A foreword of a book on mass media laws and regulations The WritePass Journal

A foreword of a book on mass media laws and regulations Chapter 1 A foreword of a book on mass media laws and regulations Chapter 1INTRODUCTION:WHAT IS ELECTRONIC MEDIA?BACKGROUND OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN PAKISTAN AND UK:ABSTRACT:AIMS AND OBJECTIVESRESEARCH OVERVIEW:CHAPTER 2LITERATURE REVIEW:ORGANIZATIONAL THEORIES:THE CLASSICAL APPROACH:THE HUMAN RELATION APPROACH:CONTINGENCY THEORY:ROLE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENTINTERNAL TRAINING:EXTERNAL TRAINING:THEORITICAL CONCEPT OF TRAINING:CHAPTER 3RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.PRIMARY RESEARCH:SECONDARY RESEARCH:QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:CHAPTER 4DATA ANALYSIS:COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:TIME LINE FOR DISSERTATION:CHAPTER 5CONCLUSION:Related Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION: Syed Sajjad Ali Shah, Former Chief Justice of Pakistan said in a foreword of a book on Mass Media Laws and Regulations in Pakistan that: All over the world, the citizens right to acquire knowledge and information is increasingly being proclaimed and recognized as a fundamental right. The international human rights instruments as well as national constitutions and laws, acknowledge and safeguard this right† WHAT IS ELECTRONIC MEDIA? Any channel of communication which serves different functions such as a wide range of entertainment or mass appeal and communicating news and information and advertisement messages through electronic medium is called Electronic media. The duty of media is to communicate massages from advertiser or vendors and serves it as a product or services to the consumer. Types of media include print, electronic, outdoor and direct mail. Print media refers to magazine and news paper where as electronic media are usually referred as broadcast media that are radio and television including cable. BACKGROUND OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN PAKISTAN AND UK: In 1964 Television was first introduced in Pakistan. The only channel at that time was Pakistan Television (PTV) that lasts just for few hours everyday from evening till midnight to the viewers. The Channel introduced as a corporation of the state, where the government of Pakistan appointed its board of directors. The managing director was also appointed by the Government of Pakistan but with the approval of the boards. The Early channel includes STN, which was awarded by monopolistic contract with a private company called Network Television Market (NTM). In 1990 PTV was stroked by the financial mismanagement that causes a vast amount of debt and because of Hindi channels the rapidly reducing popularity among the viewers also reduced their advertising revenue. Pakistan Electronic Media is now regulated by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). It was established under PEMRA ordinance of 2002. The same month after establishment PEMRA issued 29 Radio licences for new private radio stations. The duty of this authority is to regulate and facilitate the private electronic media, and to improve the standards of information, education and entertainment and to expand the choice for the people of Pakistan including current affairs, news, religious knowledge, arts and culture and as well as science and technology. Where as in 1932 right before 32 years when television was first launched in Pakistan, BBC launched the first television channel in UK called â€Å"THE BBC TELEVISION SERVICE.†Ã‚   The BBC was sponsored by the public money build up from a TV licence fee collected from all UK households who had a television set. This fee was mandatory for all; failure to pay the fee was punishable by prosecution causing a fine or imprisonment. Until ITV was launched in 1955 BBC television service had a complete monopoly in UK. ABSTRACT: Training and development come under the umbrella of human resource management. This research will help analyse the current frameworks by human resource executives to improve training and development within Pakistan media industry and as well as look at the barriers facing by human resource department over the coming year and techniques for overcoming them. This research is a comparative study of training and development strategies in UK and Pakistan media Industry. With the purpose to look into the topic, I will compare and relate the techniques of UK media Industry with Pakistan media industry as how UK media industry deals with such kind of situations. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Training and development refers to pass on or to enhance the specific knowledge and skills of an employee. Training and development is essential to advance the current and future performance of the employee by boosting the ability of an employee to perform better through learning and training. Training usually offers to the operatives on the other hand development programmes are for the employees on upper level or positions. The Primary aim of training and development is to help the organisation reach its goal by increasing value to its key resources that is the employee of the organization. By training the employee we can enable them to perform well and to empower them to make the best use of their natural abilities. The Basic aims of training and development are: It develops the ability of the employee and advances their performance. It helps to meet the organization with the future needs of human resource by help the staff to grow within the organization. And it also reduces the learning time for the employees and make sure that they become completely proficient as quickly and economically as possible. It has been seen that most of the researchers mainly focused their investigation on the role and responsibilities, role conflict and role ambiguity and some extent on the training and development programme, but this piece of research reflects the study of how training advance the level of understanding of the employee to their job and also how it helps in their career development. The main objective of the research is to look in to the developments in this important field of human resources particularly in electronic media industry in United Kingdom and Pakistan. Further to this we also look in to the organisations working without training and development department in some organisations. RESEARCH OVERVIEW: The goal of my research is to find out that how training and development can help improve the knowledge and skills of the employee within the organization especially in Pakistan electronic media by comparing it with the UK electronic industry mainly focus on the broadcasting media. The first chapter of my research will help to introduce the analysis of the study and also why it is useful to investigate further into this topic. The aim and objectives of the research study are also included in this chapter. Chapter two highlight the critical review of literature. The literature review will be divided into two major parts (1) Organizational theories (2) Training and Development. Chapter Three will cover up the research methodologies used for the research area. Chapter four will examine the data collection and analyse the types of information of the collected data. The Fifth Chapter will conclude the research and will suggest some advice and emphasize the limitations of the study. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW: A critical and in depth evaluation of a previous research is called Literature Review. It examines a wide range of literature concerned with the employee motivation which has major importance for organizational matters such as Training and development. The themes provided the framework based on: 1. Organisational theory which relates to employee in an organization 2. To designed the development strategies to reward and distinguish the employee input in television channels. We will look in this research how these set of organisational theories and approaches relate to understand the topic of research. ORGANIZATIONAL THEORIES: Dugan the famous Author said in 1985 that â€Å"training and development is alive and well and growing. In fact, it has grown to be a part of a much larger arena.† There are so many approaches to training and development by so many authors my research will mainly focus on the Classical Approach, The human relation approach, and the contingency theory. I will give a brief introduction of all of these theories in my research. THE CLASSICAL APPROACH: The Standard model to the organizational plan and management in the classical approach were based on the assumed basic numbers, which are written below. To be operated and structured there is at least one best approach for all the organizations. Classical approach was based on the legal managerial power and rule of law. We know financial reward is the best way to motivate employee to work and we will also examine what are other ways of motivating employee and get their maximum use. THE HUMAN RELATION APPROACH: The Third step in the development of modern management was the advancement in the attention to the human factors which has become known as the â€Å"Human Relation School of management.† It was introduced in 1930s as a response to the negative view of human nature suggested by the classical approach and against the mechanistic view of organization. Human Relation approach talks about the emotional behaviour of the people that people are more emotional rather than economical rational beings, where as organizations are cooperative social systems rather than mechanical ones; and also that organizations are composed of informal structure, and rules as well as formal procedures and practices. CONTINGENCY THEORY: This theory was first come in to view in the 1960s as a rejection of the â€Å"One best way† approach. There are many types of the contingency theory. It is a set of behavioural theory that argues that there is no one best way of organising or leading and the leadership approach to one situation is not necessarily suitable to others. The Four most important suggestions of Contingency theory are:    There is no one best way to manage the organization.   Ã‚   The plan and aim of the organization should be according to the environment.   Ã‚   Effective organizations not only plan according to the environment but also fit between its subsystems.   Ã‚   The organization should be properly designed and the management style should be suitable both to the tasks and the nature of the work group if the organization wants to satisfy its needs and requirements. ROLE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT According to Casse and Banahan (2007), â€Å"the different approaches to training and development need to be explored.† Training in an organization is mainly consisting of two parts: 1- Internal Training 2- External Training INTERNAL TRAINING: Internal training means a training session organised within the house by human resource department or giving training to a particular department by a senior staff or talented employee as a resource person. EXTERNAL TRAINING: The training which is arranged outside the organization by training institutes and consultants are called external training. Both the trainings are very essential as it helps preparing staff for greater challenges. THEORITICAL CONCEPT OF TRAINING: When the planning of a learning programme become a major concern, the theoretical concept of training becomes more significant. It helps determining the area where there is a space for further improvement and the training is required to achieve the goal. For any organization it is important to design the objectives and framework of training to achieve its corporate goal. There are countless theoretical concepts I will include few of them in my dissertation to make it clear to understand the objective of my research. I will try to briefly explain those concepts in my research proposal. Systematic training cycle is a stage based activity which begins with Training Needs Analysis (TNA) Jill Bowman John P. Wilson, (2008) Jill Bowman John P. Wilson, (2008) point out two definitions regarding (TNA)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Analysing training needs provides a focus and direction for the investment an organization has to make in its people†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Need for training exists in organizations when particular weaknesses need to me overcome by the application of systematic training. Therefore, before commencement of actual training session, it is very important to identify the training needs first. Jill Bowman John P. Wilson, (2008) The systematic training cycle has three stages. 1- Training Design 2- Training Delivery 3- Evaluation Any training programme in an organization has to be designed first once it is designed it needs to be implemented. Implementation is overwhelmed with certain problems such as managers at the first place are more action oriented but suddenly they get busy to engage in the training efforts. Secondly availability of the trainer who also knows the philosophy and objective of the company is difficult. And also scheduling the training programme around the present work is another problem. The final stage of the training and development programme is the evaluation of the programme. Evaluation of the programme helps determine the result. These set of classic theories and approaches will make the research topic more clearly for readers and how these relate to each other in media industry. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. The core task for any researcher to complete its research is to analyze the problem and to select that which research methodology to follow. It is a challenging endeavour and causes difficulties if the most suitable methodology is not selected. TYPES OF RESEARCH: 1- Primary Research 2- Secondary Research 3- Qualitative Research 4- Quantitative Research PRIMARY RESEARCH: In Primary research a researcher collects the data which doesn’t really exist. It can be done through surveys, questionnaire, interviews and observations. SECONDARY RESEARCH: Secondary research is to examining the existing data, it may be the mixture of information acquire by different authors and scholars and a summary or collation. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: Qualitative research tries to find out the â€Å"WHY† not â€Å"HOW†. It is about investigating the issues, answering the questions and understanding phenomena. The main methods uses in this research are observation, interviews and documentary analysis. It seeks to explore people’s attitudes, behaviours, value system, and lifestyles. It also focuses groups, in depth interviews like many other approaches but qualitative research also involves the analysis of any unstructured material including customer’s feedback forms, reports or media clips. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH: Quantitative research technique enumerates the data by applying different mathematical and statistical methods. Quantitative research includes surveys and customers questionnaires. It is about knowing the opinion of the people in a way so you can produce an appropriate fact and statistic to guide you in making decision for future. You can only get the reliable statistical result by surveying people in a fairly large numbers and also ensure they are representative sample of your target market. CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS: At first the data may appear to be a mass of confusing, unrelated, accounts.   But by Studying and coding (often I code the same materials several times just after Collecting them), the researcher begins to create order (Charmaz, 1983: 114) In Data Analysis researcher gathers a raw data and organize it so that useful information can be extracted from it. Raw data can be in variety of types including measurements, surveys, and observations. In data analysis process, the raw data organised in a way which will be useful. For Example, The result of surveys may b tallied so that we can see that how many people answer to the surveys and how they response to the questions. Data Analysis is an important step of the research process. The aim of data analysis is to define the qualitative and quantitative data that provides learner to develop knowledge and skills in data analysis. It also supports the development of critical appraisal skills by considering the critical review. COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: In this stage I will try to analyze the primary data which I will collect from different television channels. I will try to collect data from BBC and Pakistan television channels including GEO TV Network, Express News and AAJ TV. I will also do the surveys and make the questionnaire for the employee working in electronic media industry and also a separate interview questions for HR experts associated with the industry. I will also analyze the data and the information collected through surveys by focusing on the objective of my research and will try to analyse them in a very systematic way, it is very important as it will help me to draw a valid conclusion and clarify the aim and objectives of my research. TIME LINE FOR DISSERTATION: A dissertation is an extensive piece of academic writing. The timeline make sure that every step is completed at a given time. For successful achievement of a dissertation there has to be a time line. Month 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Month 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Month 3 TASKS Preliminary Research Define research questions/objectives Work on methodology and finish rough drafts of methodology Library Work Preparing Questionnaires, and survey questions Refine Dissertation Methodology Write literature review Write Introduction Research paper writing References and Bibliography Polish format of research proposal CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION: This research adds value in quite a lot of ways; firstly it contributes a better understanding on some vital attributes of Training and Development specifically in Pakistan and UK electronic media Industry. Secondly it provides insight the attitude and behaviour of an employee in the organization and why they need training. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of training in the efficiency of an employee, in how the training gives confidence to perform there desire task in their routine work.

Public Companies Essays - Types Of Business Entity, Legal Entities

Public Companies Essays - Types Of Business Entity, Legal Entities Public Companies PUBLIC COMPANIES Public Companies are those which are listed on the stock exchange. The public may buy and sell shares in them. A public company will have the word 'limited' after the company name (usually abbreviated to Ltd). Characteristics The characteristics of a public company are that they are limited by shares and have limited liability. 'Limited by shares' means that shares in the company can be bought and sold freely (shares are featured in the stock-exchange). While 'limited liability' mean that in the event of company failure e.g. bankruptcy, the financial responsibility of the individual shareholders is restricted to the face value of his/her shares. In other words personal assets cannot be touched. Another characteristic of a public company is the Limited or Ltd after the companies name. It distinguishes between public and private companies clearly. Process involved in setting up In order to set up a public Company, 5 or more people need to follow the procedure stated in the Company Law Review Act 1998. That is, they need to fill out form 201 (refer to Appendix 1) from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). This form contains particulars of the initial members, office holders and office addresses. In the past, companies had to have a memorandum and Articles of Association. Now, they may need either a single set of rules known as a 'constitution' or have no constitution and rely on basic rules of internal management set out in the law known as 'Replaceable rules'. These rules can be replaced by a constitution at any time, hence it's name. When a company is registered ASIC issues the company with a unique nine-digit number called the Australian Company Number (ACN). After the issuing of the ACN number, the company is officially registered as a Public Company. The operation of a public company has it's advantages and it's disadvantages due to it's function and it's influences from it's external environment. Advantages J The shareholders have limited liability J The company has perpetual succession (if the main owner dies, their shares can be sold to other people or his/her nominated succession). J Shares are easily bought and sold on the stock exchange. J Finance can be easily arranged. J The management normally has a large degree or experience and expertise in a variety of fields. J It is a legal entity. Disadvantages L Government regulations effect company activity L There are usually limits placed on the power of the board of directors. L Companies can be expensive to maintain and organise. L the ease with which shares can be bought and sold may sometimes be a disadvantage because if every shareholder sells their shares, due to an unstable period in the economy, the value of the company will decline. Cessation Cessation of a public company means that the company stops trading. One reason a company may stop trading is because it can not pay it debts. It is the liquidated which means it's assets are distributed to it's shareholders according to the number of shares each person has. Sometimes, when the company has difficulty paying it's debts, the courts may appoint a receiver to decide if the business should continue to trade or close it down. The receiver is an independent manager, usually an accountant. Bibliography business and accounting By Pat Whoo Copyright 1997

The role of phonological awareness and memory in second language Essay

The role of phonological awareness and memory in second language - Essay Example The nature of cognitive constructs has not been a simple topic either in the field of applied linguistics, or in the pedagogy field of studies; nonetheless, a number of researches have shown that the levels of awareness and working memory were important in learning L2 as well as in first language (L1). The specific goals of this paper are to review the previous findings on these topics and to explore empirically crucial facts about them. To provide an accurate definition of "fluency" has not been an easy task for SLA researchers. Theoretically, there are two approaches in defining "fluency": in a broader sense, fluency is a global oral proficiency, and in a narrower sense, fluency is considered as the component of oral proficiency that is purely a performance phenomenon (Lennon, 2000). In line with this, Kormos and Denes (2004) argued in their study of perception of fluency that there are high-order fluency, which can be equated with proficiency, and low-order fluency, which is represented by temporal aspects of fluency. The current research takes the narrower perspective (i.e. low-order fluency), following Lennon's definition of fluency (2000: 26): "rapid, smooth, accurate, lucid and efficient translation of thought or communicative intention into language under the temporal constraints of online processing." In short, this is the capacity to use language in real time. Kormos and Denes (2004) proposed that fluency may not only be a temporal phenomenon: for some people, conceptualization of fluency might include grammatical precision and lexical diversity. This finding highlights the fact that fluency is often discussed with the context of its complexity and accuracy. These three aspects of language presentation have been used to describe language learners' performance for the oral/written assessment and also to indicate their proficiency underlying their interpretation. Researchers have claimed that fluency, complexity and correctness are in competition with one another for attention resources (Ellis & Barkhuizen, 2005; Skehan, 1996). In other words, it is unlikely that a learner can achieve fluency, complexity and accuracy simultaneously since his/her attention and memory capabilities are limited. For instance, in a study that compared fluency, complexity and accuracy, Skehan (1998) discussed that fluency is associated with meaning-based communica tion, which in turn is associated with lexicalization. Therefore, a learner's performance may be over-lexicalized if fluency is consistently prioritized. Skehan and Foster analyzed the influence of task structure and processing load on narrative performance and found that fluency has increased when the assignment performance was meaning-oriented: for example, when 1) tasks were on personal matters (1997), and 2) tasks contained comprehensible, inherent, sequential structure (1999). In addition, the set of fluency measures generated no significant correlations between the proportions of form complexity and accuracy. In the field of SLA, the establishment of the appropriate standards of fluency has been a major concern.

Individual Savings Account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual Savings Account - Essay Example Good thing about ISA's is that Fred does not have to pay tax on the income earned from the savings fund. Fred Murray can try Barnsley BS. It offers 2.65% rate for savings from 1, 2.85% from 10,000, and 3% from 20,000. There is also the fixed rate ISA from Northern Rock which offers 3.5% interest for a minimum balance of 500. C. It would be better if Henry Murray would buy the three-bedroom terraced house since there is a benefit from it if it were rented for 800 a month. In addition to that, the value of the house may increase in time. Costing 117,000, the house could be paid in a year or two with the income from the students' rent. A buy to let mortgage suitable for him is First Direct. It is a fixed type of mortgage, meaning that monthly repayments will remain constant regardless of the standard variable interest rate. With this, he will know exactly what the repayments are. D. Bill Murray could start paying while he is still studying. He must make sure to save an amount of money every month. This will lower the interest he will have to pay. Getting a job right after school will surely help too. It is advisable to look for a job in a government institution. They could offer assistance with payment of student loans. He could also look for student assistance programs and search for options for payment and find the one most suitable for him. He must ensur

Legalizing Abortion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legalizing Abortion - Research Paper Example The abortion issue is multi-faceted and both sides of the issue provide credible, thought-provoking arguments. Only the individual can disseminate the information and make their own decision based on what they believe to be right but everyone should know both sides on equal terms so as to make the decision that is right for them. This paper presents the ‘right-to-life’ opinion regarding the abortion issue then follows with the ‘pro-choice’ argument from an ethical, moral and legal aspect. The arguments for and against are significant in a social context yet inconsequential because they will not decide whether or not abortions remain safe and lawful. The conclusion explains why legal abortions should remain the law of the land. Pro-Life The right to choose is the foundation upon which this country was built. Those who are pro-abortion trumpet this slogan while proclaiming a woman’s ‘God given right’ to make her own choices without governme nt interference. There is little freedom of choice for women who are experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. The women themselves usually wish to bring their baby to full term. Other powerful influences in her life such as husbands/boyfriends, parents and friends are generally the forces that exact pressures on her to terminate the pregnancy. â€Å"Eight out of 10 women surveyed after abortion said they would have given birth if they’d had support and encouragement from family and friends† (Reardon, 2002). It’s the abortion that, in many cases, is unwanted by the woman, not the baby. Most often, the father of the child, not wishing to accept responsibility, may beg or even threaten a woman until she agrees to the abortion. â€Å"In 95 percent of all cases the male partner played a central role in the decision† (Zimmerman, 1977). This and other studies have illustrated clearly that most women decide against their own conscience. Legal abortion enables fathers to force their will on mothers. Some women resort to abortion in desperation because they fear continued abuse. That fear is substantiated as women who refuse to abort have been subjected to serious abuses which have escalated to murder if the women still persists in her refusal. Murder is the leading cause of death for pregnant women and for what other motive could there be? â€Å"Sixty-four percent of women surveyed report being pressured by others into unwanted abortions† (Reardon, 1992).   Ã‚  Immediately following an abortion, the one(s) coercing the decision are relieved and seldom, if ever, give the inconvenient issue another thought. Women, on the other hand, suffer long afterwards, racked by overwhelming guilt and agonizing over their irreversible decision. This pain may last a lifetime as they are never able to forgive themselves (Elliot Institute, n.d.). Another myth espoused as fact is that the aborted fetus is no more than a cluster of cells, a bit of tissue un able to even feel pain. A developing embryo has a unique set of fingerprints as well as different genetic patterns than its mother. It is a human being unto itself. If one defines death as the stoppage of a heartbeat and murder as the forceful and intentional stopping of a heart then abortion is surely murder. If the existence of a heartbeat legally defined life, then almost all abortions would be illegal as the heart is formed by the 18th day in the womb. A British medical journal reported that when a pin is stuck into an eight-week-old fetus,

Review of downsizing and its impact on employees

Review of downsizing and its impact on employees This chapter provides a review of downsizing and its impacts on employees. The main objective of this chapter is to provide readers with a picture of the theories applied in such studies. Furthermore, empirical studies specifically associated with the downsizing context and theories applied in this study will be examined too. Finally, the aim of this literature review is to find the research gaps in previous studies and how this study will close these gaps. There are eight main sections depicted in this chapter. First, a general review pertaining to downsizing will be discussed. This section mainly deals with the issues of organizational downsizing strategies, the expected and actual economic impacts of downsizing and the empirical studies which have explored the impacts of organizational downsizing on surviving employees (managers and non-managers). The second section deals with one of the main theories applied in this research which is the stress and coping model by Lazarus and Folkman (1984). Third, six models of turnover and retention will be explored in this chapter. Two models of employee turnover and retention which are Lee and Mitchells (1994) the unfolding model of turnover and Mitchell et al.s (2001) job embeddedness model are two of the main theories applied in this research. Subsequently, empirical studies which employed these two models will be discussed. Then, few empirical studies associated with turnover intention and voluntary turnover specifically in downsizing context will be discussed. The seventh section of this chapter deals with two work-related stressors, namely job insecurity and role overload experienced by survivors following an organizational downsizing and their influences on turnover intention. Finally, the conclusion of this chapter deals with the research gaps identified from the literature review and how this research will close these gaps. 2.1 DOWNSIZINg A large amount of the research on organizational downsizing that has emerged over the past 25 years has entered on two main research questions as identified by Datta et al. (2010). They were (1) What precipitates employee downsizing? and (2) What are the effects of downsizing from the standpoint of individual attitudes/behavior and organizational performance? (Datta et al., 2010). The main focus of this section is the effects of downsizing on individual employees attitudes and behaviors. First of all, the downsizing strategies employed by organizations will be examined. The second section will briefly summarize the anticipated and actual economic impacts on downsized organizations. Finally, empirical studies pertaining to the impacts of organizational downsizing on surviving employees (managers and non-managers) will be discussed. 2.1.1 Downsizing Strategies Three forms of downsizing implementation strategies have been identified: workforce reduction, organization redesign, and systemic strategy (Gandolfi, 2008). The workforce reduction strategy focused on headcount reduction and employed tactics such as layoffs, retrenchments, early retirements, natural attrition, hiring freeze, buy-out packages, transfers, and out-placement. Second, work redesign strategy concentrated on reducing work itself instead of cutting the number of employees. It included tactics such as phasing out functions, hierarchical levels, departments or divisions, redesigning tasks and consolidating units. Third, the systemic strategy emphasized on the organizational culture and the attitudes and values of its employees. Previous studies have shown that most organizations practiced workforce reduction strategies to downsized company (Gandolfi, 2005), while layoffs were the most common way to downsize (Mishra Mishra, 1994). 2.1.2 The Expected and Actual Economic Consequences of Downsizing Organizations adopted downsizing for a number of reasons, the most common reason was to improve efficiency, effectiveness and the productivity in the organizations (Cascio, 1993; Kets de Vries Balazs, 1997; Mone, 1994; Savery Luks, 2000). While efficiency concerned an organizations ability to do things better, effectiveness entailed an organizations ability to do the right things in order to survive (Budros, 1999). Beneficial consequences in terms of cost savings considerations were among the expected outcomes of organizations downsized (Cascio, Young, Morris, 1997). De Meuse, Venderheiden and Bergmann (1994) mentioned that organizations reduced employment costs by cutting employees who were not performing well. According to Cascio (1993) and Kets de Vries and Balazs (1997), expected economic benefits included lower expense ratios, increased return of investment, higher profits and stock prices. Another economic benefit resulted from organizations was being able to increase value for their shareholders (Cascio, 1993; Cascio et al., 1997; De Meuse et al., 1994). Additionally, other benefits as a result from downsizing included lower overhead, smoother communication, increased entrepreneurship, and heightened productivity (Cascio, 1993; Kets de Vries Balazs, 1997). In addition, Mone (1994) suggested that benefits may also be realized in the forms of lower average salaries for the less senior surviving work force, fewer management layer and flatter organizational structures. Finally, downsizing helped organizations to remain competitive in the increasingly global marketplace (Ugboro, 2006). As per Cascio et al. (1997) downsized organizations should be able to lower their labor cost, and as a result in increased earnings or to control product prices to improve competitiveness. As such, organizations have been urged to become lean and mean through downsizing activities, by took into account costs and other competitive consideration on national and international level (Appelbaum, Simpson, Shapiro, 1987, p. 68). Irrespective of the intended benefits as mentioned above, the general consequences of the economic impact of downsizing were negative (Budros, 1999; De Meuse et al., 1994; Gandolfi, 2008). Although a few organizations have reported increased financial performance; however, majority of the downsized organizations have reported decreased levels of efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and profitability (Gandolfi, 2008). Even though downsizing is used as a cost reduction strategy by organizations, there was evidence that downsizing does not decreased costs as desired. On the contrary, costs may actually increase in some cases (McKinley, Sanchez, Schick, 1995). A number of hard-to-quantify costs were listed, including costs of quality as a result of increased rework, scrap, inspection and overtime costs for surviving employees whose workload increased and forgone new business opportunities as they did not have the resources to take on the new work (Mabert Schemenner, 1997). Mirvis (1 997) cited that over one third of the downsizing organizations that were surveyed reported that unexpected increased in number of temporary workers and consultants and the need for surviving employees to work overtime and to be retrained. Moreover, Bruton, Keels, and Shook (1996) reported that the stock price for downsized organizations decreased after two years of downsizing. In a recent study by Yu and Park (2006) which analyzed financial data of 258 listed Korean firms between 1997 and 2002, downsizing organizations suffered more financial difficulties than organizations that did not downsized. Downsizing resulted in an increase in the organizations profits and efficiency but no effects on employee productivity. Furthermore, there was some evidence to suggest that those organizations which had downsized reported lower measures of profitability than those did not (Carswell, 2005; Mentzer, 1996). Empirical studies also found that downsizing had a negative impact on corporate reputation (Love Kraatz, 2009; Zyglidopoulos, 2005). Gandolfi (2008) contend the following statements in review of available studies: Most firms adopted downsizing strategies did not reap economic and organizational benefits; Non-downsized firms financially outperformed downsized forms in the short-, medium- and long-run (Macky, 2004; Morris, Cascio, Young., 1999); While some firms had shown positive financial outcomes, there was no empirical evidence to suggest a correlation between downsizing and improved financial performance (Macky, 2004; Morris et al., 1999); Some firms have reported positive financial indicators in the short term, yet the long-term financial consequences of downsizing have been shown to be consistently negative. 2.1.3 Impacts of Downsizing on Surviving Employees This section will examine the impacts of organizational downsizing on two categories of employees, namely managers and non-managers. 2.1.3.1 Impacts on Surviving managers A number of studies were conducted to identify the impacts of downsizing on managers (e.g. Dopson, Risk, Stewart, 1992; Thomas Dunkerley, 1999; Thomas Linstead, 2002). The literature below will review empirical studies concerning impacts on surviving managers as consequences of organizational downsizing. Foremost, three main aspects were identified which are longer working hour and intensified work regimes, wider roles and responsibilities, and managerial career. Subsequently, surviving managers attitudes toward organizational downsizing will be explored too. Longer Working Hours and Intensified Work Regimes Thomas and Dunkerley (1999) conducted a study to examine the UK middle managers experiences of downsizing and to discover how these experiences influenced their roles and nature of middle management. Data collection was divided into two phases. Phase one comprised of a 50 case-study organizations, involving interviews with key managers (senior line and HR) and middle managers. While phase two involved in-depth analysis of up to ten interviews with middle managers in ten organizations drawn from the original cohort. A wide range of organizations were involved in the study, included oil, brewing, insurance, local authorities, health service, military, civil service agencies, manufacturing, engineering, music industry, retail and distribution from both private and public sectors. Managers interviewed reported longer working hours and intensified work regimes. They experienced a significant increased in the number of hours worked, including at work and at home during evenings and on the weekends. However, majority of the managers pointed that this long hour worked was through their choice and necessity to get the job done rather than through presenteeism or fear of job loss (Thomas Dunkerly, 1999, p. 162). Similar findings were presented by Thomas and Linstead (2002) based on a wider study in the UK of approximately 150 middle managers in 50 organizations that had undergone major organizational restructuring. A wide range of private and public sector organizations included oil, brewing, insurance, manufacturing, local authorities, health, armed forces, engineering, logistics, mineral extraction and privatized utilities were involved in the study. A qualitative, inductive and multi-methods approach had been adopted and specifically involved case studies that focused on an individual middle managers subjective experiences. Likewise, problems of worked longer hours and unpaid overtime were reported by McCann et al. (2004) in a comparison study between Japanese and Anglo-American management systems based on interviews with senior or HR managers and middle managers in 30 large organizations. Both private and public sectors organizations comprised the sample and included steel manufacturing, heavy mechanical engineering, brewing, automotive, electronics, financial services, retail, healthcare, local government and central government. Zemke (1990) also reported that middle managers worked more hours than before downsizing took place. A variety of reasons were being identified which contributed to the intensification of work faced by middle managers. They included wider roles and responsibilities, flatter structures, reduced in number of middle managers, presenteeism through fear and job insecurity, pressure from peer to perform, performance cultures with increased individual accountability and the necessity to keep pace with constant change. (McCann et al., 2004; Thomas Dunkerley, 1999; Thomas Linstead, 2002). Wider Roles and Responsibilities Dopson et al. (1992) conducted a small-scale study to look into the changes affected middle managers and their reactions to these changes in both public and private sectors. Two phrases of data collection were conducted. In the first phase, eight general case studies were conducted by interviewing a senior manager (training manager) and on average six middle managers in each case. The second phase of the research comprised of interviews with twenty middle managers in each of four case studies (a computer company, a car manufacturing company, a new public agency, and an autospares company), two to three senior managers, the personnel and training manager(s), and in the public-sector case the trade union representatives. The interviews results indicated that middle management jobs became more general, with greater responsibilities and a wider range of tasks. These findings were supported by the studies of McCann et al. (2004), Thomas and Dunkerley (1999), and Thomas and Linstead (2002) . The removal of layers of middle management had resulted in an increasing span of control was a common feature of most middle management jobs in studies conducted (e.g., Dopson et al., 1992; Thomas Dunkerley, 1999; Zemke, 1990). Generally, middle managers were responsible for a wider mix and a greater number of subordinates than before (Dopson et al., 1992). On top of that, middle managers experienced significant increased of workload (Dopson et al., 1992; McCann et al., 2004; Thomas Dunkerley, 1999; Thomas Linstead, 2002). Middle managers had a greater responsibility for a wider range of duties for which they were now clearly more accountable (Dopson et al., 1992). Their roles ranged from technical and professional trends to more generic management, with tasks such managing, financing, budgeting and forecasting (Thomas Dunkerley, 1999). They needed to be more flexible (McCann et al., 2004), and obtained more generalist skills such as financial knowledge, ability to manage staff o f different backgrounds and a greater marketing and strategic orientation (Dopson et al., 1992). While McCann et al. (2004) found that middle managers were doing less managing of staff and more short-term, task focused co-operative group work. They were more likely to be managing subordinates in groups and tasks in a flattened hierarchy. Their job titles often bore little resemblance to their actual work tasks. Besides that, middle managers faced pressure from below due to the increased spans of control, constraint of resources and increased customer accountability. Furthermore, pressures were faced from above to perform a range of targets and performance indicators (Dopson et al., 1992; McCann et al., 2004; Thomas Dunkerley, 1999). Newell and Dopson (1996) in their attempt to investigate the impact of restructuring on middle management job and careers discovered that middle managers had to meet more stringent budgetary and quality targets as a result from interviews with 20 middle managers in telecommunication industry. The shift from physical commodities to information implied a shift from hierarchies of specialization to flexible networks of creativity and information sharing (McCann et al., 2004). Middle managers had less opportunity to fall back that their judgments was hampered by a lack of information due to the advancement of information and communication technology (Dopson et al., 1992). A number of middle managers commented on their needs to work in a variety of relationships, with manager and staff in organizations overseas, as well as spending time on oversea visits (Dopson et al., 1992). As consequences discussed above, stress-related problems and illnesses, role overload, tensions with home-life and impoverished life-styles were reported as a result from the long hours worked and increased roles and responsibilities (Thomas Dunkerley, 1999). Managerial Careers after Organizational Downsizing In terms of managerial career, both negative and positive views will be depicted as below. Individual middle manager retained responsibility for his/her own career (Newell Dopson, 1996). The trend towards individual accountability and individual contracts was noticed. Career advancement opportunities were declined due to the wide gaps between levels in the hierarchy and wider spans of control (Thomas Dunkerley, 1999). There were concerns about future career paths as the management hierarchy has been reduced (Dopson et al., 1992). Likewise, career opportunities were thought to have significantly decreased and there were no clear paths for middle managers (Newell Dopson, 1996). Some potential career paths were identified, such as the notion of filling dead mens shoes or promotion by the back door, that was being promoted because your face fitted, or you were good mates with the senior manager (Newell Dopson, 1996, p. 15). Majority of the managers commented on a lack of information provided by the organization about their role and future in the organization and about their feelings of lack of control after changes took place (Newell Dopson, 1996; Thomas Linstead, 2002). Some managers felt more insecure feelings on further changes and complained that the refocusing of tasks made them to lose certain enjoyable aspects of job (Dopson et al., 1992). They faced problems adapting to changes, especially when the changes were unexpected and the employees were not fully consulted about those changes (Dopson et al., 1992). Some middle managers felt that they are stuck in a situation which was continually demanding in terms; however, without the support of proper training and development (Newell and Dopson, 1996, p. 18). Likewise, middle managers felt that they were losing the plot in their organization with increased feelings of insecurity and uncertainty (Thomas Linstead, 2002, p. 88). Middle managers had a great sense of vulnerability that middle managers are an easy target (Thomas Linstead, 2002, p. 85). In contradiction, some middle managers reported positive experiences from downsizing (Thomas Dunkerley, 1999). A number of the middle managers felt a reduction in the frustration of their job (Dopson et al., 1992). Some reasons were identified to address such claim. First, the shorter hierarchy in the organizations meant that the middle managers were closer to top management and the strategic and policy arena (Dopson et al., 1992). They claimed to have greater control over their working lives and resources that they need, greater power of decision making, problem-solving, more innovative and strategic input (Dopson et al., 1992; Thomas Dunkerley, 1999). Thus, middle managers had more entrepreneurial roles. Many middle managers commented on feelings of job fulfillment and enrichment. Some surviving middle managers perceived increased career opportunities as some beneficial retirement packages had freed up the senior end of middle management. As a consequence, the profile of middle m anagement was getting younger (Thomas Dunkerley, 1999). Furthermore, the reduction in promotion opportunities were may be offset in part by the introduction of more performance-related pay (Dopson et al., 1992). Ebadan and Winstanley (1997) conducted a study which focused on getting the managers views of changes occurred and their perceptions of how the new career paths could be and should be forged. As a result, 42 respondents identified worse career prospects. However, despite the overall perception of worsening career prospects, the managers generally felt that their career prospects were better in the reorganized organizations than elsewhere. Work Attitudes of Surviving Managers Levitt et al., (2008) carried out a study to investigate the effects of downsizing on the survivors of layoffs in a large insurance organization. In-depth interviews with four middle managers were conducted to determine surviving middle managers attitudes pertaining to downsizing. Middle managers reported negative feelings of apathy, fear, distrust and anger toward the organization. Middle managers reported no loyalty or commitment to organization anymore. They no longer felt obligated to perform above and beyond the call of duty and no longer do so. These characteristics were consistent with the term as survivor syndrome (Devine et al., 2003, p.110). Similarly, in an attempt to know more about how middle managers responded to the demands of downsizing, ONeill and Lenn (1995, p. 25) found that surviving middle managers were anger, anxiety, cynicism, resentment, resignation, desire for retribution and hope. Middle managers reported high level of stress after downsizing. The type of stress was no longer isolated to the workloads; though, the increasingly feelings of job insecurity. They also indicated they felt stress relative to the constant organizational changes (Levitt et al., 2008). The study conducted by Luthans and Sommer (1999) found that managers reported lower level of organizational commitment, lower job satisfaction and workgroup trust following an organizational downsizing. Middle managers had lower morale and long-term commitment to organization due to the lack of resources and rewards and the constant pressure to reduce costs (Thomas Dunkerley, 1999). Correspondingly, majority of the respondents in the study by Ebadan and Winstanley (1997) indicated that they would have lower morale and motivation due to a possible decreased in promotion opportunities. The lower levels of commitment and trust of middle managers were resulted from the aspect of freedom to make decision. Fr eedom for middle managers to make strategic decisions had not always increased along with the growing of variety and creativity of middle management tasks (McCann et al., 2004). On the other hand, in the study by Thomas and Dunkerley (1999), middle managers reported higher job satisfaction level from increased empowerment over their work roles. Ugboro (2006) carried out a study to determine the relationship between job redesign, employee empowerment and intent to quit measured by affective organizational commitment among survivors of organizational restructuring and downsizing. The respondents of this study comprised of both middle managers and employees in supervisory positions. A total of 438 useable questionnaires have been used for data analysis purpose. The results showed significant positive relationships between job redesign, empowerment and affective commitment. The study showed that both job redesign and employee empowerment that enhanced survivors sense of impact and job meaningfulness could facilitate survivors affective commitment and reduced their turnover intention. In spite of the middle managers attitudes as mentioned above, Allen et al., (2001) revealed that the middle mangers attitudes changed over time after downsizing. The data was collected through surveyed 106 managers experienced a downsizing regarding organizational commitment, turnover intentions, job involvement, role clarity, role overload, satisfaction with top management and satisfaction with job security. The results generally indicated that downsizing had a significant impact on work attitudes, the impact varied over time and that the initial impact was generally negative. The findings indicated that the most negative impact on attitudes occurred during the immediate post-downsizing period (Allen et al., 2001). A later study by Levitt et al. (2008) opposed to the previous findings by Allen et al. (2001). Middle managers reported transitional changes in their feelings over time; however, these changes or transitions were predominantly from positive to negative. They reported posi tive feelings initially that changed to negative feelings and these negative feelings continued to grow overtime (Levitt et al., 2008). 2.1.3.2 Impacts on Surviving Non-managers In 1994, Mone conducted a study to examine how individual-level factors (self-efficacy, self-esteem, personal goals, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment) affected workers decision concerning turnover intention to leave the downsizing organization. A total of 145 employees at a U.S. manufacturing firm that experienced downsizing in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s were the respondents of the study. The findings suggested that self-efficacy was positively related to turnover intention. Furthermore, task self-esteem, but not role and global self-esteem had a negative impact on turnover intention. A 3-year longitudinal panel study was conducted by Armstrong-Stassen (2002) to compare the impacts on employees who had been declared redundant (N=49) in the initial downsizing stage, but who remained in the organization, and employees who had not been designated redundant (N=118). Data was collected in time T1 (early 1996), T2 (6 months later), T3 (1997), and T4 (1999). Employees designated redundant reported significantly higher level of job satisfaction at T4 compared with other three periods. While at T1, they reported lower job satisfaction than those declared nonredundant, but by T4 they reported higher level of job satisfaction than employees designated nonredundant. Additionally, both group of employees reported significant increase in job security between T1/T2 and T3 and also between T3 and T4. Devine et al. (2003) conducted a study to compare the outcomes experienced by both victims and survivors involved in a major downsizing program. The final sample consisted of 608 responses (435 continuing employees, and 173 displaced, re-employed employees). The findings suggested that employees who continued to work in the downsized environment reported higher stress level than those individuals who had been displaced. Additionally, the displaced employees reported they had more job control, or autonomy than continuing employees. Furthermore, the moderating effect of perceived job control on the relationship between the environmental stressors (downsizing) and perceived employee stress was found, indicating that high perceptions of control lowered feeling of stress, and vice versa. Finally, displaced employees reported significantly higher level of job satisfaction, overall physical health and quality of life perceptions, and lower level of absenteeism and licit drug use than contin uing employees. Summary In a nutshell from the review of downsizing research, it revealed that most of the studies pertaining to surviving managers especially middle managers have been in the form of qualitative method in which they explore the work-related stressors experienced by surviving managers and their attitudes. Furthermore, the direct relationship between work-related stressors (role overload and job insecurity) and turnover intention has been underresearched in the context of downsizing.

Tom and Huck Dont Live Here Anymore Essay -- essays research papers

What went wrong in America’s Hometown? Two murders within 6 weeks from each other committed by teenagers is a major problem presented in the heart of America. When Ron Powers heard of these crimes, one happening in his hometown, Hannibal, MO, his eyes were opened to this problem of today’s children and traveled back to find out just what went wrong. Growing up in Hannibal, considered by many to be ‘America’s Hometown’, the author never experienced greed, hate, or envy as a child. The most responsibility he had was being a traffic officer and save children from getting hit by passing cars as they crossed the street. What baffles Ron Powers is what has happened to today’s youth, what has changed in the way children are raised these days that create this loss of innocence, which is why he set out to try and find out what happened through interviews in Hannibal. I feel he successfully expresses his ideals on society through memories of his own compared to the two recent murders and everything he finds out through the interviewing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tom and Huck Don’t Live Here Anymore: Childhood Murders in the Heart of America is about Ron Power’s reaction to the two murders in 6 weeks. He travels back to Hannibal to piece together what reasons were behind the reckless brutality of the children murderers. He begins with character development, explaining who these children were and the events pieced together of what they have done, along with a brief history of e...

Causes of Teenage Suicide Essay

The American Psychological Association states that, â€Å"Teen suicide is a growing health concern. It is the 3rd-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24† (Teen Suicide is Preventable). As youth suicides are becoming more publicized, society is gradually becoming more aware of this global concern. Although most people do not understand why teenagers commit suicide, the three social sciences, anthropology, sociology, and psychology, provide insights that go beyond what the media reports as causes because through cross cultural studies, they provide information of many societal and psychological processes which confirm and expand on our understanding of this complex issue. Most people only understand adolescent suicide to the points expressed by the media. The media claims that the suicide risks are higher for those who go through depression, anxiety, mental illness, substance abuse, social isolation, bullying, or sexual abuse, and also for those who have disabilities or are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender) youth. The media also claims that LGBT youth have higher suicide risks than others as they tend to have added stress and high levels of anxiety and depression, and are likely targets for bullies (Teen Suicide, 2011). The facts proven my the media are not to be underestimates, however, the media is often ignorant about how teen suicide works in other cultures. Teenage suicides in other societies work in different ways than in our Western society. On the islands of Micronesia, suicide has become a regular ritual for teenagers (Gladwell, 2002, p. 218). This act, considered mindless in our society, is an important form of self-expression in theirs (Gladwell, 2002, p. 220). The adolescent suicide epidemic of Micronesia can easily be compared to the teen smoking epidemic of our society. Like smoking in Western and European cultures, young people experiment suicide in Micronesia. Anthropologist Donald Rubinstein noted that in Micronesia, boys as young as 5 years old lean on a noose where unconsciousness follows, for experimental play (Gladwell, 2002, p. 219). They risk dying from anoxia, the shortage of blood to the brain (Gladwell, 2002, p. 218), as teens in our society risk dying from lung cancer or other illnesses. Youth suicides on the islands are becoming more frequent in communities as younger boys are affected by the contagious  self-epidemic of self-destruction, as younger people in Western and European cultures are by smoking, in forms of experimentation, imitation, self-expression, and rebellion (Gladwell, 2002 p. 219-220). Like Gladwell (2002) said, â€Å"the way we have tended to think about the causes of smoking doesn’t make much sense†, as do the ways we think about the causes of suicide (p. 221). It is unknown of how to fully prevent it or to even fully comprehend what it is. People smoke even though the overestimate the risks and suicide victims are equally aware of the results when they decide to end their own life (Gladwell, 2002, p. 221). The three social sciences provide thorough insights of the suicidal triggers displayed by media. In the situation of the Innu adolescent suicides where youth inhale gasoline, anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists, identify causes that are unfamiliar to most people. Anthropologists observed substance abuse and family violence among Innu families, which are clear signs of cultural collapse (The Innu, 2001). Cultural collapse occurs as they lose effective control of their lives, in this case, by the government and immigrant populations. They lose their self-esteem and their value of lives (The Innu, 2001). The Statistical Profile on the Health of the First Nations in Canada for the year 2000 shows that suicide and self-inflicted injuries are the leading causes of death for First Nations youth (First Nations, 2013). Statistics show that the suicide rate for First Nations youth is around 5 or 6 times greater than of non-Aboriginal youth. The suicide rate for First Nations males is 126 per 100,000 compared to 24 per 100,000 non-Aboriginal males, and the rate for First Nations females is 35 per 100,000 compared to 5 per 100,000 for non-Aboriginal females (First Nations, 2013). Sociologists have blamed colonialism and past government policies such as residential schools contributing to a sense of powerlessness and inferiority among the Innu youth. This has led to escalating levels of self-hatred and self-destructive behaviour (The Innu, 2001). Cultural hegemony has made the Innu feel inferior that their cultural practices have no value or place in the modern world (The Innu, 2001). The suicides of the Innu youth would be anomic suicide, which is a suicide that is caused by the failure of social order (Summary, n.d.). It occurs when rapid and extreme changes in society overwhelm and threaten a group. The  individuals would become uncertain of what behaviour is expected of them, leading to role confusion and then the act of taking one’s life (Kok & Goh, n.d.). From a psychologist’s point of view, role confusion is a key factor in the emotional disturbance of the Innu youth (The Innu, 2001). According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the Innu do not even have their first and basic needs being met (McLeod, 2007). They do not have running water, sewage disposal, and proper insulation for Canadian winters (The Innu, 2001). They also so not have their second and third needs which are safety needs and social needs. They do not feel secure and safe in the environment they live in and they lack social needs of belongingness, love, and relationships with others (McLeod, 2007). And because they do not have these first three needs, they cannot move up the hierarchy and achieve esteem needs of achievement and independence, and self-actualization needs of seeking personal goals (McLeod, 2007). Psychologist Erik Erikson notes that youth must resolve two life crises, the first being the crisis of identity vs. identity confusion. The individual must find their own unique identity and have a sense of belonging at the same time. If they are unsuccessful, they can become socially disconnected or develop an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and therefore end up being unable to be emotionally mature adults (Oswalt, n.d.). The second crisis is the crisis of intimacy vs. isolation, where youth must learn to maintain close relationships with others. If they are unsuccessful, they can become self-contained, needy, dependent, isolated, or vulnerable, and unable to have honest or mutual relationships (Oswalt, n.d.). The situations presented my Maslow and Erikson lead to results of the teenagers being aimless and lacking purpose in life, because of a lost sense of self. This second crisis applies well to the Micronesian youth, who end their lives as a result of not being able to emotionally deal with a domestic conflict within a domestic relationship. There was a teenage boy who committed suicide because his parents would not give him a few dollars for beer, another who ended his life because he was scolded by his brother for making too much noise, and a number of teen boys who killed themselves because they saw their girlfriends with another boy (Gladwell, 2002, p. 217-218). Many adolescents in Micronesia become emotionally susceptible and commit suicide as actions of self-pity and protest against mistreatment (Gladwell, 2002, p. 218). We can understand that suicide involves many societal and psychological processes which confirm and expand on our understanding of this complex issue. In Micronesia and Japan, the youth suicides are classified as egoistic, which is caused by excessive individualism (Summary, n.d.). It occurs when an individual is overwhelmed by a group and they isolate themselves as they become excessively independent (Kok & Goh,n.d.). In Japan the Aokigahara Forest, also known as the â€Å"suicide forest† on Mount Fuji, is a place where individuals commit suicide, usually by hanging, after isolating themselves completely by hiding in the wilderness of the forest. Those who still doubt about ending their lives walk in the forest while leaving a trail of coloured tape so that they do not get lost, and others camp for a few days in the wilderness before making their final decision (Suicide Forest, 2012). The suicides in the â€Å"suicide forest† increased in number as it was gradually pub licized, starting with a novel by Kuroi Jukai, where a young lover commits suicide in a forest (Suicide Forest, 2012). Since then, the suicide numbers reached over 100 deaths a year. The area holds so many bodies that homeless people are paid to remove the corpses (Suicide Forest, 2012). Sociologist David Philips conducted a number of studies on suicide and the results concluded that suicides are influenced by the contagious effect (Gladwell, 2002, p. 222). Immediately after stories of suicides appeared locally, the number of suicides in that area jumped. When there was a suicide story publicized nationally, the national suicide rate jumped (Gladwell, 2002, p. 222). This contagious effect is an act of imitation, and Philip states that it is a â€Å"permission to act from someone else who is engaging in a deviant act† (Gladwell, 2002, 223). This applies to the cases of suicides that continue to take place in the â€Å"suicide forest† and also in Micronesia. In the early 1960s, suicide in Micronesia was extremely rare and yet by the end of the 1980s the suicide rate was higher than anywhere else in the world (Gladwell, 2002, p. 217). According to Statistics Canada, the suicide rate in 2009 for Canadian males between 15 and 24 was about 15 per 100,000. In contrast, the suicide rate in Micronesia for males between 15 and 24 is 160 per 100,000 (Gladwell, 2002, 217). In a community on the Micronesian island of Ebeye, the first s uicide in that area led to a second, third, and twenty five more over twelve years (Gladwell,  2002, p. 226). Further studies show that people who are influenced by the contagious effect commit suicide using the same method as the one used in the event they were effected by. Stories of suicide where the victim was a driver resulted in an increase in single-car crashes. Stories of suicide-murders resulted in an increase in car crashes with victims of a driver and passengers (Gladwell, 2002, p. 224). This copycat suicide is common among youth, and is displayed in Micronesia. Almost all the suicide cases of teenagers take place in a remote spot or empty house, and involve a specific process of hanging by leaning on a noose until unconscious and dying from anoxia, the method that children play around with (Gladwell, 2002, 218). And because of this contagious effect, the media takes precautions when publicizing suicides. For example, some suicides in the Toronto subway systems are neve r reported in the press (Teen Suicide, 2011). Even though most do not understand why teenagers commit suicide, the three social sciences provide information to expand our understanding of this complex issue. Anthropologists help us to understand how suicide is affected by the way people live, and how people in different cultures respond to suicide, such as the little boys in Micronesia who experiment with it. Sociologists have figured out the contagiousness of a suicide and how easily it can cause others. Psychologists help us to understand what teenagers deal with, such as the two crises that Erik Erikson has noted. With these thorough understandings provided by the social sciences, people should be able to be aware of what causes teenage suicide, as it can happen anywhere at anytime and an effort should be made to prevent it. Already many communities have taken action to bring awareness of teen suicide, inspired by suicides of loved ones, so that it may be looked for and be prevented. There is no simple solution to adolescent suicide, however, efforts can be made to avert as many as possible. References First Nations and Inuit Health (2013, February 4). Health Canada. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/promotion/mental/index-eng.php Gladwell, M. (2002). The Tipping Point. Boston, MA: Back Bay Books. Kok, J.K. & Goh, L.Y. (n.d.). Anomic or Egoistic Suicide: Suicide Factors among Malaysian Youths. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from http://www.ijssh.org/papers/67-H083.pdf McLeod, Saul (2007). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Oswalt, Angela (n.d.). Erik Erikson and Self-Identity. Seven Counties Services. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://www.sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=41163&cn=1310 Suicide Forest in Japan (2012). Top Documentary Films. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from, http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/suicide-forest-in-japan/ Suicides and Suicide Rate, By Sex and By Age Group (2012, May 31). Statistics Canada. Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/hlth66e-eng.htm Summary of Egoistic Suicide and Anomic Suicide (n.d.). Iowa State University. Retrieved September 25, 2013 from http://www.public.iastate.edu/~s2005.soc.401/summary1(jan21).pdf Teen Sui cide: Breaking the Silence (2011, November). CBC News in Review. Retrieved September 26, 2013, from http://newsinreview.cbclearning.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/nov11suicide.pdf Teen Suicide is Preventable (n.d.). American Psychological Association. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://apa.org/research/action/suicide.aspx The Innu: Another Cry for Help (2001, February). CBC News in Review. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from http://newsinreview.cbclearning.ca/wp-content/uploads/2001/02/innu.pdf

Explication of “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood Essay

Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"Siren Song† is a lyric that consists of nine three-lined stanzas that neither possess any recognizable rhyme scheme nor rhythm. The speaker of this poem is a mythical creature, a Siren, who addresses us, the audience, when she speaks of the victims whom she lured through the enticing song she sings. The overall tone of this poem is sarcastic and quite sinister. The title itself immediately depicts the theme and speaker of the poem. The whole poem is an example of classical allusion, referring to Homer’s Odyssey. The Sirens within the Odyssey are said to be captivating women who sit on an island and lure men with their tantalizing song and beautiful voices, causing them to jump out of their ships and die. The title of the poem forewarns us, and with a name like â€Å"Siren†, the audience should comprehend its literal meaning: â€Å"Danger! Warning! Avoid if you can!†, but we, as readers, want to know more about the Siren’s song, anyway. With naà ¯ve arrogance, we approach the subject, thinking we are strong enough to turn away if things take a turn for the worse, after all, it is just a song. In the first three stanzas, the Siren introduces and briskly elaborates on her tempting song. â€Å"This is the one song everyone would like to learn: the song that is irresistible†, she says. She begins to lure us into her trap as we become curious as to why the song is so compelling. The Siren explains how men jump overboard after hearing her song, even though they see the skulls that are scattered around the island. Most would think that this is an obvious indication as to the outcome for the â€Å"squadrons [of men]† as well. Her song is one that â€Å"nobody knows because anyone who has heard it is dead†, which should also deter the audience from wanting to hear her song, but we are still, of course, tempted. These first three stanzas serve as an â€Å"alluring warning†, in a sense. Through the next five stanzas, she continues to say that if we assist her â€Å"out of [her] bird suit†, she â€Å"shall tell [us] the secret†. We are left, curiously, to find out what the secret is. The image of a â€Å"bird suit† is a symbol for the conformity the Siren endures, or rather, what she wants us to believe she endures. She says she doesn’t enjoy â€Å"squatting on [an] island, looking picturesque and mythical, with two [other] maniacs†. She makes us believe that all she wants is to be freed from being trapped in her â€Å"bird suit†. She tries to convince us to â€Å"come closer†, and continues to make us feel special, saying that we are â€Å"unique†, and that â€Å"only [we]† can help her. She insists that her song is really â€Å"a cry for help†, and that she’ll tell us her secret – all we have to do is lean in and continue to listen to her tantalizing song. â€Å"Alas it is a boring song but it works every time†, says the Siren in the final stanza. Her song, her cries for help – they all have been a ploy to lure in her next victims. Maybe, her promise to reveal her secret was kept, after all. Perhaps her secret was the fact that her song will always work. She describes her song as â€Å"boring†, and seems almost amused with the outcome of her trap, as though her devious ways are second nature. Regrettably, however, we fell victims to her conniving personality and enthralling song, even after being warned from the moment we read the title. â€Å"Siren Song† by Margaret Atwood is a beautiful poem that cleverly describes the method the Siren uses to catch her victims. The poem takes on a sinister and seductive nature, which leaves us to be quite the opposite of â€Å"unique† – another victim of the Sirens.

E-Commerce Strategies for Airasia Essays

E-Commerce Strategies for Airasia Essays E-Commerce Strategies for Airasia Essay E-Commerce Strategies for Airasia Essay AIR ASIA E-COMMERCE STRATEGIES Low cost per average seat kilometer AirAsia focused on ensuring a competitive cost structure as its main business strategy. It has been able to achieve a cost per average seat kilometer (ASK) of 2. 5 cents, half that of Malaysia Airlines and Ryanair and a third that of EasyJet. AirAsia can lease the B737-300s aircraft at a very competitive market rates due to the harsh global market conditions for the second-hand aircrafts because of the September 11th event in 2001. Low distribution cost AirAsia focus on Internet bookings and ticketless travel allowed it to lower the distribution cost. Attractive ticket price With the average fare being 40-60% lower than its full-service competitor, AirAsia has been able to achieve strong market stimulation in the domestic Malaysia air market (Thomas 2003). For instance, the fare for the trip from Kuala Lumpur to Penang on AirAsia starts from 39 ringgit. Comparing to trip by bus charge 40 ringgit and 80 ringgit by car. The effect of attractive low fare is more travelers switching from bus to air, similar case as Ryanair in Europe. Good Management Team AirAsia value proposition is more sophisticated than Ryanair placing equal emphasis on brand reputation and customer service/people management, by a senior advisor to AirAsia’s top management team. AirAsia pursue a Ryanair operational strategy, Southwest people strategy and an EsyJet branding stategy. AirAsia is the best organizations among others s because of their :- Xpress Boarding AirAsia practices a free seating policy. This policy has enabled them to consistently achieve a turnaround time of 25 minutes for all of their flights. They now offer, as an option, the choice of seats through Xpress Boarding. Xpress boarding allows guests to board on aircraft first, and choose a seat of their liking-be it a window seat, asle seat, front of aircraft or next to the lavatory. This service has proven to be exceptionally popular for time hungry business people, corporate employees on business trips, and families travelling together. Web Check-in For a seamless, quick and convenient check-in, We B Check-in was introduced to enable those travelling without luggage. Guess may simply check-in via thewebpage from the comfort of their homes of office, print out their boarding pass and proceed to the airport at their leisure. Self Check-in Kiosk Self Check-in also available. Their fiery red kiosks are located at the LCC Terminal, KLIA to enable a self check-in with a touch of the screen. E-Gift Voucher The E-Gift Voucher is an innovative gift for all occasions as well as being a much-appreciated to corporate gift for its high-perceived value. Since its launch, the E-Gift Voucher has proven itself to be a popular choice for those who want to present imaginative gifts. MALAYSIA AIRLINES E-COMMERCE STRATEGIES E-Freight Program The e-Freight Partnership Program of MASkargo is a strategic e-commerce framework that aims to develop a paperless environment that will enable collaboration among various key players of the logistic industry to adopt electronic channels as the way of transacting business processes with each other. MASkargo Pioneers the Use of the FPX System MASkargo was recently recognized as one of the early adopters for Malaysias first real time online inter-bank Internet payment gateway, Financial Process Exchange (FPX). FPX, a national project, facilitates online payments for e-commerce transactions in particular B2B and B2C (business to business and business to consumer) transactions on a secure and multi-bank platform. E-Commerce E-Commerce encompasses all business operations and transactions based on communication via the electronic media. The major activity includes e-Bookings e-Tracking e-Schedules e-Air Waybill Stock Distribution -Air Waybill Submission e-Invoicing Payment Malaysia Airlines’ needs Malaysia Airlines, having a clear idea about what it wanted  to achieve with the P SS programmed, divided the workload into five streams: Reservations -Anew, more efficient and functionally rich system, to meet todays industry standard sand requirements. E-Commerce-Allowing  Malaysia Airlines to reduce  distribution cos ts by providing a  convenient, easy to use Internet Booking  Engine. E-Ticketing and DCS-Moving from traditional paper toe-tickets by May 2008, in line with IA TAs requirements. This included an upgraded Departure Control System so that  Malaysia Airlines could offer new  self-service options to passengers, including kiosk and web check-in. Revenue Integrity-To authenticate every booking ensuring it produces an actual passenger upon departure, avoiding the revenue leakage which occurred in the past. Fares Management-To enable Malaysia Airlines  to distribute fares more efficiently around the world and to improve pr  icing decisions. A critical success  factor was the ability to integrate all five  work streams with other existing systems in place throughout Malaysia Airlines. SITA’s solution in a first for the  region, and with a contract worth more than US$80million over a ten-year  period, SITA has been undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of Malaysia Airlines existing passenger applications and services, covering the five work streams -reservations, e-commerce, ticketing and departure control, revenue integrity and fares management. To date, SITA has met the needs of Malaysia Airlines  by implementing several Horizon solution components including: Implementing SITA Ticketing and DCS around existing passenger applications, saving  Malaysia Airlines  millions of dollars. Re-engineering  Malaysia Airlines fares strategy, including fares workflow, competitive monitoring, and effective distribution, which has been critical  to the outstanding success achieved with e-commerce. Implementing revenue integrity and revenue protection, enabling Malaysia  Airlines to prevent the waste of over 120,000  segments in a single quarter  at the beginning of 2008-equating to improved inventory management with significant cost savings and revenue upside. FIREFLY E-COMMERCE STRATEGIES In buying up Firefly Network, Microsoft did more than feather its nest with a set of bleeding-edge consumer privacy technologies. It also struck a critical blow to arch rival Netscape by effectively sinking that companys online e-commerce strategy. Firefly has been developing a privacy plug-in that would have injected Communicator 5 with the necessary technology to support the Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) specification. While DesAutels said that Netscape had been relying on the Firefly plug-in, other sources, both at Netscape and within the P3P working group. The Firefly acquisition is cool for the industry as long as Microsoft doesnt step in the way and make it hard for them to work with Firefly this is an area where people will see some cooperation between Microsoft and Netscape. P3P and a related technology, Open Profiling Specification, provide a means for Web sites and consumers to seamlessly exchange preferences about what personal information such as age and ZIP code is exchanged over the Internet. The  P3P specification  is expected to be declared a standard by the World Wide Web Consortium by next month, and is poised to become an essential aspect of all Web transactions, including shopping. But the latest Microsoft deal has sent Netscape back to square one. Thats because P3P is very difficult to implement in a browser, and Firefly engineers were clearly leading the industry in that regard. They have creating a technology that is extremely difficult to implement. [The Netscape-Firefly plug-in] would have put Netscape back on par with the industry for privacy and e-commerce, and data exchange. Firefly has a collaborative filtering engine that can suggest products based on a users likes and dislikes. But Microsoft already owns a similar filtering engine, in the form of the Personalization Services features built into the companys Sidewalk city guides. What attracted Microsoft to Firefly was the technology Firefly had been developing for both Netscape and Explorer a dynamic content engine that would make the proposed P3P standard interoperable with Web sites. The acquisition was made by Microsofts Web Essentials group, which includes Microsoft Network, Sidewalk, Expedia, Hotmail, and the forthcoming Start portal service which mimics the Web gateway strategy adopted by many search-engine companies and Redmonds plans for P3P extend well beyond its Explorer browser. In March, Netscape told Wired News that the P3P/OPS technology was critical to its e-commerce plans, especially given growing pressure from the Federal Trade Commission for the Web-commerce industry to regulate itself with technological rather than legislative solutions to protect consumers. While DesAutels suggested that few other vendors were developing P3P solutions, an active member of the P3P working group said that Netscape would likely not be adversely affected by the Firefly acquisition. The Firefly acquisition gives Microsoft a greater stake in  Information and Content Exchange  (ICE), a proposed protocol for the automatic, controlled exchange and management of online assets between business partners. ICE is an embryonic technology being developed by Adobe, Firefly, JavaSoft, Microsoft, National Semiconductor, and Vignette, and a number of content publishers. A key technology under development at Firefly and destined for a W3C standards track, ICE will help establish standards for Web sites to communicate with each other, paving the way for online superstores and new reseller channels. Now, with a heavy stake in ICE, Microsoft has a leg up over Netscape in future e-commerce development. Netscapes whole e-commerce strategy, a large portion was now they have a client that speaks ICE, uses certificates for identity, includes an OPS/P3P client for exchanging info.

Adam Smith vs. Karl Marx Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Adam Smith vs. Karl Marx - Essay Example Karl Marx was a political scientist and economist from Germany who lived in the years 1818 to 1883. He analyzed capitalism in a revolutionary and pessimistic viewpoint. Marx concept was that the capitalist set the means of production while the laborer created the value of the products. Marx argued that capitalist’s profits are as a result of labor exploitation. It implies that, workers are paid low salaries compared to the value they create on the products to create profits. He, therefore, disliked the organizations that were deemed as profit- oriented (Landauer 356).  Marx argued that labor exploitation is the struggle and future downfall of the capitalism practices. To Marx, the tension between the workers and capitalists will intensify over time as the business grows (Landauer 356). The growth of the tension is due to large outfits’ inherent efficiency and their ability to go through the ever-ending system crisis. Marx argument was that the world is moving to a sys tem of two classes. The classes are few capitalists that are wealthy and a mass of underprivileged, unpaid workers. He, therefore, predicted capitalism fall and society movement towards communism. Marx described communism to be a scenario in which the workers will own the production means. They will therefore not exploit their labor in return for profit. His thinking affected several societies, including the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the 20th century.  Application of Marx theory in real life situation has led to two main deficiencies.

Introduction to International Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Introduction to International Accounting - Essay Example It had started its operation with single fleet and three flights per week and presently it spreads its span to 99 destinations over 39 countries. The organisation had commenced its business with the name of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines in the year 1947. After 25 years, in the year of 1972, the Airlines had split into two entities, named as Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airline System. The Singapore Airlines was the first to provide the complimentary headsets and free drinks. In addition to it, their latest innovation of providing in-flight telecommunication services made them pioneer in this service. Eventually, it can be stated that the history of the organisation was the witness of the quality services (Singapore Airlines, 2011). The Singapore Airlines is a unit of Singapore Government. The holding company of the organisation is Temasek Holdings which acquires 54.5% of voting stock. The organisation has adopted an effective strategy of diversification. It has been diversified into related sectors and industries. Hence, it can be stated the organisation has gone for the horizontal diversification (Singapore Airlines, 2007). The financial statements of the organisation indicates that during the period of economic downturn the organisation was not managed properly as the profit had became negative in the financial year 2009. But there after, SIA has controlled the organisation effectively as drastic changes in the financial performance have been noticed. Report published by Statistical Commission (2008) had defined the concept of balance sheet. The report had considered the balance sheet as the statement which has drawn up the values of the assets owned and the liabilities owed by an organisation or a group of organisations, based on a particular point of time. A balance sheet is able to show the ways of best meeting the liabilities. Moreover, comparing the fixed assets and the current assets of a balance sheet, it can be determined