Fololio Mulagia Essay

In May of 2011 a Samoan schoolteacher by the name of Folole Muliaga was sent home from a New Zealand hospital suffering from a terminal illness called cardiomyopathy. Because, doctors believed she did not have much longer to live she was sent home with two oxygen tanks to help aid her with her illness. McNaughton (2006) states that on May 29 a contractor for Vircom EMS was sent by Mercury Energy to the Muliaga’s home to disconnect the electricity supply. Mrs. Muliaga pleaded with the contractor to keep the electricity because of her health condition but he disagreed. A few short hours later Mrs.  Muliaga would perish. Prior to the Muliaga’s electricity being disconnected, the family had an outstanding balance of $168. 00, and could not afford to pay the bill. The case of Folole Muliaga would later be broadcast around the world capturing the attention of many government officials. This paper will cover many aspects including but not limited to: the consequences and outcomes of the scenario, the illegal and unethical aspects of the Mercury Company, was the role of the coroner and police department justifiable, and lastly, what reforms and guidelines were put in place as a result of the devastating tragedy? Evaluate Ethical Behavior: The Historical Case of Folole Muliaga Folole Muliaga, a 44 year old terminally ill mother of four suffering from cardiomyopathy perished after not being able to pay a $168. 00 electricity bill. As a result of Mrs. Muliaga sickness she was unable to continue her teaching career which brought in the majority of the household income. Johnston (2007) states that Mercury Energy was unaware that disconnecting power to a South Auckland home could have potentially life-threatening consequences. The resulted consequence was too harsh; to disconnect the electricity given that Mrs. Muliaga was just released from the hospital days earlier. The major price Mrs. Muliaga paid was dying 3 hours after the electricity was disconnected from her home. The family of Mrs. Muliaga would later dispute that the bill was not overdue, and that it was actually due days later. Bennett (2007) states that Folole’s husband actually made a partial payment on May 17 and would make another payment a few days later. The Mercury Energy contractor who disconnected the power says he was unaware that Mrs. Muliaga depended on oxygen tanks to live. What’s disturbing is that the Muliaga family states that when the ontractor arrived, Mrs. Muliaga invites him in and thourgly explains to him her health circumstances. She begins to plead with him not to disconnect the electricity, but he is not being attentive to her needs. He states he is simply doing his job, and that she must contact Mercury Energy to have the electricity restored. Although health professionals who treated the victim said her health problems had tremendously worsened over the past few months, does not make it morally nor ethically factual for the company to not hear the concerns of its customers. After the incident went ational the general manager for Mercury Energy stated that he was sure the company was not at fault for Mrs. Muliaga’s death. Cleve (2007) He contended: I’m confident that the processes we have put, the communications we had with the customer, were very clear about the circumstances that would happen. The general manager’s arrogance toward Muliaga’s death clearly shows his lack of concern and unethical behavior. His thoughts are that the company done nothing immorally or illegally wrong. In the case of Folole Muliaga there was almost a trial by media, pressuring Mercury to change how they conduct business with customers who ave severe medical conditions. A company’s culture is the biggest element of how it handles difficult situations. Companies no matter how large or small should have a value statement that aids them on what is considered ethical behavior. The actions of Mercury Energy were illegal in the eyes of many consumers and shareholders around the world. It’s very bothersome and also reality that individuals who occupy senior level managenet roles does not uphold the standards and intergrity when it comes to satisfying the needs of customers. Meredith (2007) says the behavior of Mercury Energy top xecutives serves to do no more than confirm just about every negative stereotype there is about impersonal, arrogant, and greedy corporates. What makes Folole’s story so alarming is that Mercury Energy is a state owned enterprise, which means the taxpayers solely, owns the company. Research states that Jones (1991) a moral issue is present when a person’s actions, when freely performed, may harm or benefit others. It’s imperative to know that many judgments are moral decisions because they have a moral component, such as the case of Folole Muliaga. The actions that took place in Mrs. Muliaga’s home was horribly illegal and unethical, because the situation was not investigated thourghly. If the contractor would have taken five minutes to contact someone about Mrs. Muliaga’s severe health condition her life probably could have been prolonged. The contractor’s irrational behavior to further assist the family is what makes this situation so demoralizing. A few weeks after Folole’s Muliaga’s death, Police announced that there was no evidence that did not point to Mercury Energy nor the contractor’s that they were at fault for Mrs. Muliaga’s death. After Folole’s death the family expressed that the Police department showed lack of â€Å"Cultural Awareness† and had â€Å"institutionalized racism†. Bridgeman (2010) Coroner Gordon Matenga concluded that Mrs. Muliaga died of natural causes but, an arrhythmia caused by morbid obesity and that the cessation of oxygen therapy and stress arising from the fact of the disconnection (as opposed to the way in which the power was disconnected) have contributed to her death. To agree with the coroner’s report individuals would really have to reexamine Folole’s case. Certainly, the victim had health issues that contributed to her death. But, the question we must ask ourselves is that if Mrs. Muliaga’s electricity was never turned off would she have still perished a few hours later. Many of us would answer the question by saying no, she would still be alive. In many of our thoughts and private belief’s we would say that Mercury Energy is responsible for her death. Summary: The Folole’s Muliaga’s story should have been an eye opener for all major corporations. Many companies today do not follow Corporate Social Responsibility. Many top managers and executives are simply in the business to make a large profit off of its shareholders and onsumers. Organizations have to reexamine the culture, morals, and values of why they are in business. Meredith (2007) In the case of Mercury Energy, those needs should have been understood to include the cultural and economic issues of a Samoan family struggling to make a go of their lives in New Zealand and to have been deserving of care and respect in addressing what turned out to be the life threatening issue of the discontinuation of their electricity supply. A variety of theoretical perspectives have been established to support researchers and most mportantly managers on social issues. These concepts would help organizations to understand the importance of having values and morals when it comes to dealing with the public. The social life cycle theory was used to analyze the Mercury Energy case. Ackerman (1975) found that, in general, the responsiveness of business organizations to social issues progresses through a three-phase trajectory; policy, learning, and commitment. Most of us who are familiar with the Muliaga case would say that the company was in refutation about the Muliaga issue.

Segmentation of Mercedes Benz

Case 2 Nuclear Energy: Making a Comeback? In the 2010 State of the Union address, the president called for more clean-energy jobs, with expansion of nuclear power as an alternative energy source. He declared, â€Å"To create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. † Other countries, such as Great Britain, are already planning to build new nuclear plants.Although none have been built in the United States for many years, the 104 currently operating plants generate almost 20 percent of America’s electricity. Wind and solar energy together generate less than 5 percent. An alloy of enriched uranium powers nuclear reactors. How large is the world’s supply of uranium? How long will it last? Uranium, a metal, is relatively common and can be found in rocks and even seawater as well as in ore deposits in the earth. With 24 percen t, Australia has the largest supply overall, but Kazakhstan recently declared that it had surpassed Australia’s output.Canada has less than 10 percent of the world’s supply, but has the highest concentration of top-quality ore. Worldwide, about 67,00 tons of uranium are used each year. At current demand, that supply is expected to last about 70 years. The World Nuclear Association (WNA) predicts that nuclear reactor capacity will increase by about 27 percent in the next decade and that the demand for uranium will grow by 33 percent in response. There is some debate about when the demand for uranium will be greater than the supply that can be mined economically.Antinuclear activists point out that mineral resources are nonrenewable. Just as the world will eventually run out of oil and coal, it will also run out of uranium. Some analysts believe that this will happen sooner rather than later. Environmentalists object to destructive mining techniques. In Australia, activi sts are concerned with the land rights of indigenous Australians. Another potential roadblock is that uranium mining in general is impeded by a lack of infrastructure and a shortage of experienced workers, factors that drive up processing costs.And, a still-unsolved and crucial problem is how to manage safe, long-term storage of spent nuclear rods, which continue to emit radioactivity. The World Nuclear Association disagrees with these assessments. First, not all uranium deposits have been discovered. Since 1975, the number of known deposits has tripled. Advances in geological research and more exploration will detect many more. As mining techniques improve, known deposits that are currently unreachable will become economically accessible.The WNA predicts that at current rates of usage, known supplies will last 200 years rather than 70 or 80. Second, ore deposits are not the only sources of uranium. It is also found in nuclear weapons, available because of various disarmament treati es. The end of the Cold War in the late 1980s also meant the end of the nuclear arms race. Nuclear warheads contain high-quality enriched uranium. Utility companies and governments also have stockpiles of the metal. Third, research is ongoing to make enrichment facilities and reactors more energy efficient.Fourth, unlike oil or coal, uranium can be recycled from spent nuclear fuel rods and from tailings (uranium left over from the enrichment process). These techniques should also improve over time. Other sources, such as phosphates and seawater, could become economically viable in the future. Questions for Critical Thinking 1. What factors do you think will affect the supply and demand curve for nuclear energy? 2. Describe what type of competition you predict will arise in the nuclear energy industry.

Price Floors and Ceilings in the Dairy Industry Research Paper

Price Floors and Ceilings in the Dairy Industry - Research Paper Example Whereas it may be convenient to assume that perfect competition exists within many markets around the world, the fact of the matter is that governments often provide subsidies and encourage price floors and/or ceilings as a manner of ensuring the domestic production capability of a given industry or enterprise. Oftentimes, this is done as a means of ensuring that the domestic production capability will remain constant; regardless of the shifts and changes in supply and demand that are evidenced as a function of a true capital market. For purposes of this brief analysis, the author will focus upon the dairy industry in the existence up price floors and ceilings that are represented throughout. Through such an examination, it is the hope of this author that the reader will come to a more full and complete understanding of the means by which these price floors and ceilings work to keep something of a static market and prices resiliently unchanged; seemingly regardless of how the market might move at any given time. The obvious rationale for these price floors and ceilings is with respect to the fact that individuals within society, oftentimes the most vulnerable, will not be in danger of being unable to afford many of the common nutritional components of a healthy lifestyle. Conversely, these price floors and ceilings exist as a way of ensuring that producers will not choose to leave the market and a relatively static level of production capability will be exhibited; due to the fact that producers are assured the fact that they will not make below a given level of profit upon each gallon of milk produced. Firstly, with regards to the social welfare theory that is aptly represented within this particular case, the price ceiling that exists denotes the fact that the individual consumer within the economy will not be expected to pay more than a given amount for a gallon of milk. This has a powerful impact upon the way in which the domestic economy operates due to the fact that a litany of different products derive their ultimate price based upon the dairy market. Whereas milk itself is the primary complement, cheese, butter, protein, way, and a litany of other substances and food products are all derived from the primary milk that exists within the dairy market itself. As such, by creating a price ceiling, secondary and tertiary producers are also given a level of assurance that the cost of production for their individual commodities will not fluctuate greatly from one period of time to the next (Dairy Industry, 2004). This ultimately serves as a type of insurance through which different food producers can rely upon the fact that even though demand for products might change, the supply and price of the compound and goods which are required to produce a given food substance are likely to remain close to if not exactly the same price as they are within the current market. Comparatively, the existence of a price ceiling within the dairy industry d enotes a level of social welfare with regards to the consumer; however, a level of subsidization and ultimate benefit also exists within this same market when one considers the price floors that exist. The price floors that exists within the dairy market are ultimately a means of assuring the producer that regardless of what shifts market takes, the producer will still be guaranteed a minimum price for each gallon of milk that they produce. This assurance allows the producers to differentiate their industry and develop in a way that they might otherwise not; if they were more concerned with the continual shifts and

The U.S. Labor Market Cools, and It's Not Just the Weather Assignment

The U.S. Labor Market Cools, and It's Not Just the Weather - Assignment Example The report also adjusted previous values on an upward trend. The bad weather, in December, persisted in January and influenced adjustment of data but the persistence indicate that the slow recovery from lost employments during the previous recession may be due to other factors than the bad weather. Retrenchment in the public sector is one of the factors to the poor recovery because while the private sector created about 142000 jobs in January, the public sector lost about 29000 jobs and this occurred and the federal and state levels. Most of the aspects of employment however remained the same. Average working period per remained constant at 34.4 hours while average hourly wage improved by just five cents. The number of people out of employment remained the same while unemployment rate reduced by 0.1 percent from 6.7 percent. Reduction in number of beneficiaries on unemployment benefits and number seeking jobs could have accounted for this. The labor force however grew by 499000 while total employment increased by 616000. This is however still above the threshold limit beyond which the central bank pledged to maintain minimal interest rates. Many of the new employment opportunities rose from highly paying sectors in which retail trade was the most significant (Philips 1). Unemployment is one of the indicators of an economy’s status and its measure and trend is significant to the corporate sector. A reducing trend in unemployment rates is an indicator of recovery from the previous recession and informs business organizations to expand their production capacity because of better economic prospects. Another implication of the article on the corporate sector arises from its clarification of the source of poor trend in unemployment indicators. Explaining cause of the poor observation distinguishes progress in the corporate sector from the declining opportunities in the public sector to offer confidence in the economy, a

Adoption in Louisiana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adoption in Louisiana - Essay Example Different states have different adoption regulations in the US (Child Welfare Research Institute, 2012). In the state of Louisiana, several conditions determine the qualification of an individual as an adoptive parent (FindLaw, 2012). These include the conditions that the individual must be 18 years and above, are single, divorced, or married, rent or own adequate housing for another child, be financially stable, be in good mental and physical health (Adoption Media, 2012). Other conditions include having adequate transportation (Department of Children and Family Services, 2012). Louisiana laws, agency policy, and the Bureau of Licensing stipulate some regulations for certification of foster parent (Louisiana State, 2006). These include completion of MAPP/GPS pre-service training (7 sessions), submission of application for certification, state police and FBI criminal record clearance, State Central Registry for Child Abuse and Neglect clearance, physical and medical examination for communicable diseases, fingerprints for all adult family members, agree to non-corporal punishment (Adopt ion Media, 2012). Additionally, an individual must provide five non-related referees, agree to meet the requirement of completing 15 hours of annual in-service training, interview to all members of your family, participate in individual home study, and their home must meet health, fire safety, and environmental requirements, as well as a one-year-and-a-half home residency (FindLaw, 2012). Louisiana State laws allow qualified individual to adopt any child or adult, but there are special procedures for adult adoption (Adoption Media, 2012). These include completing the Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting (MAPP). A resident citizen in Louisiana may also adopt a child from any other state apart form Louisiana, or even country (Adoption Media, 2012). Nonetheless, this requires the use of adoption agencies that

Globalisation is not a new process. Discuss Essay

Globalisation is not a new process. Discuss - Essay Example The process of globalisation depends on trade and financial flows that have the potential to bind different economies of the world. Additionally, the advancements in information technology and mass media also contributed equally in reducing the barriers persisting amid different nations (Warrier & Wunderlich, n.d.). According to the report of UNESCO (2010), globalisation is not a new procedure, as it existed since the commencement of the Second World War that not only restricted economic development but also affected the people living in then respective societies. Globalisation has become one of the critical issues in the 21st century because of the increased level of technological advancements. From an economic perspective, globalisation has the potential to bring change in the world by ways of promoting free trade, maximising the flow of capital between nations and augmenting the extent of investments. The improved relations between several countries thus facilitated economic growt h, as new markets have been developed and increased their scope of maintaining long-term sustainability due to the procedure of globalisation (Mrak, 2000; Warrier & Wunderlich, n.d.). In relation to the above context, the essay intends to discuss critically globalisation to be not a new process in this contemporary era. The process of globalisation can be related to making wide interactions amid various individuals and nations. The process not only affects international trade but also makes extensive impact on the investment level and other related elements that have the potential to develop an economy. The process of globalisation is not new because people are engaged in trade and other allied activities since past centuries. The buying and selling of goods is such a process, which has already existed from past several years. For instance, the existence of the Silk Road that connected Europe, China and other Asian nations indicates the

Development of organisational capability at SISCO Article

Development of organisational capability at SISCO - Article Example In a large transnational organization of the size of SISCO, certain key initiatives that were initiated by the leadership team to acquire, retain, groom and manage talent are discussed in detail in the remaining part of this paper. Human resources is one of the most valuable and unique assets of an organization. According to Leon C. Megginson, the term human resources refer to "the total workforce, as well as the values, attitudes and beliefs of the individuals involved (Noble, 1985)." Management as a process involves planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling activities that facilitate the achievement of an organization's objectives. All these activities are accomplished through efficient utilization of physical and financial resources by the company's human resources. Human Resources management is one of the most complex and challenging fields of modern management. A human resource manager has to build up an effective workforce, handle the expectations of the employees and ensure that they perform at their best. He/she also has to take into account the firm's responsibilities to the society that it operates in. Human resource management deals with the "people" dimension in management. In their book Human Resource Management, Byars and Rue, say "Human Resource Management encompasses those activities designed to provide for and coordinate the human resources of an organization (Rue, 2000)." According to Ivancevich and Glueck, "Personnel or Human resource management is the function performed in organizations that facilitates the most effective use of people or employees to achieve organizational and individual goals (Glueck, 1995)." Every organization is composed of people and utilizing their services, developing their skills, motivating them to enhance their levels of performance and ensuring that they remain committed to the organization are essential for the accomplishment of organizational objectives. This is true for all types of organizations - government, business, education, health, recreation and social action. Acquiring and retaining good human resources is an essential pre-condition for the success of every organization. Organizations that can do this will be both effective i.e. they will be able to achieve their goals as well as efficient i.e. they will use minimum resources necessary to achieve their goals. Inefficient or ineffective organizations face the danger of stagnating or going out of business. Competent managers and workers are essential for the coordination of efforts towards the ultimate objectives which ensure the survival of the organization. Though such coordination alone cannot guarantee success, the lack of it can lead to failure. In the changing times, it has become evident that it is the human resourc

BUSINESS MODELS AND PLANNING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

BUSINESS MODELS AND PLANNING - Essay Example Archetypally, a value chain viewpoint is embraced, and affiliations to dealers and clienteles and other peripheral forces are put into consideration. For instance, corporation ‘fundamentals’, put emphasis on the â€Å"information most pertinent to decision making in the contemporary economic setting concern the enterprise’s value chain (business model, in analysts’ parlance)†. In addition, this technique of theorizing the business model focuses on outlining the company’s manner of undertaking business. On the other hand, a narrow business model entails a business model that bases solitary on in-house aspects in the organization. A business model should not be a depiction of a multifarious social system with entirely its actors, dealings and practices. As a replacement for, they argue that, it ought to designate a company’s significance thus creating logic, the processes that enable this, i.e. the groundwork for generating worth and set up the foundation for hypothesizing the strategy of the business. Occasionally, it propagates in the form of an innovative idea. More often, it encompasses amalgamation of merchandise and service features that offers more quality value. For instance, a cheaper price for the equivalent advantage or supplementary benefit for the equal price. In due course, the aforementioned move achieves its key objective of safeguarding loyal customers along with anticipated sales. Business models incorporate strategies that identify and establishing a significant differentiator. For instance, it comes up with a strategic move to attract attention of the customer or superb performance and customer care. Rationally, these models figure out unique barriers to entry that protect their profit streams. In the long run, this strategy ensures that the business continues to control a desirable market share as well as enjoy healthy profits. The business

Business Email (100 words) and Attachment (400 words) Essay

Business Email (100 words) and Attachment (400 words) - Essay Example We have already prepared several copies of our business card that has a Korean translation to help us communicate our official rank in the company. (Kwintessential Ltd. 2008)2 When it comes to exchanging business cards, our sales team has been informed to use both hands when giving or receiving a business card. We have also informed our team to read the business card first before keeping it in a case or a pocket. Unlike the typical handshake as a business practice in North America, our sales team have been taught that they should greet South Korean businessmen with their family name combined with a â€Å"slight bow† and a handshake while maintaining a good eye-contact with the other party upon the first meeting the Korean business people in an informal reception, just before the presentation and the evening meal starts. (Kwintessential Ltd. 2008) Calling them by their surname remain a practice until the Korean businessmen to tell us to simply call them with their first name. We have also made the sales presentation as short as possible so as not to avoid over-selling our expertise as a consultant company. (Movius et al. 2006) Instead, we aim to develop a stronger business relationship with them. "Communicaid." Doing business in South Korea| South Korean Social and Business Culture. 2008. http://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/culture-for-business-and-management/doing-business-in/South-korean-business-and-social-culture.php (accessed June 14,

Academic Skills Plus Essay Example for Free

Academic Skills Plus Essay Atwood writes: â€Å"What I mean by ‘science fiction’ is those books that descend from H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds, which treats of an invasion by tentacled, blood-sucking Martians shot to Earth in metal canisters – things that could not possibly happen – whereas, for me, â€Å"speculative fiction† means plots that descend from Jules Verne’s books about submarines and balloon travel and such – things that really could happen but just hadn’t completely happened when the authors wrote the books. I would place my own books in this second category: no Martians.† (From In other worlds, p.6) With these remarks in mind, is it useful to distinguish between science fiction and speculative fiction? In answering this question you might consider Le Guin’s suggestion that people who refer to their works as ‘speculative fiction’ rather than ‘science fiction’ are simply trying to protect themselves from some of the negative connotations associated with science fiction (see In other worlds)? Discuss in relation to at least two works. ‘Science fiction’ is often defined as a wide literary genre related to fictional stories. It contains many subgenres, such as space opera, cyberpunk, utopia, dystopia, alternative histories and speculative fiction. Although there are an extensive number of subgenres, some writers, as Margaret Atwood, have been trying to differentiate ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’. Maybe this wideness of subgenres existing under the genre ‘science fiction’ is exactly the reason why Atwood found interesting to present this differentiation. When we consider science fiction stories, many different things can came up to our mind, such as aliens, intergalactic travel, artificial intelligence and utopian (or dystopian) societies. Considering that, as we can notice in these examples, these topics can differ a lot from each other and it might be understandable that Atwood  wanted to differentiate (more than just defining different subgenres) the kind of fiction related to more ‘plausible’ things (things that could really happen, as she says). Definitely, ‘speculative fiction’ books have a completely different scenario from cyberpunk, aliens or space opera works and this could awake a desire to disconnect them in a more significantly manner. However, it is possible to affirm that this distinction between ‘science’ and ‘speculative fiction’ is not useful and that there is no reason for making it, especially considering that speculative fiction is just one more subgenre of science fiction. This thesis will be supported by a number of points presented throughout this essay. Firstly, it will be argued that the subgenre ‘speculative fiction’ fits perfectly into the definitions and requisites related to ‘science fiction’. Secondly, it will be discussed that Atwood’s definition of ‘speculative fiction’ is vague and can change according to interpretation, and also that it can be used to define as speculative fiction other books that she clearly had classified as belonging to ‘science fiction’. Thereby, her definition can be seen as not clear, which makes it not useful at all. Finally, it will be presented that Atwood seems to reinforce this division specially because distinguishing ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ is convenient for her. There are some evidences for that, for example, Le Guin once said Atwood was trying to protect herself from negative connotations associated with ‘science fiction’. This is even noticeable considering that many of her attempts to define the genre contained irony and clichà ©s. Firstly, it will be discussed that ‘speculative fiction’ fits perfectly into the definitions and requisites related to the ‘science fiction’ subgenres, which makes unnecessary and not useful the distinction between them. It was stated before that ‘science fiction’ has a big number of subgenres and it is clear that they differ considerably from each other. However, despite their singularities, all of them have one kind of cohesive element in common, which brings each subgenre to be defined as part of the genre ‘science fiction’. To define this common element noticed in all the science fiction subgenres, it is useful to consider two Suvin’s definitions about science fiction: SF is, then, a literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition,  and whose main formal device is an imaginative framework alternative to the authors empirical environment (Suvin 1979, p. 7) and â€Å"Science Fiction is distinguished by the narrative dominance or hegemony of a fictional novum (novelty, innovation) validated by cognitive logic† (Suvin 1979, p. 63). Considering these two definitions, it is possible to affirm then that the necessary and sufficient conditions to identify one science fiction work are: the presence of a ‘novum’ and the presence of a ‘cognitive logic’, the logical consistency which makes the ‘novum’ become part of our knowledge about real things. With this in mind, we can analyse the book The Handmaid’s Tale from Atwood. She clearly have classified this book as not being ‘science fiction’, however, it is easy to identify the ‘novum’ and also the ‘cognitive logic’ in her book. The ‘novum’ is represented by the whole system of political organization in the Republic of Gilead described on the book and the ‘cognitive logic’ is given by some similarities that can be noticed between our society and the society described on the book. In the same way, for the book of H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, we can also identify the ‘novum’, which is given by the Martians and their technology; and the ‘cognitive logic’, given by the similarities existing between both societies. Thus, it can be affirmed that both books The Handmaid’s Tale and The War of the World belongs to the genre ‘science fiction’, contradicting Atwood’s previous proposition. This proves that although Atwood’s book can be classified as ‘speculative fiction’, it truly belongs to ‘science fiction’, leading us to verify again that ‘speculative fiction’ is just one more subgenre of ‘science fiction’. It makes clear then that the division between ‘science’ and ‘speculative’ fiction is not useful and not justifiable. Secondly, it will be presented that Atwood’s definition of ‘speculative fiction’ is imprecise and also can be used to define as speculative fiction other books that were categorized as ‘science fiction’ by her. In order to illustrate these points, we will analyse Atwood (2011) definition about ‘speculative fiction’ as â€Å"things that really could happen but just hadn’t completely happened when the authors wrote the books.† This is a vague and inaccurate idea. It could encompass different definitions because the range of things that could really happen is highly dependent of each person’s  beliefs and ideas, what makes this definition extremely subjective. Also, with just a few exceptions, it is not possible to say for sure what is and what is not going to happen. Besides, Atwood even gives us another definition: Oryx and Crake is not science fiction. Science fiction is when you have chemicals and rockets. (Watts 2003, p. 3). Considering both definitions given by her, it could be understood that she considers rockets and chemicals as things that really could not happen, as they belong to science fiction. However, it is known that rockets and chemicals are not things impossible to happen, especially because nowadays we can see some examples of them. Both definitions become contradictory then. Considering her first definition, books about this theme would be classified as speculative fiction; however, she decided to use these two themes to exemplify ‘science fiction’. Atwood’s definitions about ‘speculative fiction’ are imprecise, therefore, what is the purpose in using an imprecise and cloudy definition? It is simply not useful to distinguish ‘science’ from ‘speculative fiction’ then. Thirdly, it will be presented that Atwood seems to reinforce this division specially because distinguishing ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ is convenient for her. Le Guin (2009) states that Atwood was trying to protect herself from negative connotations associated with science fiction and also â€Å"from being relegated to a genre still shunned by hidebound readers, reviewers and prize-awarders†. Considering Le Guin’s remarks, it is possible to observe that ‘science fiction’ was not a literary genre with considerable prestige in the intellectual audience. This could reduce her reputation on the high literary society. One possible reason for ‘science fiction’ being underestimated is that science fiction could be related to some works produced for mass audience like Star Trek and Dr Who and intellectuals would associate her books to these works. Then it would be interesting for her to dissociate the connecti on between her books and the genre ‘science fiction’ once it was not so appreciated by the intellectual audience. And this is also noticed by considering that some of her remarks about ‘science fiction’ contains irony, as she frequently uses clichà ©s to refer about it, such as ‘rockets’, ‘chemicals’, ‘blood-sucking Martians’, ‘talking squids in outer space’, and ‘skin-tight clothing’. Thus, it is possible to verify why Atwood reinforces the division between ‘speculative’ and ‘science’ fiction. And  considering her reasons we can see that they are not justifiable and strong enough to make the distinction between ‘speculative’ and ‘science fiction’ useful. Finally, this essay discussed a number of points in order to support the thesis that the distinction between ‘speculative’ and ‘science’ fiction is not useful. Firstly, it was stated that although it may be hard to define some literary genres it is noticeable that ‘speculative ficti on’ fits perfectly in most of definitions of science fiction, making it a subgenre only. Secondly, it was presented that Atwood’s definition about ‘speculative fiction’ is vague and could classify as ‘speculative fiction’ some books that she clearly classified as ‘science fiction’. Thirdly, it was discussed that is convenient for her to separate ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ since the genre of ‘science fiction’ was not so appreciated by reviewers and prize awarders and was associated to some mass audience works. She does not want to be linked to this image so she tries to put her works under a different literary classification. This point shows us clearly that there is no consistent and general reason for her to do the distinction. In conclusion, this essay illustrated that is not useful to distinguish between ‘science fiction’ and ‘speculative fiction’ and the reason for this was explained by all of the arguments stated previously. References Atwood, M 1985, The Handmaid’s Tale, Anchor Books, New York. Atwood, M 2011, In Other Worlds SF and the Human Imagination, Doubleday. Le Guin, U 2009, ‘The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood’, The Guardian, 29 August. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/aug/29/margaret-atwood-year-of-flood Suvin, D 1979, Metamorphoses Of Science Fiction, Yale University Press, New Haven Watts, P 2003, ‘Margaret Atwood and the Hierarchy of Contempt’, On Spec, vol. 15, no. 2, summer, pp. 3-5. Wells, H 1898, The War of the World, New York Review Books, New York.

Cognizant Company Analysis

Cognizant Company Analysis Introduction: Cognizant is leading With 50 global delivery centers and approximately over 64,000 associates, cognizant combine a unique onsite/offshore delivery model infused by a distinct culture of customer satisfaction. A member of the NASDAQ-100 Index and SP 500 Index, Cognizant is a Forbes Global 2000 company and a member of the Fortune 1000 and is ranked among the top information technology companies in Business Weeks, Hot Growth and Top 50 Performers listings. Cognizant is the pioneer in Offshore Outsourcing. They bring their clients the economic advantages, with the industry experience and the local expertise. Today, Cognizants clients are benefiting from 4th Generation services. Operating as their technology partner, Cognizant provides the expertise to help Cognizants clients realize their objectives. 4th Generation Offshore Outsourcing provides seamless integration between the customer and Cognizant. Cognizant go far beyond the established onsite/offshore model by offering in-depth local consulting presence, onsite teams focused on the customers business applications, and the management depth that partners closely with cognizant clients. The business culture is either India-centric or exclusively Cognizant in style, striking the best balance of all the offshore firms. Most of cognizant management team has extensive US or European experience, and understands cognizant clients culture. In India, Cognizant is considered a local player with a very strong reputation for excellence. Clients benefit from cognizant non-hierarchical, responsive can-do approach to business. Cognizant has deep technology expertise across a wide range of competencies. Technology competency and the quality of cognizant people are the highest-rated attributes in cognizant Customer Satisfaction Survey. Cognizant brings a strong project culture to every engagement. They did not start as a staffing company, but instead as the development arm of Dun Bradstreet. Their development heritage has given us an edge on delivering larger, complex, end-to-end projects. Their project expertise is reflected in a strong methodology and the development and use of cognizant proprietary tools. They track the progress of projects and programs with eCockpit, the proprietary engagement management tool that is available to all of cognizant clients. ECockpit provides a graphic representation of project-related status, such as productivity, effort, cash flow, and defects density. It also looks at personal metrics such as targets and individual progress. Key Points Cognizants single-minded passion: Dedicating cognizant global reorganization, industry intelligence and systems expertise to working with cognizant clients to make their businesses stronger. Cognizant is leading the market from the last few years.89% of clients rate overall cognizant Customer Experience as â€Å"Much Better, Better or About the Same as Competition†. Cognizants growth record in ‘07 to 08 was amazing. That was Employee growth was +11.4%, Revenues with +32% and the net income +23% (GAAP) systematically nurtured Growth. Cognizant is the only major offshore company organized around verticals and horizontals rather than just regions and development centers. With the deep domain expertise in key verticals and large-scale horizontal solution, the highly project-oriented firm that can take complete responsibility for large development and integration projects, and for delivering bottom line results from application management. Cognizant having a strong track record of successfully executing very large scale, complex, transformational development and integration projects offshore. These are the kinds of projects that have not been traditionally considered off-shore. Cognizant has deep technology expertise across a wide range of competencies. Technology competency and the quality of cognizant people are the highest-rated attributes in cognizant Customer Satisfaction Survey. Cognizant has a blue chip client base with many industry leaders that cognizant are proud to partner with and to contribute to the growth of their businesses. The clients go to extensive lengths to serve as references and champions of cognizant growth and innovation. Their client testimonials say Cognizant people go to extraordinary lengths to solve problems, or just help out. Cognizant people model attracts talented, highly motivated, client- focused individuals with a can-do attitude. Cognizant never had a termination for project failure or for non-performance. This fact is reinforced by all of cognizant customers in the annual customer satisfaction survey conducted by a third-party. The flexibility, responsiveness, ownership and the assurance that they will never let you down is core to cognizant delivery model. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. NASDAQ, a leading provider of custom software development, integration and management services, employees are the most satisfied among Indian IT services companies. Cognizant has always been committed to providing the most interesting projects and the best possible training and career development opportunities. The quality of the people that cognizant attracts, and Cognizants superior ability to develop cognizant associates will remain a strong competitive edge as the demand for IT professional worldwide continues to increase. The Info pulse acquisition allows Cognizant to better serve customers in the Benelux region by adding local client partners, industry expertise, and local language capability. The acquisition further strengthens Cognizants industry leading 4th generation offshore delivery model, which has senior executives based close to clients in the US and Europe who are tightly integrated with a robust SEI CMMI Level 5 offshore capability. Customers in banking and financial services have been among the first European companies to adopt a large scale offshore strategy, and Info pulse helps Cognizant furth er strengthen its position in this vertical. This acquisition will help cognizant current customers because they will get large scale offshore capabilities as cognizant as industry specific IT services, which has for several years leveraged offshore development in Eastern Europe. Cognizant has a strong track record in the financial sector and also values customer focus, has very high customer satisfaction, and a culture that provides an excellent balance between business and technology. Perspective: A public company has two key responsibilities to its shareholders, value creation and transparency. At Cognizant, transparency is essential to cognizant business. Especially in uncertain times, it builds trust between a company and its shareholders. And cognizant believe transparency is the best way to recognize long-term investment in the company. In an uncertain economy it is even more critical that cognizant provide you with key information about cognizant corporate governance policies. These policies provide a frame work for the proper operation of cognizant company, consistent with cognizant shareholders best interests and the requirements of the law. Ensuring that Cognizants financial results fairly reflect the results of cognizant operations is of paramount importance to the company and to cognizant investors. Cognizant have made the decision to provide cognizant shareholders and investors additional information to clarify cognizant policies, processes and controls to avoid un certainty for shareholders and investors. Cognizants management has always assumed full accountability for maintaining Compliance with cognizant established financial accounting policies and for reporting cognizant results with objectivity and the highest degree of integrity. It is critical for investors and other users of the Consolidated Financial Statements to have confidence that the financial information that cognizant provide is timely, complete, relevant and accurate. Management is responsible for the fair presentation of Cognizants Consolidated Financial Statements, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and has full responsibility to their integrity and accuracy. Management, with oversight by Cognizants Board of Directors, has established and maintains a strong ethical climate so that cognizant affairs are conducted to the highest standards of personal and corporate conduct. Management also has established an effective system of interna l controls. Cognizants policies and practices reflect corporate governance initiatives that are compliant with the listing requirements NASDAQ and the corporate governance requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley. Cognizant are committed to rigorously and diligently exercising cognizant oversight responsibilities, maintaining the highest standards of integrity and principles of ethics, and exceeding the corporate governance requirements. Level 1 Analysis: Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a global information technology services and consulting company with headquarters in Teaneck, New Jersey, United States and with significant operations in Chennai, India. Cognizant has been named to the 2009 Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies List for the seventh consecutive year. Cognizant has also been named to the Fortune 1000 and Forbes Global 2000 lists for 2009. It has consistently ranked among the fastest growing companies including the 2009 Business week 50 list of the top-performing U.S. companies, the Business week Hottest Tech Companies 2009, and the Forbes Fast Tech 2009 list of 25 Fastest Growing Technology Companies In America. Even though it is headquartered in New Jersey, USA, most of Cognizants employees are based in India. It has offices in Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon, Kochi and Budapest since 2008, development centers in Shanghai, Buenos Aires and Amsterdam. Cognizant has over 64,000 emplo yees. Cognizant Coimbatore center became the first company in the world to be certified for CMMI-Level5 per the latest model. Cognizant is among the top 10 companies receiving H-1B visas to bring foreign workers to the United States. The company recognizes the risk this poses to their business model. In a November 2008 SEC 10-Q filing, the company said Cognizant future success will depend on cognizant ability to attract and retain employees with technical and project management skills from developing countries, especially India. The vast majority of cognizant IT professionals in the United States and in Europe are Indian nationals. The ability of Indian nationals to work in the United States and Europe depends on their ability and cognizant ability to obtain the necessary visas and work permits. the company has been increasing its U.S. work force. In August 2009, the company announced plans to hire 100 people in Phoenix. Cognizant has seen year-over-year revenue growth of 32% in cal endar year 2008, from $2.13 billion to $2.81 billion (USD). This growth has been realized across all the industries Cognizant serves including financial services, healthcare, retail, manufacturing and logistics. After the close of trading on 16 November 2006, Cognizant moved from the mid cap SP 400 to the SP 500. Cognizant operates in the IT services, business process outsourcing and consulting domains. Its primary competitors are Accenture, IBM, Capgemini, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro. Other competitors include IT services companies such as Computer Sciences Corporation, Perot Systems, Mahindra Satyam and HCL Technologies. Competitors in the Business Process Outsourcing space include Genpact and MphasiS (a division of EDS) (As of Wikipedia) Research Findings: As a pioneer in the field of outsourcing information technology work to India, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. has done famouslyand so have its shareholders. A $10,000 investment made in the stock in early 2001 would be worth more than $120,000 today. After soaring another 38% so far this year, though, the Teaneck, N.J.-based companys shares are due for a leveling off. Investors would be wise to pass them by. At a closing price of $69.25, the stock is trading at 51 times its per-share earnings over the last 12 months. That amounts to a huge premium over India-based outsourcing companies Wipro, which trades at a multiple of 37 times earnings, and Infosys Technologies, which trades at 42 times earnings. In Historically, Cognizant has earned its fat premium because of its superior management and its distinct model. Unlike IT outsourcing firms that are based in India, Cognizant has several thousand staff members here who work directly with U.S. clients in their offices. Those on-sit e staffers are backed up by an army of 23,000 employees in India who develop software for clients including major banks, health care companies, manufacturers and retailers. But Cognizants on-shore/off-shore niche is under threat as more multinational consulting firms follow the companys lead. In March, IBM announced it would open a new software development. (Tom Fredrickson, New York Business, 2006) Level 2 Analysis: The Companys principal services include technology strategy consulting; complex systems development; enterprise software package implementation and maintenance; data warehousing and business intelligence; application testing; application maintenance; infrastructure management, and vertically-oriented business process outsourcing (V-BPO). The Company operates in focused business segments: Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing/Retail/Logistics and Other, which includes communications, media and information services and high technology. In September 2009, the Company announced the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Pepper cognizant advisors; the IT consulting services division of Pepper cognizant consulting. Financial Services During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Companys Financial Services business segment represented approximately 45.6% of its total revenues. This business segment provides services to its customers operating in the industries, such as capital markets, banking and insurance. Cognizant focuses on the needs of dealers, asset management firms, depositories, clearing organizations and exchanges. The Company focuses on retail and commercial banks, and diversified financial enterprises. Cognizant assists these clients in such areas as consumer lending, cards and payments, wholesale banking, risk management, investment management, corporate services and retail banking. It assists with the needs of property and casualty insurers, life insurers, reinsurance firms and insurance brokers. The Company focuses on such areas as business acquisition, policy administration, claims processing, management reporting, regulatory compliance and reinsurance. In 2008, its other business segment represented approximately 14.2% of its total revenues. The Companys communications industry practice serves communications service providers, equipment vendors and software vendors. Some of its solutions include supply chain management solutions, from pre-press to material procurement, circulation, logistics and vendor management; business solutions covering advertising management, online media and e-business; workflow automation covering the product development process for broadcasters; spot ad buying systems covering agency of record, traffic management, post-buy analysis and financial management; digital asset management (DAM) and digital rights management (DRM), and operational systems, including ad sales, studio management, outsourcing billing and payments, along with content management and delivery. Its high technology segment is an independent software vendor (ISVs) and online service provider. (According to NASDAC) Conclusion: Cognizant develops every application, cognizant embrace every challenge, investment in every new resource, recommendation cognizant make is dedicated to a goal: Making their customers businesses stronger by empowering them to be more responsive to their customers and to the competitive environment. Cognizant achieve this by focusing on the intersection of their clients emerging needs and the acceleration of business and technological change. Cognizant commitment to innovation keeps them focused on the future and being ready at every level to service change. Cognizant Technology solutions present financial growth is strong. If we observe their annual report we will find that they operate a profitable business. 50% per share have grown up for earnings and revenues, where we can find a major growth. References: http://www.cognizant.com/html/home.asp http://www.cognizant.com/html/content/aboutus/Cognizant_Q2_2009_Corporate_Fact_Sheet.pdf http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-17675300_ITM http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=CTSH.O.

Ethics and Moral Reasoning Essay -- Morality/Ethics

Aristotle's Virtue Ethics Aristotle in his virtue ethics states that a virtuous individual is someone with ideal traits. These characteristic traits normally come from an individual’s innate tendency but should be cultivated. After they are cultivated, these character traits supposedly become stable in an individual. Moral consequentilaists and deontologists are normally concerned with universal doctrines that can be utilized in any situation that requires moral interpretation. Unlike these theorists, Aristotle’s virtue ethics are concerned with the general questions such as â€Å"what is a good life†, â€Å"what are proper social and family values†, and â€Å"how should one live† (Bejczy 32). Aristotle developed his virtue ethics based on three central principles; eudaimonia, ethics of care, and agent based theories. Eudaimonia stipulates that virtues can be seen in the way an individual flourishes; flourishing under this concept refers to one’s ability to perform their functions with distinct accuracy (Bejczy 33). The distinct function of humans according to Aristotle is reasoning, and a worthy life is characterized by good reasoning. The agent based theory places emphasis on the fact that virtues are determined by common institutions people use to label traits in other people as admirable. According to Aristotle’s virtue ethics, a virtue like honesty does not necessarily refer to the tendency of people acting honestly, or the classification of the virtue as a desirable trait. Instead, Aristotle purports that the virtue of honesty is predisposed and entrenched in an individual (Bejczy 34). In virtue ethics, therefore, an individual cannot be labeled as honest since he is not cheating, or by observing the honesty in one’s dealings. In addi... ... the majority, rights become the greatest good (Troyer 60). Conclusion Aristotle's virtue ethics argue that morality should be based on an individual’s ideal traits that are internalized as opposed to observing outward actions or the consequence of his/her behavior. Kant on the contrary argues that for an individual to be considered morally upright, then his/her actions should be based on duty. Mills maintains that if an action provides long-term pleasures to the majority, then it is morally upright. Works Cited Bejczy, Istvan. Virtue ethics in the middle Ages: Commentaries on Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics", 1200 - 1500. Leiden: Brill, 2008. Print. Troyer, John. The Classical Utilitarians Bentham and Mill. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishers, 2003. Print. Wike, Victoria S. Kant on Happiness in Ethics. Albany: Albany State University Press, 1994. Print.

Legalization of Marijuana Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Drug Histo

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For decades the marijuana prohibition has been violating individual’s rights, but scientific research has proven that marijuana has therapeutic uses and is harmless compared to other drugs. Therefore, marijuana should not be considered a dangerous drug and should be legalized. The prohibition of marijuana did not end with crime; nonetheless, it is responsible for the imprisonment of thousands of its users. The government’s campaign against marijuana has also created cultural factors that make the use of marijuana socially unacceptable. However, it should be up to each individual to decide if he/she wants to use marijuana whether it is for pleasure or for therapeutic reasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The legalization of marijuana has been strongly debated since the 1920s and 1930s, when it was first recognized as a dangerous drug, and tabloid newspapers popularized exaggerated stories of violent crimes allegedly committed by immigrants intoxicated by marijuana (Grinspoon, Marihuana Reconsidered 118). In 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act was signed to prohibit the use of marijuana because marijuana supposedly caused violent crimes, â€Å"sexual excess,† addiction, and led to the use of harder drugs (Grinspoon, Marihuana Reconsidered 118). In the 1970s, the government created the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the effects of marijuana (Weir 26). The NIDA published many claims concerning marijuana use, but they did not have evidence to support their claims (Weir 26). This misinformation and the government’s campaign against marijuana made the legalization of marijuana impossible. Marijuana is a harmless drug, but it has not been legalized because people believe most of the anti-marijuana claims. Research studies have proven that marijuana helps the individual experience a sense of well being, relieves fatigue, stimulates the appetite, and induces a feeling of mild stimulation (McDonough 50). Another advantage of marijuana is that experienced users can control the degree and quality of the intoxication by â€Å"coming down† when it is necessary to perform (McDonough 50). Marijuana does not cause sexual excess because daily use of marijuana has not been found to alter testosterone or other sex hormone levels like alcohol use, which lowers testosterone levels (Grinspoon, â€Å"Whither Medical Marijuana† 28). Marijuana is not an addictive drug. National epidemiological sur... ...ugh it is harmless and has medical uses (â€Å"NORML Report on Marijuana†). Over ten million people use marijuana regularly even though it is illegal, which clearly shows that the government’s anti-marijuana campaign has been useless (â€Å"NORML Report on Marijuana†). The government should stop spending scarce federal funds on the campaign against marijuana, and use that money to conduct more research so that the Food and Drug Administration can approve the legalization of marijuana (Grinspoon, â€Å"Whither Medical Marijuana† 27). No amount of research is likely to show that marijuana is as dangerous as tobacco and alcohol because marijuana is a harmless drug. If marijuana had official medical uses, then people would be more likely to accept it. Also, the legalization of marijuana would be regulated so it would not be a threat to society and its users. There are many people who need the legalization of marijuana for medical reasons, but people who us e it for â€Å"fun† also have a right to use it without fearing to be arrested. Marijuana should be legalized for all citizens in the United States, and it should be up to each individual to decide if he/she wants to use marijuana, not the government.

Reflective Account Essay

Candidate to provide narrative under each statement of how they meet the criteria and list the number of the piece(s) of evidence supplied to demonstrate this. (See also possible examples of evidence sheet). You must provide answers to each question that allow your examiner to properly assess what work duties you are doing or what role you have within your work. It expected that you will need approximately 200 words per question. The more detail you provide the less likely your account will be sent back for more clarification. You must answer each question in your own words and written in the first person meaning â€Å"I do this†. A tip is always to keep in mind the â€Å"who, why, how, where and when† in each answer. The induction process is arguably one of the most important primary processes within the organization. The initial importance is to ensure that the individual is working within the correct guidelines of the company policies and values, Safeguarding regulations and Care Quality Commission standards. It is then extremely important for the service users, so that staff understands and knows each individual and their support plans to ensure that the individual follows a person centered approach to caring for that individual. (1.1 and 1.4) The induction process is a continuous process throughout an individuals stay within the company and home. The induction process inevitably starts with the inductee. To identify and ensure that each individual during the process is inducted sufficiently UBU and the induction of staff look upon the learning types of the individual through job fit analysis. Neil Fleming (2012) states that there a 3 types of ‘learner’, the Visual Learner, the Au ditory Learner and the Kinaesthetic Learner. The Visual Learners learn best by visual stimuli such as graphs,  diagrams and pictures. These individuals will convey messages in a video or picture format rather than the written word. Auditory Learners are individuals who learn and with hold information best when in the written format or spoken, they benefit from lectures, notes, handouts and large paragraphs of information. Kinaesthetic Learners learn best through demonstrations and being hands on throughout the learning process. (3.1) I am in the understanding that this is why there are numerous ways in which we induct individuals to meet their learning styles. We firstly adapt to the Visual Learner by showing tenants files such as the tables, pictorial information about the individual which previous staff and individuals have created. Within the support we also have support plans, risk assessments and other information regarding the tenants for the auditory learners. Finally a 2 week hands on induction putting into practice the information and placing it into real life situations for the kinaesthetic learner. During the hands on shadowing induction we build upon the team strengths and individual strengths we have in a team. If we have individuals who are more sufficient in certain areas we have them induct the individual in that area or have the individual shadow them while they are doing that task. This is important as it builds worker relationships but also allows the individual to understand that within the company and support everyone is there to support each other and the service users. The inductee is then observed by me, my manager and/or the staff which they originally shadowed. We also on occasions where the individual can take control and show the individual the process or things they like to do such as certain walks or activities they like to do, how they get ready or washed. The individual is then empowered in the induction process and can comment on the inductee’s performance. It is also a key indicator in how that person is able to interact and also builds a worker and customer, working relationship. (3.2) I then gain feedback from the support staff through meetings with them personally (3.3) the inductee has then shadowed and been shadowed by other practitioners and the service user when applicable and this is then fed back through their later induction support session. Inductees then complete a 3 Day induction day with the company looking upon motivational tasks, presentations and team work activity to strongly embed the company ethos, agreed ways of working and appropriate values a member of staff should have when supporting the  individuals that we support. (1.2).Fleming also states individuals are simply not either or types of learners but sway to others but incorporate other forms dependant upon the information they are receiving. This p rocess is advantageous in this respect as it is incorporating all types of learner to ensure that the team is storing the correct information about the tenant and giving the correct level of support at the primary level. Through the review process of induction it is discussed with myself and the individual, what previous qualifications they have and, work or life experiences they have which can assist in their knowledge, which method they found easier to learn from, what areas they have found straightforward and difficult from there. Dependent upon their qualifications and experience we look upon what the inductee could input onto the care of the individuals we support and what could be done differently. The inductee is then observed on 3 occasions in the beginning of each area they need to learn and then passed once 3 successful observations are complete. Once the individual has gone through the home, individuals and company knowledge basics a look upon their job description and responsibilities is then looked at, a broad picture of how to move forward with the inductee and what is needed for them to grow within the company either through progression routes or progression in the level of care they g ive to the individual is built upon and moved forward. This includes areas the individual still needs training on, areas in which they are competent and areas and strengths the individual can bring to the support and how to incorporate these new ideas. (2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6) The induction process is therefore not simply left to the initial employment stage. The induction process is used when individuals need refreshment of certain stages of the enrolment, which is outlined through support sessions and retraining needs. It is also used if an individual has had or created issues in certain areas and reassessment is needed. It is then used to build on a person’s responsibility the more they progress. The inductee or current staff then go through the format of the induction process for their new responsibility and then pass once the 3 observation processes are complete in the new learnt skill (1.3) This process is circular in theory, so that it can be repeated with the same consistent process so individuals grasp and understand the company policies and procedures, CQC policies and procedures and local authority procedures. It  also ensures that the any area at anyone time can be readdressed to ensure processes are followed for individuals safety and safeguarding when required (1.4 and 1.5) The induction process is therefore an ever changing fluid process that is an adaptable tool within the organisation. It is important that the induction process is taken in this form to be able to be adaptable to changes within legislation, abilities of new staff and new training movements and needs of the company (4.1) It also important to take new forms of induction for example individuals still go through the paperwork and home induction process however as discussed the 3 away day inductions have only been introduced in the last year. This came about through feedback from team managers, local authorities and regional managers that staff had a good in depth knowledge induction but there needed to be more teamwork and with UBUs new goals for inspiring and stepping forward in the social theories of care they wanted staff to embody this way of thinking and working (4.4). This feedback can come in the form of suggestions made to the training managers via meetings held with regional managers. The auditing process from CQC and Local Authorities made as suggestions within final reports which is fed back to training managers (4.3) the company have How is it for you feedback forms that are filled out by the staff at the end of an induction process and then on a yearly basis there after. (4.2) (5.1 and 5.2) Referenced Evidence used in this Unit (List below) Fleming, N. (2012). Introduction to Vark. Retrieved from http://legacy.hazard.kctcs.edu/VARK/introduction.htm Candidate Signature:: Emma Hill Date: 01.07.13 The information within this Reflective Account is a true reflection of the candidate’s role, responsibilities and competence.

Quality of Life in Nigeria

The term ‘quality of life’ (QOL) refers to the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. â€Å"Warren Buffett, probably the world’s most successful investor, has said that anything good that happened to him could be traced back to the fact that he was born in the right country, the United States, at the right time (1930)†. None of us has a say in where he is born, but we can do something about it for our children.I therefore wish to discuss each factor associated with quality of life as related to Nigeria and plead for suggestions from all of us on how to improve on them so as to make this country a good place for us to live: * Material wellbeing as measured by GDP per head: The gross domestic product (GDP) or gross domestic income (GDI) is one of the measures of national income and output. GDP can be defined in three ways, which should give identical results. First, it is equal to the total expenditures for all final goods and services produced within the country in a specified period of time (usually a 365-day year).Second, it is equal to the sum of the value added at every stage of production by all the industries, plus taxes and minus subsidies on products. Third, it is equal to the sum of the income generated by production like compensation of employees, taxes on production and imports less subsidies, and gross operating surplus. The gross domestic product (GDP) measures of national income and output for a given country's economy. The gross domestic product (GDP) is equal to the total expenditures for all final goods and services produced within the country in a stipulated period of time.The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Nigeria was worth 243. 98 billion US dollars in 2011. The GDP value of Nigeria represents 0. 39 percent of the world economy. GDP in Nigeria is reported by the World Bank. Historical ly, from 1961 until 2011, Nigeria GDP averaged 50. 07 USD Billion reaching an all time high of 243. 98 USD Billion in December of 2011 and a record low of 4. 40 USD Billion in December of 1961. This is low as compared to 14. 99 USD Trillion of United States in 2011. * Life expectancy at birth:Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. In other words, it contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes ‘total population’ as well as the ‘male’ and ‘female’ components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages.It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures. It is estimated to be 52. 05 years for total population, 48. 95 years for male and 55. 53 years for female (2012 estimates) in Nigeria. This is low as compared to 78 years in Qatar for example. * The quality of family life, based primarily on divorce rates: Family quality of life refers to the extent to which families’ needs are met, family members enjoy their life together, and family members have a chance to do the things that are important to them.The five domains of family quality of life are emotional well-being, parenting, family interaction, physical/material well-being, and disability-related support. * The state of political freedom: Political freedom is described as a relationship free of oppression or coercion; the absence of disabling conditions for an individual and the fulfillment of enabling conditions; or the absence of lived conditions of compulsion, e. g. economic compulsion, in a society. It can a lso refer to the positive exercise of rights, capacities and possibilities for action, and the exercise of social or group rights.The concept can also include freedom from â€Å"internal† constraints on political action or speech (e. g. social conformity, consistency, or â€Å"inauthentic† behaviour. ). The concept of political freedom is closely connected with the concepts of civil liberties and human rights, which in democratic societies are usually afforded legal protection from the state. * Job security (measured by the unemployment rate): Job security is the probability that an individual will keep his or her job; a job with a high level of job security is such that a person with the job would have a small chance of becoming unemployed.Job security is dependent on economy, prevailing business conditions, and the individual's personal skills. It has been found that people have more job security in times of economic expansion and less in times of a recession. Also, some laws (such as the U. S. Civil Rights Act of 1964) bolster job security by making it illegal to fire employees for certain reasons. Unemployment rate is a good indicator of job security and the state of the economy and is tracked by economists, government officials, and banks.Typically, government jobs and jobs in education, healthcare and law enforcement are considered very secure while private sector jobs are generally believed to offer lower job security and it usually varies by industry, location, occupation and other factors. Personal factors such as education, work experience, job functional area, work industry, work location, etc. , play an important role in determining the need for an individual's services, and impacts their personal job security.Since job security depends on having the necessary skills and experience that are in demand by employers, which in turn depend on the prevailing economic condition and business environment, individuals whose services are in dema nd by employers will tend to enjoy higher job security. To some extent, job security also varies by employment laws of each country. A worker in Continental Europe, if asked about his job security, would reply by naming the type of statutory employment contract he has, ranging from temporary (no job security) to indefinite (virtually equivalent to ‘tenure' n US universities but across the whole economy). However, people's job security eventually depends on whether they are employable or not, and if businesses have a need for their skills or not, so although employment laws can offer some relief and hedge from unemployment risk, they only have a marginal contribution to job security of individuals. Fact is, individuals need to have the right skill set to have good job security. | * Climate (measured by two variables: the average deviation of minimum and maximum monthly temperatures from 14 degrees Celsius; and the number of months in the year with less than 30mm rainfall):Clima te change poses a wide range of risks to population health – risks that will increase in future decades, often to critical levels, if global climate change continues on its current trajectory. The three main categories of health risks include: (i) direct-acting effects (e. g. due to heat waves, amplified air pollution, and physical weather disasters), (ii) impacts mediated via climate-related changes in ecological systems and relationships (e. g. rop yields, mosquito ecology, marine productivity), and (iii) the more diffuse (indirect) consequences relating to impoverishment, displacement, resource conflicts (e. g. water), and post-disaster mental health problems. Climate change thus threatens to slow, halt or reverse international progress towards reducing child under-nutrition, deaths from diarrheal diseases and the spread of other infectious diseases. Climate change acts predominantly by exacerbating the existing, often enormous, health problems, especially in the poorer pa rts of the world.Current variations in weather conditions already have many adverse impacts on the health of poor people in developing nations, and these too are likely to be ‘multiplied' by the added stresses of climate change. A changing climate thus affects the prerequisites of population health: clean air and water, sufficient food, natural constraints on infectious disease agents, and the adequacy and security of shelter. A warmer and more variable climate leads to higher levels of some air pollutants and more frequent extreme weather events.It increases the rates and ranges of transmission of infectious diseases through unclean water and contaminated food, and by affecting vector organisms (such as mosquitoes) and intermediate or reservoir host species that harbour the infectious agent (such as cattle, bats and rodents). Changes in temperature, rainfall and seasonality compromise agricultural production in many regions, including some of the least developed countries, th us jeopardising child health and growth and the overall health and functional capacity of adults.As warming proceeds, the severity (and perhaps frequency) of weather-related disasters will increase – and appears to have done so in a number of regions of the world over the past several decades. Therefore, in summary, global warming, together with resultant changes in food and water supplies, can indirectly cause increases in a range of adverse health outcomes, including malnutrition, diarrhea, injuries, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and water-borne and insect-transmitted diseases.Health equity and climate change have a major impact on human health and quality of life, and are interlinked in a number of ways. The report of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health points out that disadvantaged communities are likely to shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden of climate change because of their increased exposure and vulnerability to health threats. O ver 90 percent of malaria and diarrhea deaths are borne by children aged 5 years or younger, mostly in developing countries.Other severely affected population groups include women, the elderly and people living in small island developing states and other coastal regions, mega-cities or mountainous areas. Climate change can lead to dramatic increases in prevalence of a variety of infectious diseases. Beginning in the mid-70s, there has been an â€Å"emergence, resurgence and redistribution of infectious diseases†. Reasons for this are likely multicausal, dependent on a variety of social, environmental and climatic factors, however, many argue that the â€Å"volatility of infectious disease may be one of the earliest biological expressions of climate nstability†. Though many infectious diseases are affected by changes in climate, vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever and leishmaniasis, present the strongest causal relationship. Malaria in particular, which kills approximately 300,000 children annually, poses the most imminent threat. Often it is argued that Africa need not care about climate change because in global dimensions Africa itself produces negligible greenhouse gases. Climate change is primarily caused by the developed countries, so they should be the ones dealing with it.However, it is the bitter irony of destiny that Africa contributes least of all the continents to the climate change, but will probably suffer most from its consequences. According to economists it is a typical case of negative external effects, an externalisation of costs: A noninvolved party bears the costs of a third party’s actions. As Africa is exposed to a number of resource-consuming stressors (ranging from HIV to corruption to permanent crises and conflicts), comparatively few resources remain to react proactively on the climate change.Seeing the climate change as an external shock to the continent caused by the externalisation of costs of a third party, payments and assistance can be considered to be a reasonable way to compensate Africa for the negative climate effects. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that the rapid onset of climate change is subsiding. Even if we miraculously managed to stop all greenhouse gas emissions, we would still be faced with the potentially irreversible changes we have already brought.Thus, it is essential that we adapt to these changing conditions. Our response will be both reactive and anticipatory and will need to take place at many levels (legislative, engineering and personal-behaviour). In response to malaria we will need to, for example, improve the quality and accessibility of health services, identify and target response towards vulnerable populations, improve our modelling and surveillance capacity, and implement broad-based public education campaigns. Personal physical security ratings (based primarily on recorded homicide rates and ratings for risk from crime and terro rism): Physical security is primarily concerned with restricting physical access by unauthorized people (commonly interpreted as intruders) to controlled facilities, although there are other considerations and situations in which physical security measures are valuable (for example, limiting access within a facility and/or to specific assets, and environmental controls to reduce physical incidents such as fires and floods).Security inevitably incurs costs and, in reality, it can never be perfect or complete – in other words, security can reduce but cannot entirely eliminate risks. Given that controls are imperfect, strong physical security applies the principle of defense in depth using appropriate combinations of overlapping and complementary controls. Physical security is not uniquely human. The practice of actively defending a territory against intruders or opponents is very common in the animal kingdom. Physical security is also not a modern phenomenon. The technology is continually evolving along with the threats.Physical security controls that were considered adequate in the past tend to be insecure today due to advances in the knowledge and capabilities of attackers. The goal of physical security is to convince potential attackers that the likely costs of attack exceeds the value of making the attack, e. g. that consequences of a failed attack may well exceed the gain. The combination of layered security features establishes the presence of territoriality. The initial layer of security for a campus, building, office, or other physical space uses crime prevention through environmental design to deter threats.Some of the most common examples are also the most basic: warning signs or window stickers, fences, vehicle barriers, vehicle height-restrictors, restricted access points, security lighting and trenches. However, even passive things like hedgerows may be sufficient in some circumstances. * Quality of community life (based on membership in soci al organisations): The community life of a set of people is based on their culture. Community life is almost the same with culture of the people and this entails activities within the regulation and scope of culture which morality also takes cognizance of.The number and kinds of people in a community have a great influence on type of community/social living, and this is where the traditions of such people have a great role to play. Traditions are the customs, practices, bits of legend and folklore and legends go a long way in establishing the community life, that tangible quality which makes it different in spirit from other communities in the same circumstances. Similarly, people in a community share legends and bits of folklore and this common heritage from the past gives people a sense of community solidarity. Governance (measured by ratings for corruption): There are various reasons why the situation has come to this dangerous abyss but when compared to other societies, it is ob vious that Nigeria lack a home grown ruling class that in addition to everything else should set the direction of the nation by detailing set objectives and the steps and aims necessary to achieve desired goals. What obtains today is the governance of Nigeria by a political structure whose main objective is to take and plunder the land without giving back anything to the country.According to the oxford English dictionary governance mean to rule over, be in power over, exercise control over and hold sway over. In other words governance is a form of dictatorship. As it applies to Nigeria, governance is a peculiar form of dictatorship presently exercising a domineering paralytic control and power over the Nigerian people. A few group of people and their families have decided to hold power over everyone else in Nigeria since the British dictatorship handed over power to them in 1960.These few individuals also inherited the same principle of divide and rule as well as the indirect rule s ystem which foster tribalism, ethnicism, disunity and other by products including lack of peace, injustice, unfairness, bribery, corruption 419inism to just name a few of sowed and grown social environment that exist in Nigeria today. Today’s political structure takes origin right from the post colonial days and in the South Nigeria for example the NCNC and Action Group recognized and recruited sworn loyalists who were distributed to each ethnic clan/zones who in turn recruited from villages and wards.When these parties are in the seat of government political looting is transmitted downwards and during election these recruits manage the result of the election to favour the looting political structure. In the North until recently when few changes has begun to occur in the middle belt the Emirs and village heads continued from where they stopped with the British. Nothing in that inherited structure has changed. The various military interludes in government did not affect the st ructure but merely substituted traditional rulers in place of the party loyalists.However where the previous immediate post colonial governors did manage to provide some public amenities these present political structure have only one objective and that is filling their pockets with the Shell distributed foreign exchange and to set up family dynasties of their own. In addition to this political structure is the state machinery, a fearsome, lethal and ruthless organ that has a mind of its own that is almost alien to this world. They provide the muscle for the political structure. Then there are the activities of CIA and FBI.It is no secret that every man who has strategic position in the government of Nigeria both in the executive and political arm has a CIA or Scotland Yard or Mossad agent as confidante and as a friend. Recent figures quoted by the Swedish information on countries show that there are 65 international agencies operating in Nigeria that have no economic or social rele vance and that these figures do not include the security agencies or the activities of Israel, Arabs and the Palestinians that parasite on Nigeria.The bottom line is that the brain box and factors that programme the existing political and administrative structure of Nigeria are in foreign hands. There is urgent need for a ruling class that will effect change to halt the present state of affairs and to make Nigeria a place to benefit her people now and generation to come. * Gender equality (measured by the share of seats in parliament held by women): Gender equality implies that men and women should receive equal treatment unless there is a sound biological reason for different treatment.The concept based on the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and the ultimate aim is to provide equality in law and equality in social situations, especially in democratic activities and securing equal pay for equal work and for example Equal Rights Amendment in United States. Significant gen der gaps in education, economic empowerment and political participation remain in Nigeria. While progress towards parity in primary school education has been made, there remains a significant wage and labour force participation gender gap.Discriminatory laws and practices, violence against women and gender stereotypes hinder greater progress towards gender equality. Nigeria has a particularly high maternal mortality rate and women access to quality health care is limited, particularly in rural areas Nigeria has a National Gender Policy which focuses on women empowerment while also making a commitment to eliminate discriminatory practices which are harmful to women.The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria prohibits discrimination on the grounds of gender, but customary and religious laws continue to restrict women’s rights. As Nigeria is a federal republic, each state has the authority to draft its own legislation. However, any law which is contradictory to Federal Law or the Constitu tion can be challenged in a Federal Court and cannot subsist. The combination of federation and a tripartite system of civil, customary and religious law makes it very difficult to harmonise legislation and remove discriminatory measures.Moreover, certain states in the north follow Islamic (Sharia) law, although not exclusively and only in instances where Muslims make use of Islamic courts. Adherence to Islamic law reinforces customs that are unfavourable to women, including those relating to freedom of movement, and to marriage and inheritance. As of 2006, the Abolition of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women in Nigeria and other Related Matters Bill was under consideration; it is unclear whether this has been promulgated into law.Nigeria ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1985, and the Optional Protocol in 2004. The country ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa in 2005. Nigeria’s Human Development Index score for 2011 is 0. 459, placing it in 156th place (out of a total of 187 countries). Nigeria is ranked 120th in the 2011 Global Gender Gap Index (out of 135 countries), with a score of 0. 6011.

High Employee Turnover Rate Within Domino’s Pizza in

Abstract: This paper will examine the high employee turnover rate in Domino's Pizza. Employee turnover attributes to bad culture and defective human resources management within the company. Yet, this paper proposes strategies that could lead to an increased in employee retention rate, recommends to aid the high turnover, and employee supervision strategies combined with other strategies regarding financial incentives. This paper also provides recommends, such as, proper planning, enforcement of regulations and appropriate training, to create a workplace that suits all its employees. This paper accepts that Motivations are the very reasons behind people’s thoughts and behaviors and that motivation is an influence that accounts for an individual’s direction, intensity, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal. Motivation is the willingness to exert high levels of effort to organizational goals, conditioned by the effort’s ability to satisfy some individual need. This need is the internal state that makes certain outcomes appear attractive. Motivation is an influence that accounts for an individual’s direction, intensity, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal (Robbins p. 175). Domino's Pizza has always looked for new ways to reward their team members. For instance, Domino’s entertains its workers with a franchise-wide pep rally that is held once a year. Domino's began the â€Å"World's Fastest Pizza Maker† competition in 1982, honoring those who best exemplify the company's philosophy of keeping efficiency in the store; to allow sufficient time for safe delivery of the products to the consumer. Regional competitions are held across the world to determine the competitors with the fastest times. Domino's Pizza gives the winner $10,000 cash to whoever obtains the fastest time. Shopping sprees, vacation trips, and even cars are also rewarded at this event. Yet, Domino’s pizza recognizes the best way to achieve success is to first ensure the satisfaction of its team members. Treating team members exceptionally well is just one way they is committed to putting Domino’s people first. Domino’s is proud to provide a fair and comprehensive rewards package (dominos. com). Benefits which includes: Competitive salaries, Medical, dental and vision coverage, Health Spending Account, Prescription Drug Benefit, Team Achievement Dividend (performance bonus), Partners Foundation (team member assistance) ,Above-average paid holiday program, 401(k) Matching Program, Employee stock purchase discount plan, Company-paid life insurance, Tuition reimbursement, National corporate discounts, Legal services, lastly Adoption assistance. On the contrary, with all that Domino's Pizza provides to their â€Å"team member† this year employee turnover was 260%. Even though, in modern society, motivation is still considered a contentious issue within management circles and within companies. It is believed that successful companies have employees who are motivated and believe in the mission. Even though, some theorists like Herzberg believe that money is not a positive motivator, a lack of it can de-motivate. I believe pay systems are designed to motivate employees. Financial rewards are regarded as a key factor in workplace motivation; however, additional factors such as work appreciation, variety, and security remain just as important. These factors can best be described as work outcomes which are a result of employee inputs. Adams’ equity theory identifies both inputs and outcomes as the two primary components in the employee-employer exchange (Kinicki & Kreitner 2007, p. 242). However, it is important to remember that pay is only one element of motivation and will work best where management gives attention to developing good management and supervision, designing jobs, and organizing work groups to make jobs satisfying. Providing feedback to staff about their performance along with training and development makes effective arrangements for communications and consultation within the company. All the same, Domino's Pizza has faced a very high employee turnover rate of 200% this year. The company's turnover rate reached 199. 9% in 2009. In the food industry, this turnover rate is not unusual, as turnover of 200% rate has been registered by other companies in this field. Domino's CEO started to focus on the company's human resources, by implementing certain strategies, like: improving store managers' workplace quality, improving personnel selection, recruitment, and retention methods, or using financial incentives. However, the key factor in retaining employees is to ensure that there is substantial scope for job enrichment. Since individuals differ in their motivation drive, there is not right or wrong method that will enforce a productive workforce. An individual will consider that he or she is treated fairly if he or she perceives the ratio of his or her inputs to his or her outcomes to be equivalent to those around him or her. The equity theory of motivation is based on the fact that people are motivated first to achieve and then to maintain a sense of equity (wikipedia. org). Equity refers to the allocation of rewards in direct parity to the contribution of each employee to the organization. Within Domino’s, each employee perceives their contribution in differing levels. For example, pizza-makers and telephone operators provide similar inputs as delivery drivers; however, the delivery drivers receive less financial reward creating inequity. Mcshane and Travaglione (2007, p. 154) suggest that employees will experience an emotional tension when they perceive inequities, and, when sufficiently strong, the tension motivates them to reduce the inequities. There are numerous methods that an employee can employ to correct inequity feelings. These include reducing inputs, increasing outcomes, changing perceptions, or changing the comparison other. Ultimately, if these methods do not obtain the desired outcomes, an employee will become de-motivated and may quit their occupation (Mcshane and Travaglione p. 154). An organization’s employee turnover does not solely depend on the input-to-output ratio alone – it also depends on the comparison between the input-to output ratios of employees fulfilling a similar position, Chapman (2007). An explanation of employee inputs and outputs will be used to identify the perceived equity or inequity of an employee within Domino’s. This will provide a better understanding of how Adams’ theory affects employee turnover.