuels in order to decrease petroleum dependence along with lowering the release of greenhouse gases. In this context, it has been viewed that the company is the worldwide leader in the production of Flex-Fuel vehicles which operates on gasoline and E85 ethanol. This particular technological advancement of Flex-Fuel vehicles of the company can be observed in the cars as well as the trucks of the company (General Motors, 2012). There lie several strategic reasons for GM to emphasize upon the environmental factors which comprise the aspect of fuel efficiency and the release of greenhouse gases. One of the imperative reasons is about the deliverance of long-term value of the investments to the

The Modest Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Modest Proposal - Assignment Example 3. The tone is satirical. Swift uses symbols and gestures which does not hit directly into the point but requires one to imagine and understand what he means. For example he says, â€Å"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child wells nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; an I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout† (Swift). This means that a child born in a wealthy family is likely to succeed in life more than born in a poor life. 6. Swift presented evidence of the poor and the suffering. The title of the article is okay but if fails to prove the recommendations required solving the challenges faced by the poor mothers and their children. 9. In overall, it is a good piece of work. It is challenging and it certainly drives the point home. However, Swift should have provided recommendations like curbing inequality, theft, hunger, and distribution of resources in addition to offering quality education to the society as a way of curbing the

Read the document I send you carefully Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Read the document I send you carefully - Essay Example With every market structure, however, comes advantages and disadvantages of adopting that particular choice. There are mainly four types of market structures with â€Å"perfect competition†on one extreme and â€Å"monopoly†on the other (Baumol, 1961, p.142. Furthermore, â€Å"monopolistic competition†and â€Å"oligopoly† are those salient structures that are counted asthe moderate ones. In this paper, we will be focusing primarily on the Perfect markets. It will incorporate an analysis ontheir relation to consumer demand and the comparison to any other market structure in the economy. PERFECT COMPETITION AND MARKET DEMAND Perfect Market: Perfect competition is â€Å"a very large number of firms producing a standardized product.† (McConnel&Brue, 2004) This means that a perfect market is that structure which entails numerous extents of â€Å"buyers and sellers† for selling the same kinds of product. Besides this, there are several other noticea ble characteristics of a perfect market that are being listed below: In competition oriented perfect market, there are groups of buyers and sellers who are involved. ... Lastly, there is perfect information about prices and technology among both the sellers and buyers. (Besanko&Brauetigam, 2010, p.330) The Perfect Market and the Demand Curve: The demand curve of a perfect market is perfectly elastic which means that it is a horizontal line. â€Å"The price elasticity of demand (PED) for a good is a measure of the degree of responsiveness of the quantity demanded to a change in the price, ceteris paribus.† (Quek, 2011, p.2). It happens so because of the fact that the presence of small firms in the market makes it difficult for them to influence the pricing fluctuations of the goods and services that they offer. This leads to an inflexible proposition of prices of products to the consumers and thus, a perfectly elastic demand curve is achieved in this context. The figure below illustrates the demand curve: Figure 1: Chart showing perfectly elastic demand in a perfect market (Source: Google Images) Quek propagates thatâ€Å"demand curve in a per fectly competitive firm is also its marginal revenue curve† (2011, p.2). â€Å"Marginal revenue†can be understood as the revenue received by selling one extra unit of production. The demand curve and marginal revenue curve are equivalent in a perfect market competition since the price of goods and services are preciselythe same. The demand curve is identical to the average revenue as well in a perfect market because each product is sold at the same price i.e. the average of the total production. An increase in the price of products in a perfect market leads to the quantity demanded of that product to rise to infinity while a decrease in price leads to the quantity demanded of the product to fall to zero. This is also

Week 7 Assignment Busn 420 Essay Example for Free

Week 7 Assignment Busn 420 Essay Since this class is going to be part of my major and all the reading and the concept of business law, it will be very helpful for my major as well. In this 7 weeks I have learned about contracts, verbal, electronics and some others that I know are going to be part of my every day tasks, also at the mean time where to go or to do at a specific court house too. The knowledge that I got since taking this class and the way Im going to analyze the legal aspect of my career. Also the differences in how each states have they own business law (courts) and how to apply for them too. Like common law that I never heard about this law and what constitute to business, in my own I made a lot of mistakes before because I didn’t know what I know now about how or which type of business should I have or where to go, the difference among corporations or in which way I could be affected if anything happens. How partnerships will affect the relations with my partners specially if they are members of my family or friends. I personally had a LLC Corporation and to tell you the true I didnt know the meaning or the privilege of having a LLC Corporation like I do now, I know that the steps that I need to do now if I would like to have or open another corporation and all because of this class. This time I know I wont make the same mistakes I made in the pass, specially signing contract or agree to something I dont know, and learn how to identify remedies available ac cording to each states too, for example UCC SALE OF GOODS and to make sure the contract is valid or had been made according to the law or with ARTICLE 2 SALES OF THE UCC. All this knowledge that I obtained in this class its making me a better professional businessman, I will handle and perform better in any position management, also knowing and dealing with everything this class thought me I will challenge anything, by know what to do or where to go(courts) that deal with any legal matter (business law) Im ready. Thanks.

A Case Study Of Standard Chartered Bank

A Case Study Of Standard Chartered Bank This chapter provides an introduction of the study with the main areas presented including the importance of communication in an organisation, branding, intranet, the problem statement, purpose, research questions, limitations and assumptions that will govern the study. Background of the Study Communication is an organisational asset which has a big impact on the success of the business. Communication serves a number of important functions in an organisation such as sharing and clarifying goals, identifying how goals are to be achieved, exerting control, motivating others, developing a sense of community and commitment, sharing information and creating common understanding. It is estimated that employees spend about four fifth of their working life communicating (Ferreira, 2006). Communication in the organisation is central to the success of the business and must be taken into consideration in a quest to increase organisational competitive advantage. According to a study conducted in the U.S. by Watson Wyatt, a human resources consulting firm, companies that communicate more effectively with their employees have a lower turnover rate (on average 33.3 percent) than those that communicate less effectively (average 51.6 percent) (Ewing, 2007). Du Plessis and Boshoff (2008, p.3) defined internal communication as the communication between people working together to achieve individual or collective organisational goals. Internal communication, also referred to as organisational communication, is the process of communication between the people within the organisation (Scheffer Crystal, 2008). Internal communication process is used to maintain good relationships, describe tasks, give instructions and communicate the goals and philosophy of the organisation (Ferreira, 2006). Effective internal communication is a major contributor to the success of change initiatives in organisations. In particular, at the individual level, appropriate in ternal communication helps employees to understand both the need for change, and the personal effects of the proposed change (Goodman Truss, 2004). The study of internal communication is arguably one of the fastest growing areas within the field of communication, with a 25-30 percent growth rate in the past five years. In fact, studies indicate that organisations are pointing to effective internal communication as an influential factor in business success (Cees, Berens, Dijkastra, 2005; Holtz, 2006). Internal communication is defined as the formal and informal communication taking place internally at all levels of an organisation (Kalla, 2005, p.304). Research on internal communication is cross disciplinary, and the number of available definitions reflects this fact. Internal communication can be termed as internal marketing, organisational communication, employee relations (Quirke, 2000), management communication, internal media, cross-departmental communication (Greenbaum, Clampitt, Willihnganz, 1988), business or corporate communication (Kitchen, 1997), strategic communication (Argenti, 2007) or integrated internal communic ations (Kalla, 2005). Welch and Jackson (2007) view internal communication from a stakeholder approach and define it as the strategic management of interactions and relationships between stakeholders at all levels within organisations (p. 183). Literature spanning the last 10 years suggests that good internal communication management is one of the pivotal steps towards successful and productive communication within an organisation (Holtz, 2006; Karian Box, 2006; Cees et al., 2005; Quirke, 2000a; Tourish Hargie, 2000a). Welch and Jackson (2007) state that; internal communication management includes participation in communication, its direction and the content of communication (p.184). However, participation and direction of communication is strongly influenced by the hierarchical structure of the organisation where issues of status, power, rank and prerequisites often cloud the form and content of upward communication (Silburyte, 2004, p.192). Today, organisations are adopting flatter more dynamic structures which have more inclusive participation from all levels of the organisation (Silburyte, 2004) as well as varied content including new developments, organisational achievements, appraisal discussions and employee roles, noted previously in Welch and Jacksons four dimensions of internal communication (see Table 2.1). Similarly, Quirke (2000a) also suggests that internal communication can be shared across different organisational departments and likens it to a jigsaw where each section is responsible for a piece of the internal communication puzzle (i.e. the core departments within an organization). This metaphor suggests that internal communication is more than the realm of corporate communication and is involved in all areas of the organisation. Branding In the modern global competitive environment, corporate branding has become an important source of sustainable competitive advantage and a central element of corporate strategy (Balmer Gray, 2003). It includes core values cherished by a company, its corporate culture, identity, business model, people and it can be described as -the visual, verbal and behavioral expression of corporate identity and business model (CicvariĆ¡, 2006). The corporate branding strategy determines the manner in which a company will fulfill its mission and vision, and realize value for its stakeholders (Jarventie-Thesleff et al, 2011). It is most often expressed through the so-called brand promise which the company has to live and maintain in everyday business, to all stakeholders (Aaker, 2004). In delivering the value and brand promise, as well as in the application of each branding strategy, a strategic part is played by the companys employees (from top management to those on lower-level positions, who co-operate daily with different stakeholders. The employees role becomes clear when considered in conjunction with the corporate branding strategy framework, which is not only the products and services it sells, but it also represents what the company does and actually is, (i.e. a functionally and emotionally rounded unity). Due to intensive technological changes, the life cycle of products and services has a declining tendency, so corporate branding becomes the cornerstone for building and maintaining relations with stakeholders. One the other hand, the corporate reputation definition; describing reputation-as a set of relatively long-term impressions, attitudes and emotions of individuals or groups in respect of an organization, established through experience or partially credible indirect information, in the context of personal and social expectations, which impacts intentions or behavior of individuals or groups in connection with that specific organization (Vlastelica BakiĆ¡, 2012), helps to grasp the significance of employees in the establishment of beliefs and attitudes of the companys other stakeholders. The value of corporate branding and reputation yields benefits for the company which increases its financial performances and market value on the long run. This represents valuable reso urces which competitors cannot copy or imitate. Aside from reputation, being the organizations intangible capital, another precious resource that is unique and attributable to one company only involves its employees, their knowledge, abilities and skills. Kotler Wong, Saunders and Armstrong (2005) define a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of these, that identifies the maker or seller of a product or service and seeks to differentiate them from those of competitors. The brand is more or less the essence of an organization that informs the customers choice to interact with one brand over another. It is therefore clear that by focusing more efforts on branding, organisations can attempt to differentiate themselves more in the minds of customers and potential customers by increasing the value propositions associated with their brands and create a strong brand image and presence in the market thus giving them a stronger competitive advantage. Fernandez (2004) defines a corporate brand as the institutions image, reputation, financial assets, performance and people. Thus, the corporate brand of an organisation tells us what to expect from the organisation as a whole the set of values, promises, standards and characteristics of an organisation as embodied in the brand. It is thus the totality of the organisation and what it represents and what it hopes to achieve through provision of goods and services in the ordinary course of business. A brand can thus be said to constitute the collection of associations in the mind of a customer connected to the brand e.g. quality, friendliness, added value, superior service among others and such are what can greatly differentiate between similar products and services. The value of these associations, their uniqueness and relevance are an indication of the power of the brand. The underlying brand promise is what many organizations are looking to further underscore and highlight in their increased branding efforts to retain existing customers and attract more customers. One key element of effective employer branding is internal branding. Internal branding is only effective when internal audiences are reached with the message of the organizations values, through effective communicational efforts and when top management also exemplifies the same. Employees cannot be expected to show what they do not know. The service sector particularly has woken up to the fundamental importance of engaging employee commitment in delivering customer satisfaction and loyalty. The service sector does not provide tangible products/output that customers can take away with them and experience on their own; their experience with an organizations brand is through interacting with the organizations staff. There has been a shift in the branding world as explained by Vargo and Lusch (2004) to a new orientation known as service branding which is more balanced in its outlook. It considers both brand identity (internal) and brand image (external); highlighting the importance of st aff in the service encounter. The banking sector is one area where service branding is very vital. Customers experience of the brand begins the moment they walk through the doors of the banking hall and in their dealing and experience with the banks employees. Thus, the way they are treated while in the banking halls, response to their queries, promises made and fulfillment of the same all contribute to their perception of the brand and indeed affect their loyalty to the brand. Hence, there is a need to have employees that fully understand the brand in order to deliver more superior and unique brand experience to the customers in line with the organizations mission and vision. Overview of the Banking Industry in Kenya The banking industry in Kenya is governed by the Companies Act, the Banking Act, the Central Bank of Kenya Act and the various prudential guidelines issued by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). The banking sector was liberalized in 1995 and exchange controls lifted. The CBK, which falls under the Minister for Finance, is responsible for formulating and implementing monetary policy and fostering the liquidity, solvency and proper functioning of the financial system. As at December, 2012 there were forty six banking and non-banking institutions, fifteen micro finance institutions and one hundred and nine foreign exchange bureaus. The banks have come together under the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), which serves as a lobby for the banking sectors interests (CBK, 2013). The KBA serves as a forum to address issues affecting members (KBA, 2012). Over the period between years 2006 to 2012, the banking sector in Kenya continued to grow in assets, deposits, profitability and products offering. The growth was mainly underpinned by; first; an industry wide branch network expansion strategy both in Kenya and in the East African community region. Second; automation of a large number of services and a move towards emphasis on the complex customer needs rather than traditional off-the shelf banking products (KBA, 2012). Players in this sector experienced increased competition over the period between years 2006 to 2012 resulting from increased innovations among the players and new entrants into the market. Key players in the early stages of the operation of the Industry were; Kenya Commercial Bank(k) Ltd. (KCB), Barclays Bank of (K) Ltd., (BBK), Standard Chartered Bank (K) Ltd.(SCB), National Industrial Credit Bank (NIC), National Bank of Kenya (K) Ltd. (NBK) a nd Co-operative Bank of Kenya (Co-op bank) ( KBA, 2012). Background on Standard Chartered Bank Ltd Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited was established in 1911 with the first branch opened in Mombasa Treasury Square. More than 100 years later, Standard Chartered Bank is one of the leading Banks in Kenya, with an excellent franchise. It has a total of 33 branches spread across the country, 90 automated teller machines (ATMs) and 1,698 employees. Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited has local shareholding of about 26%, comprising about 32,000 shareholders and it is a public quoted company on the Nairobi Securities Exchange since 1989. The bank offers a variety of local and foreign currency accounts, both deposit and loan, to its customers. It has a diversified portfolio cutting across select sectors that include business services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, transport and communication, real estate, agriculture, energy and water. Further underpinning its importance, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited hosts the regional Shared Service Centre supporting the banks t echnology operations in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana and South Africa on a real time basis (Accessed from www. standardchartered.com/en/about-us). Statement of the Problem Despite its importance, few organisations devote enough time and resources to ensure that effective communication systems and processes are in place (Ferreira, 2006). Sanchez (1999) reported in the study conducted by Watson Wyatt Worldwide in cooperation with IABC Research Foundation that only 40 percent of 913 organisations which participated in the study, mainly from the manufacturing industry had formal communication strategies. Knowledge is important, not only between organisations, but also within the organisation. About 90 percent of the knowledge in any organization is embedded and synthesized in peoples heads (Smith, 2001). The transfer of knowledge is thus important in ensuring that organisational members learn from one another and also create new knowledge. Communication performance within organisations has been considered an understudied area and therefore poorly understood (Pandey Garnett, 2006) yet it is deemed a central component of effective business operations (Hargi e, Dickson, Tourish, 2004, p.5). Hargie et al., (2004) state that a lack of effective communication can contribute to a range of problems including at one end of the continuum, job dissatisfaction and stress, through to damaging strikes, operating losses, bankruptcies, production line injuries, shipwrecks, plane crashes and, at the other extreme, mass slaughter in the field of battle (p.5). Asif and Sargeant (2000) undertook a study of two major United Kingdom clearing banks to explore a range of internal communication issues. Literature specifically referring to the banking industry and internal communication is scarce; however, studies have been undertaken within the last few years that suggest there is growing recognition of the importance of internal communication within this sector (Moorcroft, 2006; Wadman, 2006; Sablosky, 2005; Lennon, 2003; Asif Sargeant, 2000). According to Bierly, Kessler Christensen (2000, p.596) success does not necessarily go to the firms that know the most, but to the firms that can make the best use of what they know. Hence, for knowledge to give competitive advantage, it must be effectively transferred within the organisation (Murray Peyrefitte, 2007; Watson Hewett, 2006). Communication plays a vital role in the knowledge transfer process within the organisation (Du Plessis Boshoff, 2008). One way of managing the knowledge-transfer process is to select appropriate communication media for the property or type of knowledge to be transferred (Murray Peyrefitte, 2007). Information about the employees preferred communication methods and technologies is important in ensuring positive and effective communication (Du Plessis Boshoff, 2008; Ferreira, 2006). Research suggests that intranets should be considered a mosaic of top-down and bottom-up communication with distributed ownership (Dasgupta, 2001). A study carried out by Papasolomou and Vrontis (2006a) on the UK retail bank industry concluded that the problems linked to the branding of intangible offerings can be overcome through an emphasis on the effective implementation of Internal Marketing (IM). The study found out that since employees play a valuable role in the delivery and strengthening of corporate service brands UK retail banks have placed greater emphasis on IM in order to deliver the brands promise. A blanket approach throughout the organisation, regarding regulations on intranet usage, may not be appropriate as different business units will have different requirements. Rather a collaborative and facilitative managerial style would acknowledge diversity and individual contributions (Dasgupta, 2001), thereby allowing individual units and teams to control their own information. Studies show that the versatility and multifaceted nature of intranets has seen an increase in research that is largely multidisciplinary (Lehmuskallio, 2006); however, research into the measurement of intranet effectiveness and perceptions of the employees towards the medium is still in its infancy and is seen as a fundamental shortcoming (Jacoby Luqi, 2007). This study will therefore focus on establishing the effectiveness of intranets to communicate brand message to its internal publics within SCB limited. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study therefore is to establish the effectiveness of intranets to communicate the brand message to its internal publics within SCB limited in an effort to find out if banks are taking the time, effort and resources to sell the brand to their internal audiences and what strategies have been employed to achieve this. Objectives of the Study This study will be guided by the following objectives: To establish whether SCB Kenya limited has adopted internal communication strategies within its organization to communicate the brand message. To find out the effectiveness of intranets in communicating the brand message among internal publics within SCB Kenya limited. To find out how employees in SCB Kenya limited integrate the organizations brand values through internal communication. Research Questions This study will undertake to answer the following questions How has SCB Kenya limited adopted internal communication strategies within its organization to communicate the brand message? What is the effectiveness of intranets in communicating the brand message among internal publics within SCB Kenya limited? How do employees in SCB Kenya limited integrate the organizations brand values through internal communication? Justification of the Study Despite its importance to corporate communications, rigorous corporate communication research about the use intranets in developing nations is limited. Effective internal communication methods and media for knowledge transfer in the service industry are important for organizations to excel. Internal communication processes are therefore used to maintain good relationships, describe tasks, give instructions and communicate the goals and philosophy of the organisation. Effective internal communication is a major contributor to the success of change initiatives in organisations. In particular, at the individual level, appropriate internal communication helps employees to understand both the need for change, and the personal effects of the proposed change. This study will act as a benchmark to influence banks to adopt excellent internal communication strategies in order to better position their employees to deliver a more superior brand experience to the customers of the bank. Significance of the Study This study will add more knowledge in terms of academic contribution and knowledge which is limited in the area of internal communication within the Kenyan banking sector. This study will act as a platform through which the policy-makers within the banking sector can formulate policies to better enhance effective internal communication. The study will be able to provide recommendations and guidance on the effective internal communication strategies that can be put in place within the banking sector. Scope of the Study This study will be an overview of the internal banking environment in the Kenyan banking sector and will seek to undertake a case study of SCB Kenya limited. The subjects of the study will be the Public relations (PR)/marketing managers/Branch managers of the 20 branches in Nairobi and the customer service managers. Assumptions of the Study The assumptions that underlie this study are that: The selected institution for the study will have some form of internal communication strategy in place used to inculcate brand knowledge among their employees. The data required for this study will be available and that the researcher will receive maximum cooperation from the expected respondents to allow for a smooth, successful and timely completion of the study. Limitations of the Study Unexpected negative response from respondents due to the fact that they might be unwilling to give out sensitive personal information. This will be mitigated through counter-checking on organizational information manuals as well as service charters. Lack of local scholarly literature on the topic as relates to banks and internal branding means that the some of the methods, concepts and models used in this study are foreign and will be adopted to suit the local experience. Definition of Terms Brand Stern (2006, p.217) argues that the word brand can be classified as both an entity and a process, depending on whether it is used as a noun or as a verb. When expressed as a noun, it is connected to a person, place, or thing; as a verb, it refers to the process of making a product meaningful (i.e., the naming or positioning of a product). Dual-function brand concepts such as brand identity and brand reputation (both used as nouns) show the flexibility of this concept. The words branding and branded, on the other hand, are used as verbs to indicate how a brands meaning changes over time. Stern further comments that in the physical world, a brand is a name or mark associated to a product while it in the minds of people refers to a mental representation or perception of a psychological meaning. This study will adopt this definition in consideration to the fact that this holistic definition reflects the fact that the brand is expressed in numerous ways, not only through marketing. Brand commitment: Burmann and Zeplin (2005, p.284) define employee brand commitment as the extent of psychological attachment of employees to the brand, which influences their willingness to exert extra effort towards reaching the brand goals. It is the degree to which employees identify and are involved with their service brand, are willing to exert additional efforts (extra touch) to achieve the goals of the brand and are interested in remaining with the organisation. Corporate communication: Steyn and Puth (2000, p.5) define corporate communication as managed communication on behalf of the organisation, aiming to increase organisational effectiveness by creating and maintaining relationships with stakeholders. Internal branding: According Drake, Gulman, and Roberts (2005) and Thomson, de Chernatony, Arganbright and Khan (1999), internal branding is the practice of selling and promoting the brand to the internal audiences of an organisation, i.e. its employees in order to be instrumental in influencing employees attitudes and shaping their behaviours to be aligned with a brand, by creating employees understanding of brand values and engaging them in living brand-reality. Internal customers: This is the concept of customer-service provider relationships inside the organisation; employees providing a service to other employees or departments in the organisation as opposed to providing a service to clients external to the organisation. Services should be provided to fellow employees and departments with the same commitment to customer satisfaction as for external clients (Gronroos, 2000, p.307; Landman, 2005, p.7). Internal communication: Du Plessis and Boshoff (2008, p.3) defined internal communication as The communication between people working together to achieve individual or collective organisational goals. Internal communication, also referred to as organisational communication, is the process of communication between the people within the organisation (Scheffer Crystal, 2008). Intra-organisational communication: Intra-organisational communication is the channels and systems of communication within the organisation. It entails the continuous design of interaction between all members of an organisation forming an all-inclusive device that joins people and structures within that organisation. Intra-organisational communication forms part of internal communication. Internal communication includes many configurations and disciplines of communication, for example interpersonal communication, intrapersonal communication, intra-organisational communication and management communication (Van der Walt in Verwey; Du Plessis, Barker, 2006, p.264; Landman 2005, p.7). Service marketing: Gronrooss (2000, p.7) perspective on service marketing describes it as an organisation taking the view that an enhanced offering is required to support the customers value-generating processes and that the core solution of a physical product, service or combination of services and goods, is not sufficient to differentiate the offering from those of competitors. Landman (2005, p.8) defines service marketing as an approach to an organizations market that recognizes that the external customer becomes an active part of its processes, and that an organisation in its totality and in all its facets determines the quality of service delivered to the customer. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction This chapter presents the review of related literature. According to Chandran (2004), the aim of literature is to provide the researcher with knowledge and understanding of the conceptual and analytical framework in their field of study. This chapter examines, analyzes and adds to the knowledge advanced by various scholars in regard to the effectiveness of intranets to communicate the brand message to its internal publics within Standard Chartered Bank of Kenya. It highlights various works in relation to the study. It looks into current literature on theory and practice in relation to internal communication strategies adopted by banks to its internal publics. Internal Corporate Communication Internal communication within an organisation is dependent on a number of factors including the type of industry; the structure of the organisation; organisational culture and managerial style (Kitchen, 1997; Quirke, 2000). Holtz (2006) noted that, in the past, company communication, typically in the form of publications, consisted of the four Bs: birthdays, babies, brides and bowling scores. In marked contrast, today, the function of internal communication includes the transmission of organisational goals, activities, new developments, achievements and personal contributions as well as strategic visionary messages (Welch Jackson, 2007). Welch and Jackson (2007) suggest the function of internal communications has four dimensions: (1) internal line management, (2) internal team peer communication, (3) internal project peer communication and (4) internal corporate communication (as illustrated in Table 2.1 on page 18). Table 2.1 Internal communication matrix Dimension Level Direction Participants Content Internal line management communication Line managers/ supervisors Predominantly two-way Line managers-employees Employees roles Personal impact e.g. appraisal discussions, team briefings Internal team peer communication Team colleagues Two way Employee-employee Team information, e.g. team task discussions Internal project peer communication Project group colleagues Two way Employee-employee Project information e.g. project issues Internal corporate communication Strategic managers/top management Predominantly one-way Strategic managers-all employees Organizational/corporate issues e.g. goals, objectives, new developments, activities and achievementsSource: (Welch Jackson, 2007, p.185) These four dimensions emphasize that the content of internal communication has moved from the four Bs into all areas of the organisation including strategic goals and personal development. In addition to the content, the four dimensions also highlight the two-way relationship between employees and managers at all levels of the organisation and the importance of internal communication to organisational success (Tourish, Wilson, 2002; Zetterquist Quirke, 2007) with effective internal communication leading to improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, increased levels of innovation, higher quality of services and products and reduced costs (Argenti, 2007). A 2002 study of internal communication in 100 leading blue-chip companies found that 38 percent of internal communication teams were governed by the human resources department (Quirke, 2003). Four years later a 2006 online survey of internal communications conducted by Melcrum, an internal communication research and training organisation, alternatively proposed that of the 1,149 respondents from different industries and locations, 44 percent state internal communication is the governance of the corporate communications department (Dewhurst, 2007). Kalla (2005) suggests that suggests that there are four domains of integrated internal communication; business, management, corporate and organisational. Business communication addresses the communication skills of all employees, management communication focuses on the development of the managers communication skills and capabilities, corporate communication focuses on the formal corporate communication function, and organisational communication addresses more philosophically and theoretically oriented issues Management Communication Business Communication Corporate Communication Internal Communication Organiz

The American Flag Essay -- Informative Essay

First I would like to include some information about our american flag and how it came about. In the British colonies of North America before the Revolution, each of the 13 colonies had its flag. On Jan. 2, 1776, the first flag of the United States was raised at Cambridge, Mass., by George Washington. Known as the Grand Union flag, it consisted of 13 stripes, alternate red and white, with a blue canton bearing the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew. Congress, on June 14, 1777, enacted a resolution â€Å"that the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that the Union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation.† On Jan. 13, 1794, Vermont and Kentucky having been admitted to the Union, Congress added a stripe and a star for each state. Congress in 1818 enacted that the 13 stripes, denoting the 13 original colonies, be restored and a star added to the blue canton for each state after its admission to the Union. All of the state s and territories of the United States also have their own flags. Betsy Ross created the first flag. Betsy would often tell her children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of the fateful day when three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. This meeting occurred in her home some time late in May 1776. George Washington was then the head of the Continen...

Eamon De Valera :: essays research papers fc

Eamon de Valera, although born in New York City, in the United States of America, devoted his life to help the people of Ireland. As he once said it, â€Å"If I wish to know what the Irish want, I look into my own heart.† De Valera loved Ireland and its people with a deep and lasting passion. It was he, probably more than any other person in their history, who helped that country win freedom from British rule and then shaped its history well into the twentieth century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  De Valera’s mother, Catherine Coll, usually known as Kate, came to the states in 1879, at the young age of twenty-three. Like so many other Irish immigrants of that time, she had suffered from poverty, and even hunger, in her native land and saw America as a place where she could go to try and get a fresh start. She first took a job with a wealthy French family that was living in Manhattan. This is where and when she met Vivion Juan de Valera. He was a Spanish sculptor who came to the home of her employers to give music lessons to the children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1881, the couple married. A little over a year later, while living at 61 east 41st Street, Kate Coll de Valera gave birth to the couple’s only child. His name was Edward, called by Eddie at first, but would become known to the world by the Irish variation of that name, Eamon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Always in poor health, Vivion de Valera left his young family behind him and traveled to Colorado, hoping that perhaps the healthier air would help him out. Within a few months he died. Now a widow, Kate went back to work, leaving Eamon in the care of another woman who also had come from the tiny village of Bruree, in County Limerick. Later in his life, Eamon would remember occasional visits from, as he knew her, a woman in black, which ended up being his true mother. Kate de Valera decided that Eamon would be better cared for by her family back in Ireland. Before long he found himself away from noise of Manhattan, living in Bruree in a one-room house with mud walls and a thatched roof. Living with him were his grandmother, his twenty-one-year-old uncle, Pat, and young Hannie, his fifteen-year-old aunt. Shortly after Eamon arrived, the family moved to a cottage, built by the Irish government for farm workers, but it was only a little bit larger.

Walmart Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework Essays

Walmart Case Definition of Main Problem: There can be no argument that Wal*Mart has revolutionized the discount retailing industry. Furthermore, CEO Glass and COO Soderquist have stepped in at the helm of this company and continued to take it in the right direction by quadrupling sales and profits from 1987 to 1993. The main problem they now face is how to sustain their phenomenal performance, and becoming number one has magnified this issue. No longer can they just sneak into small towns where the only competition is the local merchant’s shop. No longer can they copy larger companies like Sears and J.C. Penny’s because of their size and scope. The fact is, Wal*Mart is bigger than these companies and their direct competitors Kmart and Target are doing everything in their power to close that gap. They are lurking not so quietly in the shadows, benefiting from Wal*Mart’s past choices, successes, and failures. They are there to blow the whistle if Wal*Mart steps outside the lines. Wal*Mart may be growing, but at a rate under 10% for the first time in years. Shareholders are concerned, the press is relentless, and many obstacles lie in their path if they hope to continue the trends Sam Walton set so ambitiously in 1962. Analysis: With one of their main issues being sustained profitability, Wal*Mart is at a critical time in their life. They are no longer the hero, a place commonly reserved for competitors striving to be number one, because Wal*Mart is number one. No one can debate how effective they have been in getting here. Through their focus on superior technology and low cost leadership, Wal*Mart reigned supreme. They are redefining Porter’s five forces model in the discount retailing industry, and are in the enviable position of having first mover’s advantage. Yet this blessing is also a curse. By virtue of their efficient, effective system and its proven success, companies like Kmart and Target are watching closely and both emulating and improving upon this system. An analysis of the five forces model will show Wal*Mart’s main competitive advantages in supplier power and barriers to entry. A look into their distribution centers and how they have been instrumental in reducing supplier power will be followed by an analysis of how effective first mover advantage has been and where they must take it next. Early in the history of... ...rn to introduction and growth as opposed to decline). Thirdly, there are areas both domestic and abroad relatively untouched by Wal*Mart: large cities. Though it may seem like untapped potential in these markets, it is not recommended to expand in these highly populated areas. The axiom, â€Å"If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,† applies: If Wal*Mart were to do an about-face and start expanding in this form, it would send mixed signals about not only changes in the corporate strategy, but also about the future of this conglomeration of stores. This is especially poignant at this volatile time in the price of their stocks. They should also be extremely cautious in the acquisition of existing discount retailing companies. As the industry becomes more concentrated, Wal*Mart’s selectivity in large acquisitions extends beyond just profits. Many times, Wal*Mart could better spend their resources by improving existing stores or building new ones because they can build them around their ideologies at a much lower cost than through purchasing other companies. Again, this is not to say they should not expand in this manner, just that they need to be extremely selective when doing so.