Boost Juice in Germany

In International Human Resources Assessment 2 – Group Presentation Boost Juice Expatriate Program Challenges in Germany March 23, 2010 Authors: SindooraNiranjan, 110024230 Maggie Sinclair, 110058024 Kai Zhi Lee, 100111728 Ke Yu, 100070856 Harnie Kumaraguru, 110026969 Word count: 1105 (excluding external referencing) Introduction The concept of Boost brand was created in 1998 when the founder, Janine Allis, realized the fashion of the juice bar when on holidays in the United States. She researched the growing demand and found a huge market opportunity for a healthy fast food alternative in Australia. The first boost juice bar was formed in 2000 located in Adelaide (Boost Juice 2011). The company has expanded internationally with 200 stores in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East through the way of Franchising. This report will analyse and discuss various potential human resource issues when considering the deployment of an Expatriate to Germany to support expansion. In particular, the issues faced by the organization within the five arenas of recruitment and selection, training and development, cross-culture, performance management, and compensation. 1. 1 Expatriate Recruitment & Selection Involvement of the expatriate’s spouse in any pre-assignment, on-assignment and post-assignment training and support, particularly in language and cultural training (Salas et al. 2006; Shen 2005; Morgan et al. 2004; Scholes 2003; Mendenhall & Stahi 2000, Yavas & Bodur 1999) is essential. A spouse’s attitude and predisposition can influence the willingness of a dual-career expatriate to accept international assignments. Expatriates are less likely to agree to relocate and/or experience higher failure rates if experiencing these family stresses. (Harvey 1997; Andreason 2008). In order to prevent expatriate failure, Boost must select candidate with high emotional intelligence (EI) and personality characteristics of openness and sociability (Jassawalla, Truglia & Garvey 2004; Caligiuri 2000, Yavas & Bodur 1999). Conducting behavioural interviews will be deemed suitable to determine the EI of candidate (Goleman 2004, Truglia & Garvey 2004). 1. 2 Recruitment and Selection in Germany Another challenge Boost Australia will have in selecting the right expatriate is choosing a candidate that will have the ability to adjust existing recruitment and selection processes to German Culture. Boost shall recruit older, preferably female employees (Thevenon & Horko 2009) or foreign migrants (Royle 1999) instead of usual young and energetic employees (Datamonitor 2008) as German youngsters under age 21 are rarely involved in unskilled employment due to its structured regulation and training culture (Roberts, Clark & Wallace 1994). KSAs (knowledge, skills & ability) but not psychometric tests shall be used in selection process because German may perceive latter as violation of privacy and inaccurate performance predictor (Steiner & Gilliland 1996; Papalexandris & Panayotopoulou 2004). . 1 Training and Development Training and developing expatriates in areas of language skills, cross-cultural training, company policies and general skills related to the host country, before sending them abroad for their placements, would prove to be greatly beneficial for both the expatriates and the organization (McCaughey & Bruning 2005; Mayrhofer & Scullion 2002; Global Relocation Services 2004). It will support cross-cultural adjustment by increasing the awareness of the norms and behaviours appropriate to the host country and provide the skills for the expatriate to operate more effectively in the unfamiliar host culture (Caliguri 2002; McCaughey & Bruning 2005). As well, support the challenge of coping with differences in lifestyle and language barriers while living and working in Germany (Sims & Schraeder 2004; Welch 2003). Additionally, providing them efficient international performance appraisals can induce positive behaviour increasing the growth of productivity in an organization through staff satisfaction and allow it an added competitive advantage in the global business environment (McCaughey & Bruning 2005; Caliguri 2002). On an international scale the organization should have knowledge of the German culture, ? nd efficient partners to aid in customizing a common training effort to speci? c regional and participant differences, and remain globally consistent in terms of course content and criteria for evaluation (Chang 2009). Programme designers should modify communication to accommodate cultural differences and consider trainees’ level of acceptance, conduct a thorough training-needs and audience analysis, and include members from Germany on the design team (Chang 2009; Shen & Brant 2009; Jassawalla, Traglia & Garvey 2004). 3. 1 Cross-Culture issues Attention must be given to the communication styles for Australian expatriates when they are sent to Germany. German employees tend to be stiff and deficient in sense of humour in business situation (McDonald 2000). The more serious a situation, the more seriousness is necessitated. Also, Teamwork in Germany is regarded as a group of individuals working for a specific leader towards a recognizable goal (Dunkel & Meierewert 2004; Murakami, T 2000). Every employee has a well-defined role and to cross line would arouse confusion. Another important point of emphasis is on the business structure. Most of the power in German companies is the charge of few senior managers. The management board is the final decision-maker on policy matters which affect management. Under board level, companies tend to have a strictly hierarchical approach within which individual’s specific role and responsibilities are tightly defined and allocated. When Australian expatriates deal with the issues of German employees, the cross-culture variation should be treated seriously (Templer 2010). Less humour used in the business circumstances could be beneficial for solving issues. Furthermore, for teamwork projects, German employees should be encouraged to set more clearly objectives in order to achieve the best esult. Lastly, incentive policies should be made so that employees can take active measures to serve for Boost Juice in the hierarchy structure. 4. 1 Performance Management Performance Management System (PMS) is a strategic HRM process that enables the MNC to evaluate and continuously improve individual, subsidiary unit and corporate performance against clearly defined, pre-set objectives that are directly linked to international strategy (Halachmi 2005 ) (Agunis 2009). Hence Performance management is considered as one of the critical function of HRM as it helps in appraising individual’s performance. However, there are certain issues that a company may face when internationalising its operations (Shay and Baack 2004). In case of Boost Company, challenges faced during implementation of PMS can be divided into two categories; 1) Issues faced during implementing PMS programme for its expatriates such as; * Who conducts Performance Management for the expatriate (Shih, Chiang & Kim 2005). Providing timely and regular feedback (Shih, Chiang & Kim 2005). * Issues relating performance criteria (Shih, Chiang & Kim 2005). 2) Issues faced when implementing PMS in its HCN (Germany) * Cultural adaptability (Waal & Counet 2008) (Ferner et al 2001). Analysing the issues faced by Boost, it can be said that International Performance Management system are affected by various host contextual and firm specific factors such as the political, economic, internatio nal strategy, stage of internationalisation etc (Shen 2004). Therefore MNC’s when expanding their operations beyond borders should consider such factors to formulate and implement effective international performance management policies and practices. 5. 1 Compensation Compensation is a powerful tool that can further an organization’s strategic goals and at the same time has a large impact on employees’ attitudes and behaviours. (Festing et al, Dec 2006). It is imperative to both the company’s bottom line and the individuals involved that it is perceived to be done fairly and clearly communicated (Sims & Schraeder, 2005). Boost must determine the right compensation approach that will meet the needs of its financial goals as well as be an incentive to attract and retain best incumbents (Wentland, 2003; Sims & Schraeder 2004; Zingheim & Schuster, 2001; Dwyer, 1999) It must be: * competitive * consistent * cost-effective The Balance sheet approach was selected as best suited for this expatriate program. Knowledge and skill set required are equal to parent company, so it was viewed as most fair and equitable approach to maintain the purchasing power of both their team in Australia and those on international assignments. Sims, Schraeder 2005) It is the best approach to be perceived equally by the expatriate to be adequate and meet their needs of competitiveness and consistent for their expected behaviours. (Suutari,V, & Tornikoski, C 2001) The final confirmation to ensure Compensation is aligned appropriately, reducing potential early expatriate failure is that both parties have a clear understanding to wh at is in and what is out of the package and perception of adequate compensation is equal. Conclusion International Human Resources has progressed rapidly and is penetrating at institutional, national and international levels. Simultaneously multi-national and international companies today are faced with the complexity of cross-cultural issue due to globalization (Pranee 2010). In summary this report clearly demonstrates the importance of human resource management (HRM) to be included at the forefront of any consideration to enter the global arena. Underestimating these key areas reviewed as well as other HR practices will cause concern and risk increased potential failure of any expatriate program. Reference List Aguinis, H 2009, Performance Management, Pearson Education, New Jersey. Andreason, AW 2008, ‘Expatriate adjustment of spouses and expatriate managers: an integrative research review,’ International Journal of Management, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 382-395. Boost Juice 2011, franchise info, viewed at 20th February 2011, < http://www. boostjuicebars. com> Caliguri, P 2002, ‘Global competence: What is it, and can it be developed through global assignments? ’, Human Resources Planning, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 27 – 35. Caligiuri, PM 2000, ‘Selecting expatriates for personality characteristics: a moderating effect of personality on the relationship between host national contact and cross-cultural adjustment,’ Management International Review, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 61-80. Chang, WW 2009, ‘Cross-cultural  adjustment in the multinational  training  program’, Human Resource Development International, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 561 – 569. Counet, H, Waal, A, A 2008, ‘Lessons learned from performance management systems implementations’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 367-390. Datamonitor 2008, Boost Juice bar case study: Marketing smoothie bars as a healthy alternative to coffee shops, Datamonitor, pp. 1-12. Dunkel, A & Meierewert, S 2004, ‘Culture Standards and their impact on teamwork — An empirical analysis of Austrian, German, Hungarian and Spanish culture differences’, Journal for East European Management Studies, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 147-174. Ferner, Anthony,Quintanilla, Javier, Varul & Matthias Z 2001, ‘Country-of-Origin Effects, Host-Country Effects, and the Management of HR in Multinationals: German Companies in Britain and Spain, Journal of World Business, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 1-107. Global Relocation Services 2004, Global relocation Trends 2003/2004 Survey Report, viewed 18th February 2011, . Goleman, D 2004, ‘What makes a leader? ’ Harvard Business Review, vol. 82, no. 1, p. 82-91. Halachmi, A 2005, ‘Performance measurement is only one way of managing performance management’, International Jour nal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 54, no. 7, pp. 502-516. Harvey, M 1997, ‘Dual-career expatriates: expectations, adjustment and satisfaction with international relocation,’ Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 627-658. Jassawalla, A, Truglia, C & Garvey, J 2004, ‘Cross-cultural conflict and expatriate manager adjustment: an exploratory study,’ Management Decision, vol. 42, no. 7/8, pp. 837-849. Mayrhoefer, W& Scullion, H 2002, ‘Female expatriates in international business: empirical evidence from the German clothing industry’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 815 – 836. McCaughey, D &Bruning, NS 2005, ‘Enhancing opportunities for expatriate job satisfaction: HR strategies for foreign assignment success’, Human Resource Planning, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 21 – 29. McDonald, G 2000, ‘Cross-cultural methodological issues in ethical researc h’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 89-104. Mendenhall, ME & Stahi, GK 2000, ‘Expatriate training and development: where do we go from here? ’ Human Resource Management, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 251-265. Morgan, L, Jie, W & Young, ST 2004, ‘Operational factors as determinants of expatriate and repatriate success,’ International Journal of Operation & Production, vol. 24, no. 11/12, pp. 1247-1261. Murakami, T 2000, ‘Trade Union Strategy and Teamwork: The British and German Car Industry’, Labor Studies Journal, vol. 24, pp. 35-52 Paplexandris, N & Panayotopoulou, L 2004, ‘Exploring the mutual interaction of societal culture and human resource management practices: evidence from 19 countries,’ Employee Relations, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 495-509. Roberts, K, Clark, SC & Wallace, C 1994, ‘Flexibility and individualism: a comparison of transitions into employment in England and Germany,’ Sociology, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 31-54. Royle, T 1999, ‘Recruiting the acquiescent workforce: a comparative analysis of McDonald’s in Germany and the UK,’ Employee Relations, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 540-555. Salas, LN, Hess, KP, Paley, M & Riedel, S 2006, ‘Expatriate preparation: a critical analysis of 25 years of cross-cultural training research,’ Human Resource Development Review, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 355-388. Scholes, S 2003, The expatriate manager in South Korea: cross cultural communication, viewed 2 February 2011, < http://www. international-business-careers. com/international_career_expatriate_resources_2. html>. Shay, JP & Baack, SA 2004, ‘Expatriate assignment, adjustment and effectiveness: An empirical examination of the big picture’, Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 216-232. Shen, J 2005, ‘Towards a generic international human resource management (IHRM) model,’ Journal of Organisational Transformation and Social Change, vol. 2, no . 2, p. 83-102. Shen, J & Brant, L 2009, ‘Cross-cultural training on expatriate performance in Australian MNEs’, Human Resource Development International, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 371 – 386.

Cultural imperialism

This concept of cultural Imperialism is the argument that a large bulk of media products flow from the West, especially the United States, and so powerfully shape the cultures of other nations that they amount to a cultural form of domination† (Croteau, Hoynes, and Milan Location 8298).In this essay I will explain whether or not this concept provides a useful framework to understand global media, what the strengths and weaknesses are, and will provide example from ll aspects of this concept Cultural Imperialism is the extension of a countries power and influence on many other nations through, in this case, media production. Western corporations embed values and images of Western society in the media products sold. The United States has, for many years, been the most dominant nation when it comes to media and the production of media.American films and music dominates the world's media and could be found in almost every country. â€Å"There Is no denying the overwhelming presenc e that U. S. culture has in other countries. American television, films, and music are common In most societies across the globe. â€Å"(Croteau, Hoynes, and Milan Location 8298). For an example, you don't see many artists from Spain coming to the united States on tour and performing at Madison Square Garden.However, you do have many artists from America (most of the main artists), like Pitbull and Miley Cyrus, going on tour in almost every continent. â€Å"For example, global music stars such as Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga were able to sell albums regardless of linguistic differences. † (Croteau, Hoynes, and Milan Location 8298). There is a big reason why this cultural imperialism lies in the hands of the United States. That is because of the substantial budgets that the U. S projects have.This concept provides a useful framework to understand global media. Since the U. S. has all of this money from the constant consumption of their product, they have the money to afford technological Innovation. â€Å"All these things are very expensive to produce† more expensive than most non-U. S. production studios can afford. † (Croteau, Hoynes, and Milan Location 8433). One reason why some U. S. media products have been so successful is that U. S. projects tend to have substantial budgets, resulting in very creative and attractive production values.Therefore, since some nations simply do not have the resources to develop the infrastructure necessary to produce high-quality media products, like the ones produced in the U. S. , it is basically cheaper to buy U. S. made products to produce their own, which yet again leaves the U. S as the dominant media producer. However, there are a few weaknesses with the limitations of cultural imperialism. These limitations are: 1) It does not distinguish different types of media. U. S. products dominate sectors, such as the movie Industry, while other media continue to be mostly local, such as print. ) It assume s a passive audience, which means that we do not know If the other countries are Interpreting U. S. media products differently or as Intended by the media. 3) underestimates the role played by local media producers. Locally produced media content, flnely attuned to local culture, tends to De enormously popular. Local producers nave In some cases successTully competed ith the global media companies by providing local alternatives that distinguish themselves from international media fare. The biggest example of a vibrant film industry outside of the West is not new at all. â€Å"Bollywood,† the section of the Indian film industry specializing in Hindi-language films, is based in Mumbai and dates back to the silent film era of the early 20th century. † (Croteau, Hoynes, and Milan Location 8419). In conclusion, cultural imperialism is the extension of a countries power and influence on many other nations through, in this case, media production, which is ominated by the U. S .Since they have the substantial budget to effective create new technological inventions and continuously creating the highest profitable films and music, no other country is able to compete. â€Å"The basic argument of the cultural imperialism thesis was that Western media products introduced into other countries, especially â€Å"developing† countries, contributed to a decline in local traditional values and promoted, instead, values associated with capitalism. † (Croteau, Hoynes, and Milan Location 6322)

Barriers and facilitators in collaboration with consumers and carers Essay

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Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Article Review - Essay Example Secondly, the national service costs billions of Euros to administer, the main reason the German government terminated its program as noted by Connolly (cited in Tzu, 2013, p. 2). Those in support of the program note that the national service equips individuals with important life skills (Patten, 2014). The other argument in support of the service is that those from the national service can perform a number of useful tasks, â€Å"such as ambulance driving or firefighting† as stated by Buchanan (cited in Patten, 2014, p. 2). While it is beyond doubt that those who have gone through national service training can play different roles in society especially during crises, there is no doubt that they may lack something to do when there is no crisis (Tzu, 2013). Yet again, while they can contribute to society through their skills, their net contribution may not be felt since they do not earn salaries and pay no taxes to the government. In summary, the national service equips individuals with important life skills to the extent that they can perform different tasks. While this is the case, the cost of running the program may run into billions of Euros, which is quite prohibitive. In addition, those who have gone through the training may not have work to do when there is peace in the country to the extent that their net contribution to society may be

Introduce what the Hurricane is to element school students Essay

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Hobbes and Lockes Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hobbes and Lockes - Term Paper Example This section compares and contrasts Hobbes’ and Locke’ political theories on the nature of consent and contracts, where they have similar beliefs because they both think that consent is needed to form valid contracts. Hobbes and Locke share similar views on why consent and contracts are needed to cope with the State of Nature. Consent means that people are willing to leave the State of Nature to form a civil society that will serve communal needs and interests. Hobbes asserts that a covenant is needed to create a civil society that evades the State of Nature. He employs several terms to explain the roles of citizens and the Sovereignty in civil society. He uses the understanding of consent in relation to the status of the Sovereign as an Artificial Person by showing, that, by public consent, someone becomes an Artificial Person that has greater power than a natural person. Hobbes describes a person as someone â€Å"... ... Hobbes argues that the Secondary State of Nature can allow the making of a valid contract because it concerns obligations and includes God as the source of enforcing power of laws: â€Å"All therefore that can be done between two men not subject to Civil Power is to put one another to swear by the God he feareth.† Because of their belief in God, they can agree on making and following a contract. Apart from fear of the State of War, Hobbes maintain that people have to give consent to create contracts. He notes that the covenant binds people upon their recognition of the Common-wealth: â€Å"I Authorize and give up my Right of Governing myself, to this Man, or to this Assembly of men, on this condition, that thou give up thy Right to him, and Authorize all his Actions in like manner.† People do not want to be completely alienated from each other despite the State of War, so it becomes relevant for them to confer authority on the Common-wealth as a binding Covenant. Their consent allows them to produce a Commonwealth and to accept their Sovereign ruler. Likewise, Locke believes that people consent to the social contract first before it becomes valid, and like Hobbes, he notes that people do not want a State of War, so they want to enter a civil society. Hobbes and Locke agree that consent is needed to form valid contracts and that when people are coerced to form contracts, these contracts are invalid. Hobbes says: â€Å"The cause of Feare, which maketh such a Covenant invalid, must be alwayes something arising after the Covenant made.† Locke confirms that consent must not be forced, or else, the contract is voided. Locke further believes that consent can be tacit or express; however, consent must be express to fully participate in the government. He stresses that

Ethical Principles and Codes of Practice Essay Example for Free

Ethical Principles and Codes of Practice Essay Ethical principles and codes of practice can provide guidance in day-to-day practice. Analyse Peter’s situation in the case study and come to a conclusion about what would be an appropriate response. This essay will analyse the ethical principles and code of practice in relation to the case study of Peter, a man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and will suggest a course of action for Peter’s situation based upon the application of these principles and the code. It will do this by examining the term ‘ethics’ and will focus on four ethical principles found to be relative to the kinds of ethical issues and challenges met within health and social care settings, these will be applied to the case study. Peter’s situation is that of a man, who, at the request of his family, unhappily (but apparently necessarily), moved to Parkside Manor, a small residential care home. Of late Peter’s condition of Alzheimer’s disease has advanced and he has become progressively uninhibited. His behaviour has caused the staff to question Peter’s placement at the care home, as some of the other residents are beginning to become troubled and distressed by his behaviour. Some staff feel that with the number of residents needing attention, Peter’s needs require more time than they have to give. However Peter’s family are resolute in their decision for him to remain at Parkside. ‘Ethics’ are defined as ‘the philosophical study of the moral value of human conduct and of the rules and principles that ought to govern it’ (Collins, 2006, p535). Individual values develop over time through socialisation, upbringing and experiences. These values when viewed on a personal level, guide individual actions. Individuals working in the health and social care setting also hold professional values derived from professional training and ideology. Decisions are made using both personal and professional values and all decisions will have an ethical dimension. Historically health and social care practitioners have been directed by principles and guidance, enabling them to develop what is described as a professional morality. Codes of practice have long been seen as regulations guiding practice, with clear standards of conduct (General Social Care Council, 2010, p 4). These usually include some exclusion’s such as disclosure of information but they mainly describe expected forms of conduct. In areas of health and social care ethical principles are used along with codes of practice to guide and enhance the decision-making process. These principles are related to a sense of doing the right thing or that which is moral and with ideas of what is good and bad practice (K217, Book 4, p28).This idea can be problematic and can be viewed both objectively and subjectively. If viewed from an objective point of view, who should be trusted to know what is the objective truth? If subjective, who is the one whose opinion should be listened to? Questions such as these are often at the core of dilemmas. Professionals working within health and social care environments do not just deal with decisions based upon the right and good. Consideration should also be given to ‘ethical dilemmas’, these are situations when two choices are apparent, both eq ual in morality and ethics (K217, Book4, p29). Pattison and Heller (2001) suggest, ethics and value issues thread their way through normal, daily health care practice, the interpretation of which is open to more than one explanation (K217, Offprints, p131). Although principles guide actions, there is still a need to assess a situation and devise an appropriate response. This assessment and response derive from an individual’s values and training as much as from principles. Ethical principles are important in the field of health and social care. Practitioners need to have the ability to make informed, ethical and justifiable decisions relating to the individuals in their care. This can be difficult when faced with a challenging case. Using a framework to develop a structured way of thinking through a particular ethical situation or challenge can be helpful. The ETHICS framework was developed to assist people working in care settings and offers a structured way of assessing a course of action in order to come to an ethically informed decision. It emphasizes the need to be able to select a course of action based upon guidance, information and established principles, as well as the individual’s beliefs. The framework requires practitioners to firstly, Enquire about the relevant facts of the case, Think about the options that are available to all involved, Hear the views of everyone (including service user, family members and relevant providers), Identify any relevant ethical principles and values which may help to guide the decision–making process, Clarify the meaning and consequences of any key values and finally Select a course of action offering supporting arguments (K217, Book4, p32). When taking into account the case study, four ethical principles will be examined. These are: respect for autonomy, non-malfeasance, beneficence and justice. The principles are seen as the starting points for the development of ethical approaches to care practice, providing a practical set of principles, which rather than offe ring direct answers to ethical dilemmas, set out useful guiding principles for practitioners when faced with controversial decisions (K217, Book 4, p34). In Peter’s situation, Autonomy or self-determination is complex. Respect for Autonomy refers to a commitment to respect the decision-making capability of an autonomous individual. Autonomy is the freedom to act as a person wishes, to be able to make decisions about their own life and not to be controlled by others. The case study points out that Peter ‘unhappily’ left his home, at the request of his family to move into Parkside Manor, indicating that Peter had no control over this situation. This lack of right to choose where he lives, directly impinges on Peter’s ability to be autonomous and make reasoned informed choices. Beauchamp and Childress (2009) identify two areas necessary for autonomy: Liberty or independence from control and Agency, the capacity for deliberate action (K217, Book 4, p39). When applying this principle to Peter’s case, it could be argued that a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s limits his capabilities to make decisions for himself, limiting capacity for intentional action and so reducing Peter’s ability to function as an autonomous individual. The codes of practice for social care workers (2010) state: ‘a social care worker must respect the rights of service users while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or others’ (General Social Care Council, 2010, p9, 4.2). This causes a conflict of interest between Peter’s rights to act in a manner that he chooses and that of the other residents, who deserve to be able to move freely about the home without the risk of being upset or distressed by Peter’s actions. Staff may wish to take steps to minimise the potential risk of Peter’s behaviour causing mental harm and upset to other residents and by following risk assessment policies could asse ss the potential risks in this situation (General Social Care Council, 2010, p9, 4.2). Identifying harmful behaviour is multifaceted and open to interpretation. The assessment of risk could have serious consequences for Peter perhaps leading to a limiting of his rights and liberty in the interest of protecting others from harm (K217, Book 4, p60). Therefore over protection or unnecessary limitation could be considered an infringement upon Peter’s human rights (K217, Book 4 p65). The case study does not accurately point out if Peter has the mental capability to understand that his actions could be disruptive and upsetting for others. This being the case it may also be appropriate to talk to both Peter and his family about the situation in order to find a solution. As the code of practice maintains, ‘care workers must promote the independence of service users and assist them to understand and exercise their rights’ (General Social Care Council, 2010, p8, 3.1). It is suggested, that in cases where decision making capacity is deemed to be impaired, respect for autonomy may involve the care worker acting appropriately in an in dividual’s ‘best interests’ (K217, Book 4, p40). The difficulty here is that Peters best interests cannot be viewed without taking into account the best interests of other residents, care workers and relatives. This shows the limits of the code of practice in taking a narrow ethical view rather than trying to take a wider and more balanced perspective. Beneficence and the promotion of welfare are concerned with the provision of benefits and the balance of these against risk in the care and treatment of service users. It requires that care providers make a positive contribution to help others, not just refrain from acts of harm. It could be argued that in Peter’s case, moving into a residential setting may be seen as ‘doing good’. The theory of beneficence or ‘doing good’ is embedded in health and social care practice. Although, rather than being straightforward in its attempts to solve ethical dilemmas, beneficence can be viewed as being rather vague (K217, Book4, p34). The application of beneficence in Peter’s situation could be seen as a controversial one. The need to ‘do good’ in this situation could be seen to be against Peter’ s best interests, as in the case of consent. The case study alludes to the fact that Peter’s family are making decisions on behalf of Peter and that the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease means that he is incapable of contributing to decisions around his care and wellbeing. It could therefore be argued that this results in a paternalistic approach to care, whereby the family (who are making decisions on behalf of Peter) may be guided by practitioners views of what is in Peter’s ‘best interests’ and in doing so may neglect the choice and personal responsibility of the individual (K217, Book 4, p36). However paternalism may be viewed as acceptable if it is proved that Peter’s autonomy or decision-making capacity is compromised. In this case it may be advisable to initiate an assessment of Peter’s mental health capacity in order to justify the families’ involvement in the decision-making process. Beauchamp and Childress (2009) claim, the philosophy of non-malfeasance is an obligation to do no harm. Unlike beneficence, which promotes welfare and concentrates upon positively helping others, non-malfeasance focuses upon guiding health and social care practitioners to avoid harm-causing activities, this includes negligence. Having a duty of care for a person or persons in care is an ethical concept, neglect is an absence of ‘due care’ the lack of which would be seen as falling below the standards expected by the law and code of practice. The principle of non-malfeasance can be difficult to apply in practice (K217, Book 4, p37). Peter has not been physically harmed himself, although it could be disputed that his behaviour around Parkside Manor could be having a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of the other residents who are beginning to be upset by Peter’s uninhibited behaviour. Section 3 of the codes of practice for social care workers may guide staff in pr omoting the independence of other service users (residents) in assisting them to understand and exercise their rights to autonomy. Also for staff to use the appropriate procedures and protocols in which to keep other service users safe from harm (General Social Care Council, 2010, p8, 3.1). As stated, Peter’s ability to make decisions about his care could be impaired, as in the right to choose where to live (which was made at the request of his family). However, maintaining Peter in his own home, as was his wish, would require extra resources such as daily social care help. If this was unavailable, Peter’s wish to remain in his home could be seen as detrimental to his health and wellbeing as his condition deteriorated and this would not uphold the principle of non- malfeasance. The moral principle of justice according to Beauchamp (2006) is fairness in the distribution of benefit and risk (K217, Book4, p42). It can be viewed as fair, impartial and suitable treatment for the autonomous individual. This suggests that everyone has the right to participate in the decision-making process surrounding the ir own treatment. This clearly is not the case for Peter, as he may no longer be classed as an autonomous service user and may not be able to articulate his needs or desires in respect of his care. In this case the staff may wish to assign a person as an advocate to represent and support (where appropriate) Peter’s views and wishes (General Social Care Council, 2010, p6, 1.2). The case study also identifies the staffs growing concerns about their own abilities to be able to give Peter the care that he requires, with some suggesting that his needs demand more time than they have available. The code of practice sets out clear guidelines for staff in Section 3, stating that any resource or operational difficulties experienced by the care worker is to be brought to the attention of the employer or the appropriate authority (General Social Care Council, 2010, p8, 3.4). Staff working within the care home are under increasing pressure to cope with the demanding behaviour that Peter displays and in this case may feel that they are neglecting the other residents because of Peter’s growing needs. This highlights the problem staff have in distinguishing fairly between those that are seen to need support and those that are not. Discrimination such as this all be it without intention of causing harm, raises questions of inequality. As highlighted, codes of practice and other ethical guidelines are not without their limitations. These limitations are often down to an individual’s freedom of choice and their views of what is right and wrong. Codes of practice deal in respect of that is the ‘norm’ not the ‘usual’ and at this point common sense and a corporate view are necessary. Using the four principles to analyse Peter’s situation is far from simple as the principles themselves are open to individual interpreta tion. The task for those directly involved in Peters care, such as family, professionals and the care workers at Parkside, is to ascertain their legal, professional and ethical positions and balance these against the need to protect and care for other residents and staff within the care setting. This may involve identifying ways to reduce the risk to others and to Peter’s dignity and privacy. As the code of practice states ‘a social care worker must respect and maintain dignity and privacy of service users’ (general Social Care Council, 2010, p6, 1.4). Some of the staff at Parkside have begun to question if the placement is an appropriate one given Peter’s growing needs. Staff at Parkside Manor could begin to examine ways of improving the care and support on offer to both Peter and the other residents by firstly initiating an assessment of Peter’s mental health capacity, in order for staff to better comprehend Peter’s level of understanding and to further meet his needs. This will form part of a support plan that will identify resources necessary to meet his growing requirements. The case study does not adequately highlight if Parkside Manor is equipped to deal with mental health problems such as Alzheimer’s or if the population is that of older residents with general care needs. One solution for the family may be to investigate the possibility of an alternative placement for Peter. Placing Peter in a more suitable setting where the staff are more used to dealing with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease could enhance quality of care and increase Peter’s quality of life. Bibliography Collins, 2006, Collins Concise English Dictionary. Glasgow, HarperCollins Publishers. Open University (2010) K217, Adult health, social care and wellbeing, Chapter 14, Ethics in health and social care. Milton Keynes,The Open University Open University (2010) K217, Adult health, social care and wellbeing, Offprints, Swimming in a sea of ethics and values. Milton Keynes,The Open University General Social Care Council, 2010, Codes of Practice for social care workers. Available at: http://www.gscc.org.uk/cmsFiles/Registration/Codes%20of%20Practice/CodesofPracticeforSocialCareWorkers.pdf [Accessed 25/02/12] Gillon Raanan, 1994, Medical ethics : four principles plus the attention to scope. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2540719/pdf/bmj00449-0050.pdf [Accessed 09/03/12]

Tokyo Midtowns Architecture Development

Tokyo Midtowns Architecture Development The Tokyo Midtown was built between 2004-2007, which is a 101,000 square meter mixed-use development located in Roponggi, Tokyo, Japan. This project design was begun on August 2002 and the construction of the project was begun on May 2004 and completed on March 2007. There is a 400-year-old Hinokicho Park within the site was refurbished. The U.S. Army was stayed in this site as a barrack during World War II, the Japanese Defense Agency occupied this site after the army left. Consequently, Japanese Government sold the site in 2001 and Mitsui Fudosan won it. There was an archaeological exploration conducted during 2002 and 2003. During the exploring period, over fifty thousand pieces of pottery and two pieces of gold coins from Edo-period (1596-1698) were found out. The mixed-use development includes office, residential, retail, hotel, museum and leisure space. The total floor area of the development is 563, 800 square meters. There are over 50% of the project is designed to be open sp ace. Tokyo Midtown is located at two main street roads in roponggi district, there is a large lawn included in the site. Besides the class A office, residential units, High-end retail and hotel, and the museum, there is 50 percentage of site area are parks, plazas, promenades and streetscapes. In Tokyo, green space is only a private garden or scared space. The definition of green space is different from other cities. The green space used to be appreciated rather than utilizing. Citizens are not encouraged to use the green space and public events are not promoted to happen in such area. The primary developer, Mitsui Fudosan would like to change this old mind of green area and bring the new trend of Green Park. Thus, Tokyo Midtown was designed to be the new urban oasis in Roponggi district. Imperial Palace is not only the largest public open space in Tokyo, but also a good case to show the typology of traditional Japanese landscape. The parkland of Imperial Palace is surrounded by the wall, which isolates the palace from the city’s context. The cultural and historical valuable of the palace was abandoned, that the landscape of palace is cut off by the wall as an island, and there is no associated development next to the palace. This kind of traditional landscape promotes privacy and peaceful rather than connection between urban context. The developer would like to introduce a new landscape typology to the city. His approach is to create a unique sequence of open space which is new trend of connective landscape. The project’s developer promotes a new Japanese landscape design by creating a unique urban movement in the complex. The Tokyo Midtown a welcoming and attractive space which can stimulate the social and cultural interaction, thus the life of the place will be activated. This project is an architectural expression in landscape which can provide an open and green space for events. The historical green space Hinokicho Park is part of landscape and was refurbished. There are mainly three primary movements for the landscape in Tokyo Midtown. Firstly, the existing park is extended to the newer green areas. Secondly, there are a series of water features begin at the plaza. Thirdly, the water features flow down toward the greenery. There were 40 mature cherry trees preserved from the old site and transplanted on new site. Those trees are used to create a new cherry promenade by connecting the entry to Hinokicho Park. There are over thousands of visitors attracted to here for gathering and celebrating the cule of seasons, during the blossom season of cherry. In recent years, podium type development becomes the main new typology of large-scale development, especially in Hong Kong. The advantage of this typology is to provide a convenient and efficient connection from the upper level to the mass transit by the footbridge network. However, this typology has been produced less vibrant street life. The functional relationship between building and urban street grid has been lost. The public space has been separated from the existing neighborhood, thus the development has been isolated from urban street. Tokyo Midtown is a successful large-scale development with podium and tower that diminish the drawback of podium design. It undertakes a more sustainable approach to the new large-scale development. The development of Tokyo Midtown has achieved the sustainable design approach by several criteria as below: First of all, the development of Tokyo Midtown took the opportunity to integrate this new development into the existing areas by creating great places which can improve the original district and bring a long-term value. This place-making approach is achieved by promoting the public spaces with landscape. The sense of space is created by adding the attractive street furniture and public art in the landscape, such as the lush mature tree canopy in the entrance. This canopy can emphasize the existing site characteristic and enhance the site’s cultural and historical value. The landscape design improves the flexibility of space, so that public and private events will be promoted in order to facilitate the social interaction and vitality in this place. For example, the cherry promenade provides the linkage to the Hinokicho Park and also a place for gathering and celebrating the beauty of the trees during the bloom season. Thousands of visitors attract by it and go there with a blan ket, picnic, and drinks. The high quality design of Tokyo Midtown activates the existing space and brings economic incomes, and reflects the character of the surrounding area. This mix-used development incorporated hotel, office, residential, retail, restaurants, museum and parks. It provides a small community for people to live, work and enjoy their leisure time. Besides, the Tokyo Midtown introduces the pedestrian connectivity in both physical and psychological way. Visitors can experience a rich and vibrant pedestrian through visiting the tree-lined street and pleasant walkway. The lining of trees refurbishes the existing subway stop and redirects the ground passenger to the new exit at Tokyo Midtown. The place-making approach is also strengthened by providing high-quality public realm. It lets wide range of activities happen in this area. The unique identity landmarks, the 54 storeys Mori Tower has been incoporated in the whole development which is the tallest building in Tokyo. It increases the attractiveness of the destination. Secondly, Tokyo Midtown has well integrated with the infrastructure and the surrounding transport network. It provides a high standard connection to the transit and improves the connection between site and surrounding area at the ground level. Tokyo Midtown is not a project only concern the spatial quality within the site boundary, but also to provide the mix-used development with a wider site context and great impact on surrounding area. Citizens criticize that walled developments issue would be raised as the project with infrastructure is easily being isolated from the urban due to the poor integration of surrounding. This project includes 5 buildings, a high-end retail, luxury department, class A office space, luxury department, medical center. These 5 buildings surround a skyscraper with 248m height. The whole development is well integrated to the adjacent park and the Roppongi railway station. Roppongi railway station is a famous station along the Toei Oedo Line. Tokyo Midtown p rovides a successful access to the exit of railway station through the spatial arrangement of the open space. There is good public transport connection provided. The Roppongi railway station is well connected to the public transport interchanges within the Tokyo Midtown. The site is quite near the Roppongi Hills development which is less than 0.8 kilometer. The Roppongi Hill is surrounded by the vehicle-dominated road infrastructure and connects to podium of Tokyo Midtown. The majority of the edges are connected to the street level, it breaks down the traditional podium language. This project has well integration between land use and the transport in both physical and social aspects. Sustainable strategy Large-scale development usually bring negative impact on surrounding area or the wider context, as developer usually only focus on designing the area within the site, the adjacent area may not be their concern. Tokyo Midtown is a large-scale development which has been well integrated with the surrounding area. The design of this project is base on the sustainable development principles and the urban design guidelines, so that it will keep integrating and sustainable in a long-term period. The resource efficiency and environmental friendly approach is also adopted in development. The floor area of the whole development is concentrated in one quadrant of the site, so that the urban park area can be maximized. There is more than 40 percent of the site area is designed as an urban park which act as a main connection between the site and the community greenbelt. Tokyo Midtown promotes sustainability at the neighborhood and district levels, the spatial quality of the pedestrian environment at the street level is enhanced. As a result, the walkability and the livability within the site area and also the district are gradually improved. The location and proportion of program of the whole development is concerned to improve the sustainability in environmental, social and economic aspect. There are over 150 shops and restaurants offered in the high-end retail area, 500 luxury residential units, several office towers, a Ritz-Carlton hotel, 800-seat conservation center and an art museum provided in development, which can benefit the district in social and economic way. The large green open space which occupies 40 percent of site area can benefit the district in environmental way. The open space is designed to guide visitor walk from surrounding streets and sidewalk to the site. A sense of â€Å"on the ground† is promoted by touching the earth and nature. There are some view corridors, transparent material, bridges and plazas visually open and connect to the open spa ce in order to lead the visitor from the park to the nature. The design of water feature is to lead the visitors to the park and guide them down though meandering pathway to the 21_21 Design Museum and the traditional Japanese Garden. New district ‘s image Before the completion of Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi was a well-known district as a night town. Roponggi was a place which is full of entertainment hub and with abandoned traditional neighborhood. The developer Mitsui Fudosan would like to change the public perception of Roppongi district from a night town to an update image which is a vitalized daytime district. Tokyo Midtown is a development to provide a balance mix of business and living place to the district, in which the cultural amenities will be highly respected. Moreover, Tokyo Midtown is a hope as business and economy revival of Japan, it designed to represent the best characteristic of Japanese society by the mixed-use development. The Japanese government treats it as a priority urban redevelopment area†. This mixed-use development has integrated with a public park , which promotes an environmental friendly and commercial active attraction in this district, thus it benefit to the entire neighborhood and enhance the econom ic value of Roppongi. To match with this large green park, the famed Suntory Museum of Art was relocation. Consequently, the green park, museum, Tokyo National Art Center and Roppongi Hill will be well connected. The community park is merged with the existing greenbelt and connects to those abandoned nearby green space such as the gorunds of Tokyo government cemetery and a Shinto religious shrine.

Corporate Social Responsibility And Recent Events Management Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility And Recent Events Management Essay Hopkins (2003) defined Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as treating the stakeholders of the firm, ethically or in a responsible manner. According to Wan-Jan (2006) is the best working definition that best depicts the concept of CSR. This definition depicts CSR both as an ethical stance and as a business strategy. This also conforms to the argument that CSR should not put emphasis on getting rewards or payback. The definition does not emphasize that practicing CSR should have its rewards. CSR is very important in this era of globalisation. Globalization is generally seen but not exclusively, as an economic process (Sparrow, Brewster Harris 2004). The level and pace of global economy change is still at its early stage, yet the pace of change of the economy is rapidly accelerating. This challenge is posed to international human resource management professionals to be become more complex and strong. Also, it has provided significant opportunities for organizations in reconfiguring their strategies in their respective supply chains as well as the globalization of their production systems. This paper shall discuss how CSR is an important concern for both society and corporations. This shall also argue whether or not CSR is an effective means of corporations in bolstering their reputation and provide responses to pertinent issues. Sample cases will be presented in order to provide evidences for the mentioned points of discussion. Corporate Social Responsibility On the recent events brought about by the earthquake in Haiti, Motorola Foundation, along with Motorola and its employees have donated cash and kind relief efforts to the victims of the said calamity. The foundation is the charitable and philanthropic division of Motorola. This organisation is responsible in making strategic grants, pushes strong partnerships with the community, fostering of innovation and engagement of stakeholders. This foundations focus its funding especially with the need in education, science and technology, engineering and math programming among others (CSR Digest 2010). The case of Motorola is one example that an organisation really paves way to have a separate division that focuses in CSR. Although as the description of the foundation reflected that its funds are especially focused in education particularly in science and technology, which is mainly the nature of Motorolas business (CSR Digest 2010). Another evidence for Motorolas focus in technology and development is its collaboration on the reference design for phones that have Blue tooth technology (Portable Design 2004). Herbert and Schantz (2007) argued that corporate actions of organizations are being subjected to more scrutiny than ever. There is an attempt to legitimize the roles of corporations and as seen in the corporate social responsibility as a part of a framework, which is triple bottom. In the study that they have conducted, credence values such as corporate social responsibility and business ethics are still intangible. Thus, the corporate brand becomes a guarantee for the social values that are being communicated. Johnson (1958) considers that one of the most important changes that took place in the recent generation of corporations is the development of a new role in the corporate citizenship with the corporation. The economic and social responsibility is hence being recognized. There are several measurement methods for CSR being implemented by different organizations. According to Sethi (1975), a structural framework to facilitate analysis of corporate social activities should have at least the following two properties. First, categories for classifying corporate activities should be stable over time, which makes historical comparisons possible. Second, the definitions of various categories should be applicable across firms, industries, or even social systems, making comparative analysis possible. CSR has also been described as a tool to build good corporate reputation. Lewis (2003) found that public perception on the role of companies in society has changed significantly. In late 1970s, two-to-one of the British public agreed that the profits generated by large companies make things better for their customers. In early 2000s, two-to-one disagree. At the same time, 80% of the public believes that large companies have a moral duty to society. But 61% believes that companies do not really care about the environment and social responsibility. The dissonance between what the public expects firms to do and what they think the firms are actually doing is worrying. But Lewis argued that companies have a new basis to regain public trust through exercising their CSR. Lewis believes that CSR can become a competitive edge/core competence for those companies who can exploit it properly. Porter too echoed the same opinion (Porter, 2003) when he stated that todays companies ought to invest in CSR as part of their business strategy to become more competitive. The extent of social responsibility of corporations, it is anticipated that there will be an increase in the resonance of corporate citizenship. It is also associated in the in the participation of a wider polity and aspirations that are normative. In the fulfillment of such demands, it is required from the society to give strong pressures as well as from the corporate leaders in order to bring about a true separation of economic spheres and politics. This is an implication in the reverse mechanism of routine mobilization (Barley, 2006). Implementation of Effective CSR Report through a Business Plan Strategic planning is the organizations projection its destination in a certain period of time and how the organization will go there (Farrah et al 2001). It is a systematized planning process that involves a number of steps identifying the current status of the organization, including its mission, future vision, operating values, operational needs, goals, and prioritized actions and strategies, action plans and monitoring plans. The most important concept of strategic planning understands that in order for an organization to succeed, every member should contribute in achieving it. Business development strategies are needed to achieve a sustainable development in an organization. There are seven steps in managing an organization according to sustainable development principles. These are performing a stakeholder analysis; setting policies and objectives for sustainable development; designing and executing an implementation plan; development of a supportive corporate culture; development of measures and standards of performances; preparation of progress reports; and enhancement of internal monitoring processes. There are ways suggested in improving the strategic planning of organizations. There are five suggestions namely: starting with the issues; the right people should be brought together; planning cycles should be adapted to the needs of each organizations; strategic performance management system should be implemented; and human resources should be integrated on the strategic plan. A CSR report will be created to evaluate all the economic viability of the company including the description and analysis of all the companys business prospects. It will define and focus the companys objective with the use of appropriate information and analysis. Also, the business plan can be used as a selling tool when dealing with important business relationships including investors, lenders and banks. The business plan can also reveal omissions and weaknesses on the companys operating processes. Finally, the business plan can be used to solicit suggestions and opinions from people in relation with the business processes and operations. The contents of the business plan are the companys vision statement, the people, the companys business profile, economic assessment, cash flow assessment and the companys marketing and expansion plans. The companys vision statement should be concise and state the companys purpose and goals. The people portion should have the most important individuals in realizing the set goals of the organization. The business profile should define and describe the business and the specific plans in carrying out the set goals. The segmented market on which the business aims to target should also be included. The necessary factors in a very effective business plan shall include a sound business concept, an identified and well understood market, a stable industry, capable management, a very able financial control, and a consistent business focus. Business plan implementation is a vital stage in business planning. Execution of the developed strategies should focus on two levers more powerful than structural change. These are clarification of the decision rights, specifying who the owner of each decision is and who should be responsible in providing the inputs. Another lever is ensuring the information flows wherein it is needed. The most important levers in the most successful strategy execution are the decision rights and information flow. In decision rights, every individual in the organisation should know which decisions and actions they are responsible for. Higher level managers and officers should know how to delegate operational decisions. In the flow of information, it should be ensured that important information in the competitive environment is quickly flowed in the corporate headquarters. In this way, the upper management can formulate quickly the best practices in the entire company. Also, the facilitation of information flow across organizational boundaries is very important. Lastly, managers and officers should help those field and line employees in understanding how their everyday choices affect the bottom line of the company. In a successful strategy execution, there are seven rules to follow. These are: keeping everything simple; challenging assumptions; same language should be spoken in the organization; resource deployments should be discussed early; priorities should be identified; performance should be monitored continuously; and execution ability should be developed. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) must be the steward of all the strategies that define the organisation and what will it become. As the companys chief strategists, the CEO should translate the business purpose into practice. You must be open to the possibility that this purpose might change. You should everyday watch the strategy which is your greatest opportunity in shaping the company as well as to outwit the competition. In the preparation phase of planning, the CEO should be the one determining the parameters; you should be clear in mind the scope of the planning. You should also be the one to determine the composition of the strategic planning team. The selection of the planning facilitator should also be in your responsibilities. Finally, the CEO should also set the climate for the strategic planning process. In the creative process phase of the session, you should be the one to formally open the activity. During the deliberation, it is your role to listen on what the team ahs to say and just ask two questions: is that where we want to go? and are these the people who will get us there?. As the session ends, it is also your duty to formally close the strategic planning session. In the implementation phase, you will be the overseer of the approved discipline. You should regularly check the teams performance on the formulated action plans. When the action plans are completed, it is your role to recognize the success of the entire team and appreciate their efforts for a job well done. The SBU managers and other functional executives shall perform very vital roles in the strategic planning process. The key roles include interpersonal roles which will serve as the plans figureheads, leaders and liaison officers; informational roles which functions to monitor, disseminate information and serves as a spokesperson for the respective business units; and decisional roles which serves as innovator, disturbance handler, allocates resources and negotiator. These managers will initiate and form the strategic planning process team. They will mobilize change through executive leadership. These strategies will be translated into operational terms which will be defined and executed by the SBU managers and functional executives. The formulated strategies will be aligned by these people into the goal of Lawrence Manufacturing. These officers shall motivate their people to make strategy everyones job. Finally, it is these peoples responsibility to monitor that the formulated strategy will be a continual process in the organization. To evaluate the individual departments performance, each officer will be required to practice the balanced score card system in monitoring their respective areas developments. The balanced score card is a part of the strategic planning process. Conclusion In an article written by Hagel, Brown, and Davison (2009) in Harvard Business Review, they have formulated ways in shaping strategies in this world that is constantly disrupted. According to this article, very few companies act proactively and adapt to shape their strategies. Strategists can attract a critical mass of participants by developing these strategies by means of opportunities are convincingly articulated to the participants; standards and practices are defined so that participation are easy and affordable; and the demonstration that the organizations have the conviction and resources for success and will not be in competition with the participants. In formulating a shaping strategy, the three elements should be considered. The first element is the shaping view. In order to achieve this element, five factors should be considered: the organizations view should express a long term direction and how it perceives change; the organization should clearly identify attractive business opportunities; opportunities should be seen as a broader economic, cultural, and technological force in the organization; views should have a sufficiently high level of allowing unexpected developments; and views should be aggressively and continually communicated within the organization. The second element of the strategy is a shaping platform. In order to achieve this component, there are five factors to be considered: the platform should promise financial benefits especially by reducing costs and increasing revenue generation; it should support a diverse set of participants and offering a values of opportunity; platforms should scale up in accommodating large numbers of participants; should likely generate increase in returns as the organization grows; and the platforms functionality should continually evolve and providing the participants to regularly engage in it. The third component of a shaping strategy is the shapers acts and assets. In order to achieve this component, six factors should be considered: shapers should be able to convince potential participants; shapers should be able to gain access to assets that will prove to participants the ability of sufficient resources; potential participants should be able to be assured that there will be no competition; senior management and other members of the executive level should have the tolerance to risk and the patience in committing the assets and in taking the essential actions in being successful; organizations should be capable of mobilizing and attracting enough number of participants; and the organizations top management should have the enough personality to build a shaping platform. Many evidences have been discovered and CSR has been perceived by many individuals as a social strand that is important for development. This is due in no small measure to the lack of formal study of the topic, despite the widespread debates it provokes. Moreover, it is a complex subject that currently lacks even a single broadly accepted definition. The field of comparative CSR, ultimately, addresses a research question of critical practical importance: how best to structure global enterprise to import best practice in CSR in order to produce economic development that is consistent with raising labor standards and encouraging environmental protection? Strike, Gao and Bansal (2006) have produced empirical evidence that clearly states the challenge, by virtue of their findings that international diversification of firms increases both CSR as well as corporate irresponsibility, given the difficulties of managing semi-autonomous subsidiaries in different countries. Other further comparative investigations are necessary in order to better understand the concept of CSR. Such research may provide an empirical and theoretical basis for developing policies to encourage CSR and for conceptualizing which kinds of pressures are likely to be effective in encouraging a positive relationship between international businesses and society. This i s also important in gearing towards globalisation. Based on estimation of a disaggregated model, they report that there is a positive relation between firm performance (measured using market value added) and strategic CSR and a negative relation between altruistic CSR and firm performance. Analysis of the strategic implications of CSR is hampered by cross-country/cultural differences in the institutions that regulate market activity, including business, labor and social agencies. Institutional differences lead to different expectations and different returns to activity. For firms operating in multiple countries/cultures this complicates the process of determining which activities to engage in and how much to invest. As the knowledge base of CSR develops worldwide, we will be better able to analyze and advise on CSR. We are in the Globalization era. Globalization takes place when there is acceleration in the movement of people, products and ideas. Today, companies are more international than ever. According to the United Nations, there are more than 60,000 multinational companies (Mott, 2004). As a company becomes an international corporation, the criticism against it for damaging the world increases, as does the expectation that the company take responsibility for these damages. The notion of corporate social responsibility is an important tool for corporations to use in response to various concerns about them in the globalization era (Rampton, 2004). Corporations and public relations/advertising practitioners have tried to respond to the criticisms by conveying CSR messages that they are contributing to society in various ways, both locally and globally (Alfonso Sharma, 2005; Prabu, Kline, Dai, 2005). Under the post national constellation of an emerging global order, we need a fresh view on the role of business in society. In our contribution (Scherer Palazzo, 2007), we were critical that many CSR scholars have largely neglected the consequences of that tectonic shift and still build on the idea of an intact national regulatory power. We described the growing positive and negative impact of corporations on democratic institutions and their participation in global processes of governance with and without government as the politicization of the corporation, and we proposed a new concept of political CSR. We have been criticized by Edward and Willmott for dismissing the concept of corporate citizenship. They advance several arguments in favor of that concept, which already includes concern in the advancement of corporations willingness and capacity in their participation in the public process (2007: 1109). Finally, CSR should be observed at all times by all organizations if possible. This will not only create a good image but also addressed the responsibility that we all have towards our community.

Common Microorganisms Essay examples -- essays research papers

INTRODUCTION Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, mold, and yeast are present and common in almost every environment on earth. The normally microscopic organisms can easily be seen using differing types of agar, which creates an ideal environment for the organisms to form colonies, which are groups of hundreds of organisms that can be seen with the naked eye. In order to see individual microorganisms, it is necessary to use the magnification of a high-powered microscope. These techniques of microbiology are used in the following five experiments. The first experiment used Trypticase Soy Nutrient Agar (TSA), which can grow a wide variety of organisms and contains casein and soybean meal and a minute NaCl, to study the effectiveness of alcohol as a skin antiseptic. The second experiment tested the effectiveness of different kinds of mouthwashes as antiseptics using TSA as well. Experiment number three explored the normal human flora existing on skin and in nasal cavities, and two types of agar were used, including TSA and Mannitol Salt Agar, which contains manitol sugar, phenol red, and 7.5% NaCl. Mannitol Salt Agar tests for the presence of staphylococci bacteria that can survive in the salt that inhibits the growth of most other bacteria. Some forms of staph bacteria ferment mannitol and produce a yellow color around the colonies, which can easily be seen against the red background. The fourth experiment studied the number of bacteria in a diluted sa mple of uncooked hamburger meat using nutrient agar and a Quebec counter to count the colonies. The final experiment involved the growth of yeast cells under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. MATERIALS - Trypticase Soy Nutrient Agar -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mannitol Salt Agar -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sterile alcohol swab -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Listerine mouthwash -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tubes of nutrient agar -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diluted hamburger meat -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quebec colony counter -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Apple juice -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anaerobic yeast culture -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hemacytometer -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Iodine METHODS Experiment 1. Effectiveness of alcohol as an antiseptic 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All experiments must be done in a sterile environment; Lysol can be used to sterilize the a... ...ide had a lot of large tan colonies and dense, small colonies. The Listerine side seemed to destroy all most all of these small colonies, but the larger colonies were actually more numerous. The other mouth washes used were salt water rinse and Scope. The salt water did almost no damage to the bacteria, and the Scope killed the most.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In experiment three, there were a lot of different kinds of organisms persent on the agar. On the plate that contained nasal micro-organisms, large yellow colonies appeared on the Mannitol Salt Agar, indicating Staphylococcus aureus. On the TSA side, small creamy white colonies were also present. These could possibly be yeast. On the plate that contained the skin swab, there was a large amount of large, fuzzy white and black growth, which is mold. There was a single light-orange colony on the TSA side, possibly a growth of Flavobacterium.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the fourth experiment, there were a number of different kinds of colonies on the EMB plate with the meat swab. There were black dots, which indicate the presence of E-coli, pink dots, which indicate lactose-fermenters, and a few white and gray colonies.

How the Media Affects the Self Esteem and Body Image of Young Girls Ess

The misconception of what is beautiful can be detrimental to young girls. In a television industry attempt to sell goods, they are depicted as sexy. Creating a need for parents to intervene and present a more realistic and normal view of physical beauty. Today, TV presents sexually based images crafted to appeal to young girls. Unfortunately, they are led to believe that their value is only skin deep, causing flawed expectations, illusions, and wrong information about the truth of the physical body in the real world. In an attempt to look the part some have fallen victim to eating disorders, while others have exchanged childhood innocence for an Adult view of what is sexy. When girls are disheartened over their inability to look like some media idol or doll, then it is time to pay attention and ask why. Psychologist Levine and Kilbourne, emphasize a need to stay more connected, and finding out why children feel they have to compete with the images of people they see in the media (So Sexy So Soon 27). The idea of looking sexy may be fine for adults, but the notion of sexy little girls is somehow disturbing. TV is setting the agenda and succeeding as it paints the perfect girl, as tall, skinny, tan, pretty, and rich. TV commercials sell sexy because sexy sells, and is now targeting younger audiences. A preteen viewing a Bratz Dolls commercial will be prompted to visit their web site, where she will be greeted with attractive dolls dressed in sexy outfits. The dolls portray an image of teenage girls with large attractive eyes, lush glossy lips, and dressed in the latest fashion. Psychologists Lamb and Brown make the following observation â€Å"Dressing for fashion a’la Barbie or Lil’ Bratz dolls and dressing for physical ... ...ldren is the objective. All commerce works on supply and demand if consumers continue to buy into selling sexy to kids, then these negative outcomes will continue. Works Cited Crow, Scott J. et al. "Increased mortality in bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders." American Journal of Psychiatry. 166. 12. (2009): 1342+. General OneFile. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. Hibberd, James "Tuned-in kids get turned on earlier; study links adult-aimed TV to sex at younger age." Hollywood Reporter 409.35 (2009): 6+. General OneFile. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. Lamb, Sharon, Lyn Mikel Brown. Packaging Girlhood. â€Å"Rescuing Our Daughters From Marketers’ Schemes.† New York. St Martin’s Press, 2006: 303. Print. Levine, Diane E, Jean Kilbourne. So Sexy So Soon. Ballantine Books, 2009: 209. Print. "Did You Know That?" Skipping Stones. May-Aug. 2009: 29. General OneFile. Web. 4 Nov. 2010.

The Psychology of Inspiration in Prose Poems by Lynn Emanuel Essay

Portraits in Pain: The Psychology of Inspiration in Prose Poems by Lynn Emanuel Reconstructing notions such as potentiality and inspiration, Emanuel’s prose poems, whose thematic range spans from involvement with the paintings of her renowned father Akiba Emanuel (a model and ‘pupil’ of Matisse) to the ‘portraits’ of Gertrude Stein, illuminate the interrelationship between language and world, and the psychology of inhabiting both through inspiration. This paper will address the question of what fuels creativity when it is put to work through the involvement of other voices which are represented (in Emanuel’s case) as suffering from having their genius interrupted either by death, by lack of recognition, or by amnesia. In all Emanuel’s three collections of poems, and a couple of other chap books, inspiration plays an important role, yet Emanuel is not interested in inspiration in the traditional sense to mean divine connection with a higher power or a muse, and romantic transcendence. Inspiration for Emanuel is always triggered by an attempt at understanding what pain is. The pain of creation and composition, and the pain of reading and writing promote two different types of understanding: first, that there is something to create out of nothing, and second, that ‘nothing’ is always a beginning. Inspiration for Emanuel is therefore the beginning of nothing. But how does one begin nothing, a created nothing, that is, a nothing which can be rendered and read and which can explain both the pain of understanding such relations and the inspiration that befalls them? One of Emanuel’s answers seems to be given through her use of amnesia. It is through the theme of forgetfulness that a connection between the writer an... ... . Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1999 Lethem, Jonathan, ed. â€Å"Introduction†. The Vintage Book of Amnesia: an anthology of Writing on the Subject of Memory Loss. New York: Vintage Books, 2000 Suà ¡rez Araà ºz, Nicomedes. â€Å"The Amnesis Manifesto†, 1984 [http://www.- smith.edu/calc/amnesia/manifesto.html] Zawinski, Andrena. â€Å"Poetry in Review†. In Posse Review. Osiduy. Issue 9. Vol. 1, year undisclosed [http://webdelsol.com/InPosse/zawinski9.htm] 9 1 Joyce 1992, 854 2 Domangue 1997, no pagination 3 Berman 1993, no pagination 4 Emanuel 1995, 42 5 Suà ¡rez-Araà ºz, 1984, no pagination 6 Joyce 1992, 854 7 Emanuel 1995, 57 8 Emanuel 1999, 7 9 Zawinski, no year; no pagination 10 Emanuel 1999, 27 11 Emanuel 1999, 28 12 Clark 1997, 10 13 Clark 1997, 119 14 Emanuel 1999, 29 15 Emanuel 1999, 30 16 Emanuel 1999, 34 17 Emanuel 1999, 34 18 Lethem 2000, xv

Figurative Language Essay

Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language. Figurative language is the use of language to describe something by comparing it to something else. It serves many linguistic purposes. It allows people to express abstract thoughts. It creates tone and communicates emotional content. The ability to use figurative language in writing can make a poem or story more enjoyable for the reader. Figurative language is taking words beyond their literal meaning and can come in many different forms, all to create a vivid picture of the written word. There are many ways to incorporate figurative language into writing, some of which come as naturally as speaking. A Simile uses the words â€Å"like† or â€Å"as† to compare one object or idea with another to suggest they are alike, such as â€Å"busy as a bee†. In Hart Crane’s, â€Å"My Grandmother’s Love Letters† he uses the simile â€Å"â€Å"liable to melt as snow† to describe the fragility of the letters that have been hidden away in the rafters. This use of figurative language helps the reader to visualize paper that may not be able to withstand someone touching it, but could also be used to convey the fact that not only is the paper old and fragile, but so is his grandmother. In writing, a simile would say you are â€Å"like something† whereas a metaphor would say â€Å"you are something†. A metaphor states a fact or draws a verbal picture by the use of comparison without using the words â€Å"like† or â€Å"as†. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, Robert Frost uses a walk in the woods as a metaphor for making a decision in life, a situation that readers can easily identify with, therefore making it easier to imagine what they are reading. An implied metaphor is a metaphor that compares two things without being obvious. â€Å"There are no stars tonight, But those of memory† from Hart Crane’s, â€Å"My Grandmother’s Love Letters† is a good example of an implied metaphor. Personification is a figure of speech in which human characteristics are given to an animal or an object and sometimes are difficult to catch in a poem if you are not paying attention as in Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, where he uses the description of† the road wanting wear†. In the line â€Å"Loose girdle of soft rain†, from â€Å"My Grandmother’s Love Letters†, the rain is compared to a loose belt, which is a clear example of Personification and much easier to understand. Creating imagery for the reader helps to entertain, provoke thought or help the reader escape to another reality. Sometimes it can even be silly such as the repetition of the same initial letter, sound, or group of sounds in a series of words. This usage of figurative language is called Alliteration and includes tongue twisters such as â€Å"She sells seashells by the seashore†. Many writers will use words that describe or imitate a natural sound or the sound made by an object to create imagery within the writing. This is called Onomatopoeia, and although it is a big word that is hard to pronounce, it is the use of small words such as snap, crackle, pop, buzz and creaked that help bring a story or poem to life. Another form of imagery that is used quite often is Hyperbole. This is the use of statements that are so dramatic and exaggerated that a person would not believe the statement is true. â€Å"I was so hungry that not only did I eat my dinner, I ate the plate and silverware too. † A synecdoche is a form of imagery that substitutes a whole object with one aspect of that object. It may also be used to replace a specific object with something more generalized. In â€Å"My Last Duchess†, Robert Browning uses this form of figurative language when he admits to having his Duchess murdered. Instead of saying he killed her, he makes the statement that â€Å"all of her smiles have stopped†. Figurative language is important when writing poetry, but how the poem is structured and what the theme of the poem is can also add or detract from the imagery the writer is trying to create. Robert Browning’s â€Å"My Last Duchess† is a dramatic monologue pretending to be a conversation, written in iambic pentameter, divided up in pairs of rhymes known as Rhyme Couplets, and with lines that do not employ end-stops. Instead, the writer uses enjambment, which is when of one line of verse carries over to the next line without a pause such as: â€Å"Her husband’s presence only, called that spot Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek: perhaps†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My personal opinion is that the use of enjambment makes it difficult for the reader to understand the ideas and imagery the writer is trying to convey. The theme of this poem is of arrogance, selfishness and jealousy and is lacking any wonderful imagery that could pull the reader in. This is an example of how a structure and theme can make or break the poem. I did not enjoy this poem due to how difficult it was to read, understand and envision. Another part of the structure that sets a poem apart from others is whether there is a rhyming pattern to it or if it doesn’t have a pattern at all. â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a lyric poem with four stanzas of five lines each. A lyric poem is one that presents the feelings and emotions of the poet rather than telling a story such as the poem â€Å"My Last Duchess†. The structure of â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a straight forward series of five line stanzas. Each stanza presents us with a single idea. The first sets up the metaphor which is then extended through the rest of the poem. I have found that I enjoy this structure and rhyming pattern making â€Å"The Road Not Taken† my favorite poem of the three that I read and chose to write about. Everyone is different in their ability to understand the written word, with some people needing things simple and full of imagery that brings the poem to life. Other people prefer a more complex poem that is not filled with fanciful images, but makes them think and analyze what they are reading. No matter what your choice of structure, figurative language or imagery is, they are all necessary to create an interesting piece of written work. Due to people and thought processes being unique to each reader, this explains why there are so many different types of poems that evoke different emotions.