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Wedding Speech Laura Koller s Wedding - 1591 Words

Spring Wedding In my senior project, Laura Koller’s wedding meant so much for me to be able to be a part of putting my creativity into her wedding. I want Laura to have the best wedding with the most amazing flowers she choose and to not worry about having the flowers not being the way she wants them to be. When Laura’s wedding caught my attention, I felt honor to be able to be part in the next step in someone’s lifetime. In this project, I’ll talk about the history of weddings, the flowers that were used, the creation and the packing up. The flowers or herbs were used in historical weddings since the beginning of time to show a way of love and well wishes to everyone. The first use of wedding flowers were the ancient Greeks. The flowers or plants were used to make a crown for the bride to wear and was a gift of nature. The bridesmaids would have floral decorations which were garlands, bridal bouquets and boutonnieres. Mostly the bridesmaids were to make a poesies, to make, for each guest to wear as a symbol of saying thanks. Over time, the flowers and their meanings stayed the same but the herbs lost their place in modern North American weddings. Some of the cultures and religions have intertwine herbs with flowers to celebrate the marriage with a gift of nature. Leading up to and during the Middle Ages, weddings were considered as a family and community affairs. The only main thing about a wedding was for both partners to state a consent to take one of them as a spouse.

Art Teacher Free Essays

Art is for anybody. I want to be an art teacher because I believe that I can influence children to create their own piece of amazing art work. I want to be an art teacher because I enjoy learning new things and sharing what I know with others. We will write a custom essay sample on Art Teacher or any similar topic only for you Order Now Being a very creative person I can create beautiful art. As a teacher I would love to be involved in challenging and inspiring new ideas in children, making them aware of their own thoughts or feelings. This could be done particularly in art by using different materials; for example, making pictures with tissue paper, molding clay and giving children the freedom over what they would produce. Children can express their emotions and feelings through their art and through it the viewer can see what the child is thinking or feeling. The great thing about art is that it is visual so a student could produce a piece of work that is personal to them. When I become a teacher I will be focusing on my teaching skills and knowledge and inspiring interest and creativity to others. Most importantly, I will get to make a positive impact in the children’s lives every day. I am fascinated by the way teachers help make a positive impact in the lives of children and can help them in both an educational way and in a talented way. I want to be an art teacher because I know I will love my job and because art can be very creative for the children. I want to make an impact in the life of the children. I want to be able to see the impact be put forth. For example to teach a child to draw a picture with pencils, crayons, and other types of media and to see them master drawing a picture and seeing what they create is amazing. I want to be a teacher too not only because I like working with kids, but I want to share and pass on my knowledge to them. I want to help children understand and learn new ways of creating art. There were a lot of things that I struggled with in school when I was younger and I remember my teachers would have to explain things to me many times in so many different ways; because of this, I can understand the problems the students are having with their work and relate to them by giving them the same solutions that worked for me expressing my feelings through art. Basically, I want to give back and pass on my knowledge about art to the children. I believe I can make learning enjoyable, productive and worthwhile for my students. My teaching would be fun, exciting and artistic so it has a positive effect on every child and would hopefully provide them with lots of possibilities for the future! These are the reasons why I want to be an art teacher. How to cite Art Teacher, Papers

Macbeth- Character Connection free essay sample

William Shakespere:MacBeth- Character Connection (feelings) The feeling toward Macbeth and reaction to the end of the play differ amongst readers. Although everyone perceives the horrifying tone that ends the play, the feeling of sympathy for Macbeth is also present. Sympathy might be expressed toward Macbeth because of the fact that something or someone else caused the beginning of his downfall. The witches and Lady Macbeth are to blame for this. Relating to Macbeths character and understanding how he feels and acts is a crucial aspect in understanding the play fully. Shakespeares method of letting the readers react and connect to Macbeths character is one of the many concepts that makes Shakespeare such a great author, and makes Macbeth such a remarkable play. Macbeths complete self-destruction originated with his encounter with the witches. In the beginning of the play, he is a soldier with good intentions and no aspiration for harm. We will write a custom essay sample on Macbeth- Character Connection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At this point, Macbeth has not yet been influenced by the witches and the ambition they provoked. As soon as he meets the witches his demise begins. Being truly interested in the witches predictions, Macbeth quickly rises in power and begins to neglect his conscience. The witches seem to have total control over his mind and his behavior. They trigger Macbeths destructive actions, which ultimately become his habit to kill. Macbeths wrongdoing did not originate in his mind and soul, but rather resulted from him being a victim of circumstance and misfortune, and therefore, he deserves sympathy. Lady Macbeths aggressive and ambitious nature is another key influence on Macbeths behavior. Lady Macbeth challenges her husbands manhood by taunting him and forcing him to kill Duncan. Since he fulfilled her order, he started losing his integrity and relying less on his conscience. It is easier to have sympathy for a person who is not entirely to blame for his actions. In Macbeths case, his wife was at least partly responsible for his demise. As a reader of Macbeth, I can indirectly relate to Macbeths character. I recognize that it is possible to be influenced by someone into acting immoral. Under the affect of peer pressure, for instance, a person can act irresponsibly causing harm. Although we cannot justify the wrongdoing of a person, we feel sympathy for him or her, realizing that their decisions were not created solely by their mind, but rather resulted from other multiple factors. Macbeth is at the mercy of the witches and Lady Macbeth and therefore not entirely responsible for all his actions. Despite his wrongful actions, Macbeth does not exemplify pure evil. Thus, sympathy toward him is not uncommon. His being weak and imperfect gives us the ability to relate to him as a human being. -a1b2c3ff

Myne Own Ground free essay sample

The 17th century was an important time period as the New World continued to develop into a society run by English settlers. The book, Myne Owne Ground, by Timothy Breen, focuses on the colonial history of the 1600’s. However, what is discussed in the book does not detail what was accomplished in this time period. Rather, Breen pinpoints the classes of people such as slaves, indentured servants, and free blacks; how they came to become part of those groups and when racism first started. For decades, not all blacks were slaves and servants. Some blacks were free men in the New World. That would only become a short memory, though, as the idea of being non-white turned into the biggest embarrassment in American history; slavery. Historians make everything interesting. One would think that racism started when the first black people came to Virginia. And from then on, all English setters in the New World automatically loathed blacks because they were ‘different. We will write a custom essay sample on Myne Own Ground or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ’ But of course, a historian comes in and makes us all look dumb. Myne Owne Ground particularly focuses on one free black man named Anthony Johnson, also known when he came to America as ‘Antonio a negro.’ His story reshaped what historians originally thought about early colonial history. Anthony arrived in Virginia in 1621 and was stationed to work in the Bennett plantation to work in the tobacco fields as a slave. After a year of this new life, the Indians (you know, the people who are still mad about this whole colonial settlement going on) decided to attack and kill over 350 colonists, 52 of those people being part of the Bennett plantation. Anthony was one of the rare survivors. Breen notes that from 1625-1650, Anthony’s life becomes somewhat of a mystery because of lost or unrecorded events. Historians do not know how he became Anthony Johnson (back then, blacks were not even given surnames). However, the puzzle of those missing 25 years can start to be solved in 1625 when Anthony met his future wife and bearer of 4 children, Mary. It is unknown when this new family moved to Northampton, Virginia, but what is known (and respected) was the amount of hard work Anthony and his family put into being successful. Hard work in the fields led to the growth and production of tobacco, a very popular crop in the colonial time period. Throughout the next couple decades, Anthony gained the respect of all of Northampton, including his neighbors and even the court system. He took advantage of being a free man. In a new world where the death rate was at an unprecedented number due to illnesses, diseases, starvation, changing climates, and Indian attacks, Anthony not only survived the fun game of life in the 17th century, but he also put his family in a position to be successful in a white man’s world. Because Anthony was successful, free, and respected by his peers, it is believed that racism didn’t start immediately, but gradually grew over time. To support my point, it is important to note the 1640 act regarding the gun law different people were restricted to. The act stated and urged masters of families to do right with their weapons and distribute it for the betterment of their families, with the exception of negros. The act did not say that a free man like Anthony had to give up his weapons. This tells us that in 1640, nearly 20 years after Anthony’s arrival, racism hadn’t hit its peak in Virginia. The act was more about the taxation of weapons; however, this law did discriminate against some blacks, (servants and slaves) a starting point for what was to come. Servants were white or black people from different countries that came to the New World seeking for new beginnings. Being tricked and brainwashed that the New World was all peaches and cream, the servants were bought by masters and had to serve for 5-7 years before they could be free individuals. Slaves, on the other hand, had minimal chance for light at the end of the tunnel. Both at the time, however, were not characterized as people, rather property. More historical studies show that 1640 marked a turning point year for the unfair treatment of blacks. Two white servants and one black servant attempted to flee, but failed. The white servants received 30 lashes and years of extra service. The black servant received 30 lashes and was ordered to serve the rest of his life, ultimately becoming a slave. Breen emphasizes multiple more instances like the example above of black mistreatment ranging all the way to the 1670’s. Free blacks were still there until the early 1980’s, after Bacon’s Rebellion. It is a mystery to historians, but free black families no longer appeared in the records. One idea is that there were black slaves coming into America by the thousands and because of this, whites were being overwhelmed with the ratio between races. Therefore, whites stripped blacks of any power that they had. Another speculation was that blacks, coming from different cultures, didn’t understand the technological advantage in the growing New World, and eventually hit extreme poverty and did not survive. No matter what the cause, 1688 marked the year free blacks were taxed as slaves. A 1699 act told newly freed blacks to leave the colony within 6 months time. And finally, in 1723, it wasn’t only the colony the free blacks had to flee from; it was the country. Out casting and slavery to all blacks was the end result by the early 18th Century, nearly 100 years from the time Anthony Johnson first came. Northampton’s free blacks did not survive. Their surprisingly dramatic rise in the New World did not continue for the generations they expected. By the time 1723 rolled around, everything they accomplished was only a memory. For the average black person, what was once a hopeful dream turned into a haunting reality.

Rachel Carson Opinion essays

Rachel Carson Opinion essays There is no point in beating around the bush, explaining how the movie was laid out, her background, or what her objectives were. Rachel Carson was nothing short of a modern day super woman. Not unlike super heroes we read about in comic books, the things she went through for other people and creatures was phenomenal. There aren't a whole lot of people who can truly say they dedicated their life to the well being of others, and I'm not only talking about humans. If anything, we were her last concern. With proper knowledge and testing, we would have known better than to use those pesticides in such an abundant manner. Granted, pesticides seemed insects, but people had to have been noticing the affects these dangerous chemicals were having on the wildlife and people most commonly exposed. Man truly stepped on his own foot in this episode. It must have been so lonely for her to be, what must have felt like, the only person in the world who knew what was really going on. Rachel Carson seemed to be a most remarkable woman. She fought through the slander, the barriers of school, and the governments twisted way of getting things done. She exposed pesticides for what they truly were and for that I know I am grateful. We assume that if a major company or our government is doing something odd, that it is with good reason or at least its been tested. This goes to show us that even our government is only made up of man. Man, who doesn't necessarily know everything. Rachel Carson Video Regarding Pesticides. 1994 ...

Areas Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Areas - Research Paper Example Therefore, the total number of square units in the rectangle will be ‘b times h’, which is the area of the rectangle. Thus, the area of a reachable is given by: The line DC is extended to point F. The line AE is perpendicular on the line DC and the line BF is perpendicular on the line DF. The shape (triangle) represented by enclosures ADE and BCF are same (congruent triangles). Therefore, if we cut part ADE from the parallelogram from left and place this to the right on part BCF, than the enclosure ABFE will be a rectangle with base b and height h. Therefore, the area of the parallelogram ABCD will be equal to the area of the rectangle ABFE that is given by: The line DA is parallel to line BC and the line DB is parallel to the line AC. The enclosure DACB represents a parallelogram with base b and height h. The line AB divides the parallelogram DACB into two congruent triangles. Therefore, the area of the triangle ABC will be half the area of the parallelogram DACB, which is given by: Figure 5 shows a trapezoid (enclosure EFGH) with bases b1 and b2, and height h. This trapezoid can be separated in two triangles, triangle FGH and triangle FEH. Thus, the area of the trapezoid will be sum of these two triangles. The triangle FGH with base b1 and height h. and the triangle FEH with base b2 and height h. The circumference C of a circle is equal to its diameter d times π, or 2 times its radius r times π. Finding the area of a circle is related to finding the area of a parallelogram. A circle can be separated into congruent wedge-like pieces, as shown in figure 6 (left). These wedge-like pieces can be arranged to form a figure similar to a parallelogram as shown in figure 6 (right). Thus, the circle has an area that is relatively close to the area of the parallelogram-shaped figure. Therefore, we can use the formula for the area of a parallelogram to find the area of a circle. In

General Douglas MacArthur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

General Douglas MacArthur - Essay Example General MacArthur was supposedly larger-than-life, outspoken, talented and egoistic, and he often courted controversy. (History). One of his trademarks was the corncob pipe he smoked, which was custom made by ‘The Missouri Meerschaum Company’, which continues to manufacture the pipes in his honor. He graduated from the US Military Academy at the top of his class in 1903. (Biography). He was the intense American military pioneer who saved the Pacific, yet Freda Bender says General Douglas Macarthur had an astounding delicate side outside the war room. (Cardy). After Graduating at the top of his class in 1903, he was positioned in the Philippines and around the United States, served as a helper to his father in the Far East and partook in the American the occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, in 1914. After the United States entered World War I in 1917, Macarthur helped lead the 42nd "Rainbow" Division in France and was elevated to brigadier general. (History). From 1919 to 1922 Douglas Macarthur served as the superintendent of West Point and founded a mixed bag of changes expected to modernize the school. In 1922 he went on to marry socialite Louise Cromwell Brooks (1890-1965). The two separated in 1929, and in 1937 Macarthur wedded Jean Faircloth (1898-2000), who soon attacked the Philippines with whom he had one kid, Arthur Macarthur IV, the accompanying year. In 1930 President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) named Macarthur head of staff of the Army, with the rank of general.

Health Care Delivery System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Delivery System - Essay Example What I find most compelling about this website is that it also provides information on Health Professions and Clinician Recruitment & Services. The mission statement under the icon Health Profession states  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Increase the populations access to health care by providing national leadership in the development, distribution and retention of a diverse, culturally competent health workforce that can adapt to the populations changing health care needs and provide the highest quality of care for all† This statement along with other provided information (such as Grants, Student Assistance Program, information on Health Professional Shortage Areas) leads me to conclude that the site also aims to attract people to enter the health care industry. There are many web sites on the internet that provide information, and the purpose of this web site is no different. What makes this web site different and more superior, and therefore, of more value to the information-seeking public is the way that the information on the site is structured and presented. The information that is most sought out after is presented clearly on the home page, making it easily accessible for anyone who seeks information ranging from health care systems to grants and other programs. The latest information concerning the US health care system, as well as the location of individual health care centers, are also easily accessible, and even though I agree with my colleague’s analysis, I must state that what I find most compelling for this web site is designed by the HRSA to represent a vital link of its goal to provide better access to health care for the population, in the modern age of technology, utilizing its maximum capacity. The FDA regulates all advertising, promotional and labeling materials as part of their effort to protect the health of the public. There are many guidelines that provide the Biotech and

Strategic Human Resource Management

Strategic Human Resource Management INTRODUCTION: Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a subject that is in continues phase of transition, from its first emergence in the mid-1980s. In past two decades many authors, theorists and consultants suggested variety of theories and models which can be practically applied in the organization to manage people more effectively. However, according to Legge (1995) and Grantton et al (1999) cited by (Michael Armstrong 2004: 1) there is often a gap between rhetoric of SHRM and reality. Therefore, the main emphasis of this assignment is on the practical execution of these theories and models with the particular reference to Telenor Pakistan (Subsidiary of Telenor ASA, Norway). For the better understanding of the Strategic HRM it is essential to know the basic concept of HRM: it can be defined as strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valuable assets the people working there who collectively and individually contributes to the achievement of its objectives. (Armstrong and Baron 2003: 3). Development of SHRM: In the last 15 years SHRM has grown considerably. According to Schuler et al. (2001) the development of SHRM is two phased transformation: from personnel management to traditional human resource management (THRM), and then from THRM to SHRM. To survive in the cut-throat competition, organization HR must focus on a new set of priorities, which are more business and strategic oriented such as flexible workforces, quality improvement, team-based job designs, employee empowerment and incentive compensation. Definition of SHRM: Strategy is derived from the Greek word strategia, which means Generalship. The term strategic has been borrowed from the military and modified for the use in business. In business, as in the military, strategy bridges the gap between policy and tactics. Together, strategy and tactics bridge the gap between ends and means. (http://home.att.net/~nickols/strategy_definition.htm) In spite of high focus paid by different scholars the term SHRM still remains unclear. Some theorists have suggested SHRM as an outcome, others have suggested it as a process, and other scholars have recommended it as a combination of both: outcome and process. As an outcome, (Wright and McMahan 1992) cited by (Armstrong 2004: 41) defined SHRM as the pattern of planned HR deployments and activities intended to enable a firm to achieve its goals. Likewise, (Snell et al 1996: 62) described SHRM to be organizational systems designed to achieve sustainable competitive advantages through people. As a process, (Ulrich and Lake 1991) defined SHRM a process of linking HR practices to business strategy. Furthermore, (Bamberger and Meshoulam 2000) suggest that SHRM is a competency-based approach to personnel management that focuses on the development of durable, imperfectly imitable, and non-tradable people resources. Cited by (Chang and Huang 2005: 436) Truss and Gratton (1994) Considered SHRM both: process and outcome, and defined SHRM as the linkage of HR functions with strategic goals and organizational objectives to improve business performance and cultivate an organizational culture that fosters innovation and flexibility. Cited by (Chang and Huang 2005: 436) Michael Armstrong ultimately defines strategic HRM as an approach to making decisions on the intentions and plans of the organisation in the shape of the policies, programmes and practices concerning the employment relationship, resourcing, learning and development, performance management, reward and employee relations. (Armstrong, 2006: 115). In the absence of a common definition, broadly theorists and Authors have been reached to an agreement on its basic function of SHRM, which encompasses designing and implementing a set of internally consistent policies and practices that ensure the human capital of a firm contributes to the achievement of its business objectives (Schuler MacMillan 1984, Baird Meshoulam 1988, Jackson Schuler 1995) cited by (Wei, L. 2006: 49). APPLICATION OF MODELS AND THEORIES: The chosen organisation is Telenor Pakistan (100% owned subsidiary of Telenor ASA, Norway). The Human Resource department is known as Human Capital Division at Telenor; Company regards employees as human capital from which a return can be attained by investing prudently in their development. This concept of managing people is also supported by authors like Fomburn at el 1984 and Guest 1999 cited by (Armstrong 2004: 7) Background of Telenor Pakistan: Telenor Pakistan is one of the leading mobile networks in the country, 100% owned by Telenor ASA-(Norway) and adds on to its operations in Asia together with Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Telenor launched its operations in March 2005 headed by the CEO Tore Johnson as the single largest direct European investment in Pakistan. Telenor spread across Pakistan, creating 2,200 direct and 20,000-plus indirect employment opportunities. (www.telenor.com.pk) Key facts about Telenor-ASA Group: Employs more than 34,000 people worldwide. Ranked as 7th largest mobile operators in the world. Ranked 5th in Business Weeks 2007 global ranking of the top 100 performers in the technology industry, beating Microsoft, Apple and Nokia Recorded revenues of NOK 91.1 billion (USD 15.9 billion) at the end of 2006 a 37% increase compared to 2005 (www.telenor.com) Telenor PK has been consistently profitable with highest customer satisfaction. This success is reflected in the Revenues increased by 31% and estimated market share increased by 4%. In the year 2007 Telenor has won many prestigious awards like PSHRM (Pakistan Society of Human Resources Management) Preferred Graduate Employer Award 2007, the best brand award, and the most Innovative Mobile Operator at the 6th SAARC Communication Industry Conference 2007, The above landmarks are the true reflection of motivated and well developed human recourse. This can be associated with the dedication and professional excellence of Telenor employees towards the ultimate goal customer delight! (www.telenor.com.pk) Practical Application of Valuing HR: To get the insight of how Telenor Pakistan practices Strategic HRM, first it would be appropriate to know the meaning of SHRM. In 1986 Hendry and Pettigrew suggested that strategic HRM has four meanings: The use of planning; A coherent approach to the design and management of personnel systems based on an employee policy and manpower strategy with underlying philosophy; Matching HRM activities and policies to some explicit business strategy; and Seeing the employees as a strategic resource for the achievement of competitive advantage (Cited by Armstrong, 2006: 114). As the test of fire can only produce the fine steel the application of Hendry and Pettigrew can be reflected by the real example when implementation of planning, good management of human resource brought the Telenor back on track: right after the cartoon controversy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Jan-06, things got worse for Telenor Pakistan. This incident caused outrage in the Islamic world resulting in consumer boycott for weeks, numerous demonstrations and other protests. In Pakistan due to the western image of Telenor, it became one of the earliest victims of this incidence, resulting drastic slump in sales, and complete abandon of all marketing campaigns. The situation was so critical that Telenor has to make some important decisions as the company had to announce annual salary increments and yearly bonus due after the performance appraisal of past year. Due to the heavy losses and limited funds, it was tough for thee management to pay out the annual bonus to staff. However, analysing the situation closely company decided to pay it out, since it was the right of employee who worked hard in past year. This action of Telenor really standout as other companies has decided otherwise. This made the employee more faithful and loyal towards the company. Furthermore, company was in big dilemma to go for downsizing or not. Lay off would be the common way for other but Telenor decided to retain all the employees; this was even against the employees expectation, as most of the sales people has nothing to do at that time. Yet again to encourage the employees moral and develop their faith in the organization took this bold step. These practical examples can be seen as true picture of how Human capital division regard the people as the most valuable assets for the organisation. Creating Conducive Environment: McGregor in 1960 at the MIT Sloan School of Management came up with two sets of assumptions about human nature (see the Table below). McGregor called these two contrary sets Theory X and Theory Y: with the assumptions underlying that people at work are negative for theory X and people at work are positive and progressive for theory Y. Table of Assumptions Theory X and Theory Y Outdated (Theory X) Modern ( Theory y) Assumptions about people are: Assumptions about people at work: Most people dislike work; they do avoid it when they can. Work is natural activity, like play or rest. Most people must be coerced and threatened with punishment before they will work. People require close direction when they are working. People are capable of self-direction and self-control if they are committed to objectives. Most people actually prefer to be directed. They tend to avoid responsibility and exhibit little ambition. They are interested only in security. People generally become committed to organisational objectives if they are rewarded for doing so. The typical employee can learn to accept and seek responsibility. The typical member of the general population has imagination, ingenuity and creativity . Source: http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/mcgregor/ Being one of the modern organizations Telenor PK human capital division operates with the norms of theory Y. In one of the interviews, CEO Telenor Pakistan Tore Johnsen said: At Telenor Pakistan our philosophy is to unlock the hidden human potential by building expertise and by providing an energizing environment. Telenor is a young organization with an average employee age of 27 years which means that we are interested in finding young talent and equipping it with the competencies that the fastest growing network requires in one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world. (http://www.telenor.com.pk/pressCenter/pressrelease.php?release=97lang=en) Telenor HR managers always put high emphasis on incessant customer-centred and employee-driven expansion; such kind of encouraging atmosphere makes employees more confident and allowed them to work freely, whereby they can take their own initiatives to set future direction for the organization which attains competitive advantage. Benefiting Employees to Create Competitive Edge: SRHM is developed in three important phases. All of them hold vital importance to understand the subject and these three phases were: the human relations movement, the total quality management movement, and the contingency approach to management. Theories forwarded by Elton Mayo, Douglas McGregor and Mary Parker Follett were most influential in the human relations movement. Mayo suggested managers to look deep into the emotional side of the employees. On the other hand Follett argued that managers should inspire and stimulate job performance instead of simply demanding it. She also emphasised on quality circles employee empowerment. (http://books.google.com/books?id=AiIPAAAACAAJdq=Mary+Parker+Follettei=2U0qSMj6GJXEyQTUyYmnCg) These viewpoints instigate new way of thinking about human nature behaviour. HR managers in Telenor Pakistan hold tight to these views by providing flexible working environment to staff and hiring only those employees who can understand the companys strategy. Staffs are benefited by profit sharing and incentive schemes which can keep them focused to work more efficiently. Taking the high care of emotional side of employees, one of the benefits that company provides is the free medical treatment policy which is exactly the same for all the staff e.g. from president to junior officer all are entitled for same health benefits. Talking to the local press Nayab Baig (VP HCD) said: we believe in continuous improvement of employees and taking the standards of service to the utmost levels of excellence. (www.telenor.com.pk) Management skills: According to (Kreitner and Kinicki 2004: 6) there are 11 skills exhibited by effective managers, as shown below: In Telenor above mentioned skills are often displayed by the HR managers to deal with the employees in order to induce high performance and employee morale. Moreover these skills also play a vital role in building the climate of trust and motivation among the team members. Lower turnover rate from all the departments of the company as compared with other telecom operators and consistency with higher employees satisfaction, are the factors that exhibit the high involvement and administrative expertise of HR managers in Telenor. To set every staff member in the same direction Human capital Division uses the technique known as Hochin which means compass to check the direction. To enhance the communication level Telenor operates Open environment in offices, whereby there are no cabin for senior staff and every employee from president to junior officer need to work on the same floor. This also inculcates fun and informal culture in the company. With the help of clear communication managers make sure that companys vision and mission, as well as job description are clear to the employees. To provide the feedback on employees performance there is automated IT-system known as TDP (Telenor Development process). This helps company to use performance relationships that can achieve the purpose SHRM to create competitive advantage. Employee Motivation: Terence Mitchell in 1972 proposed a model that provides the basis for how motivation among staffs influences job behaviours and performance. Following is the model which combines the elements from different motivational theories to explain the relationship between motivation and job performance. As mentioned in the below diagram, employees bring set of unique characteristics to the work place, such as their ability, emotions, moods, job knowledge, traits and values, these individual set of skills are then enhanced by the motivational process and transformed into the job performance. Individual inputs Ability, job knowledge Dispositions and traits Emotions, moods, and affect beliefs n value Skills Motivated behaviour Focus: direction, what we do. Intensity: effort, how hard we try Quality: task strategies, the way we do it. Duration: persistence, how long we stick to it. Performance Motivational Process Arousal Attention Intensity and Direction persistence Job context Physical environment Task design Rewards and reinforcement Supervisory support ancoaching Social norms and organisation culture Enable, limit Source: TR Mitchell, Matching Motivational Strategies with Organisational Contexts, in Research in Organisational Behaviour, Vol19, ends LL Cummings and BM Staw (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1997) P 63. To motivate the employees at all levels Telenor offers competitive pay, excellent benefits and exceptional advancement opportunities. With the caring atmosphere Telenor provides relaxed and enriching working environment. Furthermore, training and further education programs ensure a high professional standard amongst all staffs. Such motivational tools create bunch of talented and loyal workforce which plays a crucial role in the organizations ongoing business success. Moreover, to get the 100% commitment from the employees Telenor uses following management criteria for all managers for annual evaluations. They are; (a) Passion for business (b) Change and constant renewal (c) Operational excellence (d) Empower people (e) Integrity. Source: http://www.telenor.com.pk/careers/whyTelenor.php Task 2: Role of the HR Function: According to (Armstrong 2003: 38) The role of HR function is to enable the organization to achieve its objectives by taking initiatives and providing guidance and support on all matters relating to its employees. Moving one step further Michael Armstrong emphases on basic aim of HR function which is to deal effectively with everything concerning the employment and development of people and the relationship that exist between management and workforce. As the personnel standards (Lead Body 1993) cited by (Armstrong 2003: 39) suggested that Personnel management is exercised as a part of full management process and cannot be viewed in isolation. Although a support activity it must be proactive. It must promote business solutions that take advantage of opportunities stemming from business issues just as it must find solutions to apparent constraints. Activities of HR functions: According to (Mithis and jackson 2006: 6) the HR function becoming transactional as organizations compete globally. Furthermore they have suggested seven key HR activities which ideally the every FR function should perform in the organization, those activities are as follows: Strategic HR management Equal employment opportunity Staffing HR development Compensation benefits Health, safety and security Employee and labour relations By combining the HRM function with business strategy, SHRM creates more efficient and effective arrangement and utilization of human resources to attain the organizational goals, and which helps organization to gain a competitive advantage. Telenor Pakistan has developed strong relationships among teams, which helps in creating high levels of coordination and therefore instigating high levels of quality and performance efficacy. This is only possible because of HR function is performing the required tasks within the organization. All the HR activities mentioned above are critical for the success of Telenor and theses activities are often displayed by the Telenor leadership at the top and the frontline managers, to create an environment in which employees can achieve the level of excellence, by not only performing their jobs effectively but also developing their skills and capabilities to the ever changing demands of contemporary organization. The main focus of SHRM is to develop the firms capability in order to deal with changes in an external environment through a better utilization of human resources. Telenor Pakistan has embedded this strategy in their core business, so the company can respond quickly to external changes. HR Function Models: There have been many attempts to categorize the work of the HR function in order to analyze its verity, diversity and complexity. One of the oldest and perhaps one of the best models was proposed by Karen Legge in 1978 cited by (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005: 131). In 1986 Tyson and Fell came up with their own building Site analogy in which they have identified three roles for the personal function. However, Tyson and Fell (1986, p24) rejected the assumption that HR assumes great maturity as it develops along the continuum. Storey (1992) forwarded another model which was updated by Caldwell (2003). This model proposes fourfold map based on two dimensions: the degree to which HR is strategic or operational, and the extent to which it intervenes and has a high profile. (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005: 131-132) Author (date) Categories for the HR roles Reasons for differentiation Legge (1978) Conformist innovator Deviant innovator Problem-solver Relating the work of HR to the values and norms of the organisation Looks for new innovation often based on social values not economic ones Identifying and resolving problems Ways to gain power and influence Tyson Fell (1986) Clerk of the works Contracts manager Architect Predominately administrative serving the needs of line managers Often where systems and procedures and heavily formalised involving industrial relations Greater integration into corporate strategy HR planning and development are important Time-span for decision-making Degree of discretion Involvement of HR Story (1992) Caldwell (2003) Handmaiden Regulator Adviser Change-market Provide a service to meet the demands of the line managers Mainly concerned with managing problems and discontent Operate at strategic level, provide support for line-managers and work to help shape policies and practices Internal consultant leaving much of HR practice to line managers Level-strategic or tactical Degree of interventionism Ulrich (1998) Administrative support Employee champion Change agent Business partner Improving efficiency within function and organisation Improving contribution commitment and engagement of workforce Improving the organizations ability to transform and change Implementing and developing the strategic plans of the organisation Level, focus and time-frame Managing processes for people (Armstrong, 2006, pp. 76-81) Ulrich in 1998 pointed out that there is sort of disconfirmation between the activities that HR perform and the real work of organization. He believes that HR should not be defined by what it does but by what it delivers. Furthermore he proposed that HR can deliver excellence in for in four different ways: (a) Business partner (b) Administrative support (c) Employee champion (d) change agent. Ulrich model for the HR function: Source: (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005: 135) Application of Models: All of the above stated models hold great value in present world, but the model that fits the Telenor Pakistan HR function is combination of these; Proposed Paradigm: Deviant Innovator Architect Regulator Change agent Employee champion Deviant innovator: Here the HR looks for new innovation driven from social values rather than economic ones. Telenor Human Capital Division plays this role by providing equal opportunities to all employees and providing flexibility in working hours where the staffs is studying or doing some other courses. Empowerment is the key in this role of HR, in Telenor Pakistan line managers are encouraged to delegate authority to their lower level, where by encouraging junior staff to gain confidence and develop their capabilities to cope the future demands. Architect: According to Tyson and Fell this is the most sophisticated role of Hr function it is concerned with grand designs at a senior level and the integration of HR into the broader business plans. Telenor HR managers display the quality of architect by creating the right culture in the organization e.g. open environment to promote speedy work and higher level of communication. Secondly operating as business managers rather than personnel professionals, those can proactively work to analyse the present and future needs of employees. Regulator: Telenor HR work as regulator by managing and resolving departmental conflicts, for example, different incentive plans for Sales and Customer services department can create discontentment among the employees, such issues are regulated by HR to compensate the staff equally. Moreover, HR develops policies practices, and level of hierarchy at which decisions are taken. Change Agent: This role of HR seeks to develop new processes culture and providing new vision to the company. Human Capital Division in HR work as change agent in a manner that it develops the organizations ability to sustain the change forces and transform vision into reality. For instance the service centres operations timings were increased from 9:00am to 9:00 pm to cater the changing demand of customers. However, to facilitate employees company has provided conveyance allowance with higher rate of pay to keep the workforce motivated. Employee Champion: HR in Telenor performs this role by working as a representative of employees by conveying the concerns of the employees to the higher management. Furthermore, as suggested by Ulrich, HR department keep regard of things by which employees are kept motivated and will to work beyond contract when needed. For example in Telenor there is IT regulated system know as service desk, if any employee has any issue he/she can log that complaint on the system and HR will take care of that issue. Source: (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005, pp 132-135) Horizontal vertical Integration: HRM Align: Alignment of Human resources simply means integrating people management decisions with a core business strategy of the organization. By align or integrating human resources management into the organisations planning process develops and promotes strong relationship between HR and management. By this action of management it ensures that the management of human resources contributes towards the achievement of desired goals of company and for any shortcomings managers are held answerable for their HRM decisions. In contemporary organization like Telenor Pakistan, in routine the work requires high level of coordination and most of the work is interdependent among the employee groups. To facilitate high level of coordination and to generate quick response all the Telenor employees are trained for multitasking with very little job description, which clearly mentions one thing at the end: Working for Telenor is better than working for department. This kind of HR structure prevents its not my job attitude and the absence of rigid work roles develops strong partnerships between different departments and create efficacy. Why to align? Study of (Miles Snow 1984, Baird Meshoulam 1988, Wright McMahan 1992) related to SHRM put high emphasis on creating fit between HR practice and business strategy. Implementation and execution of effective HR policies and the design of a HR system align with the firms overall strategy, are vital for the successful implementation of business strategies which can gain competitive advantage.(Lengnick-Hall Lengnick-Hall 1988). HR alignment increases the firm capabilities to better serve and anticipate its customers needs, aggrandizes the organisations strength to implement strategic business goals, and provides decision-makers with vital information for resource provisioning. Finally, it is important for the firms accountability. By regularly defining, maintaining, assessing and communicating HR goals throughout the organisation ensures that the management of human resources contributes towards the mission accomplishment. For any shortcomings managers will be liable for their HR decisions. There are the other areas as well where HR office contributes to align with mission accomplishment, such as HR function working as a consultant, for instance Telenor Pakistans HR office provide consultation to the manager rather than telling manager what he/she can or cannot do. (Wei, L. 2006) Horizontal Integration: One of the vital roles of Strategic HRM is create horizontal integration which aims to ensure that the different elements of the HR strategy fit together and are mutually supportive. (Hendry C and Pettigrew A, 1986: 2), also cited by (Michael Armstrong, 2006, p156). (Walker, J. W. 1992), described strategic HRM as the means of aligning the management of human resources with the strategic content of the business. Vertical integration: Vertical integration focuses on developing a reciprocity or two-way communication between strategic planners and human resource planners in organisations (Milkovich et al., 1983). Walker, J. W. 1992 in his book Human resource strategy suggested that vertical integration is necessary to provide congruence between business and human resource strategy so that it supports the accomplishment of the business. Such two-way methods of communication results in meaningful information regarding human resource being fed into the strategic planning process. Following is the graphical presentation of how the Horizontal and vertical integration creates an overall fit for the organization. Determinants of Both Types of Fit: In Telenor Pakistan Integrative strategies are executed by involving the coordination of human resource planning and the personal functions such as recruitment, training, and career management. These strategies are also practiced to minimize the cost and to instigate efficient coordination of resources to obtain their maximum output. Telenor horizontal and vertical integration goes a long way in building a team that is vibrant and well coordinated for achieving the corporate objectives and long-term goals. Moreover, Telenor practice Vertical integration, to emphasise the congruence of a HR measures with the strategy the firm is pursuing. This in long term can gain a competitive advantage for the organization. Telenor HR exercise vertical and horizontal integration by the help of following Hr tools: Clarifies goals and objectives Encourages participation Planning and organises Facilitates work Provides feedback Empowering and delegates Recognises good performance In practice Telenor HR in many ways influence the achievement of horizontal fit and vertical fit, as achieving both kinds of fits are necessary for company to performance efficiently. More importantly the vision of Telenor is HR and customer oriented which embraces the theories and models discussed above: Our vision is simple: Were here to help. We exist to help our customers get the full benefit of communications services in their daily lives. The key to achieving this vision is a mindset where every one of us works together: Making it easy to buy and use our services. Delivering on our promises. Being respectful of differences. Inspiring people to find new ways. Source: www.telenor.com.pk. Recommendations: Follow are the recommendations to improve the vertical and horizontal integration: (a) There is nothing permanent except change; likewise the top management role in Telenor Strategic Human Resource Management Strategic Human Resource Management Introduction This point of time when globalization become a natural phenomenon, bring human resource in a lime light. A large number of organizations viewed human resource as a source of competitive advantage. There is greater acceptance that distinctive competencies are obtained through highly developed employee skills, distinctive organizational cultures, management processes and systems. However, it is necessary to invest the concept with clear meaning. In todays highly competitive business environment, organizations cannot sustain excellent performance unless they develop a competence for rapid, continuous strategic change. According to Edward E. Lawler (2008) the source of competitive advantage has shifted in many organizations from reliability to innovation and flexibility. Further argue that it is a combination of the right structure and the right people that provides the foundation and tools for creating competitive and innovative organizations. Traditionally, human resource has been considered a factor only after the strategic business decisions are made. Human resource issues were not even discussed during the decision to purchase the business. One human resource executive put it succinctly when he said â€Å"the line job is to tell us where the business is going and then it is up to us to find the people to develop.† Companies like GM and AIG are some of the example when they sour large number of their stake because they had not considered the human resource implication of their purchase. However, companies such as IBM, GE, and Intel use of human resource management as an integral part of strategy formulation. Indeed, many companies have begun to require the human resource component in their strategic plan. Where they begun a great deal of experimentation and problem solving to decide what data are required, what issue should be considered, and how they can relate to the various aspect of the business. The major emphasis in strategic planning has doubtless been on formulation. This led to a conclusion up until 1980 that much time and thought had gone into analyzing and planning strategy yet very little into implementation. But after 1980 it changes to the effective implementation of the strategy. i.e getting people to do the right things to make strategies happen. In this respect, the human resource tools become central and focus. Strategic Human Resource Management Strategic human resource management is a multipart process which is frequently developing and being studied and discussed by academics and commentators. Its characterization and associations with other aspects of business setting up and strategy is not complete and estimation varies involving writers. It has been defined as: * All those activities affecting the actions of individuals in their efforts to put together and put into action the strategic needs of business. (Schuler, 1992) * The prototype of planned human resource deployments and activities anticipated to facilitate the forms to attain its goals (Wright, Macmahan, 1992) In general, Strategic human resources management is defined as the linking of HRM with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance and develop organizational cultures that foster innovation and flexibility. Boxall and Purcell (2003) argue that strategic HRM is apprehensive with explaining how HRM influences organizational performance. They also point out that strategy is not the identical as strategic plans. Strategic planning is the formal procedure that takes place, generally in larger organizations, defining how things will be done. However strategy exists in all organizations even though it may not be in black and white and expressed. It defines the organizations behavior and how it tries to cope with its environment. Strategic HRM is based on HRM philosophy incorporating the concept of strategy. So if HRM is a logical approach to the management of people, strategic HRM now implies that that is done on a planned way that integrates organizational goals with policies and action sequences. Coppers Lybrand (CL) consider HRM and its development as their top priority. The administration is determined in hiring and retaining skilled and competent workers. Each worker should meet the demands of the highly competitive and growing business industry worldwide. Chairman and CEO says that the attraction and retention of people, which they consider as the highest intellectual capital is the critical objectives of CL. The Basic Architecture of HR Source: Brian Becker et al. 2001 Implementing Strategy There are four generic human resource activities of all the organization 1. Selection/ promotion/ placement process Example of Chase Manhattan bank During the period between 1975and 1980 the bank underwent major managerial changes key to the bank s successful turnaround from a troubled bank in the mid -70s was a careful strategic level selection and placement of executive. Historically in banking in general and specifically at chase senior level positions were based on historical precedent with old-boy net works playing a major role. Also the tradition incident based on historical precedent with old-boy net works playing a major role. Also the tradition in banking was reward those with banker skills not those with managerial skills which were implicitly considered to be less importance .Under the stress of serious performance problems chase manhattan when the trust manager retired corporate management decide that the department whose operation had been essentially stable should focus on a more aggressive growth strategy instead of seeking a veteran banker chase hired a man whose experience had been with IBM because it was felt h e brought a strong marketing orientation to the trust department which the new strategy required. Similarly, when chase reorganized it retail banking business from a low margin operation in which the stress was keeping down costs of to a more expansionary business offering broader consumer financial services it hired because of his entrepreneurial skills an executive who had been a division chief of a small industrial firm and had a track record of entrepreneurial management experience. 2. Reward processes Good selection is the sine qua non of performance. Once people are in job and perform however they should also be rewarded for good performance. These incumbents should also be developed to improve performance and prepare them for a new position. The linkage to reward outcomes reduces or eliminates the developmental value of appraisals. Rather than an opportunity for constructive review and encouragement, the reward-linked process is perceived as judgmental, punitive and harrowing. For example, how many people would gladly admit their work problems if, at the same time, they knew that their next pay rise or a much-wanted promotion was riding on an appraisal result? Very likely, in that situation, many people would deny or downplay their weaknesses. Nor is the desire to distort or deny the truth confined to the person being appraised. Many appraisers feel uncomfortable with the combined role of judge and executioner. 3. Development process Ensuring that organization has an adequate supply of human resource talent at all levels is no easy task especially when organization is going to a rapid strategic changes. The key is to have a human resource planning system that make accurate forecast. In order to plan for the future, an accurate inventory of current human resource stock is important. This should include both the current individual performance and the future potential of an individual. 4. Appraisal process A basic human tendency to make judgments about those one is working with, as well as about oneself. The human inclination to judge can create serious motivational, ethical and legal problems in the workplace. Without a structured appraisal system, there is little chance of ensuring that the judgments made will be lawful, fair, defensible and accurate. Appraisal systems began as simple methods of income justification. That is, appraisal was used to decide whether or not the salary or wage of an individual employee was justified. In many organizations but not all appraisal results are used, either directly or indirectly, to help determine reward outcomes. That is, the appraisal results are used to identify the better performing employees who should get the majority of available merit pay increases, bonuses, and promotions. Sue Peattie It has been seen that Food market continuous to grow rapidly since 1990 in UK. (Sue Peattie). In order to full fill the demand of the market, markets had to use all available marketing tools. Promotion is one of the major adapted tools to maintain or increase the sales. However, more focus remains on price base promotion. As more and more competition is coming into market. This tool needs more attention. Business tends to use different kinds of promotions to attract more and more sales. Buy one get free one free, buy three in price of one, bundle deal are good attraction for promotion. Example: â€Å"During 1972-82, US per capita consumption of variety meats (offal) reached a high of 5.66 lb in 1977 and then declined to 4.21 lb in 1982. The objective of this market test was to measure the effects of promotional and merchandising strategies on food store sales of selected beef/pigment variety meats. Promotion took place in 8 test stores of one food chain in three test markets (Salina, Topeka, and Wichita, Kansas) during three eight-week test periods (TP). Promotional and merchandising strategies tried were: (1) a special clearly designated display section for variety meats; (2) point of purchase (POP) price signs; (3) colored wall posters; (4) POP nutritional information and recipes; (5) newspaper advertising at two conventional supermarkets; (6) in-store advertising at all stores; (7) price specials; (8) personal salesmanship; and (9) product taste samples. Average weekly sales (lbs) of total variety meats increased in every test store from TP-1 to TP-2. Sales of 5 beef it ems (heart, liver, sweetbreads, tripe and oxtail) increased significantly. Retail sales increased 9.6% in the test stores compared to a 6.0% seasonal increase in purchases by all stores associated with a wholesale supplier (AWG). A seasonal decline in lbs of variety meats sold of 19.6% in test stores from TP-2 to TP-3 was matched by a 19.1% drop in wholesale purchases by all stores. Promotion in TP-2 increased retail sales over those of TP-1, but continued promotion in TP-3 did not lead to further sales increases.† (Source: http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts/Abstract.aspx?AcNo=19901880256) Strategic HRM and human capital management Many writers have argued that strategic HRM and human capital management (HCM) is one and the same thing, and certainly the concept of strategic HRM matches that of the broader explanation of HCM relatively well as the following definition of the main features of strategic HRM by Dyer and Holder (1998) shows: * Organizational level because strategies involve decisions about key goals, major policies and the distribution of resources they be inclined to be formulated at the top. * Focus strategies are business-driven and focus on organizational effectiveness; thus in this perspective people are viewed first and foremost as capital to be managed in the direction of the achievement of strategic business goals. * Framework strategies by their extraordinarily nature provide unifying frameworks which are at once broad, contingency-based and integrative. They incorporate a full accompaniment of HR goals and activities planned specifically to fit extant environments and to be commonly reinforcing or synergistic. This argument has been based on the information that both HRM in its appropriate sense and HCM rest on the supposition that people are treated as assets rather than costs and both focus on the importance of adopting an integrated and strategic move toward to managing people which is the concern of all the stakeholders in an organization not just the people management role. However, the perception of human capital management complements and strengthens the idea of strategic HRM relatively replaces it. (Armstrong and Baron, 2002) Strategic HRM could consequently be viewed as the essential framework within which these estimation, reporting and management course of action take place and make sure that they are iterative and communally reinforcing. Human capital consequently informs and in turn is shaped by strategic HRM but it does not substitute it. Strategic HRM and business performance Since the mid 1990s, CIPD and others have been generating evidence for the impact of people management practices on business performance. Much emphasis has been put on the importance of ‘fit. In other words it is argued that HR strategies much fit both with each other and with other organizational strategies for maximum impact. The main areas of practice which all the researchers agreed have an impact on performance are around job design and skills development. However, CIPD work found that practices alone do not create business performance. They can create ‘human capital or a set of individuals who are highly skilled, highly motivated and have the opportunity to participate in organizational life by being given jobs to do. However, this will only feed through into higher levels of business performance if these individuals have positive management relationships with their superiors in a supportive environment with strong values. All these factors will promote ‘discretionary behavior, the willingness of the individual to perform above the minimum or give extra effort. It is this discretionary behavior that makes the difference to organizational performance. Conclusion The SHRM idea is a influential idea if function properly within an organization. HR groups are able to plan for potential growth and react to any changes that may take place. In addition, SHRM allows companies to completely make the most of their human assets to make real improvement over their competitors. This advantage comes from having the HR policies and strategies perfectly aligned with the corporate goals so that the organization has the right human capital, right remuneration packages and training methodologies to allow the employees to efficiently do their jobs. There may also be an remarkable view of HRM as an implicit part of the major strategic change Initiative, relatively as a critical stand alone component of reform. This view may now be Changing as more and more people realize the need to reform human resources management as an equal and necessary component of overall Government-wide reform and reinvention. In short, SHRM allows an organization to create a competitive advantage with their human capital by aligning their strategic goals with their HRM systems. Author Ronald Sims states it clearly when he writes: â€Å"Successful organizations in the prospect must strongly make parallel their HRM strategies and programs with the external opportunities, competitive strategies, and their only one of its characteristics and core capability. Organizations that fail to clearly define HRM strategy or competitive strategy that explicitly incorporates human resources will not be successful† (Sims, 2002, p. 30). Bibliography # ARMSTRONG, M and BARON, A. (2002) Strategic HRM: the key to improved business performance. Developing practice. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. # SCHULER, R.S. (1992) Strategic human resource management: linking people with the needs of the business. Organizational Dynamics. Vol 21, No 1. pp18-32. # WRIGHT, P.M. and MCMAHAN, G.C. (1992) Theoretical perspectives for SHRM. Journal of Management. March. pp215-247. # BOXALL, P. and PURCELL, J. (2003) Strategy and human resource management. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. # DYER, L. and HOLDER, G. Strategic human resource management and planning. In: DYER, L. (ed) (1998) Human resource management: evolving roles and responsibilities. Washington DC: Bureau of National Affairs. Cavusgil, T.S. and Zou, S. (1994), â€Å"Marketing strategy-Performance relationship: an investigation of the empirical link in export market Ventures†, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 58, January, pp. 1-21 Sims, R. R. (2002). Organizational success through effective human resources management (1st ed.). Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Truss, C., Gratton, L. (1994, September 1994). Strategic human resource management: A conceptual approach. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 5(3), p. 663.

Research Paper on Gregory Rasputin -- Biography biographies bio

Grigori Rasputin was not a very great person in history. A great person in history does good and important things for his people, country and the world. Early Life and Family: Grigori Efimovich Rasputin was born on January 10, between 1864-1872, along the Tura River in the village of Pokrovskoye. Rasputin was married to Praskovia Fyodorovna in 1889. His mother was Anna Egrovna and his father was Efim Rasputin. Grigori had three children with Praskovia, named Varya, Maria and Dmitry. Because of his constant drunkenness and "sexual appetite," the people of Pokrovskoye resented Rasputin. He grew tired of peasant life and in 1901, left behind his family and home in Siberia as a pilgrim. During his travels, Rasputin visited Greece and Jerusalem and, in 1903, Rasputin arrived in St. Petersburg where he claimed to be a holy man with healing powers. In St. Petersburg, Rasputin was able to catch the attention of St. Petersburg's religious leaders with his stories and beliefs. Years as a Monk: At the age of 18, Rasputin spent three months at the Verkhoturye Monastery. Because of his exceptional physical endurance and perseverance, Rasputin was successful at Verkhoturye. During his time at Verkhoturye Monastery, Rasputin became fascinated with the Orthodox faith known as the Skopsty. Followers of this faith believed that, in order to reach godliness, you had to sin. This religious attitude explained Rasputin?s controversial personal life of drinking and sleeping with women. Rasputin left the monastery and traveled throughout Russia and the holy land as a holy man and healer. During his travels, Rasputin caught the attention of the Russian church with his knowledge of peasants and religious teachings. In 1905... ... disturbed by a group of Petrograd workers, after the February Revolution. They carried Rasputin?s body to a nearby forest and burned it. In Rasputin?s last days, he became suspicious and wrote a prophetic letter describing his death. In the letter, Rasputin wrote that if he were to be murdered by a noble, that noble would be cursed for twenty-five years and Russia would fall into chaos. Bibliography Arnold, Phyllis. The Soviet Union. Edmonton AB: Westweb Press, Canadian Social Sciences Services Ltd., 1984. Beeche, Arturo. The Evil Monk. www.eurohistory.com/rasputin.html, 2006. Fuhrmann, Joseph. World Book: Rasputin. Chicago IL: World Book, Inc., 2001. ________. Grigori Rasputin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasputin: Wikipedia Inc., 2006. Moynahan, Brian. Rasputin: The Saint Who Sinned. New York: Perseus Books Group, 1999.

Children and the Effects of Television Essay

Television programs were created for children to learn everyday skills, but it can come to start affecting children today because they watch too much they start lacking in physical activity and some can become distant and violent. Studies have shown that children can become obese, violent and even dependent on television if watched too much television. Television can influence children in many different ways like becoming obese, become dependent on it too much; change school habits and even can become violent with watching different types of shows. It is time for parents to start standing up and take control over what and just how much their children watch television. It is said that children watch too much television even though some studies have proven that different types of children’s television shows tend to effect children in different ways also they learn new things faster. Shows like Blue’s Clues, Chuggington, Dinosaur Train, Mickey Mouse Club House, and Team Umizoomi are all filled with educational values that help children develop skills that they need. Blue’s Clues is a much liked show by children ages 2-4. According to â€Å"Common Sense Media† (2012), â€Å"In fact, Blue’s Clues does a very fine job of treating its young viewers as the multifaceted individuals that they are.† T his is very important to young children because it makes them feel as they are a part of something special when they watch shows like this. With these types of shows teach children how to have different types of important social skills, teamwork, science, alphabet, numbers, math problems and even have physical fitness in them which are some of the things that a child needs to know. With these types of show is just what children need to help them expand their brains. According to PEDÃÅ"K (2012) â€Å"Whichever program it may be, it has behavioral, mental and emotional effects.† (p.224).On the other hand more children are watching more television shows for an entertainment purpose which has no educational vales in them. Shows like Sponge Bob Square Pants, The Simpsons, Batman, and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which consist of having violence, rudeness, and poor role models for children are the ones that are shaping our children in this day of age. It is up to the parent to make sure that their children are getting the correct balance of fun, education, and physical activity to help them grow. Studies have shown that cartoons have the most major impacts on children because in the cartoons to children it is something done every day and ok to act out likes the character on television. According to â€Å"Kids Health from Nemours† (1995-2012),† Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior† which has become an issue to many different children around the world today. Children are like little sponges soaking up everything they can because every little boy and girl wants to be like their favorite cartoon hero or character. How much time a child watches television is a major factor in children’s behavior and their physical health. Whenever parents allow their children to sit in front of the television and watch more than four hours a day then parents could be running a risk of their child to become more dependent on television to keep them entertained, and this can become very harmful to a child’s health, or to their mental state as well. It can be hard on a parent try to clean house, cook a meal, and even do school work with children becoming bored, and parents just do not have the time to spend with them and then so it seem to be a helpful tool to be able to help at the time for them to watch television. One of the things that you can do to make sure when the appropriate times and what is the appropriate show’s to watch according to â€Å"Kids Health from Nemours† (1995-2012),† Come up with a family TV schedule that you all agree upon each week. Then, post the schedule in a visible area (e.g., on the refrigerator) so that everyone knows which programs are OK to watch and when. And make sure to turn off the TV when the â€Å"scheduled† program is over instead of channel surfing.† Instead of giving your children television time when they experience boredom some suggestion to them is to go outside and make believe that they are the characters in their favorite learning television show. Another thing is get them some flash cards with math, spelling or any type of learning cards. If you distract children from television with something better then you will have a child that cares less about the television and more about playing with their learning games. Common assumption say that violent television shows can mold a child to be either violent when they get older or they develop a fear of being hurt. Children take what they see and apply it to what they do, kind of like the saying â€Å"Monkey see monkey do† type of thing. According to Willson (2008) â€Å"Wilson also shows that children’s susceptibility to media influence can vary according to their gender, their age, how realistic they perceive the media to be, and how much they identify with characters and people on the screen.† † (p. 87) Children need positive role models in their life and someone to look up to in life and most children have their television characters. Parents can usually see the signs in a child just by the way they are when watching a certain television show, and the way that they act if they cannot see the television show is a sign that a parent needs to watch the television show to see what it is that is addicting about the show to their child to make them act out. There are many different types of signs to help parents know if the show that your child is watching is appropriate for them or if it is not appropriate for them. Some of the signs that parents want to look for is if they have trouble in school, with drawn away from friends and family just to name a few, and if you see these problems then as a parent should step in and try to pull the child/children away from the television shows that they watch. Some say that it cannot be done but studies have shown that if there is more quality time spent between parents and their child/children then they will more than likely not have the desire to watch television. Over the past 2 weeks I have been conducting my own personal study on how to keep your children from watching too much television and kept some notes on the effects it had on them. They are more a fan of watching different television shows and not wanting to even play with their toys. So one day I went to the store and bout some board games, activity books, coloring books, learning flash cards and even some reading books. What it is that I have found is that if I just took an hour of my time to interact with them to help get them started and interested in one of the activity’s that I have bought and got them started on one of them with me that I could leave them and do my school work, house work and even cook dinner and not one-time did I hear the words â€Å"I want to watch television Aunt Becca!† So if parents just make the time to take time out of your time just to get them interested is a tremendous outcome in the end. Obesity is one of the most dangerous side effects that are found in children that watch more television than get out and do physical activities. When children watch television after eating or while eating breakfast, snacks, lunches, and dinner are found that they don’t want to get up, stop watching television and go outside and play with friends or siblings. Now they are doing nothing to help burn off the calories that they are consuming then they run a risk at becoming obese and develop other health issues later in life. According to â€Å"How T.V. Effects Your Child† (1995-2012), â€Å"Studies have shown that decreasing the amount of TV kids watched led to less weight gain and lower body mass index (BMI — a measurement derived from someone’s weight and height)†. One of the things that can help children avoid becoming hungry while watching television is by trying to minimize the commercials, because commercials are filled with yummy foods and snacks that they like to eat. One of the things to help with that would be when there is a commercial on pull them away to do some sort of activity like, clean their room, fold cloths, or just by even having them come in and explain what it is that is going on in their television show. Monitoring what children watch on television is one of the best things that you can do to keep our children from becoming obese, violent, dependent on television, and less disruptive in school. In conclusion there are many different pros and cons of television and the effects that it has on children can go both ways, but it is up to the parents to make sure that their children get the physical activity, mental education and correct role models that they need to make sure that they live a more healthier and active life style. Because our children are the future of America and parents want to make sure that their future is going to be a bright and active life. Reference: PEDÃÅ"K, Dr. Åž. B. (2012, January). A STUDY ON CHARACTERISTISCS OF PARENTS’ TV VIEWING AND CHILDREN’S OPINIONS ON THE CARTOONS THEY WATCHED. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(1), 224-233. How T.V. Effects your child. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.nemours.org/content/nemours/wwwv2/patientfamily/khlibrary/articles/21720.html Willson, B. J. (2008, Spring). Media and Children’s Aggression, Fear, and Altruism. , 18(1), 87-118.

Diapause - Definition of the Term Diapause

Diapause - Definition of the Term Diapause Diapause is a period of suspended or arrested development during an insects life cycle. Insect diapause is usually triggered by environmental cues, like changes in daylight, temperature, or food availability. Diapause may occur in any life cycle stage – embryonic, larval, pupal, or adult – depending on the insect species. Insects inhabit every continent on Earth, from the frozen Antarctic to the balmy tropics. They live on mountaintops, in deserts, and even in the oceans. They survive frigid winters and summer droughts. How do insects survive such extreme environmental conditions? Â  For many insects, the answer is diapause. When things get tough, they take a break. Diapause is a predetermined period of dormancy, meaning its genetically programmed and involves adaptive physiological changes. Environmental cues arent the cause of diapause, but they may control when diapause begins and ends. Quiescence, in contrast, is a period of slowed development that is triggered directly by environmental conditions, and that ends when favorable conditions return. Types of Diapause Diapause can be either obligatory or facultative: Insects with obligatory diapause will undergo this period of arrested development at the predetermined point in their life cycle, regardless of the environmental conditions. Diapause occurs in every generation. Obligatory diapause is most often associated with univoltine insects, meaning insects that have one generation per year.Insects with facultative diapause undergo a period of suspended development only when conditions require it for survival. Facultative diapause is found in most insects and is associated with bivoltine (two generations per year) or multivoltine insects (more than two generations per year). Additionally, some insects undergo reproductive diapause, which is a suspension of reproductive functions in adult insects. The best example of reproductive diapause is the monarch butterfly in North America. The migrant generation of late summer and fall goes into a state of reproductive diapause in preparation for the long journey to Mexico. Environmental Factors That Trigger Diapause Diapause in insects is induced or terminated in response to environmental cues. These cues may include changes in the length of daylight, temperature, food quality and availability, moisture, pH, and others. Â  No single cue solely determines the start or end of diapause. Their combined influence, along with programmed genetic factors, controls diapause. Photoperiod – A photoperiod is the alternating phases of light and dark in the day. Seasonal changes to the photoperiod (such as shorter days as winter approaches) cue the start or end of diapause for many insects. Photoperiod is the most importantTemperature – Along with photoperiod, changes in temperature (such as an extreme cold spell) can influence the start or end of diapause. The thermoperiod, alternating phases of cooler and warmer temperatures, also influences diapause. Some insects require specific thermal cues to end the diapause phase. For example, the woolly bear caterpillar must endure a period of chilling to trigger the end of diapause and continuation of the life cycle.Food – As the growing season ends, the diminishing quality of their food sources may help trigger a diapause phase in an insect species. As potato plants and other hosts turn brown and dry, for example, Colorado potato beetle adults will enter a state of diapause. Â   Sources: Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. Capinera.Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.The Insects: An Outline of Entomology, by P. J. Gullan and P. S. Cranston.Biology of Arthropoda, by D. R. Khanna.Developmental Biology, 10th edition, by Scott F. Gilbert.

science ethics essays

science ethics essays The main character, Alfieri in the story of the Halfway house had the power of administration and thus was granted the great responsibility of playing God by judging which applicants gets their desire to go through the Fold, and which ones do not. Alfieri had to face some ethical dilemma while playing the role of God. He had no quota; if he cared to; he could send all his applicants through to their destination or turn them all away. But the one would be irresponsible, the other inhuman. The two sentences in this quote are the key to the ethical problem that Alfieri has to faced as a judge at the Fold, because as the judge, he has to decide which applicants gets to pass through the Fold by balancing the pros and cons of helping each applicant; and not just send all of the applicants through it, since the consequence of sending a wrong person through would be unbearable. For example, if Hitler was sent through the Fold to get help from aliens to destroy the world, the world would be destroyed. However, he could not just send everyone back, because that would be crude and inhumane, since there are people who really need help. He has to be careful in judging which applicant gets saved. In other words, the two sentences are the key to the ethical problem because they point out the essence of Alfieris problem, which was trying to be responsible so that there would be no horrible consequence resulting from his decisions and humane in his decision so that people that needs help can receive it. The quote from Halfway house not only applies to the story itself, but also real life problem. In facing the decision of providing insurance to the American public, President Clinton had to experience problems like Alfieri had. The problems that the president faces can be related to the quote mentioned above. As stated in the quote, ...he could send all his applicants through to their destination...but...would...

H.W Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

H.W - Assignment Example Secondly, teams at the workplace improve professional relationships, cooperation, and understanding among workers. Consequently, improved quality and quantity of work output enhances organizational success. In addition, teams significantly contribute towards enhancing motivation among employees. Further, they also help in shaping up trust among employees and the top management resulting into better and high productivity. It is imperative for every manager to adopt initiatives that ensure improvements in team performance. The foremost step is to organize for a day trip. Manager should organize for trips in an effort to reward the employees who showed exemplary performance in their past work. Bonding, free interaction, and encouragement take effect. Further, it gives employees break from work. The second way of improving performance is through encouraging informal address. At this point, managers take a break from the norms of formal interaction with the employees and urge them to speak freely (Griffin and Gregory 261). As a result, workers and their bosses share ideas through open communication hence maintaining healthy work relations. Management should also recognize and celebrate performance of identified exemplary employees. The employees who achieve excellence or success in their duties demand appreciation and recognition. Management rewards the employees with either promotion or special packages that motivating workers and inspires the other employees. Managers should encourage group discussion sessions that act as a forum for successful team members to shares their achievement with colleagues. Similarly, the managers may inquire about employees about their views and suggestions. Consequently, the gesture promotes teamwork, employee confidence, value, and a feeling of belonging by all staff members. To ensure effectiveness in the team, manager should conduct activities including employee feedback

No topics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

No topics - Essay Example Police crackdowns can target specific crimes, individuals, or geographic areas. They can involve an increased police presence, a commitment to more severe punishment, or other forms of legal sanctions. In Boston, Kennedy reported on how the local authorities would reach out to the gangs and communicate their intention to reduce violence by bringing every available legal tool to bear on them. This process of 'pulling levers' would dramatically increase the cost to a gang for committing acts of violence. Instead of just one member being arrested and prosecuted for a murder, the system would up the enforcement level of probation, outstanding warrants, and illegal street activities on all the gang members. Sherman reported that similar results were shown in regard to a variety of other settings and crimes. Sherman noted that increased enforcement and greater sanctions can reduce crime. However, the strategy needs to be flexible, because as the crackdown continues it may loose its effectiveness. It may be more effective to move geographical locations and targets on an ongoing basis. Reducing crime in New York City is a never-ending task, as officers put pressure on the streets and target selected criminals and criminal activities.

Media in a Democratic Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media in a Democratic Society - Essay Example For the people of a particular state, to participate in a democratic society, they need exchange of ideas and a better communication system. This system is known as "media". Media is tool of communication which includes people in an organization that sustain the distribution and production of messages to the public. Media falls into categories such as TV, movie, internet, books and newspapers. Freedom of speech is the main part of a democratic society. With a past shortage of media space and a huge amount of voices in our society directed to a lack of opportunity given to people who become a part of the media. People involved in media are believed to represent the society such as telling the public about the elected officials that will represent their roles. Though, it is more useful to represent organizations and communities rather than representing individuals. People involved in media are responsible to protect the public it represents. Continuous support of public and look to the media as an organization, the media should represent individual's welfare and inform them of issues regarding to the public itself. The knowledge, shared in our society is about both education and media. The role of media is to inform people about current issues same as like school's that are responsible to teach skills and long lasting knowledge. 3) Facilitating the Social UnityIn a large and complex society, media assist to distribute the culture by giving an experience of mass population. If a society wants to stay unified than the people init should have a familiar culture. The more people will feel anything alike in them, the greater the bond of the individuals will have to one another. Like this, however, there is a greater opportunity to make decisions for the similar purpose.The question arises that how media can perform such roles To perform the roles mentioned above, media should maintain particular standards. There are a lot of ways to sustain such standards. For example, according to the theory by a German scholar namely Jurgen Habermas, our society is divided into different cultures, aims and backgrounds. To represent these groups, media requires to present dissimilar perceptions. The best way to achieve such a perception is that the members from all backgrounds or groups should have an entry to contribute in medi a. The media is only valuable when it communicates to the public. There must be a universal access to media response. Financial, personal, social or any other factor should not present obstacles to media response. (1) However, independent media are fundamental components of a large and complex democratic society. It helps to check the balance that differentiates in such societies. If we look at corruption, it weakens a strong government. A lot of politicians are forced to resign due to corruption but at the same moment, media publishes the information that reaches to the ordinary public. For example, in 1974, President Richard Nixon was forced to resign due to the Watergate scandal. He was caught up by two journalists at Washington Post. Journalists can also

The Issue of Junk Food Essay Example for Free

The Issue of Junk Food Essay To a great degree, the over consumption of junk food has become the root cause of an untold number of problems that have manifested in the public. In a way, it is because of the public’s seeming addiction to junk food that aid weight and health related problems that these problems are as common as they are today. In order to understand when junk food becomes dangerous, one needs to look at what exactly junk food is and how to eliminate it from a person’s diet. see more:short speech on junk food   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Junk is essentially food that is processed and loaded with fat and sugar. An example of processing includes the bleaching of brown flower to white flour and, accordingly, the replacement of natural sugars with refined white sugar. The main purpose for this process is not to better the food, but to keep the food on the shelf longer without the food spoiling. In other words, the profit motive is what directs companies to release such manufactured food to the public.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When food is removed from its natural state and processed for a longer shelf life, many of the nutrients that such food is intended to deliver is eliminated. Furthermore, the food’s additives drive the calorie count of the food way up. So, before eating a steady diet of junk food that is high in sugar and fats, one needs to realize that it will surely lead to obesity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So, it is best for the public to avoid these types of food for the betterment of the public’s health. The public, however, is usually attracted to the refined taste (and excessive marketing campaigns) of junk food so they react accordingly and purchase junk food products. It also helps the junk food industry that natural products are usually much higher in price and harder to find at convenience stores. While no one wants to play follow the obese leader, most people are unfamiliar with healthy habits because they have never been exposed to such habits before. So what should people do to avoid the problem of junk food addiction? First, the public must recognize the fact that junk food is real bad for diet and health and to adopt a zero tolerance policy towards junk food. If purchasing higher quality food is what is required, then the person make special preparations in order â€Å"stockpile† quality food in the ‘fridge after a shopping trip rather than purchase from low grade fast food shops while on the run.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order for junk food to lose its hold on the United States’ public, the public must reject eating junk food as a regular staple of diet. This would require a great change on the part of the public’s perception of junk food and that is a daunting task.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To a great degree, it would be helpful if the government cracked down on the very irresponsible behavior that large food companies have been responsible for. However, our society is one that seems to be very adverse to regulation and this is why there has been little leeway in making large food corporations pay for the damage they have inflicted. Of course, there have been court challenges that were lost because the existed the belief that people had developed obesity and health problems because they lacked a certain level of personal responsibility.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Regardless of where one sits on the issue of junk food diets, virtually no one can deny that it is a person’s individual responsibility to eat properly and avoid food that is terrible for the body. Yes, there are huge advertising campaigns designed to present people with all the benefits of junk food. However, it is unfair to say that such media campaigns are pure brainwashing. In order to do that, one would have to assume that the public is fairly unintelligent to fall for it. Unintelligent? No. Undisciplined? Yes.

Growing demand for corporate governance reform

Growing demand for corporate governance reform 1. Introduction: In recent years, various researchers and scholars have argued that globalisation is leading to escalating convergence in the nature of corporate governance systems, across the corporate world. Hansmann and Kraakman (2000) states; a global compromise has now emerged that corporate managers and authorities must operate exclusively in the economic interests of shareholders, and as a result, all jurisdictions will inevitably move towards a newer model of corporate governance. However, before analyzing in-depth nuances of this concept, we should first try and understand this terminology. The definition of corporate governance can be traced back to the time of the formation of Cadbury Committee (C.C.) in the year 1992. This committee was appointed by the conservative government of the United Kingdom in this year, with obligations of addressing the financial aspects of corporate governance. The C.C. came into existence in response to a number of corporate scandals that radiate uncertainty o n the systems for controlling the ways corporations are run. This committee described Corporate Governance as the system by which companies are directed and controlled. Firstly, it is imperative to understand the significance that corporate governance as a concept holds to its beneficiaries. The importance of corporate governance lies in its contribution both to the concepts of business prosperity and to accountability. Its a strategic sword which has both its sides sharp enough, either to enhance the business efficiency or prove detrimental in the longer run. However, off-late the unprecedented inclination in the corporate scandals and failures around the world rather depicts a gloomy picture. Whilst progressing in this article I will illustrate various such corporate and financial fiascos and the reforms that have been put in place to avoid such massive failures around the corporate world. Besides, an in-depth analysis of the objectives and obstacles associated with corporate global reform measures would also be put forth. 2. Discussion: 2.1 Understanding Corporate Governance Reforms and its Implications. A corporate governance dilemma occurs, at the most basic level, whenever an outside investor desires to implement control differently from the manager in charge of the organization. Disseminated ownership amplifies the problem by giving rise to differences of interest between the various corporate stakeholders and by producing a collective action problem among shareholders  [1]  . More often, an elementary predicament of corporate governance surfaces from an overview that: regulation of large shareholder involvement may provide better security to small shareholders, but such policies may escalate managerial discretion and scope for abuse, (Becht, Bolton and Roell, 2003; Weiss, 1990). Since the year 2001, there has been renewed curiosity in the corporate governance practices of modern organizations, predominantly due to the high-profile disintegrations of a number of large corporations in the United States, such as  Enron Corporation  and  WorldCom. Such collapses have further led authorities to examine the necessity of improved and stronger corporate governance reform measures. Convergence among stakeholders is an essential part of the organization and economic stability, adhering to the corporate reform measures. According to OSullivan (1999: p.4), convergence arguments are emphasized by the neoclassical idea that the formation of liberal markets, which corporate governance reform is seen as facilitating, leads to finest economic outcomes and, in particular, greatest efficiency in terms of the distribution of scarce economic resources. Opinions such as these stiffen our beliefs of corporate governance measures being implemented. Besides, according to Rosse r (2003), corporate governance reform needs to be understood, not in terms of the extent to which it endorses development and effectiveness, but in terms of the extent to which it serves or harms particular political and social interests. It has become extremely essential for all the stakeholders to take into consideration various necessities of a deftly crafted governance reform. Efficient governance ensures that constituencies with a relevant interest in the companys business are completely taken into consideration. 2.2 Why Corporate Governance is an important issue? Claims that corporate governance systems are undergoing scrutiny have intensified in the wake of the Asian crisis and its aftermaths. Limitations in Asian corporate governance systems were widely seen as a primary cause of the Asian crisis and its consequences (Johnson et al, 2000; Dickinson Mullineux, 2001). With the advent of various colossal corporate crises all over the world, institutions such as The World Bank  [2]  have launched a range of schemes to promote corporate governance reform in developing and transition economies. Especially after what happened to corporations such as Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, it has become all the more essential to adopt measure to streamline and conserve corporate governance policies. Corporate structures and governance agreements diverge widely from country to country. They are a product of the local economic and social environment. However, the fundamental issues of management accountability are more or less similar everywhere. The Cadbury Committee was a landmark in thinking on corporate governance. Cadburys suggestion were publicly endorsed in the United Kingdom and included in the listing regulations. The report also proved to be influential in many abroad countries and it has presented a benchmark against which standards of corporate governance in other markets are being measured. Traditionally, the corporate governance models have long been adopted from countries such as the US and the UK. With globalization, increasingly more corporations and governments have been driven towards the more efficient mode of conducting economic activities modelled after the Anglo-American system (Gourevitch, 2003; Jomo, 2004). According to Deakin et al (2005: p.1), The corpor ate governance atmosphere in the UK and the US is generally thought to be aggressive to the emergence of cooperative employment relations of the kind exemplified by labour-management partnerships. Becht, Bolton and Roell, (2003) have identified some factors which can be attributed to the prominence of corporate governance as a crucial issue. They state events such as, world-wide wave of privatization, growth of private savings and the takeover wave of the 1980s, which have put the limelight on corporate governance in developing markets. Besides, the colossal takeover wave in the US during the year 1980s and in Europe in the 1990s has further fuelled the public debate on corporate governance. 2.3 Understanding Corporate Governance Reform Policies and debates. Governance reform measure in the emerging and ripe markets has not progressed despite the willingness shown by the policymakers. According to a report developed by McKinsey Company, there are various ways in which a new life to a reform agenda can be given. Firstly they propose that governance reforms measures need to allocate more emphasis to driving transformation through institutional reforms of capital markets. Secondly, they stress upon the fact that family run business should have separate rights and must be recognized separately. Corporate governance reform continues to be a major concern for most of the emerging economies, throughout the world. International organizations have played a very active and determining role regarding this issue. The International Monetary Fund, The World Bank and The Organizations for Economic Cooperation have all been raising the profile of the corporate governance reforms across the corporate and financial sector. Despite their persistent effort s, corporate market standards in emerging markets are still far behind as compared to those of the US, UK and Europe, as stated by the McKinsey Report. It has been identified that there is a lack of progress and this topic or issue needs much more to be addressed towards itself. Typically, corporate governance practices are crafted to suit the needs of core shareholders of the organization. However, due to this very reason, there has been an increase in the amount and intensity of conflicts between all the stakeholders of the organizations. Problems: The state of Equity holders of corporations worldwide is gloomy, to say the least. According to a recent finding by a financial institution, stock markets are off 50% almost everywhere, banks and similar financial institutions are constantly under the threat of nationalization, dividends are being cut constantly, and to top it all there has been a constant upsurge in the number of frauds happening. According to Hadiz (1997), company employees have not been a key factor in corporate governance policy making, which in turn has given rise to the ever inclining ramshackle corporate governance. Other factors which contributed to this problem have been excessive risk taking by managers, failure on the part of the board and lack of knowledge of financial products. Besides, differences in ownership structure have two palpable consequences for corporate governance, as stated by Morck, Wolfenzon, and Yeung (2005). Apart from this, governing shareholders have both the enticement and the power to discipline management authority. On the other hand, concentrated ownership can create conditions for a new agency problem, because the interests of controlling and minority shareholders are not aligned. There have been a lot of failures in the corporate circuit, which have in a way fuelled the ongoing debate about the corporate governance reform measures. Some of these failures include undetected off-balance sheet loans to a controlling family, deliberate misleading of investors, insider trading and other such infamous events (Becht, Bolton and Roell, 2003). 2.4 Scandals in the corporate domain 2.4.1 Enron: This is the most popular of all the scams and is still being referred to after so many years. This scandal involved unrevealing of debts, increasing revenues and dishonesty. It resulted to the dislodgment of more than twenty thousand people, the death of Americas Most Innovative Company for many years in a row and the termination of one of the Big 5 global accounting firms (Andersen). 2.4.2 WorldCom: WorldCom is now known as MCI, Inc. is part of the Verizon Communications group, today. The company emerged from bankruptcy in the year 2003. The allegations included, inflating overall assets through capitalization of operating costs. The scam amount was estimated to be around, a whooping $11 billion. WorldComs intense bankruptcy filing comes second only to the Lehman Brothers which happened in the year 2008, in the history of such filings in the United States. 2.4.3 Qwest Communications: Its a telecommunications company offering services to 14 states in the in the economy of the US. In the year 2002, it was understood that the company engaged in counterfeit accounting practices which resulted in the inflation of its revenues generated from its deals with Enron Corporation. 2.4.4 Satyam Computer Services: This is a company based in India (now taken over by Mahindra Group). This is the most recent scandal in the financial domain, where the chairman overstated the cash and receivables by a total of over $100 million. Overall Satyams assets were inflated by about $1.85 billion. 2.5 Progress of efforts towards corporate governance reforms In spite of all that has been happening all over the world, pertaining to the fiascos of the financial infrastructures of corporations, there has been a lot of effort taken towards developing measures to curb such events. In the last couple of decades, three largest continental European countries (i.e. Germany, Italy and France) have enacted noteworthy corporate law reforms to strengthen the system of internal governance, empower shareholders better, improve revelation requirements and toughen public enforcement regulations (Enriques and Volpin, 2007). Special prominence is being placed on empowering minority shareholders of the organization, which can hugely contribute towards streamlining the way corporate governance functions. Apart from this, Ziegler (2000) points out that, a long era of political fight between workers and employers in places such as Germany has produced a corporate governance system in which employees in many companies are represented on supervisory boards and a re consequently able to play a role in company management. Also, economies across the world have now started to try and implement US corporate and securities and laws, pertaining to Americas well-developed legal framework. Besides researchers also suggest that, corporate governance framework should also ensure equitable treatment of all the shareholders, which also includes minority and foreign origin equity holders. As Nestor (2000) states, the board should be the main means for effective monitoring of the administration and for providing strategic supervision to the organization. There are many economies still, which are on the verge of falling down, due to the lack of corporate governance mechanisms. However, a proactive nature will have to be adopted by economies and its organizations to understand the nuances of corporate governance, so that they dont go bust all of a sudden. Some other measures include complementary legislations such as accounting law, commercial law, contract law, banking and dispute resolutions, and other such factors. Leuz and Verrecchia (2000) find evidence suggesting that firms cost of capital does decrease when they voluntarily switch to a reporting regime that requires gre ater disclosure. So there has been such a brawl adhering to the importance and significance of disclosure settings. Some of the key objectives of corporate governance reforms include maximizing economic value of the institutions, maximizing market value portfolios, furthering interests of other stakeholders of the organization, and alike. In a much talked about recent book, Roe (1994) Stiglitz (1975) disputes that politics rather than economic competency shaped American corporate law framework, at least at the Federal level. However, the reason why governance reforms come into existence is not the issue, the problem is whether they come forth or no. All the economies in the world must try and act towards the single most goal of increased efficiency in corporate governance. 2.5 Obstacles associated with global reform Although it is often stated that good corporate governance is mandatory, it is also a fact that one size does not fit all. So it becomes futile for economies where they try and imbibe governance measures based on other economies. There is a particular problem as noted by an author. The essence of Agency Problem (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997) is the separation of management and finance, or in simpler words ownership and control. This problem states that there is ideally a contract that financiers and managers sign, however they state trouble that most future contingencies are hard to describe and foresee which leads to mismatch in contract fulfilment. Apart from this, enforcement problems are a commonality. Most of the objectives and plans are not very simple to implement in a corporate structure. If one constituent stands out among the economies, it is that enforcement is an overruling concern. Most countries have significant substantive rules and regulation and disclosure requirements that cover most basic authority disclosures. However, without a market supervisor that can efficiently monitor for violations of law, the disclosure regime will not function One of the other major problems with the implementation of global reforms is the coordination of the parties involved in type of setting. More often than not, synchronization among the stakeholders becomes extremely complex, resulting in inefficient governance measures. Besides, a common global reform measure will not suffice the subjective needs of individual economies, as has already been explained above. 3. Conclusion: In summation, obligatory governance rules are necessary for two apex reasons; firstly, to conquer the collective action difficulty resulting from the dispersion among shareholders and secondly, to make certain that the interests of all applicable constituencies are put forth. Apart from this, it is essential on the part of the management to ensure that they cater to all the stakeholders of the organization. Not only will the management of various corporations, but also the government of the economies will have to stand in together to frame impeccable measure of corporate governance. All over the world, the regulatory framework for corporate governance reform measure has been substantially revised and strengthened, especially in the domains of financial reporting, minority shareholder rights and merger acquisitions (Rosser, 2003). Hermalin and Weisbach (2006) state that, economies across the world, in spite of a long era of studying regulation, has been slow, to provide a conceptual framework for their evaluation. They also mention that such framework requires treating governance organizations as endogenous, so it is easy to evaluate behavioural changes in reply to a new governance restraint. In the end a synchronized effort is required by the economies (on a macro scale) and by the organizations (on a micro scale), to sustain the measures of corporate governance for the longer run. Otherwise, the ongoing debate over the corporate governance reforms seems endless to me. Word Count 2,722